50% of Spanish companies have increased in the past year the hiring of junior professionals, double the number of those that have chosen to cut these entries (25%), according to the report "Hiring junior talent in the Spanish company", prepared by ManpowerGroup.
The study, released this Thursday, places the Operations and Logistics areas as those that draw the most on this type of talent, with 29% of demand. Administration comes next, with 27.5%, and Customer Service, with 27%.
Although hiring people in the early stages of their professional careers is moving forward, the report also detects several barriers to their onboarding. Among them, the pressure on costs stands out, the automation of tasks through artificial intelligence (AI), and the difficulties companies face in dedicating resources to training the new hires.
Costs rising and automation, main barriers
Among the companies that have reduced the entry of junior profiles, 31% point to the continued pressure on costs as a reason to prioritize candidates with more experience, who are able to reach higher productivity levels sooner.
In addition, 24% of the organizations that have cut this type of hiring cite automation supported by artificial intelligence (AI), which is eliminating or transforming certain tasks and jobs traditionally associated with professionals at the start of their career path.
To these elements are added problems in supporting the development of the new hires. Specifically, one out of every five companies that has reduced junior hiring admits that the shrinking of its management structures limits its capacity to train and develop new talent.
ManpowerGroup Talent Solutions’ general director, Orestes Wensell, has emphasized that the increase in these hiring reflects that Spanish companies continue to bet on adding new talent, though he has reminded that "that bet does not end with the hiring".
"In an environment in which technology rapidly transforms jobs and competencies, and organizations demand results that are increasingly immediate, supporting these professionals in their learning and development is fundamental", Wensell said.