Cedefop newsletter

A mixed picture of digital progress across Europe

Recent data show that digitalisation among SMEs is advancing, but with significant differences between Member States. In 2024, 73% of SMEs in the EU had reached at least a basic level of digital intensity, but this ranged from 50% in Bulgaria to 93% in Finland. Denmark and Finland were the only two countries to meet the EU Digital Decade 2030 target of having 90% of SMEs at a basic level.

Use of digital tools within firms has also grown. Between 2010 and 2024, the share of SMEs where employees use computers and the internet increased from 40% to 60%, yet major disparities remain. Countries like Norway, Sweden and Finland lead, while Romania and Bulgaria continue to show the lowest levels of uptake.

As Cedefop Executive Director Jürgen Siebel emphasised during the event:
“Our agencies are increasingly interconnected and determined to provide the analysis that helps Europe realise its ambitions. What we do together adds value.”

Skills at the core of SMEs’ digital journey

Digital transformation is not only about technology. Evidence shows that SMEs with stronger digital capabilities tend to invest more in their people. Among highly digitalised SMEs, managers were far more likely to see training as a priority; in less digitalised firms, only about one in three considered training essential.

While many SMEs recognise the need for digital know-how, actual provision of training remains limited. Only 21% of SMEs in the EU offered ICT training to their employees in 2024, compared with over 40% of medium-sized enterprises and around 70% of large firms. Northern and western Member States tend to perform better, though countries like Estonia and Poland stand out as strong performers in central and eastern Europe.

This reinforces the priorities set out in the Pact for Skills and EU efforts to boost skills portability and lifelong learning.

Eurofound Executive Director Ivailo Kalfin underlined the link between skills and competitiveness, noting:
“If Europe wants a successful digital transition, we must ensure that SMEs have the tools, the skills and the support they need.”

Persistent barriers slowing the pace of change

Across the EU, several obstacles continue to limit SME digitalisation:

• SMEs often digitalise reactively rather than strategically, with limited incentives for firms serving local or traditional markets.
• difficulties securing funding for major upgrades
• support schemes available to SMEs are burdened by heavy administrative procedures and limited budget
• leaders and staff frequently lack the digital and strategic skills needed to integrate new technologies effectively
• weak policy evaluation prevents learning from past initiatives, limiting the effectiveness of future digitalisation support

These constraints affect not only technology adoption but also job quality, work organisation and the ability of SMEs to stay competitive.

SME digitalisation could be strengthened by providing tailored strategic support and upskilling for managers and business leaders, improving access to funding through simpler and better-resourced schemes and reducing administrative burdens.

Policymakers should also engage trusted intermediary organisations, such as chambers of commerce, sector associations and SME networks, from the early stages of policy design and ensure that information flows through channels SMEs already rely on. This will make policies better aligned with the ‘think small first’ principle. Finally, systematic policy evaluation is essential to identify what works and to improve future support measures.

Building a clearer picture for smarter policies

The event highlighted the growing need for coordinated approaches to help SMEs keep pace with the demands of digital transformation. By combining labour market, skills and working conditions data, Cedefop and Eurofound aim to support policy makers as they design measures that are both effective and inclusive.

The full presentation and a recording of the event are available on the event page.

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: 9 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

Listening to the people who use our services

Every year, Cedefop engages with thousands of policy-makers, VET practitioners, researchers, social partners and other stakeholders across Europe. Their feedback is essential in helping the agency refine its outputs, strengthen the usability of its tools and ensure its work remains relevant to evolving policy priorities.

The survey invites users to share their views on a range of areas, including the quality and clarity of Cedefop’s publications, the usefulness of its skills intelligence tools and the effectiveness of its communication and events. It is available through Cedefop’s website so that anyone who uses or follows the agency’s work can easily access it and provide feedback.

Contributing to better evidence and better policy

The findings will feed into Cedefop’s continuous efforts to enhance user experience and support EU priorities such as lifelong learning, skills development and VET excellence. Insights will also help strengthen future outputs, from analytical reports to online tools, ensuring they continue to meet the needs of a diverse European skills and VET community.

Cedefop encourages all users and stakeholders to take part and share their perspectives. Each response contributes to a stronger evidence base and supports the agency in delivering high-quality, user-centred services.

Access the survey here