Skill needs and potential skill mismatches are informative for policymakers, helping to make decisions on future investments in education and training. Cedefop Forecast and observed LFS data point towards a decrease in share of jobs taken by those with low level of education. The indicator below is defined as the share of employment for individuals with medium (ISCED 3-4) and high-level (ISCED 5-8) qualifications (as % of total employment). The reference group for the calculation is 20-to 64-year-olds.
Figure. employment of those with medium/high level qualifications (as a % of total employment)
Source: Cedefop calculations, based on Eurostat data, EU Labour Force Survey (LFS).
Key points
Data from LFS show that, in 2020, in the EU individuals with medium-and high-level qualifications accounted for 84.2% of total employment, with 15.8% occupied by those with low qualifications. In most Member States, those with medium-or high-level qualifications accounted for 80% or more of total employment, except for Portugal (61.7%), Spain (69.6%) and Italy (70.5%). Slovakia (7.3%), Lithuania (96.8%) and Poland (95.7%) reported the highest shares all above 95%. Over the period between 2015 and 2020, the indicator increased most in Greece, Portugal and Malta (by 7.9 percentage points or more). In most countries for which reliable changes over time are comparable, the indicator went up. Only Bulgaria and Czechia had small decreases (below 1 percentage points). The EU average rose by 1.9 percentage points. In 2020, among non-EU countries, the indicator was well below the EU average in Turkey, but it increased compared to 2015.
Table 29. Employment of those with medium/high level qualifications (as a percentage of total employment)
Source: Cedefop calculations based on Eurostat data, EU Labour Force Survey (LFS). Notes: b) Eurostat: ‘break in time series’; data are not presented when they are not available and/or do not support sufficiently reliable comparisons across countries or over time.
Data insights details
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