This study investigates the critical skills required for new entrants to succeed in today’s workforce, focusing on both soft and hard skills. Through a comprehensive systematic review of existing literature using the PRISMA method, we analyzed 12 selected journals from an initial pool of 870, sourced from major databases such as Scopus, Science Direct, and Emerald Insight. Our research uncovers four key insights. First, we provide a clear and precise definition of employability skills, establishing the foundation for what competencies are essential for workforce readiness. Second, our analysis identifies a distinct separation between soft and hard skills, with soft skills such as communication, problem-solving, teamwork, ethics, and leadership being universally critical across all industries. Third, while soft skills have broad applicability, hard skills are highly specialized, varying significantly depending on industry and job role. To simplify their understanding and application, we categorized these hard skills into specific groups. Finally, the study highlights the urgent need for further empirical research to validate these findings in real-world settings, as the current conclusions are drawn solely from literature. This potential gap between academic preparation and industry expectations underscores the necessity for ongoing collaboration between educational institutions and employers, which will be a primary focus of our future research.

The increase in energy consumption is closely linked to environmental pollution. Healthcare spending has increased significantly in recent years in all countries, especially after the pandemic. The link between healthcare spending, greenhouse gas emissions and gross domestic product has led many researchers to use modelling techniques to assess this relationship. For this purpose, this paper analyzes the relationship between per capita healthcare expenditure, per capita gross domestic product and per capita greenhouse gas emissions in the 27 EU countries for the period 2000 to 2020 using Error Correction Westerlund, and Westerlund and Edgerton Lagrange Multiplier (LM) bootstrap panel cointegration test. The estimation of model coefficients was carried out using the Augmented Mean Group (AMG) method adopted by Eberhardt and Teal, when there is heterogeneity and cross-sectional dependence in cross-sectional units. In addition, Dumitrescu and Hurlin test has been used to detect causality. The findings of the study showed that in the long run, per capita emissions of greenhouse gases have a negative effect on per capita health expenditure, except from the case of Greece, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Latvia. On the other hand, long-term individual co-integration factors of GDP per capita have a positively strong impact on health expenditure per capita in all EU countries. Finally, Dumitrescu and Urlin’s causality results reveal a significant one-way causality relationship from GDP per capita and CO₂ emissions per capita to healthcare expenditure per capita for all EU countries.

Diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) are gaining prominence in healthcare systems worldwide to standardize potential payments to hospitals. This study, conducted across public hospitals, investigates the impact of DRG implementation on human resource allocation and management practices. The research findings reveal significant changes in job roles and skill requirements based on a mixed-methods approach involving 70 healthcare professionals across various roles. 50% of respondents reported changes in daily responsibilities, and 42% noted the creation of new roles in their organizations. Significant challenges include inadequate training (46%), and coding complexity (38%). Factor analysis revealed a complex relationship between DRG familiarity, job satisfaction, and staff morale. The study also found a moderate negative correlation between the impact on morale and years of service in the current hospital, suggesting that longer-tenured staff may require additional support in adapting to DRG systems. This study addresses a knowledge gap in the human resource aspects of DRG implementation. It provides healthcare administrators and policymakers with evidence to inform strategies for effective DRG adoption and workforce management in public hospitals.