European network of public employment services : comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market : the role of PES : policy paper.
Date: 2019-12-31
Institutions: Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion
Subjects: employment service, labour market, labour shortage, new type of employment, professional qualifications, sample survey, skilled worker, unemployed person, vocational training

European Network of Public 
Employment Services  

Comprehensive approach to 
addressing skills needs in the 
labour market: The role of PES  

Policy paper 

Written by  
John McGrath 
December 2019 

Social 
Europe 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market 

EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion 
Directorate B — Employment 
Unit B.1 — Employment Strategy 
Contact: Hilde Olsen 

E-mail:  EMPL-PES-SECRETARIAT@ec.europa.eu  

European Commission 
B-1049 Brussels 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market 

Comprehensive approach to 
addressing skills needs in the 
labour market: The role of PES 
Policy paper 

Directorate-General for Employment Social Affairs and Inclusion  
European Network of Public Employment Services 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market 

LEGAL NOTICE 

Manuscript completed in December 2019 

Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the European Commission is responsible 
for the use that might be made of the following information. More information on the European Union is 
available on the Internet (http://www.europa.eu). 

Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2019 

PDF  

ISBN 978-92-76-14400-7 

 doi: 10.2767/911732 

KE-01-19-920-EN-N 

© European Union, 2019 

Reuse is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. The reuse policy of European Commission documents 
is regulated by Decision 2011/833/EU (OJ L 330, 14.12.2011, p. 39). For any use or reproduction of photos or 
other material that is not under the EU copyright, permission must be sought directly from the copyright 
holders. 

The  European  Network  of  Public  Employment  Services  was  created  following  a  Decision  of  the  European 
Parliament  and  Council  in  June  20141.  Its  objective  is  to  reinforce  PES  capacity,  effectiveness  and  efficiency. 
This  activity  has  been  developed  within  the  work  programme  of  the  European  PES  Network.  For  further 
information: http://ec.europa.eu/social/PESNetwork. 

This publication has received financial support from the European Union Programme for Employment and Social 
Innovation ‘EaSI’ (2014-2020). For further information please consult: http://ec.europa.eu/social/easi. 

1 DECISION No 573/2014/EU 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market 

Table of contents 

1. 
2. 
3. 

4. 

INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... 4 
THE ROLE OF PES IN ALLEVIATING SKILLS SHORTAGES ............................................. 4 
PROPOSING A PROACTIVE, BROAD-BASED APPROACH ............................................... 5 
3.1 Building technical expertise to collect and use data appropriately ........................... 6 
3.2 Mobilising human capital ................................................................................... 6 
RECOMMENDATIONS .............................................................................................. 8 
4.1 Proactively seek information on skills needs identification methodologies ................ 8 
4.2 Engage in high-profile marketing of PES products and services ............................ 10 
4.3 Create mutually-beneficial relationships with other stakeholders .......................... 10 
4.4 Create permanent synergies with education and vocational training ...................... 11 
4.5 Utilise fully the wide range of EU labour market institutions and instruments ......... 12 
CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................................... 12 

5. 
Annex: PES practices from Working Group member countries 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                              2 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market 

List of Figures 

Figure 1: Differences between traditional and proactive, broad-based approach .......................... 5 

Figure 2: Examples of PES entering partnerships to build its expertise ....................................... 6 

Figure 3: Examples of PES using partnerships to broaden client base ......................................... 8 

Figure 4: Summary of concrete actions to implement broad-based strategy .............................. 13 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                              3 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market 

1.  Introduction 
A  range  of  factors  including  technological  displacement,  the  ageing  of  the  European 
population and, more recently, structural changes due to, for example, the growth of the 
green economy and the emergence of artificial intelligence, have contributed to changes 
in the labour market. 

Some  results  of  these  developments  which  are  giving  rise  to  great  concern  include  the 
emergence  of  a  demand  for  new  skills  and  extensive  skills  shortages  in  the  European 
labour market. That is why a PES Network Working Group2 was established and a survey 
launched on the issue  of  ‘PES and skills shortages’.  A questionnaire was included in the 
survey and it was completed by 26 individual European PES. The responses revealed that 
the  PES  have  strategies  and  activities  to  fill  skill  shortages,  but  also  that  there  are  a 
number of areas where the contribution of the PES to alleviating skills shortages could be 
significantly  improved.3  These  areas  include  inter  alia  the  early  identification  of  skills 
shortages; providing supports and services for non-traditional client groups (i.e. potential 
as  well  as  actual  jobseekers);  the  changing  relationship  between  general  education  and 
vocational  training  and  more  extensive  and  balanced  engagement  between  PES,  and 
between PES and some of their stakeholders.    

The  purpose  of  this  paper  is  to  identify  a  strategy  that  would  result  in  the  PES 
successfully addressing these issues and consequently placing itself in a position where it 
could  make  a  further  significant  contribution  to  enhancing  the  impact  of  PES  in 
addressing the issue of skills shortages. 
2.  The role of PES in alleviating skills shortages  
PES have a unique role in alleviating skills shortages. Their raison d’être is to match the 
skills  and  competences  of  jobseekers  with  appropriate  employment  opportunities.  Their 
legal status as the first point of contact for the registration of all unemployed jobseekers 
provides the PES with an insight into the characteristics of unemployment, which is more 
extensive than that of any other public institution. Their relationship with social partners 
–  and  in  particular  with  employers  –  gives  them  continuous  access  to  sources  of 
information on the demand for skills. 

In  the  most  recent  update  of  the  ‘PES  Network  Strategy;  2020  and  Beyond’,  a  more 
proactive  and  broad-based  approach  –  analogous  to  the  role  of  a  conductor  of  an 
orchestra – was proposed for the PES as an effective means of addressing the challenges 
emerging  in  the  labour  market.  It  is  the  contention  of  this  paper  that  this  proactive, 
broad-based  role  is  key  to  unlocking  the  potential  of  the  PES  to  make  a  significantly 
greater contribution to alleviating skills shortages in the European labour market.  

The modus operandi proposed in this short paper is not a radical divergence from current 
thinking but, on the contrary,  reflects the tenor  of recent Council  recommendations and 
the  import  of  many  papers  written  on  the  future  role  of  the  European  PES  Network.  In 
terms  of  the  core  proposal  of  this  paper,  it  can  be  said  that  ‘it’s  time  for  action’.  As 
illustrated  below,  some  current  PES  activities  are  reflecting  this  broad-based  approach. 
These examples can be an inspiration for other PES to progress in this area. Some good 
practice  approaches  of  the  PES  participating  in  the  Working  Group  are  included  in  the 
annex of this report. 

2   The  paper  is  prepared  by  the  European  Network  of  PES  and  specifically  the  Working  Group  on  Skills 
Shortages.  The  WG  comprised  Slovakia,  Croatia,  Finland,  Germany,  Slovenia,  Spain,  Lithuania,  Latvia, 
Hungary and the Netherlands and was chaired by Le Forem (Belgium).  

3   ’Perspectives on PES activities and skill shortages’; June 2019. The questionnaire was completed by 26 PES. 
2019                                                                                                                                                                                                              4 

 
                                                 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market 

3.  Proposing a proactive, broad-based approach  

PES  are  already  engaged  in  the  role  of  conductor  and  some  -  for  example  Le  Forem  in 
Belgium  –  have  developed  this  role  in  a  more  systematic  and  formal,  legally-based 
manner.  It  has  managed  and  coordinated  many  successful  initiatives,  including  the 
development of network solutions to meet the needs of different clients and the creation 
of customised career pathways.  

In such a proactive approach, the PES initiates action and seeks out partners which can 
assist it to achieve its objectives. The focus of the PES goes beyond finding a job for the 
registered unemployed. The difference between a traditional and proactive, broad-based 
approach for PES is illustrated in Figure 1.  

The PES expands its activities in two areas in particular – the identification of skills needs 
and  the  mobilisation  of  human  capital.  With  regard  to  the  former,  the  PES  develops 
quantitative  and  qualitative  methodologies  for  the  specific  purpose  of  acquiring  an 
understanding of how changes in the European labour market are influencing the demand 
for  skills.  Employers  are  a  critical  stakeholder  in  this  context  as  they  are  a  very  useful 
source  of  intelligence  on  the  changing  skills  requirements  of  enterprises.  But  the 
experience  of  some  PES  is  also  very  useful,  as  many  of  them  have  developed  excellent 
quantitative  methodologies  for  skills  needs  identification  –  often  in  partnership  with 
private organisations. 

Mobilising human capital is also an important component of any strategy to enhance the 
role of PES in addressing skills shortages. Mobilisation can be generated indirectly as well 
as  directly.  For  example,  simply  disseminating  information  to  jobseekers  and  potential 
jobseekers on the types of skills that are required by industry will act as an incentive for 
jobseekers to engage in appropriate education and training programmes. 

But  more  proactive  intervention  is  required,  especially  regarding  the  mobilisation  of 
groups  of  potential  jobseekers  that  are  not  the  traditional  clients  of  the  PES.  These 
include the inactive and the employed, or vulnerable groups such as migrants, returnees, 
asylum seekers, disabled  and discouraged workers. The  objective is  to  offer  customised 
career paths that result in sustainable employment and a smooth-running labour market, 
without  skills  gaps.  These  two  strategies,  identifying  skills  needs  and  mobilising  human 
capital, are elaborated upon in 3.1 and 3.2 below.  

Figure 1: Differences between traditional and proactive, broad-based approach 

Traditional approach 

Proactive, broad-based approach 

-  PES is mainly reactive.   

-  PES proactive – initiates actions; 

prevents unemployment. 

-  PES often acts alone. 

-  PES seeks partnerships with external 

bodies. 

-  Most clients receive unemployment 

-  Clients are all jobseekers, or potential 

payments. 

jobseekers. 

-  Objective is finding a job for clients as 

-  Objective is improving long-term 

quickly as possible. 

employability of clients. 

-  Success is number of jobs found, 

-  Services like training and career 

irrespective of quality. 

guidance are included. 

-  Success is a smooth-running labour 

market. 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                              5 

 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market 

3.1 Building technical expertise to collect and use data appropriately 

The responses of the PES to the questionnaire indicate that a significant number of PES 
are experiencing difficulties in comprehensively identifying skills shortages. While the PES 
has access to data on jobseekers who are registered with them, and on vacancies which 
are submitted by employers, this data does not represent the totality of either the supply 
or the demand for skills in their local labour market. 

The PES must adopt more analytical techniques to improve the quality of labour market 
intelligence.  Fortunately,  a  number  of  PES  have  embarked  on  this  course  with 
considerable  success  and  have  entered  into  relevant  partnerships  to  provide  more 
comprehensive  information  on  skills  shortages.    An  example  from  both  the  Netherlands 
PES  and  the  Slovak  PES4  in  particular  show  how  partnering  with  relevant  external 
institutions can enhance the technical expertise at the disposal of the PES (see Figure 2).  

Figure 2: Examples of PES entering partnerships to build its expertise 

Netherlands PES:  
Identifying skills shortages using big data 

Slovakia PES: Identifying skills shortages 
through outsourcing major surveys 

-  Graduate tracking through partnering with 

-  Outsources major survey to external 

SEO University of Amsterdam. 

private research partners. 

- 

Link unique identifier of graduates to LM 
status. 

-  Accessing major administrative databases 
such as employment social insurance. 
-  Creating longitudinal database providing 
point-in-time data (e.g. 10 years after 
graduation). 

-  Tension indicator which includes 112 

occupation groups across 35 regions on a 
quarterly basis. 

-  Data enriched by purchase of external 

vacancies databases, weighted to reduce 
selection bias. 

-  Covering 527 employers employing over 
20% of total employees in SK (sample = 
430,000). 

-  Covers 431 occupation groups. 
-  Provides data at high level of granularity 

(i.e. ISCO, NUT 1V division).  
-  Results complemented by extensive 
survey of self-employed (13,200 
reporting units). 

-  Results providing 300,000 various 
combined classifications used for 
enhancing employability outcomes from 
PES. 

Both  examples  involve  entering  into  partnerships  with  bodies  who  have  the  technical 
expertise to provide more comprehensive sources of data on skills shortages.  

There  is  considerable  potential  in  expanding  the  quality  and  volume  of  labour  market 
intelligence through the exchange of data at European level, and globally. As the results 
of  the  questionnaire  show,  several  administrative  databases  –  providing  data  on  both 
employment and vacancies – have not, as yet, been fully explored by the PES and they 
represent important potential sources of labour market intelligence.  

3.2 Mobilising human capital  

One of the most striking results to emerge from the responses to the questionnaire5 was 
the  relative  lack  of  continuous  engagement  between  the  PES  and  certain  sub-groups  of 
jobseekers  and  potential  jobseekers.  In  general,  the  responses  showed  that  there  was 
continuous engagement between the PES and jobseekers who qualify for unemployment 
payments.  However,  the  responses  indicate  that  contact  with  jobseekers  who  do  not 

4   The examples referred to are Member States represented on the PES Skills Shortage Working Group. 

5   ‘Perspectives on PES activities and skills shortages’, June 2019. 

 
                                                 
 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

qualify  for  payments,  such  as  students,  inactive  people,  the  employed,  migrants, 
returnees  and  asylum  seekers,  was  limited,  as  well  as  lifelong  development  of  the 
employed.  

PES also has a limited role in attracting jobseekers from  third countries. This is because 
in  some  countries  only  certain  occupations  are  eligible  for  work  permits,  while  in  many 
countries  it  is  also  necessary  for  vacancies  to  pass  a  ‘labour  market  test’  to  qualify  for 
work  permit  status.    Nevertheless,  it  is  argued  in  this  paper  that  if  the  PES  adopted  a 
more  proactive  role  in  early  skills  needs  identification,  they  would  be  in  a  position  to 
exert greater influence on attracting a workforce from third countries and on the issuing 
of work permits.  

All  these  groups  contain  significant  numbers  of  active  and  potential  jobseekers.  They 
represent an actual or latent source of human capital that can be encouraged to pursue 
qualifications  associated  with  skills in  short  supply  and  to  eschew  those  associated  with 
surplus skills. This could place PES in a more proactive and preventive role and enhance 
a smooth-running labour market. For this purpose, specific labour market information for 
long-term decision making is required (e.g. graduate tracking, forecasting etc.).  

Many PES have engaged in initiatives that are designed to deliver support and services to 
one  or  more  of  these  groups.  Examples  from  the  PES  in  Spain,  Slovenia  and  Germany 
are  summarised  in  Figure  3  below.  This  may  also  mean  engaging  in  certain  activities 
such  as  language  training  and  the  flexible  provision  of  supports  and  services.  Such 
activities may attract client groups such as carers and migrants who might not otherwise 
register with the PES. 

Expanding  the  client  base  beyond  those  who  register  with  the  PES  (who  are  regular 
recipients  of  PES  targeted  actions  and  have  to  go  on  being  mobilised)  requires  a 
proactive approach that systematically integrates other relevant labour market partners - 
including  municipalities  and  NGOs  -  into  the  process.  There  are  many  examples  of  how 
individual  PES  have  created  such  partnerships  and  in  the  process  created  effective 
continuous interaction with stakeholders and clients. 

A good example of how effective partnerships can be is a formalised agreement between 
the  Croatian  PES,  Ministry  of  Labour,  Ministry  of  Education  and  the  Pension  Insurance 
Institute  in  Croatia  for  linking  and  exchanging  different  data  that  allow  tracking  an 
individual’s  path  and  identifying  those  who  drop  out  from  educational  system  and  need 
further education, training or employment interventions. 

The examples summarised in this paper demonstrate that many PES are already involved 
in proactive broad-based approaches. While these initiatives have been created on an ad-
hoc and voluntary basis by individual PES, it should be noted that many of them reflect 
recent Council recommendations or sentiments expressed by stakeholders in major policy 
papers.  For  example,  the  initiative  on  graduate  tracking  is  in  line  with  the  Council  
recommendation of November 2017 while the single point of contact (SPOC) envisaged in 
the  Council  recommendation  on  the  integration  of  the  long-term  unemployment 
(February  2016)  implies  the  creation  of  partnerships  by  the  PES.  The  creation  of 
partnerships  –  especially  between  the  education  and  vocational  sectors  –  is  also  an 
integral  part  of  the  recommendations  of  the  PES  Network  report  on  ‘Proposal  for  a 
structured  cooperation  between  public  employment  services  (PES)  and  the  education 
sector  for  better  school  to  work  transitions’.  Indeed,  one  of  the  key  recommendations 
from  that  report  is  to  ‘work  towards  a  formalised  agreement  for  regular  cooperation 
between PES and education’.  

2019 

7 

Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

Figure 3: Examples of PES using partnerships to broaden client base6 

Spanish PES: Structural, 
integration of stakeholders 

Slovenian PES: Progressive, 
integration of asylum 
seekers 

German PES: Effective 
monitoring of unregistered 
youth 

-  National network 

-  Provides integrated 

includes social partners 
and VET 
representatives. 
-  Based on identified 

sectors. 

-  Conducts innovative, 

experimental 
approaches to 
vocational training. 

-  Cooperates with 
qualifications and 
pedagogic institutes. 
-  Establishes links with 
relevant external 
bodies. Does research. 

career path. 

- 

Includes counselling, 
training and on-the-job 
experience. 

-  Partnering with the 
education sector. 
-  Providing systematic 
contact with non-
registered youth.  

-  Customised for asylum 

-  Allowing PES to 

seekers. 

- 

Includes language 
training and integrated 
vocational training. 
-  Provides opportunities 

for acquiring 
certification. 
-  Creates new social 
network and 
employment 
opportunities. 

continuously monitor 
potentially 
problematic client 
group. 

-  Promoting awareness 
of benefits of PES.  
-  A good example of 

this initiative is based 
in Hamburg.  

4.  Recommendations 
The  PES  have  the  potential  to  successfully  create  and  sustain  a  more  expansive  modus 
operandi,  but  there  are  also  challenges.  As  the  responses  to  the  questionnaire  have 
shown,  many  potential  clients  are  unaware  of  the  benefits  of  registering  with  the  PES7, 
and  the  association  of  the  PES  with  ‘conditionality’  may  create  a  concern  among  some 
potential  clients  that  engaging  with  the  PES  could  result  in  losing  some  of  their  welfare 
benefits.    In  addition,  some  stakeholders  need  to  be  convinced  of  the  advantages  for 
them of engaging in meaningful partnerships with the PES. 

Also,  the  responses  from  the  questionnaire  indicated  that  resources  are  an  issue, 
especially an apparent lack of expertise in some PES regarding the early identification of 
skills  needs.  Consequently,  the  training  of  staff  is  a  prerequisite  for  any  successful 
implementation of the proactive, broad-based strategy outlined in this paper.  

The implementation of the broad-based strategy requires concerted action by the PES in 
five  key  ‘task  areas’.  These  ‘task  areas’  have  been  selected  because,  taken  together, 
they form an integrated strategy that will deliver the tools to enable the PES to identify 
skills  needs  while  also  empowering  both  the  actual  and  potential  jobseeker  to  respond 
positively  to  good  employment  opportunities,  thus  resulting  in  smoother-running  labour 
markets. 

4.1 Proactively seek information on skills needs identification 
methodologies  

The questionnaire revealed that many PES need to enhance their expertise in the area of 
skills needs identification. Developments in big data analytics and in artificial intelligence 
generally,  have  enabled  the  analyses  of  very  large  databases  containing  detailed 

6   These  and  further  good  practices  examples  from  Belgium  (Le  Forem),  Croatia,  Finland,  Germany,  Latvia, 

The Netherlands, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain are elaborated upon in the annex attached. 

7   See the findings from the ‘Perspectives on PES activities and skills shortages’, June 2019. 

8 

2019 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

information  on  employment.  As  already  stated,  many  PES  would  need  to  significantly 
upskill their staff in order to interrogate such data. This may not be a realistic option in 
all cases. An alternative strategy is to enter into a partnership with an external institution 
that already has such expertise. This strategy is being successfully adopted by a number 
of  PES,  and  any  PES  that  is  considering  pursuing  this  strategy  should,  as  a  matter  of 
urgency, begin bilateral discussions with those PES who are engaged in such partnerships 
to assess if the strategy is suitable for them.      

Applying  big  data  analytics  to  large  administrative  databases  is  one  approach  to 
producing  comprehensive  intelligence  on  skills  needs;  an  alternative  is  to  use  large 
surveys.  The  upskilling  of  staff  would  be  required  if  the  PES  wish  to  conduct  these 
surveys themselves. Alternatively, the PES could commission an external institution that 
possesses  the  appropriate  expertise.  This  approach  is  used  by  the  Slovak  PES,  for 
example,  while  the  Danish  PES  uses  the  results  of  the  large  ‘labour  balance’  survey, 
which is conducted by their Ministry. 

The  commissioning  of  external  partners  is  not  essential,  however.    A  number  of  PES  – 
notably  the  Swedish  PES  –  have  successfully  used  in-house  survey  methods  to  derive 
information  on  the  skills  needs  of  their  local  economies.  However,  as  stated  above,  the 
in-house route will require further professional development of PES staff. 

Finally, the PES should avail themselves of the expertise of European institutions such as 
CEDEFOP in learning how to apply skills needs  identification methodologies to their own 
labour markets. These learning exercises could be organised within the framework of the 
PES  Network  working  programme  and  specifically  through  the  available  mutual learning 
formats.  A  number  of  carefully  selected  study  visits,  with  an  emphasis  on  ‘learning  by 
doing’,  could  radically  enhance  the  current  capacity  of  the  PES  to  conduct  quantitative 
and qualitative skills needs analyses. Such study visits should be organised as an integral 
component  of  the  strategy  to  enhance  the  skills  needs  identification  capacity  of  the 
European PES. 

One  of  the  best  examples  of  how  new  technologies  can  be  deployed  proactively  to 
produce  significant  labour  market  intelligence,  and  hence  enhance  the  smooth 
functioning of the labour market, is in Finland.  Currently, a  working group  composed  of 
the representatives of different ministries and agencies is developing a digital ecosystem 
of  lifelong  learning  (LLL).  The  ecosystem  uses  new  technologies,  including  artificial 
learning, to build a comprehensive support infrastructure based on a 360-degree view of 
the  clients’  needs.  The  vision  that  underpins  this  initiative  can  be  summarised  as  ‘the 
right  service  for  the  right  customers  at  the  right  time  with  the  right  providers’.  The 
heterogeneity  of  the  clients  is  acknowledged.  Thus,  while  peer  learning  and  digital 
learning  are  important  components  of  the  blended  human-centred  career  guidance 
service  they  are  developing,  face-to-face  counselling  also  plays  an  important  role, 
especially for vulnerable clients.8  

At  a  more  strategic  level,  an  important  component  of  successfully  addressing  skills 
shortages is the implementation of measures designed to prevent the emergence of such 
shortages  in  the  first  place.  The  Finnish  initiative,  by  gathering  comprehensive 
information  on  all  the  dimensions  involved  in  raising  the  employability  of  clients, 
empowers the jobseeker to shape his or her own career path and in that way moves the 
orientation of the system from that of a reactive institution to that of a proactive client. 

8   The English language website may be accessed at https://kokeile.tyomarkkinatori.fi/en/Etusivu.html  

2019 

9 

                                                 
 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

The results of the questionnaire show that online surveying techniques are used by less 
than half of the PES, while only seven PES are involved in ‘mining’ of vacancy databases. 
For  example,  the  Croatian  PES  reports  using  such  a  methodology  to  forecast  labour 
market needs for specific qualifications and makes recommendations for enrolment policy 
and  scholarship  policies  that  has  found  widespread  use  in  practice.  Further  progress 
therefore needs to be made on developing methodologies that can anticipate changes in 
patterns of skills demand, rather than simply react to shortages.   

On  a  positive  level,  the  results  of  the  questionnaire  show  that  the  PES  have  very  good 
relationships with employers and the feasibility of conducting such online surveys should 
be explored with this stakeholder for the benefit of both employers and the PES. 

4.2 Engage in high-profile marketing of PES products and services 

Many PES have developed websites that are attractive, but the PES still suffers from not 
being  the  destination  of  choice  for  many  jobseekers  and  other  key  clients,  especially 
employers.  The  PES  need  to  show  off  the  products  and  services  that  will  attract  the 
attention  of  jobseekers,  employers  and  other  clients.  For  example,  the  information  that 
will attract the jobseeker is data on where the best jobs are and how to qualify for them. 
Some  PES  have  access  to  such  information  through  surveys  they  conduct  or  through 
links with databases such as the national social insurance database.  It is important that 
the PES create ‘branded’ customised services based on their knowledge and expertise.  

As an example, the German PES has a new  focus on vocational and university students 
and  those  already  in  employment.  It  was  felt  to  be  important  that  the  new  approach 
carries  its  own  logo,  separate  from  the  usual  services,  and  the  title  ‘PROJEKT  ICH’  is 
used.  There  are  some  pilot  projects  underway  that  so  far  have  tended  to  show  the 
approach is an effective one. 

Visually  attractive  online  portals  displaying  employment  rates  and  salaries  associated 
with  graduates  with  particular  vocational  qualifications  would  represent  compelling 
viewing  for  jobseekers,  while  also  contributing  to  changing  the  perception  of  the  PES. 
Attracting  a  broader  group  of  people  looking  for  job  changes  will  also  contribute  to 
improved mobility in the labour market. A more extensive use of graduate tracking would 
facilitate the development of such portals.  It is also important that the PES monitor the 
usage of such portals by potential jobseekers.  

The PES are engaged in all kinds of initiatives, through different channels, to improve the 
marketing of their products and services. Examples include: 

-  Webinars  for  jobseekers  such  as  ‘Switching  to  another  occupation’  or  ‘How  does 

my CV stand out?’; 

-  Training for job coaches such as  ‘Labour market in your work’ to ensure that job 

coaches are using labour market information effectively; 

-  Press releases and campaigns aimed at jobseekers, employers or students such as 

- 

- 

‘What’s the value of your education?’; 
Intensive use of social media such as Twitter and LinkedIn with short updates on 
projects or other relevant activities or information; 

Infographics,  visuals,  vlogs,  and  narrowcasting  for  the  majority  of  people  who 
only scan information; 

-  Organising regional meetings and conferences for employers and policymakers, at 

which expertise is shared. 

4.3 Create mutually-beneficial relationships with other stakeholders  

Beyond the actions on the ground that are related to the co-creation of the service offer, 
PES  have  many  unique  selling  points  which  they  should  deploy  to  persuade  relevant 

2019 

10 

Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

stakeholders  to  enter  into  more  transversal  actions  such  as  an  exchange  of  information 
or  facilities.  For  example,  the  PES  has  a  unique  and  comprehensive  database  on  the 
characteristics  of  jobseekers.  The  sharing  of  this  database  –  subject  to  data  protection 
protocols  –  with  other  stakeholders  who  have  equally  relevant  databases  (National 
Statistics  Office,  schools,  municipalities  etc.)  has  the  potential  to  confer  significant 
benefits to all involved. In particular, information on the services of the PES and on the 
types  of  expertise found on the PES jobseeker register could be of particular interest to 
many employers. 

Other  possible  initiatives  include  extending  the  PES  vacancy  databases  and  using  the 
information from vacancies to show the type of competences – including soft skills - that 
are  increasingly  associated  with  decent  employment.  Extending  the  vacancy  database 
may  involve  the  PES  purchasing  major  private  sector  databases,  as  is  the  case  in  the 
Netherlands and Ireland, or simply advertising vacancies in PES offices from private sites 
as, for example, is the case in France.  

Engaging in partnerships with private recruitment agencies may create synergies that are 
mutually  beneficial  and  should  be  further  explored  by  PES.  The  PES  already  has 
experience  of liaising with other stakeholders that can be  extended to new and broader 
groups  of  users.  PES  are,  for  example,  key  actors  in  the  implementation  of  the  Youth 
Guarantee9, which covers inactive youth as well as jobseekers.  

The PES also has extensive experience of providing relatively short upskilling courses to 
adults in environments that resemble a workplace rather than a school. Such experience 
could  be  very  valuable  to  both  third-level  colleges  and  employers  as  periodic  bouts  of 
‘continuous training’ become the norm for working adults. 

These are just two of many examples of both qualitative and quantitative assets that the 
PES  could  use  to  ‘open  doors’  to  engaging  in  meaningful  and  fruitful  partnerships  with 
other stakeholders. A clear formalisation of the conductor role and creative and judicious 
use  of  financial  incentives  are  other  elements  that  can  contribute  to  effective 
collaboration. 

4.4 Create permanent synergies with education and vocational training  

Jobseekers will engage with the PES if they consider it is in their interest to do so. One of 
the  ways  in  which  the  PES  can  cultivate  that  interest  is  by  integrating  the  vocational 
qualification into  attractive  career  paths.  Inclusion  of  vocationally-oriented  qualifications 
from  outside  the  formal  education  and  training  area  into  the  National  Framework  of 
Qualifications  is  also  an  effective  way  of  raising  the  attractiveness  of  the  vocational 
career path and, by extension, the PES. 

Such  initiatives  require  the  creation  of  partnerships  at  local  level  with  the  vocational 
education  and  general  education  sector.  The  attainment  of  the  vocational  qualifications 
may  be  made  a  condition  of  eligibility  for  relevant  higher-level  vocational-orientated 
courses,10  or  may  lead  to  exemptions  when  entering  higher-level  education  or  training. 
There are numerous ways in which the PES can assist the second-level education sector 
in  ensuring  that  students  choose  career  paths  that  either  result  directly  in  good 
employment,  or  result  in  acquiring  a  marketable  qualification  from  a  vocational  training 
course  or  a  period  of  study  in  a third-level  college.  The  type  of  assistance  that  the  PES 

9   See, for example, ‘Report on PES Implementation of the Youth Guarantee’, Liliana Luminita, ICON Institute 

2017. This is an example of PES involvement in a non-traditional group, namely inactive youth. 

10   For  example,  third-level  engineering  courses  are  essentially  vocational  in  nature  yet  they  are  treated 
differently  and  often  have  a  higher  status  than  their  second-level  craft  equivalents.  Some  countries  are 
challenging  this  distinction  by  allowing  qualified  craft  engineering  workers  to  enter  into  third-level 
engineering programmes. 

11 

2019 

                                                 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

can  provide  is  documented  in  the  position  paper  produced  in  2017  by  the  European 
Network of Public Employment Services on structured cooperation between the PES and 
the education sector, which includes actions such as the provision of career guidance and 
counselling and information on sought-after vocational qualifications.11 

4.5 Utilise fully the wide range of EU labour market institutions and 
instruments 

A  wide  range  of  institutions  and  instruments  have  been  created  by  the  European 
Commission which are very useful to the task of alleviating skills shortages. Instruments 
such  as  EURES12,  the  European  Qualifications  Framework  and  Europass  support  labour 
mobility  in  Europe.  The  Blue  Card  and  the  EU  Skills  Profile  Tool  for  Third  Country 
Nationals  are  particularly  useful  for  the  task  of  optimising  the  potential  of  migrants  to 
become  a  source  of  scarce  human  capital.  Furthermore,  skills  intelligence  (EU  Skills 
Panorama  and  online  vacancy  tool)  and  the  resources  of  the  Euroguidance  advisers 
support  the  European  dimension  of  competence  development  and  lifelong  guidance. 
These  instruments  and  resources,  if  harnessed  effectively  by  the  PES,  represent  a 
potentially powerful resource in the task of alleviating skills shortages.  

In this context, developing a good working relationship with CEDEFOP would also be very 
useful  as  CEDEFOP  has  conducted  extensive  analyses  of  European  vacancy  databases 
using  data-mining  techniques.  The  OECD  Skills  for  Jobs  Database  is  another  interesting 
data  source  for  PES  to  further  explore.  Eurofound  can  also  provide  assistance  in  skills 
needs analyses while the new European occupation classification, ESCO, provides a more 
comprehensive inventory of competencies than ISCO.13  

There  is  a  wide  range  of  network  activities  and  projects  supported  by  the  European 
Commission  which,  in  combination,  could  significantly  enhance  the  capacity  of  PES  to 
address the  skills needs of their labour markets. The network activities provide the fora 
for  the  exchange  of  information;  the  projects  provide  information  on  how  different  PES 
are  excelling  in  different  aspects  of  a  broad-based  strategy.  Some  PES,  for  example, 
have  developed  state-of-the-art  forecasting  methodologies;  others  are  successfully 
engaging  with  the  inactive  and  with  migrants.  There  are  few,  if  any,  elements  of  the 
broad strategy that are not being successfully delivered by at least one PES.  

However, all of this expertise needs to be systematically harnessed in a manner which is 
of practical use to the PES. For its part, the PES Network must be prepared to embrace a 
broader perspective. It must actively seek the assistance of relevant experts such as the 
Skills  Unit  in  DG  Employment,  and  must  educate  itself  on  why  some  PES  exhibit  best 
practice  in  certain  aspects  of  the  broad  strategy,  and  seek  to  emulate  those  best 
practices throughout the PES network.  

5.  Conclusions  
The  concrete  actions  to  implement  the  recommendations  included  in  section  4  should 
revolve  around  three  main  pillars  of  activity,  as  outlined  in  Figure  4  below.  Better 
identification of skills (i.e. data) is key to broadening the customer base and to improving 
and extending support and services. The interconnection between skills identification, the 
client  base  and  services,  creates  a  virtuous  circle  that  enables  the  progressive 
development of more effective and higher-quality support and services.  

11   See ‘Proposal for a structured cooperation between public employment services and the education sector for 

better school to work transitions’, 2017. 

12   Including the annual labour shortages and surpluses report. 

13   ESCO  is  the  classification  system  used  in  the  Finnish  initiative  although  it  has  been  customised  to  fit  the 

specific circumstances of the Finnish labour market. 

12 

2019 

                                                 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

Figure 4: Summary of concrete actions to implement broad-based strategy 

1. DATA

3. 
ENRICHMENT 
OF SERVICES

2. BROADER
CLIENT-BASE

This needs :
4. Conductor role
5. ‘Branding’ of PES
6. Professional development of PES staff

1.  Build data and expertise on identifying skills shortages and promising job 

opportunities 

2.  Expand beyond the traditional client base of unemployed jobseekers and 

proactively engage with potential jobseekers such as students, inactive people, 
vulnerable groups and migrants – including returning migrants. 

3.  Adopt a longer-term perspective on the development of services - including 
engagement in career guidance and training activities that are compatible with 
such a perspective. 

To  effectively  implement  these  actions,  however,  the  PES  needs  to  adopt  a  different 
modus operandi. In particular, it must do the following: 

4.  Strengthen its conductor role in the labour market. Active networking with other 
partners and stakeholders and promoting mutual benefits of cooperation is key. 

5.  Gain  better  knowledge  and  branding  through  engagement  in  marketing  and 
exploration  of  innovative  communication  strategies,  not  only  related  to  PES 
services, but also to their institutional position and missions. 

6.  Develop  new  skills  in  order  to  adopt  a  different  approach  to  managing  the 
functioning of the labour market. These skills can be developed in-house through 
training or through partnerships and should entail all types of PES staff. 

The ‘PES Network Strategy 2020 and beyond’ should be revised accordingly to highlight 
and  support  this  new  role  and  the  type  of  actions  envisaged  under  a  proactive,  broad-
based  strategy.  The  working  programme  of  the  PES  Network  should  include  concrete 
actions to further implement the recommendations included in this paper. 

If  the  PES  is  to  successfully  transition  to  this  new  approach,  there  must  be  a  shared 
appreciation  by  both  the  PES  and  national  authorities  of  the  long-term  benefits  of 
developing  customised,  integrated  career  paths  that  result  in  sustainable  employment. 
This  will  require  extra  resources  for  PES,  for  example  the  upskilling  of  staff.  But  the 

2019 

13 

 
 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

changes that are taking place in the European  labour market are profound and the  PES 
must  adopt  new  strategies  to  successfully  address  them.  The  failure  to  do  so  will 
eventually  reduce  the  effectiveness  of  the  PES  in  the  management  of  an  efficient, 
smooth-running  labour  market.  The  creation  of  longitudinal  databases  –  such  as  a 
graduate  tracer  study  –  will  enable  the  calculation  of  a  return  to  investment  over  a 
prolonged  period.  The  availability  of  such  data  will  greatly  assist  in  persuading  the 
relevant national authorities that the broad-based approach  represents value for  money 
over the longer term.  

2019 

14 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

Annex  1  to  Policy  report:  PES  practices  from  Working 
Group member countries 

Table of contents 

BELGIUM – LE FOREM .................................................................................................... 2 
Labour Force Active Monitoring (LFAM) ..................................................................... 2 
Régie department acting as a support to the conductor role of the PES (Le Forem) ........ 5 
Incitant + ............................................................................................................. 7 
‘Fighting shortages’ ................................................................................................ 8 
CROATIA .................................................................................................................... 10 

Lifelong Career Guidance Centres (CISOK) .............................................................. 10 
e-Guidance portal ................................................................................................ 13 
Methodology: Recommendations for Enrolment Policy and Scholarship Policies ............ 16 

FINLAND .................................................................................................................... 19 

Digital  services  (especially  digital  platform  Jobmarket  Finland)  and  sectoral 
cooperation to support lifelong learning .................................................................. 19 

GERMANY ................................................................................................................... 23 
MYSKILLS – Recognising professional competencies ................................................. 23 
One-stop-shop  agencies  provide  preventive  guidance  and  employment  services  to 
students and young unemployed people ................................................................. 27 

LATVIA....................................................................................................................... 30 

Short-term labour market forecasting ..................................................................... 30 

THE NETHERLANDS ..................................................................................................... 32 

Career guidance in Education and Work Service Centres (EWSC) ............................... 32 
Education and Labour Market Project, Forecasting .................................................... 34 
Graduate tracking ................................................................................................ 36 
Tension indicator ................................................................................................. 38 
Training for job coaches: ‘The Labour Market in your Work’ ....................................... 41 
Webinars ............................................................................................................ 43 

SLOVAK REPUBLIC ...................................................................................................... 45 

Forecasting of Slovak labour market needs ............................................................. 45 

SLOVENIA .................................................................................................................. 47 

Occupational Barometer........................................................................................ 47 
On-the-job training .............................................................................................. 50 

SPAIN ........................................................................................................................ 53 

Vocational Training for Employment on the basis of the users skill needs ................... 53 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            1 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

Belgium – Le Forem 

Title of the policy or 
measure  

Labour Force Active Monitoring (LFAM) 

Short sentence 
summarising the 
practice 

Constant monitoring via an integrated set of analyses and actions in 
order to identify and, if possible, correct mismatch problems between 
supply and demand of work.  

Country 

Belgium (Wallonia) 

Scope of measure  

Regular practice at regional level (Wallonia) 

Short summary of key 
challenges addressed by 
the practice and 
outcomes/lessons learnt  

Wallonia’s labour market has been facing three types of problems for 
many years. 
 

Labour  shortages  –  not  enough  jobseekers  are  positioned  in 
certain occupations, 72 of which were identified as such in 2019. 
  Difficulties  in  recruiting  in  certain  occupations  considered  as 
being  critical  –  enough  jobseekers  wish  to  work  in  these 
occupations,  but  their  skill  profiles  do  not  (fully)  correspond  to 
employers’ expectations. The reasons are, for example, the rapid 
evolution  (technological,  environmental,  legislative  etc.)  of  the 
required  skill  profile.  28  occupations  were  identified  as  such  in 
2019.  
‘Surplus’ situations – too many jobseekers are looking for a job in 
occupations  that  are  less  and  less  in  demand  by  employers. 
These are generally low-skilled jobs. 

 

Name of the PES  

Le Forem 

When was the practice 
implemented?  

Since 2006 

What was the driver for 
introducing the practice? 
Was it internal or 
external?  

External  –  the  government  wanted  to  better  manage  the  offers  and 
demands  of  the  labour  market.  However,  solutions  (including  the 
LFAM  practice),  design  and  implementation  were  introduced  on  the 
basis of a management decision within the Walloon PES. 

Which organisation was 
involved in its 
implementation?  

Employers’  federations  for  sectors  considered  as  being  strategic  for 
Wallonia’s economy. 

Which groups were 
targeted by the practice?  

 

Jobseekers  who  positioned  themselves  in  a  shortage,  critical  or 
surplus occupation.  

  NEETs. 
  Employers who recruit in a shortage or critical occupation. 

What were the practice’s 
main objectives?  

 

In-depth profiling of the labour force available to fulfil employers’ 
needs in shortage and critical occupations.  

  Carrying  out  actions  in  order  to  quantitatively  and  qualitatively 

improve the labour force.  

  Reorienting  and  training  jobseekers  in  surplus  occupations  in 

order to maximise their employability.  

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            2 

What activities were 
carried out?  

Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

  Roundtables  have  been  organised  with  strategic  sectoral 
employers’  federations  in  order  to  determine  employers’  needs 
within  shortage  or  critical  occupations.  Regular  contact  is 
maintained with the federations in order to monitor the evolution 
of needs.  

 

  Dashboards  regarding  labour  force  supply  in  each  occupation 
(specifications  in  terms  of  experience,  certification,  qualification, 
skills…) have been drawn up and are regularly updated.  
Jobseekers’  files  are  filled  in  with  exhaustive  and  relevant 
information in order to foster an automatic matching process. 
  Vocational  guidance  is  given  towards  occupations  with  a  high 
level  of  employment,  especially  for  NEETS  or  jobseekers  in 
surplus occupations.  

  Vocational training is organised in order to improve or adapt skills 
according  to  the  labour  market’s  evolving  needs  (today  and  for 
the future). 

 

Intermediation  with  employers  in  need  of  highly-demanded 
profiles is carried out with a lot of attention.   

What resources and 
other relevant 
organisational aspects 
were involved?  

Le Forem coordinates the practice  at its head  office and implements 
it in the four territorial directorates. More specifically, the head office 
coordinates  the  needs  analysis  and  the  response  design.  Territorial 
directorates  implement  the  action  plan,  e.g.  information  sessions, 
vocational guidance and training. 

What were the source(s) 
of funding?  

Internal 

What were the outputs 
of the practice: people 
reached and products?  

 

 

People reached: 
-  employers  who  are  recruiting 

in  shortage  and  critical 

occupations;  
jobseekers. 

- 
Products:  
- 

four dashboards are regularly fed and used: 
o the barometer for monitoring the occupations that integrate 
work  demand  and  work  supply  monitoring  (market 
indicators) as well as job offer satisfaction indicators; 

o the  LFAM  dashboard  which  specifically  outlines  the  work 

demand monitoring and LFAM actions;  

o the  vacancies  quality  dashboard  which  monitors  surplus 
situations  as  well  as  other  mismatches  between  the  labour 
market offer and demand;  

o An  annual  list  of  occupations  which  are  in  shortage  or  are 

critical.  

- 

information  and  trainings  sessions  for  shortage  and  critical 
occupations  were  set  up  and  are  regularly  delivered  to 
jobseekers. 

What outcomes have 
been identified?  

  The exact status of the labour force is accurately determined twice 

a year for shortage and critical occupations. 

  Thanks  to  information  and  training  actions,  more  candidates  are 
capable of filling vacancies which are posted in such occupations. 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            3 

 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

What are the lessons 
learnt and success 
factors?  

Contact details for 
further information  

  PES  should  bring  all  labour  market  stakeholders  around  the  table 

to address challenges and develop common responses. 

  Analysing trends in the labour market is a way to support lifelong 
learning  (LLL)  and  guidance.  It’s  not  only  skill-matching  training 
strategies that are important, but also keeping an eye on emerging 
skills  and  jobs  of  the  future  in  order  to  prepare  the  labour  force, 
and not only ‘cure’ it. 

  VET  operators  must  develop  agility  to  be  able  to  develop  and 

adjust on time. 

  PES  should  monitor  quality  information  about  their  jobseekers  in 

order to act in a proper, targeted way. 

Name: Anne De Smedt/Delphine Rochet  
Email: delphine.rochet@forem.be   
Telephone: +32 71 20 65 81  
Website: 
www.leforem.be/MungoBlobs/1391437532089/20171011_Analyses_I
dentification_des_besoins_de_main_d%27oeuvre.pdf  

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            4 

 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

Title of the policy or 
measure  

Short sentence 
summarising the 
practice 

Régie department acting as a support to the 
conductor role of the PES (Le Forem) 

Stimulating,  securing,  harmonising  and  supervising  integration  and 
training activities carried out with, or via, external operators. 

Country 

Belgium (Wallonia) 

Scope of measure  

Regular practice at regional level (Wallonia) 

Short summary of key 
challenges addressed by 
the practice and 
outcomes/lessons learnt  

Le  Forem  carries  out  part  of  its  integration,  support  and  training 
activities  with,  or  via,  several  hundred  external  operators.  In  recent 
years,  it  has  created  a  specific  department  (the  ‘Régie’)  whose 
objective  is  to  stimulate,  secure,  harmonise  and  supervise  these 
actions. 

Name of the PES  

Le Forem 

When was the practice 
implemented?  

The ‘Régie’ department was created in 2013/2014 within Le Forem. It 
is part of the Partnership Relations Department. 

What was the driver for 
introducing the practice? 
Was it internal or 
external?  

Internal – the practice was introduced on the basis of a management 
decision within the Walloon PES. However, it is a result of an external 
driver  –  a  political  decision  to  have  Le  Forem  ensure  some 
coordination of actors in the labour market. 

Which organisation was 
involved in its 
implementation?  

In  addition  to  Le  Forem,  operators  (public  or  private)  who  offer 
integration and/or training actions. 

Which groups were 
targeted by the practice?  

  Actors in the labour market 
  PES-registered jobseekers 

What were the practice’s 
main objectives?  

  To meet, in an agile and coherent way, the training and integration 
support needs of the Walloon labour market that cannot be directly 
and solely met by Le Forem.  

  To adjust the existing offer to meet current needs, with assistance 

from a network of internal or external partners.  

What activities were 
carried out?  

When  a  need  is  expressed  (recurring  need,  request  from  an 
authority,  request  from  an  external  operator),  the  Régie  responds 
according to the following methodology:  

  analysing  the  demand  (need,  volume,  possible  answers  from  Le 

Forem or external operators); 

  where  Le  Forem  cannot  respond  to  the  request  itself,  organising 
the  response  mechanism,  i.e.  determining  the  budget,  mode  of 
recourse to third parties or the public, the modalities, etc. In some 
cases  Le  Forem  assigns  the  entire  response  to  third  parties;  in 
others it partners with third parties to propose a joint response; 

  Launching calls for proposals; 
  Developing  the  response  in  a  concrete  way  by  setting  up 

monitoring committees, launching the action; 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            5 

 
 
 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

  Implementing  and  managing  the  relationship  with  operators, 

monitoring and evaluating the actions;  

  Evaluating the entire programme (i.e. assessing whether the need 
has been met, to what extent, how to improve the programme).  

Le Forem coordinates the practice  at its head  office and implements 
it in the four territorial directorates. More specifically, the head office 
coordinates  the  needs  analysis  and  the  response  design  (setting  up 
calls for proposals, the related legal and financial framework as well 
as the objectives pursued and the targeted audience) as well as the 
overall  response  evaluation.  Territorial  directorates  implement, 
monitor and evaluate the action plan as well as the relationships with 
partners.  

What resources and 
other relevant 
organisational aspects 
were involved?  

What were the source(s) 
of funding?  

Internal 

What were the outputs 
of the practice: people 
reached and products?  

 

People reached:  

-  Le Forem’s main objective is to offer a range of services in the 

field of employment integration and training;  

-  The  privileged  relationships  established  with  many  partners 
also  allow  Le  Forem  to  achieve  other  objectives,  such  as 
proposing  to  employers  the  applications  of  jobseekers  whose 
profile  would  not  gain  their  attention  at  first  glance,  but  who 
really  have  potential.  This  is  particularly  the  case  for 
occupations experiencing shortages.  

 

Products: training or integration support actions implemented by 
Le  Forem  with,  or  via,  external  partners  take  the  form  of  public 
procurement  or,  alternatively, 
subsidies  or  partnership 
agreements. 

What outcomes have 
been identified?  

In  2017,  the  Régie  assigned  actions  with  financial  flows  to 
approximately 450 operators via seven different programmes.  

What are the lessons 
learnt and success 
factors?  

  Several  years  after  its  launch,  the  Régie  department’s  actions 

and impact continue to be improved. 

 
The programme actions and impact evaluation steps are key. 
  Since  2019,  the  Régie's  activities  have  been  described  in  a 
directive in which Le Forem  identifies the overall process  for the 
use  of  third  parties.  The  strategy  is  to  increasingly  complement 
Le  Forem’s  training  and  integration  offer  with  services  available 
externally,  in  order  to  get  an  integrated  offer  that  responds  to 
jobseekers’ needs.   

Contact details for 
further information  

Name: Anne De Smedt / Virginie Dewitte 
Email: virginie.dewitte@forem.be  
Telephone: +32 71 23 63 89 
Website: https://www.leforem.be/partenaires.html  

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            6 

 
 
 
 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

Title of the policy or 
measure 

Incitant + 

Short sentence 
summarising the 
practice 

The  financial  incentive  is  a  bonus  of  350  euros  paid,  under  certain 
conditions, to jobseekers who have completed training in a profession 
that is in shortage. 

Country 

Wallonia (Belgium) 

Scope of measure  

It is not a pilot project. 

The measure has been introduced by legislation. 

Short summary of key 
challenges addressed by 
the practice and 
outcomes/lessons learnt  

Wallonia  faces  many  labour  shortages.  There  is  a  wide  and  varied 
range  of  training  opportunities,  particularly  in  occupations  in  short 
supply, but fewer and fewer jobseekers choose to enrol in training. 

Providing  a  financial  incentive  to  people  who  enrol  in  training  in  a 
profession in shortage aims at making this offer more attractive. 

Name of the PES  

Le Forem 

When was the practice 
implemented?  

1 September 2018 

What was the driver for 
introducing the practice? 
Was it internal or 
external?  

The  impetus  comes  from  the  Walloon  Minister  of  Employment  as  a 
measure to address labour shortage problems. 

Which organisation was 
involved in its 
implementation?  

Walloon public training operators Le Forem and its partner IFAPME. 

Sectoral  federations  representing  employers  also  participated  in  the 
project  by  helping  to  determine  which  training  courses  were  eligible 
for the incentive. 

Which groups were 
targeted by the practice?  

Non-employed jobseekers registered at Le Forem. 

What were the practice’s 
main objectives?  

Increase the volume of people who register and complete training in 
professions that are in shortage. 

What were the source(s) 
of funding?  

Public 

What outcomes have 
been identified?  

The  number  of  jobseekers  entering  and  completing  training  in 
occupations  experiencing  shortages  has  increased  significantly. 
However, the measure is too recent to establish official data. 

Contact details for 
further information  

Virginie.stievenart@forem.be  

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            7 

 
 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

Title of the policy or 
measure (English) 

‘Fighting shortages’  

Short sentence 
summarising the 
practice 

‘Fighting  shortages’  helps  companies  to  recruit  the  right  profile  of 
people  through  the  creation  of  tailor-made  training  for  jobseekers. 
The training is carried out both within the company and in a training 
centre  (Le  Forem  or  a  partner).  This  type  of  training  allows 
jobseekers to acquire the skills expected by the company so that the 
latter will be able to hire the trainees. 

Country 

Belgium 

Scope of measure  

Measure for the whole Walloon Region 

Short summary of key 
challenges addressed by 
the practice and 
outcomes/lessons learnt  

Companies have specific skills needs and face recruitment difficulties 
for critical functions or occupations in shortage. 

In order to meet these needs, a workplace learning system based on 
existing  methodological  tools  (training  standards,  certification  etc.) 
and existing administrative devices (vocational training contract) has 
been  used  in  a  targeted  and  personalised  way  to  fit  the  companies’ 
needs (one or several companies at a time). 

Name of the PES  

Le Forem  

When was the practice 
implemented?  

Since 1 September 2018 

What was the driver for 
introducing the practice? 
Was it internal or 
external?  

Which organisation was 
involved in its 
implementation?  

The Walloon government 

Le Forem – and its partner in charge of alternate training (IFAPME) 

Which groups were 
targeted by the practice?  

Unemployed jobseekers registered at Le Forem. 

What were the practice’s 
main objectives?  

Labour market insertion. 

Help companies that are  having difficulties in recruiting for positions 
in shortage and support business development. 

What activities were 
carried out?  

Up to now, a series of tailor-made interventions have taken place in 
relation to the following areas: 

  Meat processor  

  Glazier  

  Operator in machining system  

  Bovine cutting and deboning machine 

 

Pork cutting machine  

  Versatile mechanic  

  Multi-purpose heating systems installer 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            8 

 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

 

Food manufacturing officer - salmon slicers  

  Business analyst for ERP Microsoft  

 

Java/angular developer  

  Business analyst: move to digital  

  Web technician - network security support  

 

Interior carpenter  

  Driver/storekeeper 

 

Line conductor  

  Road worker  

 

Public works worker-trackman 

  Wood production operators 

  Water piping operators 

  Driver with special driving licence 

  Road worker machinist  

  Electrician with nacelle patent   

What resources and 
other relevant 
organisational aspects 
were involved?  

Training; enterprise advisers; companies and professional sectors 

What were the source(s) 
of funding?  

Public funding 

What were the outputs 
of the practice: people 
reached and products?  

28 agreements have been signed  

299  jobseekers  have  started  training,  133 of  whom  have  completed 
and passed (some training still in progress). 

What outcomes have 
been identified?  

Hiring of unemployed people 

What are the lessons 
learnt and success 
factors?  

At this stage of the project we can see that the success factors result 
from the following formula: motivation of job seekers + involvement 
of  companies  in  the  scheme  +  employment  contract  as  a  key 
element + tailor-made training.   

A formal evaluation should be carried out soon.   

Contact details for 
further information  

www.leforem.be  

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            9 

 
 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

Croatia 

Title of the policy or 
measure  

Lifelong Career Guidance Centres (CISOK) 

Short sentence 
summarising the 
practice 

CISOK is a partnership-based one-stop-shop model for lifelong career 
guidance  through  which  users  can  receive  information,  advice  and 
guidance on different aspects of career management skills.  

Country 

Croatia 

Scope of measure  

National reform 

Short summary of key 
challenges addressed by 
the practice and 
outcomes/lessons learnt  

CISOKs  –  or  Lifelong  Career  Guidance  (LLCG)  Centres  –  offer 
Croatian citizens a one-stop shop for career guidance. Thirteen LLCG 
centres  have  been  established  since  2013.  As  part  of  the  national 
Youth Guarantee implementation plan, CISOKs are a central point for 
identifying, tracking and activating NEETs. Between  2013 and 2018, 
253,836  users accessed services at the centres.  

The  centres  use  a  partnership-based  model  and  they  work  with 
relevant stakeholders to deliver services.  

Each CISOK tailors its services to local needs. In practice, this means 
that  while  there  is  a  standard  model  with  common  goals  and 
methods  their  delivery  and  target  groups  vary  and  it  can  be 
challenging to monitor the standard of delivery. 

Name of the PES  

Croatian Employment Service (CES) 

When was the practice 
implemented?  

2013 – ongoing 

What was the driver for 
introducing the practice? 
Was it internal or 
external?  

CISOKs  have  been  established  as  a  response  to  the  changing 
perspective  that  has  seen  a  departure  from  the  traditional  view  of 
employment  as  a  ‘job  for  life’,  to  the  contemporary  concept  of 
employability  with  the  aim  of  ensuring  better  flexibility  and 
adaptability to the rapid changes in the labour market. 

Centres are established to provide accessible, open and recognisable 
services and to enhance the existing career guidance and counselling 
services in Croatia.  

Which organisation was 
involved in its 
implementation?  

Which groups were 
targeted by the practice?  

Croatian Employment Service 

All Croatian citizens, including: 

  School pupils; 

  Students; 

  Employed people; 

  Unemployed people. 

The  main  focus  is  towards  young  people,  especially  inactive  NEETs, 
i.e. those who are not registered at the Croatian PES. 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            10 

 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

What were the practice’s 
main objectives?  

The  CISOKs’  objective  is  to  increase  the  availability  and  quality  of 
lifelong  career  guidance  services  to  all  Croatian  citizens  and  to 
provide  different  target  groups,  at  local  and  regional  levels,  with 
appropriate support. 

What activities were 
carried out?  

The first CISOK was established in July 2013. So far, 13 centres have 
been established and there are plans to set them up in all regions in 
Croatia by 2021. 

CISOKs  use  a  client-orientated  approach  to  provide  individual  and 
tailored  services  to  users,  based  on  their  individual  needs.  These 
include: 

  self-help  web-based  services  such  as  self-assessment  tools, 
information on careers, job vacancies, education opportunities and 
other labour market information; 

  group  activities,  including  group  counselling  designed  to  improve 
career  management  skills  and  other  competences  required  to 
integrate into the labour market; 

  individual  case-managed  services  such  as  career  counselling, 
which  is  suited  to  those  who  need  more  help  in  making  decisions 
about their careers. 

What resources and 
other relevant 
organisational aspects 
were involved?  

CISOKs  use  a  partnership-based  model.  It  requires  cooperation 
among  relevant  stakeholders  including  NGOs,  youth  organisations, 
local  bodies/municipalities,  schools,  universities  and  employer 
organisations. 

In  November  2015,  an  agreement  on  data  exchange  was  signed 
between  the  Croatian  PES,  the  Ministry  of  Labour  and  Pension 
System,  the  Ministry  of  Science  and  Education,  and  the  Croatian 
Pension  Insurance  Institute.  The  aim  is  to  gather  all  of  the  relevant 
information  on  tracking  NEETs,  which  will  be  a  basis  for  creating 
target-oriented  measures  for  the  identification  and  activation  of 
NEETs. 

A further agreement established and signed between the CES and the 
Ministry of Science and Education aims to allow the exchange of data 
on  the  career  intentions  of  those  in  the  final  years  of  school,  and 
includes  clear  roles  and  responsibilities.  This  data  is  collected  on  an 
annual  basis  on  1  November.  The  results  are  used  to  identify,  and 
prevent, those who are likely to be early school-leavers. 

The  Croatian  PES's  central  office  coordinates  and  monitors  LLCG 
activities  and  help  steer  the  future  direction.  They  also  ensure  that 
the  services  are  standardised,  according  to  established  quality 
standards. 

While  the  main  LLCG  services  are  delivered  by  the  CISOK 
counsellors,  some  activities  (e.g.  workshops  or  round  table 
discussions)  are  delivered  by  specialist  organisations  such  as  NGOs 
and employer organisations. 

CISOKs  are  physically  independent  of  the  Croatian  PES  and  other 
statutory services. They are located in town centres in areas that are 
easily accessible.  

The  first  eight  CISOKs  were  established  and  financed  through  the 
project  ‘Improving  Lifelong  Career  Guidance  and  ICT  support’, 
implemented  within  IPA  (Instrument  for  Pre-accession  Assistance) 
Component  IV  ‘Human  Resource  Development’.  Since  the  project 
completion,  CISOK  has  been  financed  from  the  national  budget 
(regular  financial  fund  of  the  CES).  The  plan  is  to  finance  further 
development  and  establishment  of  new  CISOKs  through  the 
for  Human  Resources 
Operational 
Development.  

Programme  2014-2020 

What were the source(s) 
of funding?  

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            11 

 
What were the outputs 
of the practice: people 
reached and products?  

What outcomes have 
been identified?  

What are the lessons 
learnt and success 
factors?  

Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

People reached: 

  From  July  2013,  when  the  first  eight  centres  were  set  up,  to  31 
December  2018,  287,327  users  accessed  the  centres’  services. 
These include: 

-  128,843 primary and secondary school pupils (43%) 

-  97,264 unemployed people (36%) 

-  6,220  others  (employed  people  and  jobseekers,  students, 

employers, parents, career counsellors, etc.) (21%) 

  In  2018  CISOK’s  resources  were  used  by  4,344  NEETs,  of  which 

4,209 were active jobseekers and 135 were inactive. 

Products: 

  13 Lifelong Career Guidance Centres 

  Web portal: https://www.cisok.hr/ (in Croatian) 

  Training materials for staff 

  Guidance and training materials for different user groups. 

Career  guidance  services  are  delivered  using  a  new  one-stop-shop 
approach to new clients which is not covered by services  offered by 
different  institutions.  In  addition,  CISOKs  have  helped  raise  public 
awareness about the importance of career guidance. 

The  services  delivered  are  of  a  high  quality,  with  97%  of  users 
satisfied or very satisfied with the delivery of services. 

In addition, the established CISOKs and related agreements have led 
to  enhanced  cooperation  and  coordination  between  employment, 
education and social inclusion-related organisations. 

Well  defined  and  agreed  partnerships  for  delivering  the  CISOKs' 
services  are  a  key  element  to  the  success  of  the  practice.  The 
agreements  that  have  been  established  to  share  information  are  a 
real strength as they help the centres to  identify and target specific 
groups and plan activities around their needs. In addition, there is a 
long tradition of cooperation between the Croatian PES and schools, 
and this has helped with cooperation on the new initiative. 

The locations of the CISOKs, away  from  the  Croatian PES premises, 
have also helped to make the services more accessible to users. 

Services are created and delivered to the assessed needs of a specific 
group so that they are closely aligned to their real needs. On a wider 
level,  each  centre  tailors  its  services  to  local  and  regional  needs  to 
ensure that they are fit for purpose. This means that while there is a 
standard model, with common goals and methods, their delivery and 
target  groups  vary.  The  specific  needs  of  a  local  area  may  not  be 
immediately  clear  and  can  take  time  to  uncover.  For  example,  one 
centre  targets  university  students,  new  graduates  and  employers, 
whereas  another  operates 
long-term 
unemployment  and  therefore  focuses  on  supporting  hard-to-place 
groups. 

in  an  area  of  high 

As  the  practice  began  in  2013,  there  is  further  work  needed  on 
raising public awareness of the importance of lifelong career guidance 
and raising the profile and visibility of CISOKs. 

Contact details for 
further information  

Ivana Drobac Kern 
Ivana.Drobac.Kern@hzz.hr  

Tamara Pavlic 
Tamara.Pavlic@hzz.hr 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            12 

 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

Title of the policy or 
measure  

e-Guidance portal  

Short sentence 
summarising the 
practice 

E-Guidance  is  a  national  web  portal  based  on  a  self-information 
system  that  offers  information  on  education,  training,  employment 
and  other  career-related  topics.  The  main  assets  of  the  portal  are 
self-assessment  questionnaires  which  help  users  assess  their 
interests  and  competencies  with  the  purpose  of  choosing  the  right 
career path. 

Country 

Croatia 

Scope of measure  
(a pilot project or a 
national reform)  

National reform 

Short summary of key 
challenges addressed by 
the practice and 
outcomes/lessons learnt  

Development of technology, a new era and a new generation of CES 
target groups also requires a fresh, tailor-made approach to dealing 
with these new requirements. Previous methods of providing services 
and classic channels of performance are out of date and, even though 
nothing  can  replace  personal  contact  in  certain  areas,  a  new 
generation of beneficiaries demands a different approach. 

The  e-Guidance  portal  brings  together  the  vast  amount  of 
information available on a number of different websites and provides 
the broadest groups of users with the potential to find information on 
education, employment and other career issues in one place. 

Name of the PES  

Croatian Employment Service (CES) 

When was the practice 
implemented?  

2015 – ongoing 

What was the driver for 
introducing the practice? 
Was it internal or 
external?  

The  CES  believes  that  guidance  services  are  of  general  interest  and 
should  be  accessible  to  everyone,  irrespective  of  their  knowledge 
base or their initial skills, as well as being readily understandable and 
relevant. 

Before  launching  the  e-Guidance  portal,  the  existing  vocational 
guidance  practice  and  processes  in  CES  did  not  have  sufficient  ICT 
support to allow self-service access to career information, vocational 
counselling nor self-assessment of competences in a way that would 
ensure higher accessibility to services and would increase the number 
of customers to whom vocational guidance services are delivered. 

Which organisation was 
involved in its 
implementation?  

Croatian Employment Service 

Which groups were 
targeted by the practice?  

The portal is intended for all target groups, whether they are pupils, 
students,  unemployed  persons  or  employed  persons  looking  for  a 
career change. 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            13 

 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

What were the practice’s 
main objectives?  

The  objective  of  launching  the  e-Guidance  portal  was  to  facilitate 
access  to  information  sources  on  education,  training,  employment 
and other career-related topics to the broadest groups of clients and 
to  provide  user-friendly  self-service  vocational  guidance  and  career 
counselling services. 

What activities were 
carried out?  

The  idea  behind  the  e-Guidance  portal  was  to  put  all  the  relevant 
information on choosing educational programmes, improving career-
planning, job-seeking, and setting and accomplishing career goals in 
one  easily-accessible  place.  The  e-Guidance  offers  wide-ranging 
information  and  advice  that  can  help  clients  in  the  development  of 
their careers and successful decision-making.  

The portal follows the Career Compass, a tool which enables users to 
search  by  target  group.  For  each  target  group  the  most  relevant 
information  is  provided.  For  pupils  there  is  information  on  high 
schools and colleges in order to facilitate their choices with regard to 
a  future  career  path,  and  other  useful  information,  such  as 
accommodation  in  pupils’  dorms  or  high  school  jobs.  Students  can 
find information on scholarships in Croatia and abroad, advice on the 
next  steps  after  completion  of  their  studies,  student  jobs  or 
volunteering  possibilities.  Content  for  unemployed  people  and 
employed  persons  looking  for  a  career  change  includes  information 
on  available  job  openings in  Croatia  and  employment  possibilities  in 
other  EU  countries.  The  portal  also  offers  information  on  self-
employment  and  advice  on 
increasing  employability  and 
competitiveness in the labour market.  

Furthermore,  the  e-Guidance  offers  information  on  more  than  250 
occupations.  Each  profile  contains  a  job  description,  required 
education,  competences  for  successful  performance,  employment 
possibilities and other relevant information.  

There  are  also  materials  that  provide  support  in  career  planning, 
such as advice on writing a resume and how to conduct oneself in a 
job  interview.  These  materials  are  accompanied  by  short  videos  in 
order to be more appealing to all target groups, especially to younger 
users looking for job opportunities.  

this  web  portal  are  self-assessment 
The  main  assets  of 
questionnaires  which  help  users  assess 
interests  and 
competences, with the purpose of choosing the right career path. The 
system saves the results of the completed questionnaires and makes 
them  available  to  authorised  CES  personnel  (e.g.  the  individual 
counsellor of the jobseeker). 

their 

What resources and 
other relevant 
organisational aspects 
were involved?  

CES's  career  guidance  counsellors  upgraded  existing  information 
(including  health  limitations  and  educational  requirements)  and 
developed additional occupational descriptions for inclusion in the e-
Guidance portal. 

The career guidance counsellors  were also involved in the testing of 
the  e-counselling  portal,  during  which  advice  given  to  the  client  by 
the  computer  and  by  the  career  guidance  counsellors  were 
compared. 

A  guide  on  the  e-counselling  portal  was  developed  and  CES 
counsellors underwent training programmes for using the tool. 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            14 

 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

What were the source(s) 
of funding?  

What were the outputs 
of the practice: people 
reached and products?  

What outcomes have 
been identified?  

What are the lessons 
learnt and success 
factors?  

self-assessment 
The  e-Guidance  portal  and  accompanying 
questionnaires  were  developed  under 
‘the  new 
approaches  of  CES  in  delivering  services  to  clients’,  a  16.5-month 
project 
the  Human  Resource  Development 
Operational Programme 2007-2013, managed by WYG International, 
in  consortium  with  ÖSB  Consulting  GmbH  and  WYG  Savjetovanje 
d.o.o.  

financed  within 

the  project 

People reached: 

From  July  2015,  when  the  e-Guidance  portal  was  launched,  to  July 
2019, 1,036,391 users accessed the portal. The user return rate was 
17.2%.  

Products: 

  e-Guidance web portal (https://e-usmjeravanje.hzz.hr/)  

  three  self-assessment  questionnaires  on  interests,  personal  traits 

and work competencies 

  guidance and training materials for CES personnel. 

In  the  view  of  participants,  e-tools  have  proven  to  be  very  useful. 
Based  on  feedback  from  users,  further  development  of  the  e-
Guidance  portal 
is  planned  –  upgrading  the  self-assessment 
questionnaires,  and  developing  additional  occupational  descriptions 
and  accompanying  short  videos  about  key  tasks  and  working 
conditions. 

The  CES  and  all  of  the  stakeholders  involved  (relevant  ministries, 
trade  unions,  employers’  associations,  chambers  of  crafts  and 
commerce as well as representatives from the private sector) gained 
a  fuller  understanding  of  the  importance  and  value  of  their 
involvement  in  the  project  and  were  enabled  to  continue  further 
implementation and development following the successful completion 
of  the  project.    Involvement  of  CES  staff  at  all  stages  and  levels 
(national,  regional  and  local)  ensured  that  outcomes  were  practical, 
realistic and sustainable.  

The  result  is  a  one-stop  online  information  point  that  provides 
counselling  services  covering  education,  employment  and  career 
issues  and  brings  together  the  vast  amount  of  information  that  is 
available  for  CES  clients  on  a  number  of  different  websites.  The   
e-Guidance  portal  is  fully  accessible  for  mobile  users  (iPhone/iPad, 
Windows  and  Android  phones)  and  user-friendly  for  people  with 
visual  and  hearing  difficulties  (with  text  scaling,  alt  tags,  subtitles 
and transcripts whenever possible). 

Contact details for 
further information  

Ivana Drobac Kern 

Ivana.Drobac.Kern@hzz.hr 

Majda Jelenčić 

Majda.Jelencic@hzz.hr 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            15 

 
Title of the policy or 
measure 

Short sentence 
summarising the 
practice 

Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

Methodology: Recommendations for Enrolment 
Policy and Scholarship Policies  

Based on the methodology of monitoring, analysis and forecasting of 
labour  market  needs 
for  specific  qualifications,  the  Croatian 
Employment  Service  (CES)  continuously  conducts  analysis  and 
specific 
forecasting 
occupations/qualifications 
publishes 
Recommendations  for  Enrolment  Policy  and  Scholarship  Policies, 
which are widely used in practice. 

prepares 

market 

labour 

needs 

and 

and 

for 

of 

Country 

Croatia 

Scope of measure 

National  

Short summary of key 
challenges addressed by 
the practice and 
outcomes/lessons learnt  

The  CES  implements  various  measures  for  addressing  the  issue  of 
skills mismatch in the labour market.  It has been identified as one of 
the main stakeholders in systematically-organised activities providing 
information,  guidance  and  counselling  aimed  at  different  users.  On 
early  intervention  activities  with  school  pupils,  CES  has  included 
career  guidance  services  as  an  integrated  part  of  its  responsibilities 
to  prevent  early  school-leaving  and  to  support  proper  decision-
making  on  the  choice  of  education  programmes  and  employment. 
This  approach  has  been  developed  on  a  partnership  basis  between 
the  CES,  schools,  employers,  and  health  and  social  welfare 
organisations.  

Being  aware  of  its  capacity  to  provide  relevant  labour  market 
information  at  a  national  and  regional  level,  CES  has  recognised  its 
commitment  to  using  that  knowledge  when  creating  materials  for 
career guidance and to being involved in educational planning. 

Name of the PES  

Croatian Employment Service 

When was the practice 
implemented?  

2010 – ongoing 

What was the driver for 
introducing the practice? 
Was it internal or 
external?  

forecasting  of 

The  methodology  of  monitoring,  analysing  and  forecasting  labour 
market  needs  was  implemented  pursuant  to  the  Regulation  of  the 
Government  of  the  Republic  of  Croatia  on  the  monitoring,  analysis 
and 
for  particular 
qualifications  and  on  the  preparation  and  taking  into  account  the 
recommendations  for  the  education  policy  (OG  93/10),  in  order  to 
prevent  structural  mismatch  between  labour  market  supply  and 
demand, which had been one of the main long-term problems of the 
Croatian labour market. 

labour  market  needs 

the 

Which organisation was 
involved in its 
implementation?  

Croatian Employment Service 

Which groups were 
targeted by the practice?  

Ministry of Science and Education, educational institutions, local and 
regional  stakeholders,  sector  councils,  chambers  of  crafts  and 
commerce, students, career guidance practitioners etc. 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            16 

Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

What were the practice’s 
main objectives?  

The  recommendations  for  the  enrolment  policy  and  scholarship 
policies, as a result of labour market analysis, should in the broadest 
sense  contribute  to  the  harmonisation  of  education  with  labour 
market  needs  i.e.  to  the  reduction  of  the  structural  mismatch 
between labour supply and labour demand.  

What activities were 
carried out?  

What resources and 
other relevant 
organisational aspects 
were involved?  

The  analysis  is  carried  out  on  the  basis  of  relevant  statistical  data 
and indicators on the employment of unemployed persons according 
to  the  completed  education  programme,  data  on  skill  and  labour 

shortages  from  the  employers'  survey,  and  qualitative  insights 

provided  by  expert  counsellors  from  their  everyday  mediation 
practice,  taking  into  account  the  strategies  or  plans  for  economic 
development at the national, regional and local level. 

Recommendations for Enrolment Policy and Scholarship Policies have 
qualitative character - they are presented as guidelines for increasing 
or  decreasing  the  number  of  enrolled  pupils/students  in  particular 
fields of education in particular regions, as well as those that receive 
scholarships for certain educational programmes.  

They are produced annually at local market levels, such as counties, 
and  in  some  cases  individual  cities  or  municipalities,  for  upper 
secondary and tertiary level of education. 

For  the  purposes  of  tertiary  education  enrolment  and  scholarships, 
local recommendations are aggregated at the national level. 

Recommendations  are  referred  to  the  educational  institutions,  local 
and regional stakeholders, sector councils and the Ministry of Science 
and Education and are to be taken into account when proposing and 
setting the student enrolment quota. 

The  recommendations  have  been  utilised  by  the  CES  for  the 
from  providing 
improvement  of  career  guidance  services  – 
information  on  occupations  needed  on  the  labour  market  to  pupils 
and  students  during  career  counselling,  to  developing  e-tools  with 
relevant  labour  market  information,  to  organising  job  fairs,  career 
guidance days and other events for different target groups in need of 
career guidance. The CES also funds medical examinations for pupils 
entering  occupations  identified  as  those  needed  on  the  labour 
market. 

The  recommendations  are  also  taken  into  account  when  developing 
annual  training  plans  for  the  unemployed  (one  of  the  active  labour 
market  measures  -  CES  delivers  plans 
for  training  of  the 
unemployed,  conducts  public  procurement  procedures,  selects  the 
candidates,  refers  them  to  educational  institutions  and  makes  all 
eligible payments to the unemployed and service providers). 

What were the source(s) 
of funding?  

National budget 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            17 

 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

What were the outputs 
of the practice: people 
reached and products?  

Once  a  year  the  CES  publishes  Recommendations  for  Enrolment 
Policy  and  Scholarship  Policies  online,  disseminates  it  through 
different  channels  and  refers  it  to  educational  institutions,  local  and 
regional  stakeholders,  sector  councils,  and  the  Ministry  of  Science 
and  Education,  who  take  the  recommendations  into  account  when 
proposing and setting student enrolment quotas. 

The  Ministry  of  Economy,  Entrepreneurship  and  Crafts  funds 
scholarships 
crafts 
occupations,  while  the  Ministry  of  Science  and  Education  funds 
for  students  of 
scholarships  and  dormitory  accommodation 
professions needed on the labour market. 

students  entering  programmes 

for 

for 

What outcomes have 
been identified?  

The  recommendations  seem  to  affect  the  structure  of  enrolment  in 
educational  institutions  and  the  structure  of  scholarships  (stipends) 
provided  by  local,  regional  and  central  governments.  In  addition, 
regional  and  local  CES  offices  use  this  type  of  information  to  make 
decisions on the content of training courses financed by them, as well 
on designing career guidance activities.  

What are the lessons 
learnt and success 
factors?  

The  most  important  prerequisite  for  the  harmonisation  of  education 
with  labour  market  needs  is  the  partnership-based  approach  of 
different  stakeholders  in  the  labour  market  at  local,  regional  and 
national  levels.  In  order  to  enhance  the  existing  service  offers,  it  is 
important  to  make  use  of  all  available  institutional  resources, 
knowledge and expertise.   

Contact details for 
further information  

Ivana Drobac Kern 

Ivana.droba.kern@hzz.hr  

Darko Oračić 

Darko.oracic@hzz.hr 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            18 

 
 
Finland 

Title of the policy or 
measure  

Short sentence 
summarising the 
practice 

Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

Digital services (especially digital platform 
Jobmarket Finland) and sectoral cooperation to 
support lifelong learning 

The  transitional  labour  market,  with  the  rapid  development  of  ICT 
and  growing  use  of  artificial  intelligence,  calls  for  a  broad-based 
approach to public employment services. Digital services and sectoral 
cooperation  (especially  as  regards  education  and  labour  issues)  are 
essential  elements  to  support  continuous  learning  and  career 
transitions.  

In  Finland,  a  working  group  was  set  up  this  year  to  develop  better 
digital  services  for  lifelong  learning.  The  digital  platform  Jobmarket 
Finland  (https://kokeile.tyomarkkinatori.fi/en/Etusivu),  which  is  still 
under  construction,  is  part  of  the  lifelong  learning  ecosystem  and  is 
aimed at fast, high-quality matching of jobs and jobseekers. 

This  PES  practice  sheet  presents  the  best  practices  and  biggest 
challenges regarding digital services – especially Jobmarket Finland – 
and sectoral cooperation to support lifelong learning. 

Country 

Finland 

Scope of measure  

National approach 

Short summary of key 
challenges addressed by 
the practice and 
outcomes/lessons learnt  

Knowledge on education and skills, as well as on labour markets and 
work, and personal circumstances, for the changing working life and 
labour  market  needs  continuous  learning  and  smooth  career 
transitions.  New  competences  that  build  career-management  skills 
become  essential.  Instead  of  a  service-centred  and  knowledge-
sharing  approach,  a  larger  paradigm  shift  can  be  noticed  as  a 
human-centred  approach  to  career  management  calls  for  a  co-
working  and  co-careering  approach,  due  to  changes  in  the  use  of 
ICT.  This  means  working  on  career  development  in  an  online 
community1. 

In  Finland,  a  working  group  was  set  up  this  year  to  develop  better 
digital  services  for  lifelong  learning.  The  working  group  brings 
together  the  Finnish  PES  (Ministry  of  Economic  Affairs  and 
Employment,  Development  and  Administrative  Centre  of  the  ELY 
Centres and TE offices), Ministry of Education and Culture and Finnish 
National Agency for Education. 

The main key digital services of the sectors are: 

  Opintopolku.fi/Studyinfo.fi  –  a  site  for  searching  and  applying  for 

education and training; 

  Työmarkkinatori.fi/JobMarket.fi  –  a  platform  /  ecosystem  for  job 

searching and career planning. 

The working group has a vision to find joint solutions for: 

  labour market information and skills forecasting; 

  skills recognition and validation and career planning; 

  browsing and applying for education and training. 

1 Kettunen, J. 2017. Career practitioners conceptions of social media and competency for social media in career services 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            19 

                                                 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

As regards labour market information and skills forecasting, the best 
practices  worthy  of  mention  are  the  Occupational  Barometer 
(www.ammattibarometri.fi)  and  the  National  Forum 
for  Skills 
Anticipation2.  

The biggest challenge is to understand the big picture of skills needs, 
in both the present and the future, because information is scattered 
among different stakeholders.  

As regards  skills recognition and validation and career planning, the 
best practices to note are digital skills recognition tools, PES career-
planning  self-assessment  tools,  and  online  career  guidance  tool  
www.ohjaustaverkossa.fi.  The  biggest  challenge  is  that  for  skills 
validation  a  shared  model  would  be  needed  for  different  sectors  – 
could this be solved by the European Qualification Network? 

As regards browsing and applying for education and training, the best 
practices  are  sites  such  as  studyinfo.fi  and  te-services.fi,  as  well  as 
labour  market  training,  including  private  training  companies.  The 
biggest challenge is that browsing and finding suitable education and 
training  should  be  linked  to  skills  mapping,  career  planning  and  job 
searching. 

The  digital  platform  Jobmarket  Finland,  which 
is  still  under 
construction, is part of the lifelong learning ecosystem  and  is aimed 
at fast, high-quality matching of jobs and jobseekers. It also provides 
information  on  the  labour  market,  occupations  and  future  working 
life,  as  well  as  training  services  and  skills  development,  both  for 
jobseekers  and  employers.  Jobmarket  Finland  combines  public, 
private  and  third  sector  employment  services  with  a  new  network-
based operating model. 

Matching on Jobmarket Finland is based on ESCO. The jobseeker and 
the employer each receive the results of the best matches, based on 
ESCO  skills and  occupations, location and other criteria. The biggest 
challenge  when  using  ESCO  is  that  the  13,485  skills  it  includes  are 
not enough, and there is a need to add skills that are relevant to the 
Finnish labour market. 

Name of the PES  

Finnish  PES  -  Ministry  of  Economic  Affairs  and  Employment, 
Development  and  Administrative  Centre  of  the  ELY  Centres  and  TE 
offices (KEHA Centre) 

When was the practice 
implemented?  

The practice is an ongoing process. Sectoral cooperation between the 
education and labour sectors has a long tradition in Finland.  

The  vision  of  Jobmarket  Finland  was  approved  in  December  2017. 
The plan is that in 2020 and 2020+ the Jobmarket ecosystem will be 
up  and  running  and  evolving  through  cooperation,  data-sharing  and 
the joint innovation management model. 

What was the driver for 
introducing the practice? 
Was it internal or 
external?  

The  driver  was  digitalisation,  artificial 
the 
transformation  of  working  life  and  the  labour  market  bringing  new 
challenges  for  career  guidance,  skills,  training  and  job  search/job-
matching. 

intelligence  and 

2 See for instance https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/da/news-and-press/news/finland-skills-2035  

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            20 

 
                                                 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

Which organisation was 
involved in its 
implementation?  

Companies,  education  and  training  institutions,  Finnish  National 
Agency  for  Education,  ministries,  public  and  private  employment 
services.  

As  regards  Jobmarket  Finland,  the  Development  and  Administrative 
Centre  for  ELY  Centres  and  TE  Offices  is  in  charge  of  the 
implementation. 

Which groups were 
targeted by the practice?  

Jobseekers,  employees,  companies,  training  institutions,  ministries, 
public and private employment services. 

What were the practice’s 
main objectives?  

The sectoral cooperation aims to develop digital services from a more 
customer-oriented perspective to support citizens’ skills development 
in the best possible way. 

What activities were 
carried out?  

Jobmarket  Finland  has  been  developed  from  the  beginning  on  the 
idea of a platform and an ecosystem to make it possible for different 
actors to create the best possible outcome, even in ways we do not 
yet know. 

The  activities  of  the  working  group  for  sectoral  cooperation  in  the 
digital  ecosystem  for  lifelong  learning  includes  meetings  and 
workshops  of  the  working  group,  a  project  to  create  common 
terminology  together  with  linguistic  experts,  and  meetings  with 
technological experts to create a common architecture. 

Jobmarket  Finland  is  a  large  IT  development  project  with  all  the 
different  activities  this  includes  (project  management,  software 
development, UX design, stakeholder cooperation etc.). 

What resources and 
other relevant 
organisational aspects 
were involved?  

The  working  group  work  consists  mostly  of  the  work  done  by  its 
members.  Some  financial  resources  have  been  put  in  for  the 
terminology  work.  The  need  for  more  resources  to  bring  the  vision 
into action has been recognised. 

Jobmarket  Finland  is  being  developed  in  the  KEHA  Centre,  together 
with its other operations. Consultation is also purchased externally. 

What were the source(s) 
of funding?  

Public funding 

What were the outputs 
of the practice: people 
reached and products?  

The working group is still in more of a visionary/planning phase. The 
next step will be more concrete work to integrate technical systems. 

The first version of Jobmarket Finland was published this autumn, but 
it  has  been  piloted  and  tested  with  real  people  all  the  way.  The 
development continues and more operations are to come. 

What outcomes have 
been identified?  

With  the  working  group,  for  the  first  time  there  is  a  common 
understanding  on  the  aim  both  in  the  employment  and  education 
sector administration as regards digital services and lifelong learning. 

Jobmarket  Finland  is  making  it  easier  for  citizens,  companies  and 
service providers to navigate the changing world of work. 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            21 

 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

What are the lessons 
learnt and success 
factors?  

The  working  group  work  is  moving  forward  more  slowly  than 
expected  and  it  is  sometimes  challenging  to  make  progress  when 
trying to bring different operating models and organisational cultures 
together. However, we think this is what it takes to bust silos.  

Jobmarket  Finland  has  been  developed  in  a  time  of  constantly 
changing  plans  in  the  realm  of  the  administration  of  public 
employment services  in Finland.  The development needs to be agile 
and  flexible  to  adapt  to  the  ongoing  changes  in  the  operational 
environment. 

Contact details for 
further information  

Anna  Toni  (sectoral  cooperation  to  support  lifelong  learning,  career 
guidance), e-mail: anna.toni@tem.fi, tel. +358295047209 

Mikko  Rantahalme  (digital  services,  Jobmarket  Finland),  e-mail: 
mikko.rantahalme@ely-keskus.fi, tel. +358295020306  

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            22 

 
 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

Germany 

Title of the policy or 
measure  

MYSKILLS – Recognising professional 
competencies 

Short sentence 
summarising the 
practice 

MYSKILLS  is  a  technology-based  multilingual  test  that  uses  pictures 
and videos to assess the job-relevant skills of refugees and domestic 
jobseekers without formal qualifications/certifications in order to help 
them find work or enter training. 

Country 

Germany  

Scope of measure  

National 

Short summary of key 
challenges addressed by 
the practice and 
outcomes/lessons learnt  

MYSKILLS provides an objective and validated way of identifying job-
relevant competencies. 

The main target groups are: 

  Refugees  and  migrants  (the  majority  of  asylum  seekers  have  no 
formal  training  or  qualifications  or  at  least  have  no  official 
documentation to prove it); 

  Formally low-qualified workers with job experience. 

Jobseekers, PES counsellors and employers benefit from reliable and 
objective information about skills and competences. Jobseekers gain 
documentation  on  their  job-related  skills  which  they  can  use  for 
training or job applications. 

Name of the PES  

Bundesagentur  für  Arbeit  –  German  Federal  Employment  Agency 
(German PES) 

When was the practice 
implemented?  

Test  development  began  in  July  2016,  twelve  tests  have  been  in 
nationwide use since December 2018. 

What was the driver for 
introducing the practice? 
Was it internal or 
external?  

The  German  labour  market  is  highly  dependent  on  formal  academic 
and  professional  qualifications.  Refugees,  migrants  and  low-skilled 
workers  who  do  not  possess  formal  qualifications  are  likely  to  only 
have access to unskilled work. Furthermore, even though two-thirds 
of  refugees  have  work  experience,  the  lack  of  validation  of  informal 
and  non-formal  learning  leads  to  an  underestimation  of  their 
competencies  in  the  German  job  market,  since  these  informally 
acquired  competencies  are  not  taken  into  account  properly.  This  is 
significant given that the  number of low-skilled workers in Germany 
is projected to increase sharply up to the year 2020, while the need 
for  workers  with  formal  qualifications  grows  simultaneously.  In 
response  to  high  numbers  of  refugees  in  2015/16,  it  was  decided 
that instruments were needed early on in the counselling process, so 
refugees  could  complement  language  training  in  order  to  speed  up 
the time it takes them to find a job. 

Which organisation was 
involved in its 
implementation?  

German  PES  (Federal  Employment  Agency  -  Bundesagentur  fur 
Arbeit  -  BA):  Responsible  for  project  steering,  decisions  on  content 
and  design,  piloting  tests,  engaging  employers,  integration  with  BA 
systems. 

Bertelsmann Stiftung: A private, non-profit foundation that develops 
and funds its own projects for social reform; as a partner of the BA, it 
partly funded the project. 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            23 

Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

Which groups were 
targeted by the practice?  

Refugees,  migrants  and  formally  low-qualified  workers  with  job 
experience. 

What were the practice’s 
main objectives?  

What activities were 
carried out?  

the 

results  of 

MYSKILLS aims to identify the competencies and work-relevant skills 
of  refugees  and  migrants  through  technology-based  testing,  and  to 
use 
training  and 
apprenticeships.  It  makes  informally  or  non-formally  acquired 
competencies  visible  and  usable  for  job  entry  and  enables  further 
training.  The  aim  is  that  career  advisory  and  job  market  integration 
for  unqualified  refugees,  migrants,  and  low-skilled  workers  are 
improved. 

for  placement, 

test 

the 

MYSKILLS is an improvement of previous validation tools by: 

  Being multilingual and culturally sensitive; 

  Including visual-based learning and simulation (rather than relying 

on written language only); 

  Delivering  reliable,  objective  and  valid  results 

through  a 

standardised test on competencies (not a self-assessment); 

  Assessing  vocational  competencies  in  professional  fields  and  thus 

below the level of (full) formal qualifications; and 

  Being quick and affordable enough to allow it to be scaled up to a 

large number of clients nationwide. 

MYSKILLS  is  a  vocational  competence  test  that  is  completed  by  the 
client  following  the  PES  counselling  interview,  if  the  client  has  work 
experience 
formal 
qualification or way to prove it. Based on the clients’ job experience, 
MYSKILLS  is  taken  in  order  to  assess  their  vocational  competencies 
compared to German standards. 

in  an  occupation  but  has  no  recognised 

PES  staff  put  individuals  forward  for  testing  in  one  or  more 
professions. The test takes place in a PES-run test centre and takes 
about four hours. There are 30 different tests being developed, each 
covering  a  particular  profession  (e.g.  sales  assistant  for  retail 
services or chef). The professions were chosen according to a mix of 
factors  like  work  experience  of  refugees  and  formally  low-qualified 
workers, the existence of partial qualification models, the duration of 
VET  qualification  and  skills  demand.  The  tests  are  supported  by 
pictures  and  videos  and  are  available  in  six  languages  (German, 
English,  Arabic,  Farsi,  Turkish,  and  Russian).  The  images  show 
concrete occupational actions in real-life settings. 

For  each  profession  the  test  has  five  to  eight  different  action  or 
competence fields (e.g. for the test ‘sales assistant for retail services’ 
these  include  ‘handling  customer  service’  and  ‘working  at  the  till’). 
Each  action  field  has  several  specific  tasks  associated  with  it.  The 
competence/action 
represent 
occupational  areas/assignments  in  companies,  are  oriented  towards 
existing partial qualification models, and represent the full vocational 
proficiency (as established in VET regulations). 

separable, 

clearly 

areas 

are 

The individual is evaluated for each area and graded over five levels 
from  high skills to low/no skills. The individual receives feedback on 
the assessment through their PES counsellor and is given a document 
containing  their  test  results.  Depending  on  the  outcome  of  the 
assessment,  a  decision  is  made  on  whether  deployment  to  a 
particular  placement  is  possible  or  not,  whether  extra  training  is 
needed, or what occupation placement may be most suitable. 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            24 

 
What resources and 
other relevant 
organisational aspects 
were involved?  

Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

To  develop  the  tests  for  each  of  the  30  professions,  professional 
experts  (e.g.  training  providers  or  trade  bodies)  were  contracted  to 
help identify associated professional actions and skills to be tested. 

Bertelsmann Stiftung organised workshops with broader stakeholders 
(e.g.  chambers  of  commerce,  practitioners,  vocational  trainers)  to 
assure  quality  and  validity  of  the  test.  Bertelsmann  Stiftung  also 
organised  a  scientific  committee  for  quality  assurance.  Universities 
(Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt University Berlin) were contracted 
to  construct  and  validate  the  test  questions,  and  the  German 
Institute  for  International  Educational  Research  (DIPF)  designed  a 
pilot pre-test to validate the questions. 

The  Research  Institute  for  Vocational  Education  and  Training 
(Forschungsinstitut  Betriebliche  Bildung 
(f-bb)  gGmbH)  has 
monitored  the  pilot  phase  and  supported  the  German  PES  to 
introduce MYSKILLS into their processes. 

MYSKILLS has been extensively piloted in 10 regions. The IT platform 
was  built  by  a  contractor.  It  is  integrated  into  PES  systems  so  that 
test results are received directly by PES counsellors. 

What were the source(s) 
of funding?  

No publicly available information. 

What were the outputs 
of the practice: people 
reached and products?  

MYSKILLS  is  operational  for  twelve  professions  (since  end  of  2018). 
The following are the key achievements so far: 

  About  4  5100  people  have  already  participated  in  the  twelve 
available  tests  (i.e.  motor  vehicle  mechatronics  technician,  sales 
assistant  for  retail  services,  farmer,  chef,  skilled  metal  worker, 
building construction worker, joiner, building and object coater). 

  18 tests in different professions have been developed; 

  The  professions  have  been  integrated  into  PES  operations  and 
training  has  been  given  to  all  BA  integration,  placement,  and 
advisory  staff.  Development  and  piloting  of  the  remaining  tests 
was completed in 2019.  

What outcomes have 
been identified?  

Because  the  initiative  is  very  recent,  there  are  no  documented 
outcomes as of yet. However, anticipated outcomes are as follows: 

  Clients  gain  documentation  on  their  job-related  skills,  which  they 

can use to access higher-skilled work or training. 

  PES gain validated and objective information and are able to better 
place  refugees  or  develop  pathways  for  further  training  and 
qualification. 

  Employers  benefit  from  reliable  and  objective  information  about 
skills and competencies and can offer appropriate opportunities. 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            25 

What are the lessons 
learnt and success 
factors?  

Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

Key lessons are as follows: 

  The extensive test development and piloting, drawing on extensive 
expertise, has ensured that the tests are  of very high quality  and 
reliability. 

  Stakeholder  management  has  been  crucial  in  ensuring  that 
MYSKILLS  test  results  will  be  recognised  and  accepted  by  trade 
bodies and others. 

  Workshops  with  employers  and  PES  counsellors  as  part  of  test 
development have ensured that these stakeholders are committed 
and that the results will be utilised by them. 

  MYSKILLS has a specific approach to what it measures and what it 
leads to; it does not aim for formal recognition of qualifications and 
it does not aim to replicate already existing competency profiles. 

  MYSKILLS is being integrated into PES systems, which will  ensure 
that it is combined with existing procedures and that information is 
accessible to counsellors. 

There are some limitations of MYSKILLS: 

  It is a predictor of skills and competencies based on a technology-

based test, and it does not measure practical skills in action; 

  It  does  not  assess  theoretical  knowledge  or  social  and  cognitive 

abilities; and 

  It does not assess language proficiency (because it is translated). 

Given  these  limitations,  it  is  likely  that  MYSKILLS  will  be  combined 
with  other  provisions,  such  as  ALMPs,  soft  skills  training,  and 
language training. Job counselling will take place before and after the 
test. 

Contact details for 
further information  

Name: Michael van der Cammen 

Email: Zentrale.AM22-MYSKILLS@arbeitsagentur.de  

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            26 

Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

Title of the policy or 
measure  

One-stop-shop agencies provide preventive 
guidance and employment services to students 
and young unemployed people 

Short sentence 
summarising the 
practice 

Youth Employment Agencies bring several actors in the field of youth 
unemployment together under one roof and provide a combination of 
preventive and intervention measures. 

Country 

Germany  

Scope of measure  

The  practice  was  started  as  a  pilot  in  Hamburg.  The  pilot  was 
evaluated and then implemented at national level.  

Short summary of key 
challenges addressed by 
the practice and 
outcomes/lessons learnt  

Youth  Employment  Agencies  (YEA)  address  the  challenge  of 
facilitating young people’s transition from school to the labour market 
by  combining  the  forces  of  several  actors:  youth  work,  career 
guidance counselling, youth welfare services and PES. 

Name of the PES  

Bundesagentur  für  Arbeit  –  German  Federal  Employment  Agency 
(German PES) 

When was the practice 
implemented?  

Which organisation was 
involved in its 
implementation?  

2010 (pilot); 2012 (national level) – on-going 

Municipal Youth Welfare Service Organisation; Employment Agencies; 
Job Centres; Ministry of Education 

Which groups were 
targeted by the practice?  

The target group is young people between 15 and 24 years old who 
are students and/or jobseekers. 

What were the practice’s 
main objectives?  

YEA provide guidance and preventive measures to young people still 
in school, as well as counselling to young jobseekers. 

YEA  services  target  youth  at  all  education  levels,  meaning  early 
school  leavers  without  a  degree  as  well  as  school  leavers  with 
university entrance degrees. 

The  practice  aims  to  enhance  and  improve  the  collaboration  of 
different organisations to ensure young people at the transition from 
school  to  work  receive  targeted  support  and  are  made  an 
individualised  offer  (e.g.  further  education,  youth  welfare  services, 
training,  professional  and  job  counselling).  One-stop-shop  centres 
were  created  to  offer  a  range  of  different  services.  The  practice  is 
supported  by  collaboration  agreements  between  the  different 
organisations involved at local level. 

While  in  the  short-term  the  objective  of  the  practice  can  be 
summarised  as  supporting  the  transition  between  education  and 
employment, the long-term objectives are to: reduce unemployment, 
improve the skills of young people, and generally increase the wealth 
and well-being of young people. 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            27 

 
 
What activities were 
carried out?  

Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

Young  people  between  15  and  25  years  old  are  reached  in  schools 
and  after  leaving  education.  The  YEA  concept  is  based  on  a 
combination of outreach and activation measures. Close collaboration 
with  schools  enables  YEA  to  get  in  contact  with  young  people  early 
on.  For  instance,  YEA  staff  implement  job  orientation  measures, 
which are compulsory in many German regions. To this end, YEA go 
to schools, provide information about jobs and careers, and carry out 
individual  profiling.  YEA  also  use  schools’  student  registers  to  reach 
out  to  those  who  left  education  and  became  NEETs  (not  in 
employment, education or training). 

When  young  people  come  to  the  YEA  –  either  for  information  or 
because they need a concrete offer – their personal data is collected 
and they are  informed about the diversity of services on offer. Each 
young  person  is  then  signposted  to  the  relevant  contact  person 
within  the  YEA,  depending  on  his/her  profile,  status  and  needs. 
Special  counselling  and  measures  are  offered  for  disadvantaged 
young  people,  in  order  to  provide  them  with  the  most  appropriate 
services. 

Cooperation  agreements  are  concluded  at  local  level  between  the 
different  organisations  and  authorities:  the  Federal  Employment 
Agency, Job Centres and the Youth Welfare Services. The legal status 
of  the  different  organisations  is  however  still  separated  as  it  was 
before the YEA.  Indeed, while the agency is physically in one place, 
the  staff  coming  from  the  different  organisations  still  operate 
according  to  their  own  mandate,  and  possibly  at  different  points  of 
the transition period. 

What resources and 
other relevant 
organisational aspects 
were involved?  

The  Youth  Welfare  Service  Organisation,  the  Job  Centres,  and  in 
many  cases  also  the  Ministry  for  Education,  are  involved  in 
implementing the practice. 

What were the source(s) 
of funding?  

National 

What were the outputs 
of the practice: people 
reached and products?  

People reached: 

The outreach activities implemented in collaboration with schools and 
the  use  of  data  from  the  educational  system  allows  a  very  high 
coverage among young people (15-24-year olds). In the case of the 
pilot YEA in Hamburg, all students in high school are contacted by the 
German  PES.  If  they  haven’t  registered  for  further  education  or  an 
apprenticeship  they  are  supported  until  they  have  a  professional 
plan.  After  graduation,  follow-up  contacts  are  then  carried  out  to 
offer  YEA  services.  Furthermore,  between  October  2013  and 
September 2014, the YEA supported 9 221 young people who wanted 
to  start  an  apprenticeship.  In  addition,  there  were  9  330  people 
looking  for  support  with  further  education.  Out  of  the  9  221  people 
looking  for  an  apprenticeship,  4  031  started  an  apprenticeship,  531 
took  up  employment,  878  went  into  further  education  and  162 
started university. 

Products: 

Across  Germany,  up  to  September  2014,  186  Youth  Employment 
Agencies  have  been  established  where  the  Youth  Welfare  Service 
Organisation,  the  Job  Centres,  and  in  many  cases  also  the  Ministry 
for  Education  are  represented  and  provide  their  services  to  young 
people  under  one  roof.  By  end  of  July  2015,  across  Germany,  218 
formalise 
collaboration  agreements  had  been  drafted  which 
agreements  of  YEA  partners  across  labour  market  programmes  and 
legal frameworks (e.g. the Education Act and Labour Act). Moreover, 
the  organisations  cooperating  in  the  practice  signed  agreements  on 
how to deal with intersection and crossover points. 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            28 

 
What outcomes have 
been identified?  

What are the lessons 
learnt and success 
factors?  

Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

One  of  the  institutional  outcomes  identified  was  the  optimisation  of 
public  resources.  The  integration  of  the  services  of  different 
organisations  under  the  same  roof  has  avoided  duplications. 
Moreover, the organisations involved are learning to work as a team 
and  pursue  common  objectives.  The  implementation  of  the  practice 
has  allowed  the  PES  to  offer  a  large  spectrum  of  services  to  young 
people:  profiling,  educational  counselling,  career  and  professional 
counselling,  and  registration  in  order  to  have  access  to  social 
benefits.  The  high  diversity  of  services  provided  ensures  better 
results addressing young peoples’ needs and expectations. 

Customer  satisfaction  is  generally  measured  among  young  people, 
but  also  from  their  families.  The  services  provided  received  very 
positive  feedback.  In  Hamburg,  as  a  result  of  YEA  action  and  the 
cooperation  with  schools,  the  number  of  school  leavers  who  started 
an  apprenticeship  immediately  after  leaving  school  has  risen 
continuously from 2012 onwards (1 338 out of 5 307 school leavers 
in total in 2012, 1 443 out of 3 731 in 2013 and 1 893 out of 5 059 
school leavers in 2014). 

One of the main success factors identified is the creation of a unified 
point  of  access  for  young  people.  This  requires  the  coordination  of 
different actors to ensure an efficient use of the available resources. 
In addition, a common understanding and common quality criteria on 
how  to  deliver  the  services  needed  to  be  developed  between  the 
different  organisations  involved.  This  facilitated  the  organisations’ 
ability to work together and provide the necessary services to young 
people in a coherent manner. 

To  guarantee  trust  and  positive  results,  the  collaboration  in  YEA 
requires  a  high  level  of  communication  between  the  different  public 
partners  and  at  different  levels.  To  this  end,  regular  meetings  are 
organised  between  staff  members  to  develop  solutions  to  new 
barriers 
improve  coordination. 
Moreover,  at  a  strategic  level  different  structures  are  created 
(Advisory  Council,  Board  of  Directors)  to  ensure  a  smooth 
implementation of the practice. 

implementation  and  to 

in  the 

An  identified  success  factor  of  the  practice  is  having  a  clearly 
structured  list  of  responsibilities  for  each  partner.  Stakeholders 
involved  agreed  on  it  to  facilitate  a  fluent  collaboration  among 
partners.  Another  success  factor  is  the  cooperation  with  schools, 
which  allows  the  YEA  to  get  in  touch  with  young  people  early  on, 
receive  all  necessary  data  and  be  able  to  track  early  school  leavers 
and inform them about the services offered. 

Contact details for 
further information  

Name: Dusan Djordan 

Email: Dusan.Djordan@arbeitsagentur.de  

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            29 

 
 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

Latvia 

Title of the policy or 
measure  

Short sentence 
summarising the 
practice 

Short-term labour market forecasting 

The  short-term  labour  forecast  provides  NVA  workers,  partners  and 
clients with information on the short-term demand tendencies of the 
labour market, which are  used for planning training programmes for 
the  unemployed,  career  consultations  and  other  labour  market-
related activities. 

Country 

Latvia 

Scope of measure  

According  to 
functions  of  the  State 
Employment  Agency  (NVA)  is  to  perform  short-term  labour  market 
forecasts. 

legislation,  one  of  the 

The NVA’s aims are to provide quality assistance for the unemployed, 
jobseekers  and  those  at  the  risk  of  unemployment,  to  aid  in  their 
competitiveness  in  the  labour  market,  as  well  as  to  prepare 
suggestions  for  the  creation  and  implementation  of  state  policy  for 
unemployment  reduction.  To  professionally  and  qualitatively  carry 
out these functions, NVA forecasts labour market trends in the short 
term, as well as surveying employers. 

Short summary of key 
challenges addressed by 
the practice and 
outcomes/lessons learnt  

One  of  the  goals  of  the  forecast  is  to  determine  the  training  and 
education  areas,  as  well  as  the  profession  groups,  in  which  NVA 
should  organise  training  for  the  unemployed  and  jobseekers, 
according  to  the  demands  of  the  labour  market  and  the  direction  of 
the national economy. 

Name of the PES  

State Employment Agency of Latvia (NVA) 

When was the practice 
implemented?  

Since  2013,  the  NVA  labour  demand  short-term  forecast  has  been 
made  using  the  econometric  model.  In  2018  the  model  was 
improved. 

What was the driver for 
introducing the practice? 
Was it internal or 
external?  

Which organisation was 
involved in its 
implementation?  

According to legislation 

The following were involved: 

  Latvian Ministry of Economics (EM) – added-value forecast; 
  State revenue service (VID) – data on registered employed; 
  Central Statistical Bureau (CSP) – labour force research data; 
  NVA – employer surveys. 

Which groups were 
targeted by the practice?  

The  short-term  labour  forecast  provides  NVA  workers,  partners  and 
clients with information on the short-term demand tendencies of the 
labour market, which are  used for planning training programmes for 
the  unemployed,  career  consultations  and  other  labour  market 
related activities. 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            30 

 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

What were the practice’s 
main objectives?  

To determine labour market needs 

What activities were 
carried out?  

What resources and 
other relevant 
organisational aspects 
were involved?  

In 2018, when the model was improved. 

The  labour  force  short-term  demand  forecast  is  made  up  of  two 
components – growth demand and replacement demand: 

  the  growth  demand  is  closely  linked  to  the  development  of  the 
economy  –  as  the  economy  grows  higher  added  value  is  created, 
and  to  create  higher  added  value  more  employees  are  generally 
needed; 

  the  replacement  demand  is  closely  linked  with  employees  leaving 
their  profession  groups,  which  can  be  caused  by  several  factors, 
such  as  inability  to  work,  migration,  retirement,  or  professional 
mobility. 

in  the 

Demand  forecasts  are  also  prepared  for  skill  cluster  demand 
fluctuations 
labour  market.  The  skill  cluster  demand 
fluctuations  are  calculated  mathematically,  multiplying  the  total 
demand  forecast  with  the  skill  cluster  matrix  value  within  the 
corresponding profession group. 

European  Social  Fund  (ESF)  project    on  development  of  the  labour 
market forecasting system 

What were the source(s) 
of funding?  

ESF project 

What were the outputs 
of the practice: people 
reached and products?  

Improved labour market forecasting tool 

Contact details for 
further information  

Eva.Lapsina@nva.gov.lv  

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            31 

 
 
 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

The Netherlands 

Title of the policy or 
measure  

Short sentence 
summarising the 
practice 

Career guidance in Education and Work Service 
Centres (EWSC) 

are 

and 

regional 

alliances  between 

Education  and  Work  Service  Centres  (known  in  the  Netherlands  as 
schools, 
Leerwerkloketten) 
business/educational 
business 
owners/employers  and  government  agencies  (municipalities  and  the 
UWV).  Together  they  develop  activities,  information  packs,  products 
and 
between 
educational/training  programmes  and  the  labour  market.  They  also 
provide  independent  and  free  training  and  career  guidance  in  35 
labour market regions. 

coordination 

institutions, 

improve 

services 

training 

that 

the 

Country 

The Netherlands 

Scope of measure 

From  2009,  it  was  financed  as  a  project;  recently  it  has  become  a 
more structural service.  

Short summary of key 
challenges addressed by 
the practice and 
outcomes/lessons learnt  

Improvement  of  the  recognisability  and  visibility  of  the  EWSC  and 
their  limited  staff  capacity  are  the  most  important  concerns.  If  the 
EWSC  want  to  extend  their  services  to  new  target  groups,  these 
aspects need attention. 

Name of the PES  

UWV 

When was the practice 
implemented?  

In 2009 

What was the driver for 
introducing the practice? 
Was it internal or 
external?  

To provide a more thorough career guidance service to vulnerable 
people, who have not yet decided whether to continue education or 
find a job. It stimulates on-the-job training and dual education and 
the recognition of labour market experience by certificates. 

Which organisation was 
involved in its 
implementation?  

It  is  funded  per  region  by  UWV,  regional  schools  and  regional 
municipalities. 

Which groups were 
targeted by the practice?  

Vulnerable people who have not yet decided whether to continue 
education or find a job. For example, early school-leavers, workers 
who lack a starting educational level, or people who are illiterate. 

What were the practice’s 
main objectives?  

To provide a more thorough career guidance service to vulnerable 
people who have not yet decided whether to continue education or 
find a job. 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            32 

 
 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

What activities were 
carried out?  

Spearheads are the promotion of working learning, career advice and 
the use of the Experience Certificate (EVC). 

The career guidance service consists of: 

  individual  support  (information  and  advice)  on  education,  labour 

market and professions; 

  group information sessions about labour market opportunities and 

educational projects (learning on the job); 

  individual counselling and coaching (several contact moments); 

  occupational choice tests (personality, intelligence, preferences). 

What resources and 
other relevant 
organisational aspects 
were involved?  

It  is  funded  per  region  by  UWV,  regional  schools  and  regional 
municipalities.  UWV  is  leading  in  this  and  coordinates  the  regional 
service centres. 

What were the source(s) 
of funding?  

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (SZW) 

What are the lessons 
learnt and success 
factors?  

informal  education 

infrastructure,  and  their 

Success  factors  are  the  centres’  independent  role  and  advice,  their 
expertise  in  labour  market  information  and  knowledge  of  the  formal 
and 
flexible  and 
additional  operations  (on  demand  and  adjusted  to  regional  policies, 
issues  or  target  groups).  Moreover,  they  have  developed  broad 
networks consisting of employers and industrial, trade or professional 
organisations.  Other  aspects  that  are  worth  mentioning  are  the 
transparent  and  clear  organisation  of  tasks  and  roles;  budget 
available under condition that the activity plan is accorded. 

Contact details for 
further information  

Marianne Zoetmulder 

marianne.Zoetmulder@uwv.nl 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            33 

 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

Title of the policy or 
measure  

Short sentence 
summarising the 
practice 

Education and Labour Market Project, Forecasting 

Providing medium-term labour market forecasts of supply and demand 
by industry, occupation, education and region. 

Country 

The Netherlands 

Scope of measure  

This project was initiated by the Research Centre for Education and the 
Labour  Market  (ROA)  in  1986  to  increase  the  transparency  of  the 
labour  market  for  youngsters  in  order  to  make  better-informed 
decisions on their education. Since then it has continued every year. 

Short summary of key 
challenges addressed by 
the practice and 
outcomes/lessons learnt  

Despite  the  excellent  (international)  reputation  of  ROA  for  making 
forecasts about medium-term labour market conditions, it is difficult to 
ensure the outcomes are robust and reliable. Therefore, a combination 
with graduate tracking is recommended. 

Name of the PES  

UWV 

When was the practice 
implemented?  

Since 1986, but every year there is an evaluation. The main financers 
are committed until 2026. 

What was the driver for 
introducing the practice? 
Was it internal or 
external?  

An  external  driver  –  the  need  to  develop  a  systematic,  econometric 
approach to forecasting which covers the whole labour market. It could 
give  youngsters,  employers  and  policymakers  a  better  insight  into 
future developments and imbalances.  

Which organisation was 
involved in its 
implementation?  

The project is funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science 
(OCW), the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy (EZK), the 
Ministry of Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK), the Ministry of Social 
Affairs  and  Employment  (SZW),  the  Employee  Insurance  Agency 
(UWV),  the  Cooperation  Organisation 
for  Vocational  Education, 
Training  and  the  Labour  Market  (SBB),  and  employment  agency 
Randstad  Netherlands.  UWV  uses  the  results  in  its  products  and 
services aimed at jobseekers, employers and policymakers. 

Which groups were 
targeted by the practice?  

Via  their  press  release  and  report,  students,  employers,  jobseekers 
and policymakers were directly targeted. Also indirectly, because other 
institutes like UWV, SBB or studiekeuze123 use and communicate the 
information as well. 

What were the practice’s 
main objectives?  

A  better  understanding  of  the  medium-term  developments  in  supply 
and  demand  on  the  Dutch  labour  market.  These  activities  include 
analyses  of  the  match  between  skills  supply  and  demand,  the 
development  of  labour  market  indicators  for  the  current  equilibrium 
between  supply  and  demand,  and  labour  market  forecasts  of  supply 
and  demand  by  industry,  occupation,  education  and  region.  The 
indicators  for  the  current  state  of  the  labour  market  as  well  as  the 
medium-term  forecasts  are  gathered  in  an  open  online  database,  the 
Labour Market Information System (AIS). 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            34 

 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

What activities were 
carried out?  

1.  Gathering 

information, 

research, 

theoretical 

framework, 

econometric modelling, evaluating 

2.  Disseminating information. 

What resources and 
other relevant 
organisational aspects 
were involved?  

Besides  the  organisations  who  fund  this  project  (see  above),  the 
Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) and  Central Planning Bureau (CPB) 
in  the  Netherlands  are  involved.  Furthermore,  ROA  cooperates  with 
Cambridge Econometrics and CEDEFOP for the European forecasts. 

What were the source(s) 
of funding?  

The project is funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science 
(OCW), the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy (EZK), the 
Ministry of Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK), the Ministry of Social 
Affairs  and  Employment  (SZW),  the  Employee  Insurance  Agency 
(UWV),  the  Cooperation  Organisation 
for  Vocational  Education, 
Training  and  the  Labour  Market  (SBB),  and  employment  agency 
Randstad Netherlands. UWV pays for about one fifth. 

What were the outputs 
of the practice: people 
reached and products?  

It is a well-known research project, but it is hard to assess whether it 
reaches people and influences choices. 

What outcomes have 
been identified?  

In an additional experimental study, it was confirmed that information 
about labour market outcomes influenced choices. 

What are the lessons 
learnt and success 
factors?  

The advantages of a systematic, econometric approach are clear. It is 
too  narrow  to  look  only  at  expansion  demand  (e.g.  employment 
growth).  The  approach 
is  also  necessary  when  considering 
developments in replacement demand, substitution demand and inflow 
of newcomers on the labour market. Many other studies only focus on 
one  particular  industry  and  ignore  mobility  between  industries  and 
occupations. 

Contact details for 
further information  

For UWV, Michel van Smoorenburg, michel.vansmoorenburg@uwv.nl    

For ROA, prof. D. Fouarge, d.fouarge@maastrichtuniversity.nl  

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            35 

 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

Title of the policy or 
measure  

Graduate tracking 

Short sentence 
summarising the 
practice 

Combining several administrative databases to track graduates in the 
first 10 years of their career and using this information for guidance 
purposes towards youngsters. 

Country 

The Netherlands 

Scope of measure 

A project – initiated and financed by UWV 

Short summary of key 
challenges addressed by 
the practice and 
outcomes/lessons learnt  

To  extend  the  scope  of  the  research  to  school-leavers  at  secondary 
level. Until now school-leavers surveys were used for them. 

Name of the PES  

UWV 

When was the practice 
implemented?  

In  2018,  the  graduate  tracking  project  was  initiated  in  the  labour 
market  information  and  advice  department  of  UWV,  which  is  in  line 
with a  recommendation  of the  European  Commission.  Its purpose  is 
to create reliable labour market information for prospective students 
of initial education. 

What was the driver for 
introducing the practice? 
Was it internal or 
external?  

UWV does indeed have a legal duty to make the labour market more 
transparent,  and  this  project  contributes  to  a  preventive  and  more 
comprehensive  role  for  UWV.  Since  the  labour  market  lacks 
transparency  for  prospective  students,  UWV  has  decided  to  initiate 
this project.  

Which organisation was 
involved in its 
implementation?  

Which groups were 
targeted by the practice?  

What were the practice’s 
main objectives?  

In  this  project,  UWV  collaborates  with  the  research  institute  SEO 
which is affiliated to the University of Amsterdam. 

1.  Young people who are preparing to choose a subject of study 

2.  Schools  and  universities,  to  improve  labour  market-oriented 
guidance and foster a better understanding of what is needed in 
the labour market.  

Its  purpose  is  to  create  reliable  labour  market  information  for 
prospective students of initial education. Prospective students are not 
a  natural  target  group  of  UWV  but  UWV  does  indeed  have  a  legal 
duty  to  make  the  labour  market  more  transparent,  and  this  project 
contributes to a preventive and more comprehensive role for UWV. A 
more  transparent  picture  of  the  (economic)  consequences  of  study 
choices,  by  way  of  better  information,  may  facilitate  the  transition 
from  school  to  work,  prevent  unemployment  and  decrease  the 
marginalisation of low-skilled workers in favour of the highly-skilled. 
Besides, acquired knowledge and skills will be better used, leading to 
higher  educational  output.  Certain  skill  shortages  may  also  be 
prevented.  

In summary, it may contribute to a more adequate adjustment of the 
education system to the needs of the labour market.   

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            36 

What activities were 
carried out?  

Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

In  order  to  analyse  the  labour  market  position  of  graduates,  SEO 
analyses anonymised administrative data from the microdata of CBS 
(Central Bureau of Statistics). The microdata consists of various data 
(educational data, personal characteristics, income, type of contract) 
which is linked on a personal level. This microdata will be processed 
and analysed by SEO for the annual publication Study & Work. UWV 
performs  additional  analyses 
for  87  clusters  of  bachelor’s 
programmes  in  higher  professional  education  and  for  70  clusters  of 
master’s programmes in university education. It is no sample, but a 
comprehensive measurement among 103,000 graduates. The labour 
market  positions  of  the  various  clusters  are  compared  with  each 
other. The labour market position is determined on the basis of time 
required  to  find  a  job,  gross  hourly  wage,  annual  income  and  the 
percentage  of  permanent  employees.  The  starting  position  of 
graduates is examined as well as the labour market position 10 years 
after  graduation.  Furthermore,  an  analysis  has  been  made  of  the 
development and robustness of the labour market position.   

What resources and 
other relevant 
organisational aspects 
were involved?  

Central Bureau of Statistics (providing the microdata), SEO University 
of  Amsterdam  (processing  the  data  and  developing  the  variables) 
and Elsevier (funding SEO for similar data). 

What were the source(s) 
of funding?  

UWV 

What were the outputs 
of the practice: people 
reached and products?  

At  the  end  of  2018  and  the  beginning  of  2019,  publications  have 
appeared for university education (master’s programmes) and higher 
professional  education  (bachelor’s  programmes).  These  publications 
have  attracted  a  lot  of  attention  in  the  press  and  on  social  media. 
This  relevant  and  reliable  information  meets  an  urgent  need.  A 
follow-up will be published in January 2020. 

What outcomes have 
been identified?  

1.  The labour market position greatly differs per type of education  

2.  The  labour  market  position  of  types  of  education  remains  fairly 

robust in the 10 years after graduation.  

What are the lessons 
learnt and success 
factors?  

It  produces  very  reliable  and  relevant  labour  market  information, 
which  is  essential  for  guidance.  Its  robustness  is  a  main  advantage 
when compared with forecasting. 

Contact details for 
further information  

Michel van Smoorenburg, michel.vansmoorenburg@uwv.nl  

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            37 

 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

Title of the policy or 
measure  

Tension indicator  

Short sentence 
summarising the 
practice 

The Labour Market Tension Indicator presents detailed labour market 
information, categorised by occupational group and region. 

Country 

The Netherlands 

Scope of measure  

An  indicator  to  address  skills  shortages  and  skills  surpluses  on  a 
quarterly basis. 

Short summary of key 
challenges addressed by 
the practice and 
outcomes/lessons learnt  

We  found  a  methodological  solution  for  getting  a  representative 
figure of the total number of vacancies. The challenge will be to find 
a representative figure of the unemployed (not only the registered).  

Name of the PES  

UWV 

When was the practice 
implemented?  

UWV  has  been  publishing  the  result  of  the  Labour  Market  Tension 
Indicator  since  1  October  2012.  This  indicator  shows  the  existing 
tension between labour market supply and demand. 

What was the driver for 
introducing the practice? 
Was it internal or 
external?  

To  achieve  a  more  reliable  and  representative  number  of  vacancies 
(not  only  the  vacancies  registered  at  PES).  An  internal  driver  to 
improve the quality of our labour market information.  

Which organisation was 
involved in its 
implementation?  

UWV and Panteia 

Which groups were 
targeted by the practice? 

Employers, jobseekers, policymakers 

What were the practice’s 
main objectives?  

To  improve  the  quality  of  our  labour  market  information.  To  gain  a 
better knowledge of our skills shortages and skills surpluses. 

What activities were 
carried out?  

Jobfeed serves as the basis of the estimation of the total number of 
vacancies.  This  database  of  online  vacancies  is  provided  to  UWV 
Employee  Insurance  Agency  by  the  company  Textkernel.  The 
vacancies  are  presented  via  werk.nl,  allowing  registered  jobseekers 
to  consult  them.  The  database  is  also  used  as  a  new  labour  market 
information source. 

More and more vacancies are published online. The Jobfeed database 
is  created  by  trawling  the  Internet  searching  for  vacancies. 
Textkernel eliminates double entries and codes the vacancy data. The 
resulting  file  contains  a  major  segment  of  the  total  number  of 
vacancies that have arisen as measured by Statistics Netherlands. It 
may  occur  that  certain  sectors  (e.g.  the  agrarian  sector)  publish 
relatively  few  vacancies  on  the  Internet,  while  others  (e.g.  the  IT 
sector)  publish  a  significant  percentage  online.  The  Jobfeed  file  is 
therefore  weighted  and  raised  on  a  per-sector  and  per-professional 
level  basis  each  quarter.  The  total  number  of  vacancies  that  have 
occurred according to Statistics Netherlands is used for this purpose. 
In this way, not only is UWV’s data consistent with those of Statistics 
Netherlands, but sectors can be compared. 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            38 

 
 
 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

UWV next derives the number of open vacancies from this total. This 
total  number  of  open  vacancies  is  also  made  consistent  with  the 
Statistics  Netherlands  data  once  every  quarter.  A  moving  quarterly 
average is used by sector in order to increase the robustness of the 
data and decrease the effect of rounding figures.  

In October 2017, another step was added. Previously, vacancies filled 
via  intermediary  services  were  not  considered,  as  they  cannot  be 
easily  allocated  to  a  sector.  As  a  consequence,  the  number  of 
vacancies  for  professions  where  recruitment  often  takes  place  via 
intermediary services was underestimated. Following the weighting of 
the vacancies to have them correspond to the Statistics Netherlands 
figures,  an  additional  weighting  per  profession  is  now  being 
conducted to adjust the figure for recruitment by way of intermediary 
services.  In  this  way,  the  vacancy  rate  now  better  reflects  the  total 
demand per profession. However, the total number of vacancies that 
have  arisen  and  are  open  as  registered  by  Statistics  Netherlands 
remains  the  guiding  figure,  so  as  to  maintain  consistency  with 
Statistics Netherlands. 

The  Labour  Market  Tension  Indicator  is  calculated  by  dividing  this 
number  of  open  vacancies  by  the  number  of  persons  receiving 
unemployment  insurance  benefits  who  have  been  receiving  such 
benefits  for  less  than  six  months.  These  quantities  are  used  to 
approximate the existing demand and immediately-available supply. 

The  Labour  Market  Tension  Indicator  is  expressed  as  a  figure 
between  zero  and  infinite.  The  higher  the  figure,  the  tighter  the 
labour  market  for  employers.  An  indicator  of  zero  means  that  the 
labour  market  is  very  slack,  as  there  are  no  open  vacancies  while 
there  are  short-term  unemployed  persons.  If  there  are  many 
vacancies compared with the number of the short-term unemployed, 
the  labour  market  is  very  tight.  Five  categories  are  distinguished: 
very slack; slack; average; tight, and very tight. The range of values 
for  the  different  categories  are  determined  by  looking  at  the  time 
series  of  the  indicator  and  identifying  the  values  of  the  indicator  at 
times  in  which  the  tightness  of  the  labour  market  is  known.  The 
categories correspond to the following values: 

  0 to 0.25: very slack 

  0.25 to 0.67: slack 

  0.67 to 1.5: balanced 

  1.5 to 4.0: tight 

  4.0 or over: very tight. 

What resources and 
other relevant 
organisational aspects 
were involved?  

Job  Feed  (Textkernel),  National  Vacancy  Survey  (Central  Bureau  of 
Statistics) and Panteia (together we developed this method). 

What were the source(s) 
of funding?  

UWV 

What were the outputs 
of the practice: people 
reached and products?  

We  use  this  indicator  in  several  products  and  services  aimed  at 
different  client  groups  such  as  employers, 
jobseekers  and 
policymakers. 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            39 

Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

What outcomes have 
been identified?  

What are the lessons 
learnt and success 
factors?  

Contact details for 
further information  

The Labour Market Tension Indicator presents detailed labour market 
information, categorised by occupational group and region. The data 
is calculated on a quarterly basis. The indicator encompasses almost 
all  professions  and  all  educational  levels.  The  proportion  of  existing 
demand  and  immediately-available  supply  provides  an  indication  of 
the  tension  on  the  labour  market,  skills  shortages  and  skills 
surpluses.  It  does  not  provide  an  indication  of  future  labour  market 
tension.  The  categorisation  by  BRC  profession  categories  does  allow 
for making a comparison with the per-occupational group forecast for 
the  medium  term  published  by  the  Research  Centre  for  Education 
and the Labour Market. 

High quality (reliable, valid, representative, consistent) labour market 
information is essential to achieve a solid position.  

Michel van Smoorenburg, michel.vansmoorenburg@uwv.nl 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            40 

Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

Title of the policy or 
measure  

Short sentence 
summarising the 
practice 

Training for job coaches: ‘The Labour Market in 
your Work’ 

In  order  to  improve  the  skills  of  the  operational  staff  of  UWV 
WERKbedrijf,  the  ‘Labour  Market  in  your  Work’  training  has  been 
developed.  Staff  of  UWV  who  have  direct  contacts  with  jobseekers 
and employers can participate in this training, in which they acquire 
knowledge of the labour market that is relevant to them. They learn 
how  to  search  for  information  and  how  to  interpret  and  apply  this 
information in their work situation.  

Country 

The Netherlands 

Scope of measure  

A service to improve knowledge of the labour market. 

Short summary of key 
challenges addressed by 
the practice and 
outcomes/lessons learnt  

It is essential to practice what one has learned and to keep learning, 
as knowledge becomes obsolete. Management has a role to monitor 
and reward progress. 

Name of the PES  

UWV 

When was the practice 
implemented?  

It  started  in  2001,  but  the  training  was  redesigned  several  times. 
Since 2014, it has been blended, and both e-learning and a workshop 
are included. 

What was the driver for 
introducing the practice? 
Was it internal or 
external?  

It  was  internal.  The  main  driver  was  the  lack  of  knowledge  among 
job  coaches,  while  the  knowledge  was  available  within  an  internal 
staff department. 

Which organisation was 
involved in its 
implementation?  

Staff  members  in  the  labour  market  information  and  advice 
department had to be trained to become trainers. These six trainers 
remained members of the staff department but had an additional role 
at the UWV Academy.  

Which groups were 
targeted by the practice?  

Staff of UWV who have direct contact with jobseekers and employers 
(job coaches) can participate in this training. 

What were the practice’s 
main objectives?  

What  are  the  developments  on  the  (regional)  labour  market?  And 
how can this information be used to help even more jobseekers get a 
job?  The  training  provides  an  insight  into  the  functioning  of  the 
labour  market  and  what  trends  and  developments  are  important. 
What does this mean for the referral or re-integration of jobseekers, 
and  for  mediation  services?  In  the  training,  participants  search  for 
labour market information that can be used in their daily work.  

Learning objectives are:  

  better insight into the functioning of, and developments and trends 

in, the regional labour market;  

  being capable of using sources of labour market information to get 
a  picture  of  the  (regional)  labour  market  situation,  both  from  the 
employer’s and the jobseeker’s perspective; 

  being capable of making better plans to help jobseekers get a job 

more quickly; 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            41 

 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

  being  capable  of  pointing  out  job  opportunities  to  jobseekers  and 

explaining what job search channels can be used best;   

  providing  tailored  advice  to  employers  about  bottlenecks  in  their 
personnel  needs  and  about  the  most  effective  recruitment 
channels that could be used. 

The  training  consists  of  three  parts:  an  online  programme,  a 
preparation  assignment  and  a  workshop.  The  online  programme 
needs  to  be  completed  before  participating  in  the  workshop.  In  the 
online programme, the most important themes of the labour market 
are  dealt  with.  The  preparation  assignment  for  the  workshop  is  a 
realistic case study from actual work practice.  

The workshop starts approximately five weeks after the beginning of 
the  online  programme.  In  the  workshop,  colleagues  work  on  a  case 
study  example  that  they  themselves  have  contributed.  The  online 
programme consists of nine items that, together, last for about four 
hours. The workshop comprises one half-day session of three hours. 
The participants who have successfully completed the training receive 
a certificate. The training is held by several staff members from  the 
labour  market  information  and  advice  department  who  have  been 
selected  for  this  purpose  and  have  been  trained  to  deliver  the 
workshop.  This  training  is  part  of  the  generic  learning  pathway  of 
UWV WERKbedrijf staff and has been included in the training courses 
that are offered by UWV Academy.   

Cooperation  between  UWV  Academy  and  the 
information and advice department. 

labour  market 

What activities were 
carried out?  

What resources and 
other relevant 
organisational aspects 
were involved?  

What were the source(s) 
of funding?  

UWV 

What were the outputs 
of the practice: people 
reached and products?  

Thousands of employees have been trained since 2001.  

What outcomes have 
been identified?  

They  are  satisfied  by  what  they  learned  and  hopefully  they  have 
applied their knowledge and skills to their work as a job coach. 

What are the lessons 
learnt and success 
factors?  

It  is  important  to  share  knowledge  within  an  organisation.  Trainers 
provide  information,  but  also  get  feedback  from  the  participants 
about what kind of information is needed. 

Contact details for 
further information  

Michel van Smoorenburg, michel.vansmoorenburg@uwv.nl  

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            42 

 
 
 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

Title of the policy or 
measure  

Webinars 

Short sentence 
summarising the 
practice 

The  webinars  of  PES  Netherlands  (UWV)  help  jobseekers  to  find 
work, apply for a job or build a network. 

Country 

The Netherlands 

Scope of measure  

A new service 

Name of the PES  

UWV 

What was the driver for 
introducing the practice? 
Was it internal or 
external?  

Providing  a  more  efficient  way  of  delivering  services  for  jobseekers. 
Both internal and external. 

Which organisation was 
involved in its 
implementation?  

UWV 

Which groups were 
targeted by the practice?  

Jobseekers 

What were the practice’s 
main objectives?  

What activities were 
carried out?  

Providing a more efficient way of delivering services for jobseekers. 

The  webinars  of  PES  Netherlands  (UWV)  help  jobseekers  to  find 
work, apply for a job or build a network. Around the 8th week of their 
unemployment, the national UWV webinar team sends all jobseekers 
who  receive  an  unemployment  benefit  an  online  invitation  (through 
the  ‘Werkmap’  feature)  to  participate  in  the  UWV  webinars.  Around 
the 16th week, the jobseeker will automatically receive a reminder in 
his/her ‘Werkmap’, irrespective of whether he/she has participated in 
a  webinar  before.  You  can  read  more  about  the  UWV  webinars  on 
werk.nl:  https://www.werk.nl/werkzoekenden/solliciteren/ontwikkel-
uzelf/webinar/  

Examples of available webinars are:   

  Switching to another occupation  

  Networking: how to proceed  

  Difficult questions during the job interview  

  A job application letter in 5 steps  

  How does my CV stand out?  

  The power of 50+  

  Creating opportunities through profiling  

  The first impression  

  Find a job through LinkedIn (basic)  

  Get the most out of LinkedIn (advanced)  

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            43 

 
 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

What were the source(s) 
of funding?  

UWV 

Contact details for 
further information  

Anita Strockmeijer 

Anita.Strockmeijer@uwv.nl 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            44 

 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

Slovak Republic 

Title of the policy or 
measure  

Forecasting of Slovak labour market needs  

Short sentence 
summarising the 
practice 

Comprehensive five-year project forecasting labour market needs, in 
cooperation  with  an  external  private  partner,  examining  20%  of  the 
Slovak workforce.   

Country 

Slovak Republic 

Scope of measure  

National project run on a multi-year basis 

Short summary of key 
challenges addressed by 
the practice and 
outcomes/lessons learnt  

In  the  Slovak  Republic,  we  are  currently  facing  the  problem  of 
quantitative  and  qualitative  disparities  in  the  labour  market,  which 
are  a  result  of  historical  neglect  of  the  necessary  linking  of  the 
education system with the needs of the labour market. The disparity 
between the structures of the labour market in terms of supply and 
demand causes  problems with the ability of graduates to succeed in 
the  labour  market.  This  results  in  a  high  level  of  graduate 
unemployment,  as  well  as  relatively  high  costs  of  active  labour 
market policies for retraining and inclusion in the labour market, and 
ineffective spending of resources in the educational system. Namely, 
in  the  past  there  was  no  relevant  information  in  the  context  of  the 
Slovak  Republic  at  the  required  level  of  granularity  to  detail  the 
current  and  future  needs  of  the  labour  market.  Without  this 
information,  it  is  impossible  to  set  up  a  system  of  education  and 
employment policy that would follow up on these very needs. 

Name of the PES  

Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family 

When was the practice 
implemented?  

2016 – ongoing 

What was the driver for 
introducing the practice? 
Was it internal or 
external?  

External – missing information on the future labour market needs of 
employers 

Which organisation was 
involved in its 
implementation?  

Central Office  of Labour,  Social Affairs and Family (PES), Ministry of 
Labour,  Social  Affairs  and  Family,  and  private  research  company 
Trexima.  

Which groups were 
targeted by the practice?  

Employers 

What were the practice’s 
main objectives?  

To  determine  the  needs  of  the  labour  market  and  implement  them 
into decision-making processes as the key factor in the elimination of 
labour  market  disparities, and  to  increase  the  efficiency  of  decision-
making at all autonomous levels of the labour market and system of 
education. 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            45 

What activities were 
carried out?  

Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

This  objective  was  achieved  based  on  the  national  project  of 
‘Forecasting  Labour  Market  Development’,  which  comprised  the 
preparation  of  a  forecast  indicating  the  future  anticipated  needs  of 
employers within a timescale of the next five years, looking into 431 
occupational  subgroups  of  the  National  Statistical  Occupational 
Classification (SK  ISCO-08) within the breakdown into self-governed 
regions and districts (NUTS IV level), as well as industrial breakdown 
according  to  types  of  economic  activities.  The  forecast  of  the 
development  of  occupational  opportunities  in  a  specific  division, 
based  on  demand  resulting  from  economic  development  as  well  as 
generational shift, is carried out in almost 300,000 various combined 
classifications.  Based  on  its  parameters  of  an  excellent  combination 
of  results  granularity  and  the  timescale  involved,  this  forecast 
significantly  exceeds  all  the  previously-implemented  forecasts  of 
occupational structure of employment in the Slovak Republic, as well 
as most efforts abroad, including those implemented in advanced EU 
and  OECD  member  countries  with  long-established  practices  of 
labour market forecasting. 

What resources and 
other relevant 
organisational aspects 
were involved?  

Externally-contracted project 

What were the source(s) 
of funding?  

European Social Fund + state budget 

What were the outputs 
of the practice: people 
reached and products?  

Data  was  collected  by  way  of  extensive  qualitative  and  quantitative 
surveys  of  labour  market  needs.  The  selected  sample  representing 
the whole of the Slovak Republic comprised 527 organisations whose 
combined number of employees exceeded 430,000 (more than 20% 
of all employees in Slovakia). 

What outcomes have 
been identified?  

By  the  year  2020,  the  number  of  employed  specialists  will  grow  by 
more  than  29,000,  while  there  will  be  roughly  17,000  more 
technicians  and  professional  employees.  On  the  other  hand,  we  can 
anticipate  a  reduction  in  employment  of  occupations  from  the  main 
class 9 – auxiliary and unskilled workers – of approximately 2,300 by 
2020.   

All  in  all,  by  2020,  employment  in  the  Slovak  Republic  will  grow  by 
more  than  81,000.  The  most  significant  absolute  growth  in 
employment  is  anticipated  in  the  following  occupations:  assembly 
operators in machinery production; technicians in physical, technical 
sciences  and transport; machinery engineering specialists; assembly 
operators  of  electrical  and  electronical  equipment;  nursing 
specialists, and accounting and controlling specialists. 

What are the lessons 
learnt and success 
factors?  

Critical  for  success  is  linking  outcomes  to  the  educational  sector.  In 
Slovakia  we  do  that  through  agreement  between  SK  PES  and  the 
Ministry of Education. 

Contact details for 
further information  

boris.katuscak@upsvr.gov.sk  

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            46 

 
 
 
 
 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

Slovenia 

Title of the policy or 
measure  

Occupational Barometer  

Short sentence 
summarising the 
practice 

The  Occupational  Barometer  (Poklicni  barometer)  is  a  qualitative 
method of forecasting the short-term balance between labour supply 
and demand in the next 12 months, by occupation. 

Country 

Slovenia 

Scope of measure  

The  project  comes  under  the  broader  ESF-co-financed  activity  of 
‘increasing  the  effective  coordination  of  supply  and  demand  in  the 
labour market’ (UUPP). The activity is conducted by the Employment 
Service of Slovenia (ESS). 

Short summary of key 
challenges addressed by 
the practice and 
outcomes/lessons learnt  

The  purpose  of  the  Occupational  Barometer  is  to  provide  a  short-
term forecast of the balance between labour supply and demand for 
around  180  key  occupations.  From  a  methodological  point  of  view, 
this research follows Sweden, Finland, Poland and Estonian examples 
of  a  short-term  (one-year)  forecast  of  the  supply/demand  situation 
for selected occupations. The result of the Occupational Barometer is 
a  list  of  occupations  classified  into  three  groups:  shortage,  balance 
and  surplus.  In  case  a  shortage  is  envisaged,  the  main  reasons  for 
the shortage are identified. The results are presented by ESS regional 
office, as well as at national level. 

Name of the PES  

Employment Service of Slovenia (ESS) 

When was the practice 
implemented?  

2018 – ongoing 

The  pilot  was  carried  out  in  seven  out  of  12  ESS  regional  offices  in 
2018.  In  2019,  the  Occupational  Barometer  became  a  regular  task 
for all regional offices. The barometer has become a part of the ESS 
annual business plan.  

What was the driver for 
introducing the practice? 
Was it internal or 
external?  

The  drivers  were  both  internal  and  external.  The  main  driver  was 
awareness that we should use the expertise of our counsellors on the 
local labour market situation in order to improve career guidance and 
active labour market measures. The barometer also complements the 
short-term survey on labour market needs among employers. Having 
more  reliable information on  labour  market  shortages  and  surpluses 
is  also  beneficial  for  other  institutions  and  the  wider  public.  The 
importance of this kind of information has increased particularly since 
the crisis due to increased labour demand. 

Which organisation was 
involved in its 
implementation?  

ESS and private employment agencies 

Which groups were 
targeted by the practice?  

Jobseekers,  policymakers,  schools,  universities,  other  stakeholders 
on the labour market, ESS staff 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            47 

 
 
 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

What were the practice’s 
main objectives?  

What activities were 
carried out?  

What resources and 
other relevant 
organisational aspects 
were involved?  

To  obtain  reliable  short-term  prognoses  about  the  labour  market. 
Data  is  used  for  informing  the  general  public  (jobseekers,  pupils, 
students, media), policymakers and social partners. Data is also used 
internally,  for  the  purpose  of  counselling,  preparation  of  ALMPs  and 
the job-brokering process. 

The barometer is used by the Ministry of Labour, together with other 
data, for two purposes. Firstly, the ministry uses it for updating a list 
of  occupations  for  which  work  permits  could  be  issued  without 
checking the availability of the domestic labour force  and, secondly, 
to  prepare  a  list  of  occupations  for  which  pupils  can  apply  via  the 
national scholarship scheme.  

The  Occupational  Barometer  summarises  the  ESS  regional  offices’ 
estimations  on  the  relationship  between  demand  and  supply  within 
key  occupations  in  the  near  future  (next  calendar  year).  The 
Occupational  Barometer  is  carried  out  annually,  in  September.  The 
regional  estimates  are  compiled,  visualised  and  published  by  the 
UUPP activity experts and Analytical Department at Central Office. 

The  barometer  is  focused  on  two  aspects  of  labour  market 
developments.  Firstly,  an  evaluation  is  made  on  how  employers' 
demands will change in the next year, especially how their demands 
for  specific  occupations  will  change.  Will  they  increase,  decrease  or 
remain unchanged? Secondly, the balance between labour supply and 
demand  for  the  next  year  is  evaluated  regarding  how  the  ratio 
between  the  available  labour  force  and  employers'  demands  by 
occupation  will  develop.  Will  there  be  a  labour  surplus,  labour 
shortage or a balance in occupations that are the most important in 
the  regional  labour  markets?  Thus,  a  forecast  of  the  ratio  between 
supply and demand for the next year is provided. The results of the 
barometer are a list of occupations classified into the following three 
groups  for  each  regional  office:  1)  shortage;  2)  in  balance,  and  3) 
surplus.  In  case  a  shortage  is  envisaged,  the  main  reason  for  the 
shortage  in  the  respective  occupation  is  identified  by  using  the 
following  classification:  1)  no  candidates  available;  2)  candidates 
lacking  skills/knowledge/competences;  3)  lack  of  candidates  due  to 
poor working conditions (low wages,  shift-work,  hard physical  work, 
etc.)  and  4)  structural  factors  (structure  of  unemployment  is 
unfavourable  due  to  characteristic  of  unemployed  persons  -  age, 
disabilities, health problems, etc.).  

The  Occupational  Barometer  is  carried  out  in  regional  offices  in  the 
form of focus groups of six to eight experts (employment counsellors, 
counsellors  for  employers).  In  addition  to  the  ESS  employees, 
representatives of private employment agencies also participate. 

The barometer evaluates general trends on the labour market, which 
means  that  seasonal  fluctuations  are  not  taken  into  account.  The 
results for the national level are estimated by weighting the number 
of employed by occupation and the size of ESS regional offices. Using 
this methodology, a national list of occupations is prepared, showing 
the same three main groups: shortage; in balance; and surplus. 

The Occupational Barometer is part of broader activity in ‘increasing 
the  effective  coordination  of  supply  and  demand  in  the  labour 
market’.  The  implementation  of  each  Occupational  Barometer  is  a 
demanding  logistical  process  since  almost  100  people  are  included. 
An  important  part  of  the  process  is  therefore  a  clear  common 
understanding  of  the  purpose  and  methodology  of  the  barometer. 
Training  of  all  participants  for  successful  implementation  is  crucial 
and needed. 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            48 

 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

What were the source(s) 
of funding?  

The Occupational Barometer project is jointly funded by the European 
Social  Fund  and  the  national  budget  through  the  broader  activity  of 
‘increasing  the  effective  coordination  of  supply  and  demand  in  the 
labour market’.  

What were the outputs 
of the practice: people 
reached and products?  

Currently, the results are published on the ESS web page.  

What outcomes have 
been identified?  

The barometer indicates significant structural disparities in the labour 
market.  

Shortages are often found in occupations that are low paid, physically 
demanding  or  characterised  by  unfavourable  work  schedules.  The 
shortages  in  technical  occupations  and  for  professionals  are  also 
evident  and  associated  with  a  lack  of  specific  work  experience  or 
knowledge, which in many cases can’t be obtained via short training 
programmes.  If  we  focus  on  the  employment  gender  structure,  the 
occupations  with  the  highest  shortages  are  predominantly  male-
dominated. This could be illustrated by the fact that sectors with high 
shortages  are  construction,  manufacturing,  transportation  and 
storage. Other sectors facing shortages are also accommodation and 
food  service  activities,  human  health  and  social  work  activities  and 
the ICT sector. 

What are the lessons 
learnt and success 
factors?  

The implementation of each barometer requires a well-prepared plan 
as  well  as  motivated  and  experienced  staff  with  a  good 
understanding  of  local  and  regional  labour  markets.  Other  success 
factors  are  good  visualisation  and  interpretation  of  the  results  and 
their communication both internally and to the public.  

Contact details for 
further information  

Employment Service of Slovenia 

Tjaša Žakelj, Ph.D., Senior Adviser – tjasa.zakelj@ess.gov.si  

Viljem Spruk, Senior Adviser –  viljem.spruk@ess.gov.si  

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            49 

 
 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

Title of the policy or 
measure  

On-the-job training 

Short sentence 
summarising the 
practice 

The  purpose  of  the  programme  is  to  improve  the  employment 
opportunities  of  the  unemployed  persons  and  to  increase  their 
competitiveness  in  the  labour  market  by  enabling  them  to  acquire 
new occupation-related skills and knowledge. 

Country 

Slovenia 

Scope of measure  

National Active Labour Market Policies (ALMP) programme 

Short summary of key 
challenges addressed by 
the practice and 
outcomes/lessons learnt  

The  programme  is  aimed  at  improving  the  knowledge,  skills  and 
employability of unemployed persons.  The programme supports the 
inclusion  of  unemployed  people  in  working  processes  in  a  real  work 
environment,  through  practical  training  on  specific  jobs.  The 
programme is also beneficial for employers since it supports them in 
the  process  of  hiring  new  employees.  In  general,  the  main  added 
value  of  the  programme  is  in  alleviating  skill  shortages  and 
mismatches  on  the  labour  market.  The  programme  has  two 
implementation  schemes  –  one  for  young  people  and  one  for  other 
groups  of  unemployed  people,  such  as  the  elderly,  low-skilled  or 
long-term unemployed (LTU).  

Name of the PES  

Employment Service of Slovenia (ESS) 

When was the practice 
implemented?  

The first schemes were introduced in the 1980s. 

The on-the-job training programme schemes represent an important 
part of the national ALMP. The implementation design of the on-the-
job-training  schemes  have  been  constantly  adjusting  to  the  labour 
market  situation.  Since  2005,  the  programme  has  been  co-financed 
by the European Social Fund.  

What was the driver for 
introducing the practice? 
Was it internal or 
external?  

Which organisation was 
involved in its 
implementation?  

Which groups were 
targeted by the practice?  

To increase the employability of unemployed people, and to alleviate 
labour  market  mismatches 
those 
unemployed  people  with  inadequate  skills  and  insufficient  working 
experience. 

the  upskilling  of 

through 

PES and social partners 

Current target groups are:  

  unemployed persons aged 50+, registered at ESS; 

  unemployed persons under 30, registered at ESS; 

  unemployed  persons  aged  30  and  over  who  have  been  registered 

for 12 months or more; 

  unemployed  persons  aged  30  and  over  who  have  been  registered 

for at least 3 months and whose education is below ISCED 3; 

  unemployed persons aged 30 and over who have been re-activated 

on the labour market through social activation programmes;  

  unemployed  recipients  of  financial  social  assistance,  aged  30  and 

over. 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            50 

 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

What were the practice’s 
main objectives?  

What activities were 
carried out?  

What resources and 
other relevant 
organisational aspects 
were involved?  

through 

the  upskilling  of 

To increase the employability of unemployed people and to alleviate 
labour  market  mismatches 
those 
unemployed  people  with  inadequate  skills  and  insufficient  working 
experience.  The  programme  includes  unemployed  persons  who  are 
not  immediately  employable  due  to  their  insufficient  skills  and 
knowledge.  The  on-the-job  training  programme  supports  the 
inclusion  of  unemployed  people  in  working  processes  in  a  real  work 
environment,  and  helps  employers  to  deal  with  labour  market 
shortages at the same time.   

The programme is implemented on the basis of a public invitation for 
employers.  Once  the  employer’s  application  is  approved,  a  contract 
with the PES is signed. Candidates from target groups are referred to 
the  employer.  If  the  preliminary  medical  examination  is  positive,  a 
contract  between  the  PES  and  unemployed  person  is  signed.  The 
employer trains the unemployed person on a work placement for two 
or three months. Shorter training placements of two months are used 
for less demanding jobs. 

Eligible costs for the employer are calculated as flat rates, depending 
on duration (including mentorship, preliminary medical examination, 
insurance against occupational diseases and accidents): 

  for three months of training: EUR 732,00 

  for two months of training: EUR 526,00  

Eligible costs for training participants are: 

  activity compensation: 3,30 EUR per hour  

  transportation costs: 0,15 EUR per kilometre. 

At  the  end  of  the  training,  the  employer  submits  the  final  report  to 
the  PES.  In  the  report,  the  employer  also  provides  a  description  of 
competences and skills acquired during the training. 

On-the-job training is part of the ALMP. The annual ALMP programme 
is adopted by the government. 

What were the source(s) 
of funding?  

The  programme  is  jointly  funded  by  the  European  Social  Fund  and 
national budget.  

What were the outputs 
of the practice: people 
reached and products?  

In  the  period  from  2015  to  2018,  9,384  unemployed  people 
participated in both programme schemes, of which 2,171 took part in 
the programme for the youth.  

The  structure  of  participants  is  as  follows:  in  the  youth  programme 
34%  were  LTU,  10%  were  unemployed  for  more  than  24  months, 
and 9% had primary school-level education or below. In the training 
scheme  targeted  to  the  other  groups,  there  were  59%  LTU,  26% 
unemployed  for  more  than  24  months,  15%  with  elementary 
education  and  15%  aged  50+.  The  most  frequent  occupations 
covered  by  on-the-job  training  schemes  are  mainly  from  the  list  of 
labour  shortages,  i.e.  waiters,  shop  sales  assistants,  cleaners, 
commercial  sales  representatives,  stock  clerks,  kitchen  helpers, 
health care assistants, etc. 

What outcomes have 
been identified?  

In  the  period  from  2015  to  2018  50%  of  participants  found  regular 
employment  in  the  first  three  months  after  the  conclusion  of  the 
programme, 62% within six months and 75% within 12 months. The 
success rate is even higher for youth, i.e. 81% found employment in 
the 12 months after the programme’s conclusion. 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            51 

 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

What are the lessons 
learnt and success 
factors?  

The  programme  prioritises  unemployed  people  with  employability 
issues  and  with 
longer  unemployment  spells.  Among  them, 
preference is given to those who have not been included in any other 
ALMP  measures,  as  well  as  people  for  whom  there  are  social  and 
health  barriers.    Taking  into  account  the  participants  from  these 
priority groups, as well as high transition rates into regular jobs after 
finalisation  of  the  programme,  the  overall  assessment  of  the 
programme results are very positive.  

Since  the  programme  has  a  long  tradition,  it  is  well  known  and 
accepted  among  employers  who  are  also  key  implementation 
partners.  An  important  element  of  the  practical  training  is  adequate 
mentorship. 

Contact details for 
further information  

Employment Service of Slovenia 

Dragomila Šeško, programme co-ordinator 

Dragomila.sesko@ess.gov.si  

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            52 

 
 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

Spain 

Title of the policy or 
measure  

Short sentence 
summarising the 
practice 

Vocational Training for Employment on the basis of 
the users skill needs 

All stakeholders work together to better anticipate skills requirements 
and to ensure the supply of training is adapted accordingly. 

Country 

Spain 

Scope of measure  

National reform 

Short summary of key 
challenges addressed by 
the practice and 
outcomes/lessons learnt  

All stakeholders are working on the identification of skills needs and 
the  relevant  role  of  each  stakeholder  was  highlighted.  A  common 
methodology 
for 
coordination  of  all  the  instruments  and  actors  carrying  out  the 
analysis and anticipation of the labour market. 

is  necessary  to  benefit 

from  the  potential 

Name of the PES  

State Public Employment Service (SEPE) 

When was the practice 
implemented?  

(including start and end 
date for pilot projects) 

Pilot projects since June 2019. 

The official launch of the project happened in September 2019. 

What was the driver for 
introducing the practice? 
Was it internal or 
external?  

Law  30/2015,  of  9th  September,  regulating  the  Vocational  Training 
System  for  Employment,  undertakes  comprehensive  reform  and 
establishes a training model for workers (employed and unemployed) 
and  companies  in  the  whole  national  territory,  observing  the 
autonomous communities’ framework of powers. 

The system  of observation and forecasting of the labour market has 
been reinforced by the new model in order to make it more efficient 
and able to identify changes in demand for skills  – whether specific, 
transversal or basic. 

All  the  stakeholders  will  participate  in  the  design  of  the  multiannual 
scenario,  which  is  the  strategic  planning  framework  for  the  whole 
system, including: the most representative employer and trade union 
organisations;  autonomous  communities;  joint  sectoral  structures; 
and  inter-branch  organisations  representing  self-employed  workers 
and  social  economy  companies  in  their  specific  fields,  alongside  the 
cooperation  of  other  ministerial  departments,  observatories  and 
subject-specific experts.  

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            53 

Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

Which organisation was 
involved in its 
implementation?  

The following organisations are involved in the implementation: 

(a) the Observatory of  Occupations of the  SEPE, whose tasks in 
analysing and identifying training needs include reporting on changes 
in economic activity and occupations, with the aim of anticipating and 
responding  to  the  challenges  and  requirements  of  labour  market 
demand.  This  network  is  organised  around  complementary  working 
groups,  enabling  interrelationships  between  methodologies  and 
output. The Observatory of Occupations produces the yearly “Report 
on  research  and  detection  of  training  needs”  which  aims  to  be  a 
starting  point  and  reference  to  produce  a  training  programme  that 
will  cover  the  imbalances  and  challenges  posed  by  the  changes 
happening  in  the  labour  market,  pursuant  to  the  regulatory 
framework established in the abovementioned Law 30/2015. 

(b)  the  National  Reference  Centres  for  Vocational  Training 
(NRCs).  NRCs  provide  reference  points  and  guidance  for  the 
productive  and  training  sectors.  They  specialise  in  the  different 
productive  sectors  and  serve  as  a  national  benchmark  within  a 
professional  group.  The  NRCs  have  a  council  for  social  participation 
made  up  for  representatives  of  the  General  State  Administration,  of 
the  regional  administrations,  and 
for  members  of  the  most 
representative associations of employers and unions in the sector. 

(c)  the  Joint  Sectoral  Structures,  (by  Law  30/2015),  which  are 
part  of  the  organisation  structure  of  the  vocational  system  for 
employment,  as  the  participatory  bodies  in  training.  They  are 
composed  by  the  most  representative  employers’  organisations  and 
trade  unions  within  the  framework  of  the  state  collective  bargaining 
at the sector level.  

(d)  the  Department  for  Training  provision  and  Certification  of 
the  SEPE,  which  operates  within  the  Deputy  General  Directorate  of 
Active  Labour  Market  Policies  of  the  SEPE,  is  responsible  for  the 
development  and  updating  of  the  Catalogue  of  Training  Specialities, 
according  to  the  regulatory  legislation  of  Vocational  Training  for 
Employment in the labour sphere. 

(e) the State Foundation for Training in Employment (FUNDAE). 
This  is  a  public  body  comprising  the  State  General  Administration, 
the  regions  and  the  most  representative  employers  and  trade  union 
organisations.  

Which groups were 
targeted by the practice? 

Employed and unemployed workers, as well as companies. 

What were the practice’s 
main objectives?  

The  main  objective  is  to  obtain  a  proposal  for  a  methodological 
process  for  detecting  training  needs  and  converting  them  into 
training specialities.  

What activities were 
carried out?  

  A technical seminar on the detection of new demands for skills and 
the conversion of these training needs into training specialities was 
organised  with  representatives  from  National  Reference  Centres, 
the  Observatory  of  Occupations,  the  training  provision  and 
certification  department,  FUNDAE  and  social  partners,  among 
others  (September  26-27,  2019).  Sectoral  groups  were  organised 
to continue the work. 

  A seminar on good practices and benchlearning within the National 
Employment  System  on  the  skills  needs  to  fill  job  vacancies,  now 
and  in  the  future,  as  a  result  of  the  creation  of  new  jobs,  new 
needs  resulting  from  technological  developments  and  of  job 
replacements (November 14-15, 2019). 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            54 

 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

What resources and 
other relevant 
organisational aspects 
were involved?  

PES  staff  at  national  and  regional level  (Observatory  of  Occupations 
and training provision and certification department, among others) 

FUNDAE  staff  and  Sectoral  Joint  Committees  (future  Joint  Sectoral 
Structures) 

NRC staff 

What were the source(s) 
of funding?  

What were the outputs 
of the practice: people 
reached and products?  

Spanish PES’s budget (the state and the autonomous communities) 

The  ministerial  Order  TMS/283/2019,  published  recently,  regulates 
the structure and content of the Catalogue of Training Specialities, as 
well  as  the  management  and  updating  procedures,  in  a  way  that 
rapidly  responds  to  the  training  demand  by  sectors  and  emerging 
occupations,  according  to  the  regulatory  legislation  of  Vocational 
Training  for  Employment  in  the  labour  sphere.  The  Catalogue  of 
Training  Specialities  is  valid  and  applicable  in  the  whole  of  the 
national territory.  

What outcomes have 
been identified?  

For  the  first  time  a  synergy  has  been  implemented  with  all 
stakeholders  engaged  in  the  observation  and  forecasting  of  the 
labour market and vocational training for employment. 

What are the lessons 
learnt and success 
factors?  

1.  It  is  necessary  to  integrate  the  efforts  to  establish  a  common 
procedure  for  collecting  the  information  systematically  and 
continually, as well as for sharing it quickly. 

2.  The conversion of these training needs into training specialities is 
part  of  the  process  of  the  detection  of  training  needs,  and  the 
following must be considered: 

- each stakeholder’s area of expertise;  
- multidisciplinary work, which will benefit everybody; 
- specific training and technical seminars; 
- the evaluation of the impact of the training; 
- rapid update of the Catalogue of Training Specialities. 

Contact details for 
further information  

Carmen Menendez Gonzalez-Palenzuela 
SEPE , State Public Employment Service 
Phone no. +34 91 2751610/11 

Email addresses:  

Politicas.activas@sepe.es;  

Maria-mar.gonzalez@sepe.es 

Additional information 
(in Spanish) 

http://www.sepe.es/HomeSepe/que-es-el-
sepe/observatorio/necesidades-formativas.html 

http://www.sepe.es/HomeSepe/Personas/formacion/centros-de-
referencia-nacional/que-son-los-CRN.html 

https://www.fundae.es/Publicaciones 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            55 

 
 
Comprehensive approach to addressing skills needs in the labour market  

Getting in touch with the EU  

In person  

All over the European Union there are hundreds of Europe Direct Information Centres. You can find the address 
of the centre nearest you at: http://europa.eu/contact  

On the phone or by e-mail  

Europe Direct is a service that answers your questions about the European Union. You can contact this service  

– by freephone: 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (certain operators may charge for these calls),  

– at the following standard number: +32 22999696 or  

– by electronic mail via: http://europa.eu/contact  

Finding information about the EU  

Online  

Information about the European Union in all the official languages of the EU is available on the Europa website 
at: http://europa.eu  

EU Publications  

You can download or order free and priced EU publications from EU Bookshop at: http://bookshop.europa.eu. 
Multiple copies of free publications may be obtained by contacting Europe Direct or your local information 
centre (see http://europa.eu/contact)  

EU law and related documents  

For access to legal information from the EU, including all EU law since 1951 in all the official language versions, 
go to EUR-Lex at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu  

Open data from the EU  

The EU Open Data Portal (http://data.europa.eu/euodp/en/data) provides access to datasets from the EU. 
Data can be downloaded and reused for free, both for commercial and non-commercial purposes. 

2019                                                                                                                                                                                                            56