Published on 24th February 2025
European employers have been among the main advocates of the introduction of an EU Talent Pool and strongly support the European Commission’s proposal that was made in 2023. Employers are now urging the EU institutions to swiftly approve the Regulation. However, some adjustments are needed in order to ensure the success of the Talent Pool.
On February 24, several European employers’ federations issued a joint statement advocating for the adoption of key provisions in the EU Talent Pool proposal. The private employment services industry believes in legal migration and mobility as solutions to Europe’s current skills and labour gaps. Consequently, the World Employment Confederation-Europe endorsed this statement, along with BusinessEurope, SME United, SGI Europe, CEEMET, ECEG, EFEE, and FIEC.
Amongst the recommendations from the European employers to take full advantage of the Talent Pool initiative, there is the need for the recognition and better understanding of different types of training and education completed in third countries. They also stress that it is crucial that the Talent Pool focuses on its European added value and complements national systems in a meaningful way. In terms of implementation, this means that the Talent Pool must be easy to use for the large number of stakeholders involved (either employers or applicants), be compatible with the respective national immigration laws and visa procedures as well as avoid parallel structures with the national systems.
Employers also insist that the EU Talent Pool should be on a voluntary basis, while hoping that as many Member States as possible will opt-in, as this will maximise the added value of the initiative for the EU as a whole. The Talent Pool should allow a broad and flexible search for applicants by all relevant actors on the national labour markets. Access should be granted to employers, public and private employment agencies and temporary work agencies.
The Talent Pool proposal will be voted on by the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs committee in the coming weeks. The text will then be further debated between the EU Council of Member States, the European Parliament and the European Commission.
