Work‐based competences and careers prospects: a study of Spanish employees

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to identify the work‐based competences associated with better career prospects in the Spanish labour market.Design/methodology/approachThe relationship between employee‐based competencies and employment prospects is investigated through the lens of the competence‐based approach. The partial least squares (PLS) methodology is applied on a sample of over 5,000 Spanish employees.FindingsThe analysis establishes that skill, motivation, participation in decision‐making and the performance of non‐routine and complex tasks are associated with more favourable career prospects. Finally, it has also been found that human capital dimensions valued by firms vary with occupation, as clear differences have been observed between white‐ and blue‐collar occupations. In particular, social skills and motivation appear to be more relevant for blue‐collar workers than for white‐collar workers.Originality/valueFor the first time, this paper analyses employees' career prospects using work‐based competences as predictors. Additionally, the analysis is based within a very uncertain labour market, Spain, where high unemployment and an extensive use of temporary contracts seriously hinder workers' career prospects.

Social Class Culture Cycles: How Three Gateway Contexts Shape Selves and Fuel Inequality

“…These behavioral requirements reflect and foster norms of hard interdependence. For instance, workers are often socialized through workplace interactions to value social relations, coworkers, and security (Cooke & Rousseau 1998, Friedlander 1965, Lamont 2000, Salzinger 2003, Urtasun & Núñez 2012. For example, Barker (1993) finds that both supervisors and coworkers in a working-class manufacturing company emphasize that job success relies on cooperating with fellow workers and being responsive to social norms.…”

“…These behavioral requirements further reflect and foster norms of expressive independence. For instance, workers are often socialized through workplace interactions to value independence and freedom (Bacon & Storey 1996, Cooke & Rousseau 1998, Friedlander 1965, Hyman 1994, Lamont 2000, Urtasun & Núñez 2012. For example, Sutton & Hargadon (1996) found that IDEO (a professional product-design firm) emphasizes to employees that job success relies on challenging and breaking rules, expressing personal views, and being independent thinkers.…”

“…For instance, they expect job applicants to ask questions, to express their preferences, and to take risks. These expectations can guide decisions about hiring or promotion (Cooke & Rousseau 1998, England 1967, Mills 2002, Urtasun & Núñez 2012. For example, Rivera (2012) finds that during important decisions about hiring, these expectations for potential employees can manifest themselves in managers' desire to feel a connection or sense of fit with the applicants.…”

The human resource architecture model: A twenty-year review and future research directions

“…Schmidt, Pohler, et al, 2018;Yanadori & Kang, 2011), Europe (e.g. Benzinger, 2016;Ramirez & Fornerino, 2007;Urtasun & N uñez, 2012), Oceania (e.g. McKeown & Lindorff, 2011), and Asia (e.g.…”

“…Furthermore, these studies showed that some specific HRM practices were strategically designed to be different for various employee groups based on their HC. Such HRM practices included the retention strategy (Gardner, 2005), compensation (Gowan & Lepak, 2007;Hong & Honig, 2016;McDonnell et al, 2016), career management (De Vos & Urtasun & N uñez, 2012), pay and performance management systems (Ferner & Almond, 2013), organizational socialization tactics (Benzinger, 2016), skill development (Okay-Somerville & Scholarios, 2019), and training (Meli an-Gonz alez & Verano- Tacoronte, 2004;Vyas & Zhu, 2017).…”