Training Engineers for Innovation

7 Determinants of Skill Matching among Young Hungarian Engineers

7.1. Introduction

Problems around matching employees’ skills and competencies to the job requirements have always been one of the structural characteristics of the labor market in advanced economies. Following the global economic crises, in 2008/2009 skill matching again came into focus. It deserves special attention in the case of highly skilled professionals with specific competencies, since accumulating complex and specified skills requires serious investment from both the individual and society as a whole. Matching skill supply and demand is essential in making these investments profitable and in efficient and sustainable utilization of individual and social resources.

Engineers are in a specific position within the intellectual professionals. They play a crucial role in technological progress, innovations, adaptation of rapid technological changes and in the contribution to the material wealth of societies [CLA 10]. With respect to their skills, there are two critical issues to be tackled. The first one refers to the extent engineers are prepared to fulfill the labor market requirements and are concerned by skill gaps and deficits and the second refers to the extent their skills are utilized. Skill gaps and deficits are barriers to competitiveness and economic growth, while misutilization or underutilization of engineers’ skills can result in lower satisfaction with work, a decrease in productivity and ...