Meeting the demand for qualified professionals, the main challenge facing Telecommunications and Audiovisual Content companies

The telecommunications sector and the audiovisual industry face the challenge of incorporating qualified professionals to achieve a greater growth of the companies that integrate them. This is evident in a study carried out by the Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructures and the Chamber of Commerce of Spain, in which the situation of the telecommunications and audiovisual content sectors is analyzed.

The study includes a detailed X-ray of the economic impact of both branches on the economy as a whole, in terms of production, employment and productivity, as well as a survey that reflects the challenges faced by the companies operating in them.

In the last two years, 69.5% of the companies in the telecommunications sector that have hired professionals, express the difficulty they found to incorporate all types of profiles, especially those related to engineers (59% of these companies), systems managers (20%), marketing professionals (13.3%), among others. In this area, the percentage of companies that expressed difficulties in finding intermediate technicians related to Vocational Training is very relevant. 44.3% of companies that hired staff within the sector indicated this option.

The audiovisual sector is going through a similar situation, but to a lesser extent. A 38.4% of the companies in the sector that have carried out contracts in the last two years, has indicated difficulties in finding qualified professionals. The most demanded profiles include those related to production (32.6% of these companies), programming (23.3%) or content creation/aggregation (22.1%). The report also highlights the high demand for profiles related to the technical training provided by Vocational Training, as operators and technicians. A 53.5% of the companies that hired staff in the last two years indicated this type of profiles.

Although they share challenges, difficulties and expectations, and have in common the same reality shaped by globalization, technology, changes in consumer habits and talent, the telecommunications sector and the audiovisual sector are differentiated by their weight in the Spanish economy. The 3.3% of the Gross Value Added (GVA) generated by the economy in 2018 was directly or indirectly related to telecommunications services, while the 1.1% of this figure depended directly and indirectly on the audiovisual industry.

In addition, in that year, 2.3% of the employment generated by the Spanish economy depended directly or indirectly on telecommunications services, with a total of 474,891 jobs. With regard to the audiovisual industry, that same year the figure amounted to 1% of employment, 205.118 jobs, generated by the total of our economy.

All this highlights the importance that both sectors have both in the present and in the future, especially for their multiplier effect of activity and employment.

Specifically, in the case of the telecommunications sector, in 2018, for every 100 euros of production generated by its services, an additional 121 euros were obtained in the other branches of activity of the economy, and for every 100 jobs created, 532 additional jobs were generated in other activities. And although to a lesser extent, the audiovisual sector also has a significant multiplier effect: for every 100 jobs generated during that year in the sector, 186 additional jobs were created in other branches; and for every 100 euros of production derived from the content industry, 102 additional euros were generated in the other branches of economic activity.

In terms of productivity, both sectors exceed the average of the Spanish economy, being especially noteworthy the case of telecommunications, branch that has doubled that average since 2015 (in 2018 for example, the sector reached 126,694 euros of VAB per occupied, compared to 56,385 euros of national average). The audiovisual sector, also above the national one, had a productivity of 63,505 euros per occupied in 2018.

In terms of the level of internationalization, in 2017 exports from the telecommunications sector represented 0.44% of the total Spanish economy, and imports 0.56% of the total. Similar percentages present the audiovisual sector. That same year it exported 0.47% of the total foreign sales of the Spanish economy and imported 0.57% of the total. In both cases, their exports are mainly directed to EU countries.

These figures show the wide scope for improvement that companies in both sectors still have in terms of internationalization. According to data from the survey carried out on companies, only 27.1% of companies in the telecommunications sector have foreign business, either export of services or productive activity in third countries. However, it should be noted that, despite the low weight of exports from the audiovisual sector in the total economy, 40.2% of companies in the sector have foreign business, although for 46% of them, the resulting business figure represents less than 10% of total turnover.

In addition, in the audiovisual case, the companies were consulted for the interest that some measures could have to attract international audiovisual production to Spain. Of the proposed measures, the one that aroused the most interest was the establishment or increase of tax deductions, being selected by 50.4% of companies. Secondly, the promotion of Spain as a place to develop productions was considered relevant by 44.7% of companies. 44.0% of companies are in favour of simplifying the necessary administrative procedures and 42.9% are in favour of establishing or increasing direct subsidies.

 

The telecommunications sector and the audiovisual industry are key to digital transformation, one of the four transversal axes of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. Projects related to digital transformation will receive investments worth 20 billion euros.