Job Security, Flexibility and Maths!

Three interesting articles have caught my attention recently. I will briefly outline each before concluding with a few remarks.

The first one was about a new trend emerging amongst South African students. According to research undertaken at 23 tertiary institutions by the employer’ branding specialist Magnet Communications; for the first time in six years students are looking for job security over the allure of leading balanced lives. “It seems that the economic slowdown has affected the perceptions of graduates entering the workforce”. The research has revealed a further interesting statistic that 48 percent of students want to become managers of people in their field. Much can be inferred from the desires for job security and management appointments as expressed by these Generation Y’s, which is in stark contrast with the popular opinions that their career wish lists are topped by desires for socialization and flexibility.

This brings me to the next item that of flexibility.

In 2006 the European Commission published a Green Paper adapting Labor Law to ensure both flexibility and security. It has given birth to a new word or term: flexicurity, an amalgam of flexibility and security. The motive is to combine a more flexible labor market with stimulation to secure a move towards new, more productive jobs and protection against a fall into protracted unemployment and poverty. It provides a solution to the dilemma of how to maintain and improve competitiveness while it makes at the same time full use of the potential of social policy as a production factor. Despite the balance being delicate, the pursuit of win-win strategies for both employers and workers lies at the heart of this concept. In practical terms, companies in the United Kingdom have adopted internal policies such as introducing flexible systems of retirement, including taper-off retirement e.g. people could opt to work for fewer than five days per week; offering staff the option to work an agreed number of days per annum; and allowing staff to carry forward leave days and the opportunity of selling back leave. The Green Paper is also in line with the modern trend of supporting shorter and more flexible work hours per week.

Maths! The mere thought or mention of it makes most foreheads and palms sweaty!

It is widely accepted that the annual results of South African school leavers consisting of low numbers of students qualifying in maths exacerbates the skills shortage which undermines the competitiveness of the economy and the creation of productive jobs. According to the CEO of the Landelahni Recruitment Group, if you are one of the few who achieved a good maths result, IT could be a career opportunity since the sector has a shortage of skills and is currently importing. In 2008 the Lord Mayor of London remarked on the need for qualified accountants to support growing a developing economy and many more high paying professions can be cited all with a prerequisite and requirements in maths.

This brings me to some concluding remarks on the topics of job security, flexibility and maths.

We must learn to overcome our fears for maths and numbers! Our society must roll back the stigma that states the sciences are too difficult and that our children do not have the innate abilities and talents to master it. After all, these are exact sciences that can be learned. In the words of my grandmother, whom I think quoted the famous sportsman Gary Player “… practice makes perfect…!” Those individuals who have a firm command of maths in the form of statistics, accounting and business calculations enjoy preference in employment and income opportunities for precisely the right reasons: they can investigate and solve problems through empirical means and they have advance deductive reasoning skills to arrive at unique and innovative solutions.

These individuals will be first in line for managerial promotions and thus securing their futures and enjoying the benefits of higher wages, allowance for flexibility to balance their demanding careers with family and giving expressing to their desires to be sociable and making meaningful impacts with their talents. Employers will do everything in their power to attract, reward and retain these qualified people in an effort to keep organizations staffed with the best of the best.

My advice to the Millennium Generation, and to adults in the workplace (because there is one thing the fast moving modern economy have taught us, which is you are never to old to learn a new skill) is to enroll for courses with numeracy requirements and to keep going at it until you have commanded the computational requirements, because inevitably the career prospects are better!

The Association of Business Executives (ABE) offers a wide range of courses in business maths and statistics leading towards credits in international degree programs! ABE also has colleges throughout the world offering tuition services and classroom support for students. Don’t hesitate to contact me on hendrikb@abesa.co.za should you require advice or have comments about flexibility, job security and maths.