Legal, social, and cultural associate professionals: skills opportunities and challenges (2023 update)

Summary

Legal, social, and cultural associate professionals, who mainly work in the arts, entertainment, recreation, and other service activities sector, account for around 2 per cent of all employment in the EU. These workers are important in supporting legal and social work, food preparation, but also sport and religious services.  

Legal, social, and cultural associate professionals, as they referred to in the International Standard Classification of Occupations, ISCO) record, perform various technical tasks related to the supporting of legal processes and investigations, social and community assistance programmes, and religious and cultural activities. They also participate and adjudicate in sporting events, artistic, cultural and culinary activities, and supervise meal preparation. Jobs within this group include court administrative officers, case administrators, private detectives, life coaches, social care workers, pastoral workers, and sports coaches and athletes. 

Key facts

• Around 3.6 million people were employed as legal, social, and cultural associate professionals in 2022, which accounts for almost 2 per cent of total EU employment. 
• Employment decreased by 13 per cent between 2012 and 2019.  
• Between 2019 and 2020, during which the EU experienced economic lockdowns, over 800 thousand legal, social, and cultural associate professional jobs were lost. Employment recovered slightly but by the end of 2022 it was still more than half a million jobs short of the pre-Covid 19 level.
• More than half (52 per cent) legal, social, and cultural associate professionals are employed in the health and the arts, entertainment, recreation, and other service activities sectors. 
• Most legal, social, and cultural associate professionals have attained medium or high qualification levels in 2021. The qualification level of the occupation is expected to change somewhat over the period to 2035, with high-qualified workers being the majority.
• The majority of legal, social, and cultural associate professionals are women (61 per cent in 2021). 
• The employment of legal, social, and cultural associate professionals is projected to increase substantially between 2022 and 2035.
• In addition to new jobs creation, there will be a large number of legal, social, and cultural associate professionals jobs vacated over the same period, mainly due to retirement. Overall, an estimated 3.3 million job openings will need to be filled between 2022 and 2035. 
• The take-up of new technologies – including digital tools such as those used for analysis of big data and supporting artwork creation –will drive changes in the skills required of legal, social, and cultural associate professionals in the future. Sustainability and circularity concerns and the measures related to the European Green Deal will also affect the skills required of legal, social, and cultural associate professionals (e.g. skills related to the knowledge of environmental regulation or the use of circular principles in the preparation of meals).
   

Employment and job demand

Employment of legal, social, and cultural associate professionals was rising fast during the past decade, albeit at a slowing pace. The employment decline, caused by the Covid-19 pandemic was very sharp in 2020, but it has recovered and returned to the growth trajectory the years after.

Figure 1: Year-to-year employment change for legal, social, and cultural associate professionals (2013-2022)

Source: European Labour Force Survey. Employed persons by detailed occupation (ISCO-08 two digit level) [LFSA_EGAI2D__custom_7778289]. Own calculations.

More than half (53 per cent) of legal, social, and cultural associate professionals are engaged as legal, social and religious associate professionals. These are workers who provide technical and practical services and support functions in legal processes and investigations, social and community assistance programmes and religious activities. They assist and support legal, social work and religious professionals by engaging in various tasks such as obtaining and analysing evidence, preparing legal documents, administering and implementing social assistance programmes and community services, and providing practical guidance and moral support to individuals and communities.

Around a quarter (24 per cent) of legal, social, and cultural associate professionals are engaged as sports and fitness workers. People employed in these jobs prepare for and compete in sporting events, provide training to sportsmen and women, and organize and officiate sporting events.

The rest of legal, social, and cultural associate professionals are engaged as artistic, cultural and culinary associate professionals who engage in various forms of artwork creation and participation such as photographing and designing and decorating theatre sets and home interior. They also maintain library and gallery collections, records and cataloguing systems. 

Over time, the share of employment accounted for these three occupations has changed. While the share of jobs in legal, social, and religious areas has declined substantially, those of sports and fitness workers, as well as those in artistic, cultural, and culinary areas have grown.

Figure 2: Employment in legal, social, and cultural associate professional jobs (in %)

Source: European Labour Force Survey. Microdata. Own calculations.

Almost half of OJAs for this occupation are for artistic, cultural, and culinary professionals, followed by legal, social, and religious associate professionals. One-fifth of OJAs are for vacancies in the sports and fitness area.

For more details on skills demand and job openings for this occupation,  please access the Cedefop’s Skills OVATE tool.

Figure 3: Online job advertisements for legal, social, and cultural associate professionals (2022, in %)

Source: Skills in Online Job Advertisements indicator based on Cedefop’s Skills OVATE. Own calculations. Note: Online Job advertisements are by definition not equivalent to Job Vacancy See Beręsewicz (2021) or Napierala et al. (2022).

The top five sectors - health and social care, arts and entertainment, education, public administration and defence, and professional, scientific, and technical activities – employ almost 90 per cent of legal, social, and cultural associate professionals. The employment share of four of these sectors rises in time at the expense of one – education, where the employment of legal, social, and cultural associate professionals declined by almost 400 jobs between 2016 and 2021.

Figure 4: The top sectors employing legal, social, and cultural associate professionals (in %)

Source: European Labour Force Survey. Microdata. Own calculations.

Netherlands, France, and Finland have the highest employment share of legal, social, and cultural associate professionals (over 3 per cent), while in most of the countries, this share is usually between 1 and 2 per cent. 

Figure 5: Legal, social, and cultural associate professionals as a share of overall country employment (2021, in %)

Source: European Labour Force Survey. Microdata. Own calculations. 
Note: Data for CY, EE, IS, LV, and LU have lower reliability because of the small sample size.
LFS data for MT are not available. 

More than half of the workforce is comprised of women (61 per cent in 2021), while females across all occupations count for 46 per cent of employment.
Legal, social, and cultural associate professionals are a bit "younger" occupation than average, with less than 30 per cent of workers aged 50+. However, the pace of aging accelerated in the past years (see Figure 6).

Figure 6: Legal, social, and cultural associate professional workforce by age (in %)

Source: European Labour Force Survey. Microdata. Own calculations.

One-third of legal, social, and cultural associate professionals have part-time contracts, higher than all occupations average. Notably, workers report an above average share of involuntary part-time or temporary contracts, indicating lower satisfaction with contract quality and possibly also lower job security.

Figure 7: Contract and hiring trends for legal, social, and cultural associate professionals (in %)

Source: European Labour Force Survey. Microdata. Own calculations.

Skill needs and future trends

Innovative and interpersonal skills are most needed among legal, social, and cultural associate professionals, especially for providing advice or counselling, dealing with outsiders, caring for others, but also improving work methods. Their work usually requires an average level of digital skills, but mostly basic ones, such as the use of office software. This translates into their training needs as well, with overall average upskilling needs, and under-average digital upskilling needs.

Figure 8: Skills, training needs, and job perception of legal, social, and cultural associate professionals (in %)

Source: European Skills and Jobs Survey. Microdata. Own calculations. 
Unless stated otherwise, it is a share of people reporting that a task/skill is part of their job.
*Always or often
** Share of workers reporting these needs to a great or moderate extent.

Employment for legal, social, and cultural associate professionals is expected to increase markedly (by about 33 per cent) over the period 2022 to 2035. 

Employment is expected to grow across all countries, but its magnitude will vary. In most countries (17) grew (by more than 20 per cent) in the past decade and it is forecast to do so in the next decade as well. Estonia, Finland, and Poland are among those with the highest past and expected future growths, while Latvia represents the opposite trend.

Figure 9: Past and expected future employment trend of legal, social, and cultural associate professionals

Source: European Labour Force Survey. Microdata. Cedefop Skills Forecast.
Note: Data for CY, EE, IS, LV and LU have lower reliability because of the small sample size.
LFS data for MT are not available. 

New job creation is, however, not the main driver behind job demand. Most job openings are a result of people leaving them for other opportunities, or those leaving the labour market completely (retirements; parent leave, and such). This replacement demand is frequently much larger than net job creation. For the case of the legal, social, and cultural associate professionals it is estimated at 2.1 million, thus being almost two times larger than job creation. 

Overall, when expansion demand is added to replacement demand, an estimated 3.3 million job openings for legal, social, and cultural associate professionals will need to be filled between 2022 and 2035.

Figure 10: Future job openings for legal, social, and cultural associate professionals (000s)

Source: Future job openings indicator based on the Cedefop Skills Forecast. Own calculations.

Nearly half (47 per cent) of legal, social and cultural associate professionals held medium-level qualifications in 2021 (i.e. at ISCED levels 3 or 4), while another 44 per cent held high-level qualifications (i.e., qualified at ISCED level 5 and over). This is projected to change somewhat over the period to 2035. The share of workers with high levels of qualification (ISCED level 5 and higher) is projected to increase to 59 per cent, while the share of medium-qualified workers is projected to fall to 38 per cent.

Looking forward

Legal, social, and cultural associate professionals perform various technical jobs, which will be affected in different ways by changes in their respective sectors. Nonetheless, it is possible to identify common drivers of change affecting this group of occupations. These relate to technological change, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the green transition.

• Certain tasks within the workload of these workers are automatable. These include routine tasks related to data management, such as obtaining and analysing evidence, preparing legal documents, administering social assistance programmes. For occupations such as paralegals, bailiffs, and social assistance workers this implies a need for increased digital literacy as well as fundamental changes in their skillset (Richardson, 2020). An example of this is the introduction of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology in football matches (see below)

• A quarter of these professionals work in the arts & recreation sector, encompassing photographers, interior designers, gallery technicians, chefs, and sports/fitness coaches. The contents of these require technical know-how as well as creativity. The impact of technological tools on these occupations will depend on the nature of digital tools they use, and how it intersects with creativity (van Laar et al, 2022).
• Another quarter of associate professionals in the EU work in the health & social care sector. Such jobs involve in-person interactions and maintening client relationships. Digital tools can improve these relationships by relieving administrative burden of repetitive tasks of social workers. At the same time, digitalisation of certain processes can lead to depersonalisation of services and alter the dynamics of the social worker-client relationships (Nordejsö et al, 2022).
• The pandemic accelerated digitalisation dynamics for legal, social, and cultural associate professionals. The use of digital communication tools made some job tasks location-independent, while the lockdown restrictions had a more detrimental effect on jobs that are based on in-person contact (i.e. social work), or are related to location-specific social spaces (i.e. performing arts, creative sector). Legal associates may need to adapt to hybrid work. They will also need to familiarise themselves with new legislation about hybrid forms of work, as these are likely to spread across the economy in the near future.
• Social distancing, digitalisation and platformisation affected workers in the cultural sector differently. Digitalisation as a counter mechanism for income decline worked only for some cultural enterprises. Vulnerabilities inherent to the cultural sector increased (Dümcke, 2021), affecting smaller cultural organisations and freelancing individuals the most.
• Sustainability concerns and initiatives related to the European Green Deal will affect to some extent the skillset of this occupation. For instance, legal assistants working in various sectors of the economy will have to be familiar with the frameworks of the green transition, including circular economy and sustainable development. According to a recent study by Cedefop, this prompts the creation of new green-collar jobs (for instance in environmental research or law) as well as the greening of business processes within global value chains.

• Sustainability and circular economy considerations will affect the skills and tasks performed by chefs and culinary assistants. The gastronomy industry is linked with agriculture and food production and will have to adapt to the green transition unfolding in these sectors. For instance, the Farm to Fork Strategy is at the heart of the European Green Deal, aiming to make food systems more sustainable. Associate professionals working in gastronomy will continue to adapt to the adoption of sustainable food production, processing, and consumption alongside  waste management and nutrition principles.

The ongoing changes on the labour market related to megatrends and the pandemic imply changes in skillsets and everyday work of many legal, social and cultural associate professionals. Automation of certain tasks for some workers in this occupation (e.g., paralegals and legal clerks) and sustainability concerns for others (such as chefs) calls for investments in training to stay afloat. This can be achieved by both initial education and continuous training and will involve higher education as much as vocational education and training. According to Cedefop in 2019 and 2020 nearly half (47 per cent) of the workers aged 15-34 in this occupation group reported possession of a vocational qualification at ISCED levels 3 and 4. This prompts changes in both initial vocational education and training (IVET) and continuing vocational education and training (CVET) schemes and programmes (such as apprenticeships) so that new workers are adequately trained and existing workers are reskilled and upskilled to meet the skills challenge posed by technological change and the green agenda.

As regards initial education, traineeships and apprenticeships are widely regarded as an important means of acquiring new skills (cf. Cedefop’s research on the effective delivery of apprenticeships). The European Alliance for Apprenticeships provides support to countries and sectors looking to improve and expand the provision of apprenticeships. An example of training provision for workers in these occupations is the Erasmus+ project The Future In Our Kitchens: Social & Sustainable skills for Culinary Trainees. The project is a partnership between the Délice Network, with five vocational cooking institutes located in EU countries and aims to design an online joint training program to foster social and sustainable skills in the culinary practices of trainee chefs.

Continuous training is key for these workers to adjust to new needs and stay relevant. Challenges are more pressing for the self-employed (e.g., artists) or freelancers (e.g. coaches or fitness workers). Under the European Skills Agenda 2020, Blueprint for sectoral cooperation on skills  is a key initiative to create strategic and cooperative approaches to sectoral skills development. These alliances gather sectoral stakeholders, including businesses, trade unions, research institutions, education and training institutions and public authorities who will develop a sectoral skills strategy. Good practices in continuous training provision are also provided by EU-funded Erasmus+ projects.

• In the arts and design field, the ARDES project is a partnership between European Universities and other stakeholders that will develop by 2024 a short learning program for higher education about Art, Design & Sustainability. This program aims to facilitate the integration of knowledge and values associated with climate change and sustainability into art and design curricula.
• In the cultural sector, the CHARTER (Cultural Heritage Actions to Refine Training, Education and Roles) Blueprint alliance seeks to develop the necessary cultural heritage skills to support sustainability goals, enhance digital competences, and further professionalise the sector.
• In the social field, the B-WISE Blueprint alliance addresses skills needs in the WISE (Work Integration Social Enterprises) sector. The main goal of these enterprises is the social and professional integration of workers with support needs, while also targeting the skills needs of their supporters (such as job coaches, trainers) and their managers.
• In the gastronomy sector, the Life Climate Smart Chefs project seeks to implement the EU’s climate policy and Farm to Fork Strategy by involving European chefs as agents of change. A transition towards sustainable gastronomy includes the promotion of low-emission, locally sourced, nutritious and affordable food.  
• Seven Alliances for sectoral cooperation on skills were selected following the call for proposals under the new Erasmus+ programme 2021-2027, including Social economy & proximity, and creative & cultural industries.

Short-term accredited training (such as digital badges, microcredentials, nano-credentials, minor awards etc) are a way to quickly upgrade one’s qualifications. Micro-credentials are considered an impactful resource in remaining competitive on the labour market (Cedefop, 2022). An example of such a short-term training for social care workers is provided below:

How to cite this publication:

Cedefop (2023). Legal, social, and cultural associate professionals: skills opportunities and challenges. Skills intelligence data insight.

Further reading

Amadasun, S. (2020). Social work and Covid-19 pandemic: An action call. International Social Work, 63, 753-756.

Beręsewicz, M. and Pater, R. (2021). Inferring job vacancies from online job advertisements, Luxembourg: Publications Office, 2021. http://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2785/96387 

Betzler, D., Loots, E., Prokupek, M., Marques, L., & Grafenauer, P. (2021). COVID-19 and the arts and cultural sectors: investigating countries’ contextual factors and early policy measures. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 27, 796-814. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10286632.2020.1842383?journalCode=gcul20

Cedefop (2021). The green employment and skills transformation: insights from a European Green Deal skills forecast scenario. Luxembourg: Publications Office. http://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2801/112540

Cedefop (2022). Cities in transition: how vocational education and training can help cities become smarter and greener. Luxembourg: Publications Office. Policy brief

Cedefop (2022). Microcredentials for labour market education and training, research paper, Luxembourg: Publications Office, https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/publications/5587

Cedefop (2023). Skills in transition: the way to 2035
Luxembourg: Publications Office. http://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2801/438491 

Cedefop and OECD (2022). Apprenticeships for greener economies and societies. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. Cedefop reference series; No 122Construction Blueprint (2021). Status Quo and Sectoral Skills Strategy; R1. Skills needs analysis.

Dümcke, C. (2021). Five months under Covid-19 in the cultural sector: a German perspective.  Cultural Trends, 30, 19-27. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09548963.2020.1854036

Napierala, J.; Kvetan, V. and Branka, J. (2022). Assessing the representativeness of online job advertisements. Luxembourg: Publications Office. Cedefop working paper, No 17. http://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2801/807500

Nordesjö, K., Scaramuzzino, G., & Ulmestig, R. (2022). The social worker-client relationship in the digital era: a configurative literature review, European Journal of Social Work, 22, 303-315. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13691457.2021.1964445

Richardson, S. (2020), Cognitive automation: A new era of knowledge work?, in Business Information Review, Vol. 37(4), https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0266382120974601

Samuel, R.D., Galily, Y., Filho, E., & Tenenbaum, G. (2020). Implementation of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) as a Career Change-Event: The Israeli Premier League Case Study. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 564855. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.564855.

van Laar, E., van Deursen, A.J.A.M., & van Dijk, J.A.G.M (2022). Developing policy aimed at 21-st century digital skills for the creative industries: an interview study with founders and managing directors, Journal of Education and Work, 35, 195-209.  https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2022.2036710