Skills mismatch is a fundamental concept for the analysis of skills utilisation, education relevance and overall human capital development. Skills mismatch reflects an imbalance between supply and demand for skills. It can manifest in various forms but most relevant for education and employment policy making are the vertical and horizontal mismatches, i.e. the level of education attained or the field of education studied, respectively, do not correspond to the education level or specialisation required to perform a certain job.
ETF investigated in 2017-2018 the incidence of skills mismatches in seven Partner Countries with a view to identify a battery of available indicators and assess the education outcomes specific for various study types or levels (vocational vs general education programmes, tertiary vs secondary). The research signalled mismatch incidence, particularly in the case of university-educated workers, and a need to further consolidate the existing information basis and continue policy discussions on feasible measures to prevent and reduce skills mismatches.
The cross-country report is available at https://www.etf.europa.eu/en/publications-and-resources/publications/skills-mismatch-measurement-etf-partner-countries
In order to secure documented inputs to regular monitoring of education and labour market progresses and to help countries expand or consolidate relevant statistics, the ETF will further investigate, in 2020, the incidence and typology of skills mismatches. The work will cover an increased number of Partner Countries.
This initiative will build on the existing ETF collaboration with the Statistical Offices (SOs) of the selected Partner Countries, in particular with the departments in charge with labour market and education statistics.
The key objectives of this work are:
• To calculate/update skills mismatch indicators in Enlargement and other ETF partner countries, with focus on vertical and, where possible, horizontal mismatch, on relevant age groups (e.g. young vs. adults) and types of education (e.g. VET vs. non-VET);
• To take stock of information gaps, comparability issues and innovation in data interpretation to better inform education and employment policies;
• To provide documented inputs to regular monitoring processes or progress updates on education and labour markets in the ETF Partner Countries, including orientation of EU funding/support in the respective countries.
European Skills and Jobs Survey 2022-2023
Rapid technological progress impacts countries’ economies and the world of work. Both quantity and quality of work are expected to be influenced by digitalisation and automation technologies. While technology can both create and displace jobs, it can also influence the way how work and individual tasks are executed. This, consequently, leads to changes in skills demanded by employers as well as requirements for further reskilling and upskilling of workers.
ETF Partner Countries have been exposed to these changes, further accentuated by the Covid-19 crisis which has accelerated the usage of digital technologies and revolutionized our understanding of working environments.
However, limited information exists on the extent to which digitalisation impacts workplace practices, skills mismatches as well as workers’ learning strategies. To bridge this gap, Cedefop has developed and implemented the European Skills and Jobs survey that aims to provide answers to these questions in the EU countries.[1] Such a survey focuses on collecting information about job characteristics, job-skills requirements, skills and qualification mismatches, participation of workers in further education and training as well as labour market outcomes in terms of wages or job satisfaction.
The ETF aims to build on the experience in the EU countries and extend the implementation of this nationally representative survey to selected ETF Partner Countries, while strengthening the existing skills intelligence and exploring new evidence on skills demand.
The objectives of the activity are:
- To collect information on skills and qualification mismatches of workers in the ETF Partner Countries, taking into account different characteristics of workers, economic sectors and types of skills.
- To gather evidence on the exposure of workers to digital technologies and their impact on skills needs.
- To understand how workers adapt to changing technologies through further learning and workplace practices.
The first round of the survey aims to target the Western Balkan countries, namely Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Israel.[2] It may be further extended to other ETF Partner Countries in the future.
A close cooperation with national statistical offices in participating countries will be key for successful implementation of the project.
[1] https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/events-and-projects/projects/european-skills-and-jobs-survey-esjs
[2] CAPI used in the Western Balkan countries, while CAWI in Israel.
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