Reducing labour shortages by improving skills matching

Skills mismatches and labour force shortages are becoming a worrying trend in many EU Member States and jeopardizes future innovation and productivity in several sectors. To reverse this trend, a coalition of European cross-industry and sectoral employers’ organisations, including the World Employment Confederation-Europe, proposes concrete actions:

• Reform education and training systems
• Put in place a new EU Vocational Education and Training (VET) strategy for 2030
• Strengthen cooperation between business, schools, vocational schools, professional colleges and universities
• Foster the role of sectoral social dialogue
• Develop concrete initiatives to close the digital skills gap, such as by fostering the attainment of STEM skills
• Promote labour mobility across Europe and within the Member States
• Develop a renewed EU policy framework for third-country legal migration

“Skills development and labour mobility contributing to a better matching of labour market demand, are at the centre of the private employment services industry. As the voice of the sector in Europe, we fully support the joint statement and urge EU Member States to implement reforms of the educational systems, based on social innovation”, explains Michael Freytag, Public Affairs Manager at the World Employment Confederation-Europe.