The FINANCIAL -- “In 2013 Georgia plans to create 50-60,000 new jobs, mostly in the
agriculture sector and hydroelectricity construction. Attractive
business sectors for job seekers will be determined in from 15-16%,”
Kakha Sakandelidze, Minister of Employment, told The FINANCIAL.
accordance with investment priorities.
The rate of unemployment varies The Georgian Government will finance the recruitment of over 3,000 people involved in the agro sector.
“The prospect of employment, a relatively high salary and career growth opportunities are the main factors that determine the popularity of any profession,” said Akaki Tavadze, teacher at Free University.
The profession of Foreign Language Specialist is no longer in particularly high demand. HR specialists interviewed by The FINANCIAL explained that simply commanding a foreign language is no longer enough for jobseekers. “In accordance with modern demands commanding just one foreign language is not enough; having several languages gives one better prospects,” Eka Machavariani, HR Manager at Maxhome trade, told The FINANCIAL.
Potential jobseekers are sceptical in regard to Russian and German language philology, physics and orchestra specializations. According to the Ministry of Science and Education of Georgia, the above-mentioned programmes of study had little to no competition in the entrance exams of the 2012-13 academic years.
“The profession of Doctor has also become less attractive as a career due to the relatively low wages in the sector,” said Tavadze, teacher at Free University.
The popularity and usefulness of scientists in Georgia has been diminishing recently. “The economy cannot develop without scientific/technical progress. So scientific institutions should have a closer relationship with business and should focus on the practical uses of their inventions. That will then give a chance to physics, to make its knowledge practical to others,” said Tavadze, Free University.
According to Geostat, the lowest monthly wage is in fish-breeding, HoReCa, science and agriculture, hunting and forest manufacturing. The average monthly salary in the fish-breeding sector is GEL 271.1; in HoReCa - GEL 347.8; in science - GEL 376.3 and in agriculture, hunting and forest manufacturing - GEL 400.3.
The highest recorded average wage is in the financial sector - GEL 1,365.3; transport and communication - GEL 1,14.8 and in the electricity, gas and water production sector - GEL 935.1.
“Lawyers and economists remain the most popular professions for the foreseeable future. However, there is a danger here. The market has its own rules and therefore determines how many lawyers or economists it needs,” said Tavadze.
“The recent year’s competition at entrance exams showed what a great imbalance there is between those two professions and other specialties. This can cause an army of highly qualified specialists as well as some inevitable disappointment, as many graduates will not be working at levels corresponding to their education,” he added.
Tavadze said that some professions are necessary for countries, for example, Georgian language philology. And such specialists should be kept by the state.
“As the majority of jobs are appearing in the service sector it would be good to think about manufacturing specialties. The Technical University should become more active in this regard. High-tech specialists are becoming more important and in demand. In this regard, some universities have already modernized their educational programmes,” commented Tavadze, FreeUni.
According to jobs.ge, one of the largest online job-listing websites in Georgia, in 2012 the total number of vacancies increased from 1,500-2,000 compared to the previous year.
As of December 2012, the total number of web applications exceeded 13,000. According to Alexander Khubulava, the Head of jobs.ge, the most popular vacancies were in the following departments: administration/management; technical/logistics; finance; sales; information technology; PR and marketing; healthcare and law.
Other categories include waiting staff, cleaner, baker and other less qualified professions.
“Many factors determine the demand for a profession. The country’s economy, business and government’s priorities, a vital cycle of profession, labour market and wage system,” said Tavadze.
In his words, lack of opportunities to use them, small compensation system and disapproval of this profession determine the lack of interest in concrete professions, like in the case of teachers for example.
“Their average salary varies by up to 150 GEL, which does not give any relief to employees. However, the market economy establishes the principles of balance between prices and salaries. And if such professions are necessary for the government, it should work out an extra motivation system. Such an approach, of course, is not suitable for profit-oriented organizations however,” he added.
Related Stories
