Building on the success of the 2025 research conference ‘Using data from the web to shape next-generation labour market and skills analysis’ in cooperation with Eurostat’s Web Intelligence Hub, Cedefop is pleased to announce a new call for abstracts for the follow-up event, which will take place on 28–29 May 2026 in Thessaloniki.
The primary aim of the upcoming conference is to showcase innovative methods and approaches for analysing and interpreting web-based data sources in the context of occupational, sectoral, and thematic labour market and skills analysis. The insights and findings shared during the event will enhance our understanding of how web data can be leveraged for labour market and skills intelligence, helping to shape the future of research in this evolving field. As with the previous edition, the conference will provide a valuable platform for community building, fostering new collaborations, knowledge exchange and idea generation, while strengthening networks among experts committed to advancing labour market monitoring and skills foresight.
Abstract submission topics
Cedefop invites researchers and analysts to submit cutting-edge studies in the field of labour market and skills research that:
(a) use:
- online job advertising (OJA) data;
- any web data sources (e.g. online work platforms, corporate websites, websites training providers, online training course repositories or MOOCs, websites of formal education system providers, CV repositories or databases); and/or
- a mix of traditional and web data sources;
(b) contribute to the following discussions:
- building efficient employment recommendation systems: using machine learning and OJA data to develop tools for personalised career or training pathway recommendations;
- informing education and training policies: practical examples of how real-time labour market information from OJAs is used to adjust curricula, training offers, or funding allocation;
- detecting labour market shortages and imbalances: approaches for identifying occupations or regions experiencing shortages or oversupply;
- skills demand by occupation: mapping required and emerging skills for specific jobs and occupational groups using natural language processing and classification techniques;
- sectoral skills insights: analysis of skill trends within industries such as clean tech, healthcare, construction, etc.;
- regional and local labour market insights: use of geotagged OJA data to support place-based policy and investment decisions.
Abstract submission guidelines
Researchers are invited to submit an abstract (maximum 500 words) via the abstract submission URL. Submitted abstracts should provide a clear description of the topic of the work, outlining the objectives, methodology, data sources, key findings (if available), and relevance to the conference themes. Cedefop will review all submissions and select those to be presented at the conference.
Practicalities
Participation to the research conference is free of charge upon registration. As places are limited, participation will be confirmed on a first-come, first-served basis. Travel and accommodation expenses must be covered by the participants or by the institution or body they represent. Cedefop will publish abstracts and presentations on its web portal.
Important dates
- Conference dates: 28 –29 May 2026
- Abstract submission deadline: 2 February 2026 – abstract submission link
- Notification of acceptance: 16 February 2026
- Registration for presenters of accepted abstracts opens: 16 February 2026
- Registration for broader audience opens: 2 March 2026
News details
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Call for abstracts - Harnessing web data for next-generation skills intelligence
