Meeting with European Talent Partners in Barcelona

We have just concluded our European Talent Partners meeting in Barcelona, with business owners from prominent HR consultancies in EMEA, hosted at the offices of Advantage Consultores in Barcelona.

We exchanged the latest economic and HR trends from various countries and charted our course for the future.

The latest economic trends are as follows:

• Companies are trimming costs and central headquarters.
• The energy crisis, the conflict in Europe, and inflation are creating uncertainty.
• The low unemployment rate in Central Europe and the Nordics, coupled with a severe shortage of skilled workers, significantly impacts the economies of these countries, resulting in the closure of hospitals, hotels, and the public sector, among others.
• This, combined with the 10 million Baby Boomers exiting the European labor market, will have a dramatic impact on care systems and labor shortages everywhere.

In Spain's case, the relatively high unemployment rate, especially among youth compared to the rest of Europe, suggests a failure to learn from past lessons, such as the need for professional vocational studies instead of university degrees.

Salaries are the lowest (alongside Portugal and Greece) compared to other European countries. A young university graduate's first job in Germany or the UK typically offers a gross salary of 40,000-50,000 euros, in the Nordics it ranges from 50,000 to 60,000 euros, while in Spain, it hovers around 20,000-25,000 euros.

HR Trends:

• The level of digitization in Southern Europe and the Nordics surpasses that of DACH countries (industrial states versus retail or service-oriented countries).
• The role of HR is evolving across all countries; it must be business-oriented, or it provides no value proposition.
• Employee engagement and employer branding strategies are of paramount importance.
• Recruiting is on the decline, and outplacement is on the rise. HR services are on the upswing.

We extend our gratitude to our dear partners for this insightful meeting and the path we have forged:

• Karl-Heinz Ludwig nz Ludwig, Best Placement
• Mark Richter , OTP
• Peter Cederquist, Sweden
• Jens Hybel , FK Select, Denmark
• Birgitte Fuglsang , FK Select, Denmark
• Miriam Magner Flynn , Career Decision, Ireland
• Ann-Charlotte Menvay, Norway
• Annick R?ckner, Sweden
• Anna Schmidt , Poland

And to my wonderful team for their constant support: Gloria P?rgjergji , Laia Violan , Diego, Eva Romeu , and Angela Alford .

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