Helping PES anticipate emerging challenges and future skills needs: the role of Labour Market and Skills Intelligence

The paper builds on the Thematic Review Workshop (TRW) held in Greece in October 2024 dedicated to further examining how PES can obtain and use information on the skills required on current and future labour markets within the current context of labour shortages and the triple transition. 

PES are both producers and consumers of LMSI, using various forms of data to match jobseekers profiles with jobs vacancies and inform training and policy decisions. The paper outlines practical lessons on skills forecasts (in or used by PES), identifying skills, key success factors for effective skills forecasting and LMSI, and skills anticipation in action. 

Insights are also provided in how tools such as CEDEFOP’s EU skills intelligence tools and skills forecasting can be applied to remove barriers identifying skills in medium-term forecasting. Examples from Greece, Estonia, and Luxembourg, demonstrate how PES are using tools and approaches to identify, analyse and forecast future labour market trends. 

Key findings:

Other key findings from the Thematic Review Workshop include:

• LMSI provides value and benefits for PES facilitating informed decision making and target interventions to address skills mismatches and enhance workforce capabilities.
• Multiple skills intelligence tools and methods are used in LMSI including labour market forecasts, qualitative foresights, skills surveys, and “Big Data” approaches. Dashboards can also be used to provide access to, and visualise, LMSI.
• Skills can be integrated into medium term forecasting using the European Skills, Competences, Qualifications and Occupations (ESCO) classification system or by combining skills mapping with sector-specific evaluation of skills.
• LMSI should be tailored to the needs of different users, with collaboration between data collectors and users to ensure continuous improvement of data quality and methods.

Read the paper

Read the full paper here to find out more about innovative practices in PES. 

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