Aligning education with labour market needs: Identifying key competencies for graduates from economic fields

The presented article aims to identify the degree of adaptation of the competencies of graduates of economic studies to the requirements and realities of the modern labour market, and is divided into three research areas. The first area includes an analysis of job advertisements for the Lublin Voivodeship, leading to the identification of demand for positions in specific industries. The second area focuses on researching employers from the Lublin Voivodeship in order to identify the demand for competencies of job candidates. The third one concerns the competencies of graduates of the Faculty of Economics of Maria Curie-Skłodowska University (abbreviated: FoE MCSU) and an analysis of their professional development following graduation. The study of the research showed the existence of competency gaps, mainly in terms of basic professional knowledge regarding the work performed, and professional experience, which can affect the competitiveness of graduates in the labour market. The competencies desired by employers were also identified, including basic professional knowledge related to the work performed, and skills related to decision making and problem solving. The research findings may contribute to improving educational programmes in economics.