Skills Employers Seek : Results of the Armenia STEP Employer Skills Survey
The note presents the results of the STEP employer skills survey. The survey was implemented in early 2013 using a stratified sample of 354 firms. The firms were stratified by activity and firm size, with a booster sample of large firms. Post-strat...
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2015
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2015/08/24919387/skills-employers-seek-results-armenia-step-employer-skills-survey http://hdl.handle.net/10986/22530 |
| Summary: | The note presents the results of the
STEP employer skills survey. The survey was implemented in
early 2013 using a stratified sample of 354 firms. The firms
were stratified by activity and firm size, with a booster
sample of large firms. Post-stratification weights were used
to make the results representative of firm size. The
structure of the sample by activity, size and some other
characteristics is presented in annex one. The small sample
size implies that the estimates are subject to a wide margin
of error. This problem is mitigated by the fact it is
qualitative rather than quantitative results that are of
primary interest. One should bear in mind that the survey’s
results represent subjective perceptions, and as such should
be taken with a grain of salt (for example, the employers
may express exaggerated views). There are some additional
limitations resulting from the survey’s design. It uses a
pre-determined list of skills, which may or may not
correspond with the skills that employers themselves are
concerned about. Moreover, the skills are generic in nature,
and not occupation specific. Skills are divided into groups
(see below), and it is not possible to compare the
importance of specific skills between groups (only within
groups). Finally, the survey looks at skills of only two
types of workers, highly skilled college graduates, and less
skilled high school graduates (see below). These two groups
are very heterogeneous, with a substantial variation in the
skill set demanded from workers within a group. The upshot
is that the survey’s results are very general in nature and
as such are meant to highlight the importance of the skills
gap problem, rather than to examine skill gaps specific to
different types of workers and occupations. Put differently,
the results are intended to inform the public debate on
skills and education policy, rather than to identify
specific skills-related problems. The note is structured as
follows. Section one provides background information on the
skill structure of employment, and presents evidence on a
skills shortage in Armenia. Section two is central. It
examines the demand for skills and the skills gap. It
identifies skills that determine the employers hiring
decisions, and skills that young job applicant most
frequently lack. Section three focuses on firm organized
training as a way of coping with a skills shortage. Section
four concludes and discusses policy implications of the analysis. |
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