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 is an increasingly important driver of labour demand and skills supply across all sectors. Therefore, the positive impacts of the transition to a greener economy can be maximised by simultaneously developing the skills, knowledge and competences required by resource-efficient processes and technologies; and integrating these into businesses and communities. To this end, Cedefop’s relevant work explores employment effects, skill requirements and policy implications of the transition towards a greener economy. The main aims are to investigate the expected impact of 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.

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.

The objective of a skills system is not only to continually develop the skills of the population, but also to activate and effectively match these skills to the needs of employers in the labour market. Cedefop's European Skills Index (ESI) is a composite indicator that measures the performance of a country’s skills system. ESI monitors member states performance over time and identifies areas calling for improvement. ESI can assist the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights.