A study developed by Portucalense University reveals that the surveyed Economics and Management students recognize a high bar in the skills valued by employers, but demonstrate lower confidence in their own preparation. On a scale of one to five, students gave an average of 4.40 to the skills they consider to be expected by the job market, but rated their own competencies at 4.08 and their ability to meet expectations at 4.04.
Time management emerges as one of the areas where this gap is most evident, with students assigning an average importance of 4.61 and rating their own competence at 3.95. In professional competencies, the difference is even more pronounced, with 4.22 in expectation compared to 3.48 in self-assessment. Strategic thinking and presentation skills also reveal relevant differences between the perception of market demands and students' confidence in their own abilities.
Margarida Carvalho, co-coordinator of the UPT Executive MBA and one of the authors of the study, states that the results do not portray students without competencies, but rather a confidence level below the bar that students themselves associate with the job market. The research did not directly assess employers, so it is not possible to conclude whether there is an objective skills deficit.
Professional experience emerges as one of the factors associated with higher levels of confidence. Students with more than six months of professional experience rate their professional competencies at 4.19, while among students without experience the average is 3.13. Similar differences are observed in areas such as communication, creativity, and presentation.
