Country report: Spain
2.2.4 THE PRESENT ICT JOB
Could you please describe your tasks? What type of technical knowledge is requested to perform your job? What type of skills and abilities do you consider are important in order to carry it out?
How important is team work in this sector (should it be an assumption in the ICT sector)? Why?
Are there barriers to women labour mobility in ICT sector? If so, what things constitute these barriers?
How can you overcome these barriers?
The answers to the first question in this block reveal a very wide range of activities and a great deal of energy into keeping abreast of a fast changing sector. Moreover, it is interesting to note that both the entrepreneurs/freelance group and the employed group engage in personal relations with clients or users of the services and products they produce or manage (35%). However, the question itself beckoned a more technical answer, and in all the cases the answers reflect a high degree of knowledge about the products and services as well as keeping up with the recent changes of technical aspects. In the area of skills, not all participants answered in very concrete terms, but the following answer summarises the general feeling:
“I sell knowledge products, information with a high added value, channelled usually through a computer toll or through internet, giving a great emphasis to design so that it facilitates to the maximum extent possible the fulfilment of the product’s objective… I need to be up-dated on the most recent market trends, on the possibilities that new technologies offer in the field of knowledge management, of technical requirements that limit the application of one type of technology or another, of the costs of the different technological developments and the applicable legislation in each case… Regarding skills and abilities I would say that curiosity, fast understanding, imagination for designing creative solutions, attention to detail, a wide vision (being able to see the big picture) and ability to establish priorities” (44 years old, CEO)
The next question on teamwork brought out a number of interesting aspects. Working in a collaborative environment is actually part of the ICT sector, but it is also a working method that supports the need to be continually updated and to have an innovative edge. Also, the work not only within the ICT part of the company but with others with different skills is vital to the ICT business and to its possible applications.
”…it is as important, as it is in any other sector. In this case it can influence the speed of change, it is always important to work in teams as there will always be someone who will be able to detect innovation or change before others, and who will communicate this in order to exploit the opportunity created” (33 years old, Senior R&D engineer).
“In my task it is very important since the commercial and technical area must agree in the service that we are giving to the client as well as making it feasible. We must communicate continuously” (34 years old, Account Manager).
“In my field it is of utmost importance. Problems cannot be solved if the products are not built considering different points of view. Technological tools must be at the service of people. If the engineers/computer technicians worked solely in the development of applications destined to disabled people, but without considering their needs, it is highly probable that the tools will not function correctly. On the other hand, technology is a unique ally to provide solutions to many of the problems that disabled people face. For this reason it is necessary to create multidisciplinary teams that can combine interests and criteria” (36 years old, Project manager)
The last two answers to this block of questions have been very interesting to contrast with the previous block. In general, the overwhelming majority (80%) answered that the main obstacle to mobility was reconciliation of work and family life.
In this case those that had said in the previous block that there were no barriers for women to enter the sector overwhelmingly say that there are barriers to mobility, albeit due to “social” not to workplace related causes, mainly in the area of work and life balance responsibilities. Only in one case the answer was a flat out no.
“I suppose that one of the barriers for mobility is the decision to [create a family]” (34 years old, Technical assistant)
“Reconciling work and family life is complicated to carry out in a practical form… In the cases of women who do not have a family of their own…they are much more open to mobility and they are more open for this possibility and this is also true in the ICT sector…in a multinational company mobility exists equally for men and women, even in the sense of moving to another country where the company operates” (36 years old, Project manager).
On the other hand, the majority of those that had pointed out in the previous block that there were barriers for women into the entry to the CIT sector also agreed in that there were barriers to mobility. Only in three cases did this group answer that there were no barriers for job to job mobility in the ICT sector.
“There are the same barriers as in the rest of sectors. Family and children usually are the main barriers for women’s mobility” (35 years old , Technician in the health sector).
“Not really. Moving is not only easy, but that there is an element added to mobility which is telecommuting which helps and it is happening more and more. If one wants to hire workers who you will never meet, it is very easy. Through Internet you can find many people who love to work in very concrete projects, who will do the job from their own places, then they will send them to us and we can integrate their part into the larger project. The concept of mobility has extended. In addition this is a sector that favours the fact that to do a project not everyone has to work in the same place nor with the same time schedule. It is a sector different from the others in that sense. This is also a sector that is in continual change, which I n act favours mobility” (41 years old, Partner-Director).