Being productive can help you stand out in times of economic weakness

Productivity

It is important to clarify that productivity is not linked to the time a worker is in the office or to the time he spends at work, but “is linked to results,” explained Mónica Flores, from Manpower.

During the first quarter of this year, labor productivity based on hours worked registered a decrease of 5.1%, compared to the same period of 2021, according to Inegi data.

By sectors, private non-financial services companies grew by 24.5%, followed by wholesale and retail trade with increases of 5.1% and 6.7%, respectively. Manufacturing grew 1.9%, but construction companies registered a decline of 0.7%, compared to the first quarter of last year, the Inegi.

Between 1991 and 2017, the average productivity grew 0.1% in the country, while OECD nations had an increase of 1.1%. The average in Latin America was 0.8%, commented Jesús Cantú, head of the Unit for Regulations, Competitiveness and Competition of the Ministry of Economy.

The official added that in 1970 the country produced the equivalent of 19 dollars per hour, and in 2016 it increased to 21 dollars. While in the same period, this indicator in South Korea went from 4 dollars to 34 dollars.

How to be more productive and attractive in the labor market?

Workers can acquire new tools to enrich their value offer, without waiting for the company to pay for said knowledge. They cannot be expected to bear all the costs of preparing workers, the experts consulted agreed.

Speaking more than one language, handling computer packages and having knowledge of the digital world can be of great help.

It is important that companies have clear career plans for employees, added the Adecco manager.

Now, without doing less to the technical knowledge, currently the soft skills -social and communication skills, skills, ability to relate to others- are gaining relevance.

Mónica Flores, from Manpower, said that there are skills that make a worker more attractive such as self-discipline, reliability, resilience, adaptability, reasoning and problem solving, creativity, originality, critical thinking, analysis and leadership, and social influence.

The factors that drive productivity are related to human capital and new scientific and technological developments, commented the official from the Ministry of Economy.

In human capital, the quality of education stands out. In the innovation part, it is important to invest in research and development and in the coordination between productive sectors, academia and the government.

leave the excuses

Currently on the internet it is possible to find free tutorials or guides to learn how to perform procedures and acquire new skills, however, there are also many excuses why a worker does not acquire new knowledge.

In addition to money, it is common for people to blame the company for not training them and also point out the lack of time or the workload for not taking training courses or self-training, Mónica Flores and Salvador de Antuñano pointed out.

Another excuse can be hidden in phrases like “I don’t know” or “I don’t know” and that others don’t go to the trainings when they agreed to attend.

“This has a lot to do with ambition, in the good sense of the word, and with the vision that one has of his purpose,” Flores said.