Abstract:

The Samuel Neaman Institute for National Policy Research, together with the Israeli Social-Economic Forum, initiated a project aimed at encouraging young people's employment in Jerusalem. The main objective of this project was to identify in detail the current and future skills needed and the trends in human talent requirements within Jerusalem's commercial labour market, and more specifically within the local Bio-medical and Hi-Tech advanced industries. The information gathered can encourage integration of young Israelis’ into highly paid jobs, thus contributing to the city’s economic development.

As a first step, a database of approximately 600 Hi-Tech and Bio-medical companies was established. These companies were later addressed using a comprehensive online survey in which information was collected regarding the expected number of required employees, their academic backgrounds, and the technical and soft skills in demand. Employers were also asked about their willingness and flexibility to employ students or new graduates having no on-the-job experience. The survey focused on present needs, as well as future requirements for the next years.

The online survey was structured based on an extensive analysis of open position advertisements as well as discussions with the companies themselves. As a pilot stage, the survey was delivered to a small number of companies and changes were made to the final version following the insights gained.

In-depth interviews were performed with part of the companies to better understand their human talent requirements and their possible impediments for recruiting such matching talent. Recommendations regarding ways to reduce skill mismatches for the benefit of both employers and new hires were gathered and focused mainly on the interface between academia and industry.

Around 100 Hi-Tech and Bio-medical companies replied to the online survey. They indicated the main technical and soft-skill competencies they were looking for. In the Hi-Tech sector, most of the companies require a degree in computer science and software engineering, as well as in electrical engineering and information systems. In the Bio-medical fields, most of the companies indicated they are looking for employees with academic degrees in biology and biotechnology as well as chemistry. While in the Hi-Tech sector most companies need employees with a bachelor’s degree, the biomedical companies search for employees with higher (MSc. or PhD) academic qualifications.

The main soft skills in need, as described by both the Bio-medical and Hi-Tech companies, were independent learning, teamwork and the ability to solve complex problems.
The research contributes to enhancing our understanding of the current and future skills in demand within the labour market. Consequently, it can help bridge potential gaps between academic studies and employment in the industrial sector.

Currently, the research team together with academic centers in Jerusalem continues the efforts to implement the knowledge gained. As part of these efforts, academic colleges were linked with companies willing to employ students and new graduates. In addition, further research is planned to evaluate the benefits of applied final projects performed in the industry.

Keywords:

Labour market skills, University-Industry cooperation, Workplace learning.