EU Commission aims to tackle the EU’s skilled labour shortage

EU Commission aims to tackle the EU’s skilled labour shortage

To remain competitive, the European Union needs a skilled workforce. A shortage of this is therefore a problem, and the Commission and the European Parliament have recently renewed efforts to tackle it

“Four in five businesses struggle to find the workers that they need with the right skill set. There are more than 40 occupations with EU wide shortages, especially in important sectors like construction, trades, transport and some healthcare professions”, Roxana Mînzatu, European Commission Vice-President responsible for social rights, skills and quality employment, told the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

According to Ilias Livanos, a specialist in skills and the labor market at the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop), the lack of qualified labor is caused by issues with supply and demand as well as a discrepancy between the credentials of employees and the demands of employers.

“The demand may put pressure on things. Furthermore, it is obvious that we have no idea what the demand for ICT professions will be in five or ten years, given how quickly they are developing. So how we can prepare for this specific information ? And certainly the systems, the systems are not prepared for this.”

42 jobs that are in low demand
Due to demographic dynamics as well as the ecological and digital revolutions, this deficit is probably going to get worse.

“First, the population. According to Peter Bosch, senior research associate at the Egmont Institute, the EU will lose one million workers year until 2050, Euronews said.

“Secondly, due to the rapid changes in various industries, robotization, artificial intelligence, and other factors, the skills that will be required are changing rapidly,” he added.

“The third reason is Europe’s economic recovery, with many Member States and the European Union making large amounts of money available.”

The European rearmament plan proposed by the European Commission, which contains a €800 billion budget, and the massive investment plan in defence and infrastructure presented by the likely future German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will require recruitment in many sectors, according to Peter Bosch.

The education system, but also companies, have important roles to play here, as, after all: “The skill system has no single owner”.

While the formal education system has an important part to play in developing skills, continuing training is also “the responsibility of individuals and employers,” according to Livanos.