A relatively new topic
The term employability became fashionable at the turn of the century. At that time, the founding of many technology companies led to a growing awareness that knowledge and skills are subject to an ever-shorter half-life. Above all in the technology sector, knowledge is rapidly becoming obsolete. It is therefore important for companies to keep their employees up to date through professional and personal training. This means maintaining their employability. Employees are employable when companies do not have to replace them with other profiles on the external labour market. It is also a matter of recognising at an early stage which skills will become more important in the long term. This enables them to develop concepts for further training. And on the other hand, it is their responsibility to sensitize their employees to the fact that they too should think about their long-term positioning. Companies can no longer guarantee lifelong employment.
Employability as a challenge for employees
This means that employability is not only a company issue, but above all one for the employees themselves. It is their responsibility to ensure to remain successful in the job market. In this context, it is helpful if they define themselves as entrepreneurs in their own right. As self-entrepreneurs, they view their situation as a classic company does: As part of strategic career planning, they will ask themselves what services to offer on the job market in the long term. It is also important to work out what makes them stand out positively. And last but not least, employees must increasingly build on their talents and strengths. This is the only way they can master the needed training and sustain a career that will last longer. These questions can be answered in a personal and professional assessment. The growing demand for this shows that awareness has increased.