| | DECEMBER - 2022MANAGEHRMAGAZINE.COM8In MyOpinionBy Daniel Afonso, Global VP Organisation, Talent and Rewards, Radisson Hotel GroupBeing employable (having opportunities on both internal and external job markets) is the closest one can have to employment security in today's job market. And it is not a small ask given professional competence is becoming an increasingly hurried standard to keep up with. Chasing the technological advances in our fields is a significant part of our daily jobs, and we either keep the pace or risk being caught by obsolescence.Companies have a large stake in this too. The vast majority of the employees planning to resign from their jobs after Covid (the so-called great resignation) are doing so because they feel their companies are not giving them the right career advancement. They have worked hard through the pandemic and feel their organizations are not holding their end of thedeal. Companies need to invest time and effort in helping employees feel confident that they are not falling behind in a fast-moving world.Breaking It DownThe first use of the term employable was recorded in 1852 meaning "fit for service". The idea of employability is not new: in the 1920s, insurance companies were screening the employability of their potential clients to assess how likely it would be for them to become unable to work due to illness. Employability started being seen as a driver for individual and organizational success towards the end of the 20th century, so it is still a relatively new concept.Some have understood employability as the development of soft skills that are translatable to any current or future profession or job. Nobel Laureate COMPANIES NEED TO RETHINK THEIR APPROACH TO EMPLOYABILITYJames Heckman for example, stated that workforces needed to develop both specialized technical knowledge as well as a set of broader "employability skills" needed to succeed in any job. You'll be bored to know that these are the usual suspects of social and emotional capabilities such as communication, collaboration, or empathy. However, employability is not a set of stable characteristics but a dynamic process requiring individuals to constantly adapt to changes in the labour market.Thought of as a dynamic process, employability does not require specific soft-skills but more of a mindset. An "employability mindset" would involve individuals having their finger on the pulse of progress and pushing themselves to keep up with it throughout their career.This can involve efforts such as continuously updating one's knowledge to seeking stretching opportunities outside of one's professional comfort zone.Why Employability Is important for IndividualsWe spend a third of our adult life at work, journeying in and out of jobs, teams, organizations or professions, building our professional and personal project throughout it. Work is a source of meaning and a part of who we understand ourselves to be, and in today's volatile world, feeling employable allows us to navigate uncertainty, live with complexity and be confident about the career choices we make. It makes us feel confident about our professional future and helps us broaden our prospects in an increasingly liquid job market.Daniel Afonso
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