Skillsnet

Cedefop’s European skills and jobs survey (ESJS) has revealed that about 45% of EU adult workers believe that their skills can either be better developed or utilised at work. European policy that mitigates skill mismatch can thus be conducive to raising productivity and improving worker well-being.

But better matching a country’s skill supply to the needs of its economy is a dynamic process that requires policies to increase education and training responsiveness to labour market needs. Mitigating skill mismatch in an era of fast-paced digitalisation, AI and automation requires a well-developed skills anticipation infrastructure in countries and an integrative approach to skills governance.

Cedefop Skills Forecast provides comprehensive information on future labour market trends in Europe. The forecast acts as an early warning mechanism to help alleviating potential labour market imbalances and support different labour market actors in making informed decisions.

Environmental change has been one of the key drivers of labour demand and skills supply across all sectors for the past years. Cedefop has been exploring the implications on jobs and skills for over a decade now. Since 2019, the European Green Deal (EGD) is the EU's new growth strategy, aiming at transforming the EU into a fair and prosperous society, with a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy where there are no net emissions of greenhouse gases in 2050 and where economic growth is decoupled from resource use. Leaving no person and no place behind this transition is another pillar of the EGD.

Implementing the EGD will affect all EU sectors and occupations, albeit in different intensities and directions. To better understand the implications in jobs and skills, as well as the role of VET in supporting the green transition, Cedefop's relevant work explores employment effects, skill requirements and implications for vocational education and training (VET) at EU, sectoral and occupational level. The main aims are to investigate the expected impact of the EGD and other EU environmental and climate change policies on future skills demand within and across sectors, and to provide insights for effective training and education policies and initiatives.

To learn more about Cedefop's recent work on skills and jobs for the green transition, you can listen to our podcast.

The European skills and jobs survey (ESJS) is Cedefop’s own periodic EU-wide survey aimed at collecting information on the skill requirements, skill mismatches and initial and continuing learning of adult workers in EU labour markets.

The European Company Survey explores the strategies deployed by companies to meet their skill needs, through recruitment, HR development practices and work organisation; with special emphasis will be put on the impact of digitalisation.

Information on skills that employers demand from jobseekers can support citizens in making better career and training choices. In today’s dynamic labour market, understanding employers’ requirements is also crucial for employment services and guidance counsellors to assess individual training needs, and for training providers to adapt curricula and training programmes so that they provide the skills the labour market demands. Policy-makers can benefit from up-to-date insight into current and emerging skill needs and new jobs being created, helping them shape forward-looking employment and skills policies.

Cedefop’s ‘Digitalisation, AI and the future of work’ project analyses the impact and drivers of digitalisation and automation, spurred by advanced in robotics, artificial intelligence (AI) and other digital technologies, on employment and changing skill needs and skill mismatch. It also examines the implications of digitalisation for new forms of work and learning, such as platform or gig work, or remote ICT-based work. The insights of the project aim to inform policy regarding the future of vocational education and training.

Cedefop’s European Skills Index (ESI) measures the performance of national skills systems using a composite indicator approach. ESI monitors countries’ performance over time and provides insights into possible improvement areas. ESI delivers evidence that supports the EU policy framework for VET and skills, in particular the European Pillar of Social Rights and the European  Skills Agenda.