COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Labour and skills shortages in the EU: an action plan
Date: 2024-03-20
Institutions: Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission
Subjects: EU action, EU employment policy, labour mobility, labour shortage, migrant worker, professional qualifications, skilled worker, updating of skills, vocational retraining, working conditions

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 20.3.2024  COM(2024) 131 final  COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Labour and skills shortages in the EU: an action plan  
 
 
1. 

INTRODUCTION  

For almost a decade, labour and skills shortages have been increasing in all Member 
States.  Although  this  trend  was  temporarily  interrupted  by  the  COVID-19  pandemic, 
shortages rose steeply again in its aftermath driven by the economic recovery in Member 
States,  changes  in  skills  demand  and  the  demographic  landscape,  as  well  as  the 
consequences  of  ongoing  geopolitical  shifts  and  the  EU’s  ambition  of  open  strategic 
autonomy. Labour and skills shortages remain high despite the recent economic slowdown. 
Recently, the Commission identified 42 occupations that it considers as EU-wide shortage 
occupations (1). Moreover, firms increasingly report that they cannot find the specific skills 
needed to fill their vacancies (2).  

Labour and skills shortages have both economic and social implications and present 
a  challenge  that  needs  to  be  tackled  urgently.  Unless  mitigated,  these  shortages  risk 
reducing the EU’s capacity for innovation and attractiveness for investments, weakening 
its  competitiveness  and  hampering  its  growth  potential  and  the  financing  of  its  social 
welfare model. There is also the risk of growing inequalities and people falling behind the 
fast pace of change, with negative consequences for the cohesion of our societies and the 
health of our democracies. In addition, a shortage of workers with the required skills could 
hinder  the  green  and  digital  transitions,  as  well  as  the  competitiveness  and  the  EU’s 
security and open strategic autonomy at a time when we need to bolster each of them to 
ensure  the  EU’s  resilience.  Though  shortages  can  in  some  instances  lead  to  an 
improvement in working conditions and a better inclusion of people from underrepresented 
groups due to increased competition between employers to attract workers, they may give 
rise to increased work intensity and job strain for workers in the sectors and occupations 
they affect.  

Being closest to the labour market, social partners, including at sectoral level, have a 
good understanding of the needs of employers and workers. This is why President von 
der  Leyen,  together  with  the  Belgian  Presidency  of  the  Council  of the  EU,  convened  a 
Social  Partners  Summit  at  Val  Duchesse  on  31 January  2024.  The  Val  Duchesse 
Declaration (3) included a clear commitment to bring more people to the labour market, 
improve  working  conditions,  facilitate  the  recognition  of  qualifications  and  integrate 
workers coming from abroad, through social dialogue and collective bargaining. 

The  EU  is  not  starting  from  scratch.  This  action  plan  builds  on  the  numerous 
initiatives,  including  the  ongoing  European  Year  of  Skills,  that  the  EU,  Member 
States  and  social  partners  have  already  put  in  place.  It  aims  at  steering  relevant 
measures  for  the  short-  to  medium-  term,  by  operationalising  concrete  further  steps, 
especially at sectoral level, that the EU, Member States and social partners will or should 
take to tackle the challenges brought about by labour and skills shortages. In addition, it 
prepares the ground for potential actions or initiatives in the future. 

(1)  Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing an EU Talent Pool 
(COM/2023/716)  which,  if  agreed  by  co-legislators,  paves  the  way  to  a  strategic  approach  to  fill-in 
vacancies in the shortage occupations. 

(2)  Flash  Eurobarometer  FL529  (2023):  European  Year  of  Skills  -  Skills  shortages,  recruitment  and 

retention strategies in small and medium-sized enterprises. For further details, see section 2.2. 

(3)  Tripartite  Declaration  for  a  Thriving  European  Social  Dialogue  signed  on  31  January  2024  at  Val 

Duchesse. 

 
 
 
2.  KEY  DRIVERS  OF  THE  SHORTAGES  THE  ROLE  OF  SOCIAL  DIALOGUE  AND  KEY 

POLICY AREAS FOR ACTION 

The 2023 annual Employment and Social Developments in Europe (ESDE) review (4), on 
“Addressing labour shortages and skills gaps in the EU”, provided substantial evidence 
and  analysis  on  persistent  labour  shortages  and  changing  skills  needs  in  the  EU.  It 
identified the following three key drivers for labour and skills shortages across the EU:  

•  Demographic change, which reduces labour supply and increases the demand for 
certain  services.  Between  2009  and  2023,  the  working  age  population  in  the  EU 
decreased from 272 million to 263 million (5), and it is expected to further decline to 
236 million by 2050. In parallel, the care needs of the older population are increasing. 
The  combined  effect  of  a  shrinking  working  age  population  and  an  increase  in  the 
demand  for  specific  services,  such  as  healthcare  and  long-term  care,  is  bound  to 
significantly contribute to labour shortages in the medium to long run (6).  

•  The  substantial  job  growth  expected  from  the  green  and  digital  transitions, 
increased need for security and quest for open strategic autonomy and enhanced 
resilience,  with  consequences  for  the  skillsets  needed  on  the  labour  market. 
Currently,  skills  shortages  concern  all  qualification  levels,  academic  and  technical 
profiles, and are especially relevant in fields such as science, technology, engineering 
and mathematics.  

•  Poor  working  conditions  in  certain  occupations  and  sectors,  which  make  it 
difficult to fill vacancies and/or retain workers. Inadequate and strenuous working 
conditions, such as above-average job strain and low wages, are a key factor behind 
persistent labour shortages in some occupations and sectors.  

As a follow-up to the Val Duchesse Declaration, the Commission sought the views of 
European social partners (7) on this action plan. It organised a hearing with them on 21 
February 2024. Subsequently, social partners informed the Commission of their intention 
to take actions to address the issue of labour and skills shortages. Most are unilateral by 
either an employers’ organisation or a trade union. At sectoral level some are also bilateral 
with  both  the  relevant  employers’  organisation  and  the  relevant  trade  union  engaging 
jointly. The Commission welcomes these actions, which are presented under the sections 
of the key policy areas for action to which they pertain. 

Because social dialogue plays a key role in tackling labour and skills shortages the 
Val Duchesse summit can only be the start of a sustained and results-oriented process 
in addressing these challenges.  

To this end, the Commission: 

(4)  European Commission (2023), Employment and Social Developments in Europe, Annual Review 2023. 
(5)   Population on 1 January by age group and sex, source: Eurostat, demo_pjangroup. 
(6)  Commission Communication on ‘Demographic change in Europe: a toolbox for action’ (COM(2023) 
577 final), European Care Strategy (COM(2022)440), Reports on the impact of demographic change 
(SWD(2023)21 and COM(2020)109). 

(7)  The European social partners are the EU-level employer and trade union organisations that are engaged 
in European social dialogue, as provided for under Articles 154 and 155 of the Treaty on the Functioning 
of  the  European  Union.  A  1993  Communication  from  the  Commission  laid  down  the  criteria  that 
European  social  partner  organisations  need  to  comply  with  (COM(93)  600  final).  The  Commission 
regularly publishes a list of the recognised European social partner organisations. As of September 2023, 
the list includes 88 organisations. 

2 

 
 
•  Will provide funding to reinforce social partners’ work to address labour and skills 

shortages (8);  

•  Invites social partners to submit operational projects that can address existing and 

anticipated shortages; 

•  Invites social partners to focus their social dialogue efforts on the specific sectors 

most in need. 

Building  on  the  aforementioned  ESDE  analysis  and  the  feedback  received  by  social 
partners, this action plan covers the following key policy areas for action at EU, national, 
regional and social partner level: 

1.  Supporting the activation of underrepresented people in the labour market;  

2.  Providing support for skills, training and education; 

3.  Improving working conditions; 

4.  Improving fair intra-EU mobility for workers and learners; 

5.  Attracting talent from outside the EU. 

3.  KEY POLICY AREAS FOR ACTION TO ADDRESS LABOUR AND SKILLS SHORTAGES 

3.1.  Supporting the activation of underrepresented people in the labour market 

Increasing labour market participation is crucial to address labour shortages. Despite 
continuous  improvements  in  the  EU  employment  rate,  substantial  untapped  potential 
remains  outside  the  labour  market.  Altogether,  21%  of  today’s  population  aged  20-64 
remains  inactive  (9).  Further  gains  in  labour  market  participation  can  be  achieved  by 
focusing  on  those  population  groups  that  are  currently  underrepresented  in  the  labour 
market notably in rural and coastal areas and remote and outermost regions (10) . These 
include women, low-skilled workers (i.e. people with secondary or lower education), older 
workers, young people, people with a migrant (11) or minority racial or ethnic background, 
and persons with disabilities. The untapped potential is the highest for the first three  of 
these groups. If their EU-wide activity rate were to increase to that of the three Member 
States with the highest activity rates for these groups (Figure 1), an additional 17, 13 and 
11 million people from each group, respectively, would enter the labour market by 2030 
(12). 

(8)  Through the social dialogue prerogative budget lines, the Commission supports European and national 
social partners’ projects by launching every year two open calls for proposals on social dialogue and 
information and training measures for workers. The projects allow social partners to build capacities and 
to share knowledge in areas related to labour and skills shortages. 

(9)  Inactive young people also comprise those in education. 
(10)  The EU outermost regions suffer from the highest rates of youth unemployment in the EU and have 

particularly high levels of NEETs. 

(11)  This covers both third-country nationals and nationals of EU Member States who had a third-country 

nationality and became EU citizens as well as EU citizens with foreign-born parents.  

(12)  European Commission (2023), Employment and Social Developments in Europe, Annual Review 2023. 
These numbers are not cumulative as the three groups overlap. In the case of women and low skilled 
people, this potential is driven by their relatively large share in the population, while for older workers 
it is due to the relatively large gap in their activity rates compared to the best-performing countries.  

3 

 
 
Figure 1: Women, older people, and low-skilled workers represent the largest 
untapped potential workforce in the EU 

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

20

18

16

14

12

10

8

6

4

2

0

Women

Elderly

Low skilled

2021 activity rate

Target activity rate

Increase in active population in millions

Source: ESDE 2023.  
Note: The target activity rate (left axis) is the average activity rate of the three Member States 
with  the  highest  activity  rates  for  each  of  these  groups.  The  increase  in  EU-wide  active 
population  (right  axis)  shows  the  potential  additional  number  of  active  people  if  the  target 
activity rate were to be reached.   

The main employment barriers vary for each under-represented group. Women have 
lower  employment  rates  and  a  significantly  higher  proportion  of  part-time  employment 
than  men,  mostly  due  to  the  unequal  sharing  of  unpaid  domestic  work  and  caring 
responsibilities. There are also other structural obstacles, such as the lack of affordable and 
quality  early  childhood  education  and  care  (13)  and  long-term  care  that  would  enable 
parents  and  people  with  care  responsibilities  to  work  full-time,  as  well  as  fiscal 
disincentives  to  work  more  hours.  In  the  case  of  individuals  with  secondary  or  lower 
education, employment barriers include the lack of equal opportunities in accessing quality 
inclusive  education  and  the  impact  of  rising  skill  requirements.  Employment  of  older 
workers  is  often  affected  by  rigidities  of  retirement  rules,  by  rapidly  changing  skill 
requirements  combined  with  a  lower  rate  of  training  participation,  and  by  working 
conditions that are not adapted to the specific needs of this group, including in terms of 
working practices and workplaces. Young people face labour market segmentation and are 
characterised by an above-average share of irregular or temporary work contracts. Persons 
with  disabilities  encounter  a  lack  of  adapted  workplaces,  and  of  inclusive  recruitment 
processes and education. For people with  a migrant, or with  a minority racial  or ethnic 
background, skills mismatches, inadequate skills, language difficulties, discrimination and 
weak  or  no  access  to  supporting  services  lead  to  challenges  to  their  labour  market 
integration.  

Improving activity rates, therefore, requires a wide range of tailored policies for each 
under-represented group addressing the specific root causes. These comprise measures 
to improve support and incentives to work, for instance reforms of active labour market 

(13) European Commission (2023), Staff shortages in early childhood education and care (ECEC), Policy 

brief 

4 

 
 
 
 
 
policies, tax reforms that reduce the tax wedge (14) for second wage earners and for low-
income earners (15), benefit reforms that increase incentives for labour market integration, 
or  reforms  of  pension  systems  (16).  Activation  policies  should  be  complemented  by 
enabling measures that provide effective access 
to  quality  and  affordable  early  childhood 
education and care and long-term care services. 

100 000 

new 

Poland  has  planned  to  create  more 
additional 
than 
childcare  places  for  children  under 
the age of 3, combining support from 
the Recovery and Resilience Facility 
(RRF) and the ESF+.   

of 

targeting  areas  such  as 

Several  EU  initiatives  have  already  been 
adopted  and  are  being  implemented.  The 
Gender Equality Strategy (17) includes measures 
to  support  increasing  female  labour  market 
participation, 
the 
reduction  of  the  gender  pay  gap,  promoting 
equal  uptake  of  family  leaves  and  flexible 
working arrangements, as well as quality early 
childhood  education  and  care  and  long-term 
care 
gender 
stereotypes;    the  Youth  Guarantee  (18)  and  the 
ALMA 
youth 
unemployment; 
the  Disability  Employment 
Package (20) focuses on supporting better labour 
market  outcomes  for  persons  with  disabilities; 
and the action plan on Integration and Inclusion 
2021-2027 (21)  aims  to  improve  employment  prospects  for  people  with  a  migrant 
background. A comprehensive overview of ongoing initiatives can be found in the Annex. 

labour  market 
An  example  of 
activation 
underrepresented 
groups  financed  by  the  RRF  is  the 
Italian Guaranteed Employability of 
Workers  programme  (GOL).  It  is 
expected 
support  3 000 000 
beneficiaries, with a focus on women, 
long-term unemployed, persons with 
disabilities or people under 30 or over 
55, who should represent at least 75% 
of the people supported.  

combating 

initiative 

services, 

target 

(19) 

and 

to 

Employment  and  active  labour  market  policies  are  also  a  key  aspect  of  Member 
States’  recovery  and  resilience  plans  and  European  Social  Fund  Plus  (ESF+) 
programmes. The vast majority of Member States promote faster entry of young people 
into the labour market, as part of their commitments to implement the reinforced Youth 
Guarantee. Moreover, to enable greater activation of women, many Member States plan 
significant investment in early childhood education and care and several Member States 
are also supporting the labour market activation of persons with a migrant background. In 
addition,  several  Member  States  are  strengthening  the  capacity  of  public  employment 

(14)  The tax wedge indicates the tax and contribution burden borne by employers and employees. 

(15)  European Commission (2023), Annual Report on Taxation 2023. 

(16)  2023  European  Semester:  Country  Specific  Recommendations  /  Commission  Recommendations, 

Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs, 24 May 2023. 

(17)  Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic 
and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: A Union of Equality: Gender Equality Strategy 
2020-2025 COM/2020/152 final, which is part of the Union of Equality strategies. 

(18)  Council Recommendation of 30 October 2020 on A Bridge to Jobs – Reinforcing the Youth Guarantee 
and replacing the Council Recommendation of 22 April 2013 on establishing a Youth Guarantee (2020/C 
372/01) (OJ C 372, 4.11. 2020, p. 1-9). 

(19)  See: ALMA: an active inclusion initiative for young people - Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion - 

European Commission (europa.eu).  

(20)  Commission Communication on a Union of Equality: Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 

2021-2030, COM/2021/101. 

(21)  Commission  Communication  on  an  Action  plan  on  Integration  and  Inclusion  2021-2027, 

COM/2020/758. 

5 

 
 
 
services and reforming the implementation of active labour market policies through the 
Technical Support Instrument (22). 

While the EU headline target that by 2030 at least 78% of the working age population 
are employed is within reach, further steps are needed at all levels to activate under-
represented groups, and, if possible, even exceed the target.  

To this end, the Commission will: 

•  Finance projects under the social innovation strand of the ESF+ on zero long-term 
unemployment (23) and assess the strengths and weaknesses of these projects with 
the view to disseminate best practices across the EU.  

•  Finance projects under the social innovation strand of the ESF+ on activating and 

upskilling young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs).  

•  Finance projects under the thematic facility of the Asylum, Migration and Integration 
Fund (AMIF) to foster multi-stakeholder initiatives for migrant integration into 
the labour market. 

•  Study the causes of involuntary part-time employment to better understand the 
obstacles  that  prevent  involuntary  part-time  workers,  especially  women,  from 
working full-time, and explore the possibility for EU action.  

•  Analyse national sick leave policies, and study their impacts on workers’ health and 
productivity,  to  identify  best  practices  for  workers  and  businesses,  including  for 
promoting a gradual return to activity after longer sick leaves.  

•  Evaluate  the  impact  of  pension  reforms  introducing  more  opportunities  for 
flexible retirement and for combining pension income with a salary, with the view 
to  encouraging  increased  labour  market  participation  of  older  workers  fostering  a 
more active and healthy ageing.  

The Commission calls on Member States to: 

•  Fully implement the EU initiatives aimed at activating underrepresented groups, in 
particular the Reinforced Youth Guarantee, the Council Recommendation on early 
childhood education and care (24), the Council Recommendation on integration of 
long-term unemployed into the labour market, the Strategy for the Rights of Persons 
with  Disabilities  (2021-2030)  (25),  the  Council  Recommendation  on  adequate 
minimum income ensuring active inclusion (26), the EU Action Plan on integration 

(22)  The  TSI  is  an  instrument  that  remains  available  upon  request  by  Member  States.  Regulation  (EU) 
2021/240 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 February 2021 establishing a Technical 
Support Instrument (OJ L 57, 18.2.2021, p. 1–16).  

(23)  Zero Long-Term Unemployment Projects combat long-term unemployment by implementing targeted 
strategies including job creation, job guarantee and community support networks to ensure sustainable 
employment opportunities for all individuals, especially older people, within the targeted community or 
region. 

(24)  Council Recommendation of 8 December 2022 on early childhood  education and care: the Barcelona 
targets  for 2030  (2022/C  484/01).  See  also  the  Council  Recommendation  of  22  May  2019  on  High-
Quality Early Childhood Education and Care Systems (2019/C 189/02).  

(25) Communication on Union of Equality: Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 

(COM/2021/101). 

(26) Council Recommendation of 30 January 2023 on adequate minimum income ensuring active inclusion 

(2023/C 41/01). 

6 

 
 
 
and inclusion, and the Council Recommendation on Roma equality, inclusion and 
participation (27).   

•  Ensure better coordination between ministries and public employment services, 
including  improved  data  collection,  better  targeting,  and  preventive  measures  to 
improve the effectiveness of activation policies. 

•  Pursue tax reforms that reduce the tax wedge for second wage earners and low-
income earners and, more broadly, shift taxes away from labour and towards other 
revenue sources. 

•  Pursue  benefit  reforms  that  address  pockets  of  inactivity  and  provide  sufficient 

support for those who can work to gradually return to the labour market. 

The Commission welcomes the intention of social partners to: 

•  Ensure  that  workplaces  are  tolerant,  welcoming  and  accessible  to  all  people, 

regardless of gender, age, nationality, and other personal circumstances (28). 

•  Promote  collective  bargaining  to  find  adapted  solutions  to  promoting  the 

employment of older workers (29).  

•  Strengthen  the  collaboration  of  private  employment  services  with  public 

employment services to improve job matching across the EU (30). 

•  Promote  entrepreneurship (31),  by  fostering  skills (32)  and  supporting  future 
entrepreneurs in business creation, in particular, by encouraging women and people 
with a migrant background to become entrepreneurs (33). 

•  Activate underrepresented groups by supporting diversity, equality, inclusion, and 

non-discrimination (34). 

•  At sector level,  implement  and promote further the Women in Rail Autonomous 

Agreement, to address gender disparity in the railway workforce (35). 

3.2.  Providing support for skills, training and education  

Skills  shortages  are  reported  by  companies  across  all  sizes  and  sectors  in  the  EU 
economy, with particular challenges for SMEs. Responding to a Eurofound survey (36), 
many EU companies indicated that at least 60% of their new employees did not have the 

(27)  Council  Recommendation  of  12 March  2021  on  Roma  equality,  inclusion  and  participation  (2021/C 

93/01).  

(28)  European  Confederation  of  Woodworking  Industries  (CEI-Bois),  Hotels,  Restaurants  and  Cafés  in 
Europe (HOTREC), European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE), European Federation 
of Education Employers (EFEE). 

(29)  SMEunited.  
(30)  The World Employment Confederation-Europe (WEC). 
(31)  The European Chemical Employers Group (ECEG). 
(32)  HOTREC. 
(33)  SMEunited. 
(34) Confederation of European Security Services (CoESS) and Union Network International (UNI) Europa, 

as stated in their Joint Statement on "Diversity, Equality, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination." 

(35)  The Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) and the European Transport 

Workers' Federation (ETF). 

(36)  Eurofound European Company Survey 2019. 

7 

 
 
 
required skills. Moreover, in a recent Eurobarometer (37), nearly four in five SMEs declared 
that it is difficult for them to find workers with the right skills, and more than half found it 
difficult to retain skilled workers.  

Skills shortages are expected to increase with job growth and new task requirements 
triggered by the green and digital transitions, as well as in areas where the EU needs 
to build resilience and secure its  open strategic autonomy. By 2030, 3.5 million (38) 
new jobs are expected to be created in renewable energy sectors (39). The transition to the 
circular economy will also affect labour markets across sectors (40) and skills development 
is key to support all sectors of the blue economy. Skills shortages in these areas can curb 
the growth of the clean energy technology sector (41). In the digital field, the increased use 
of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and big data, in addition to 
increasing  cybersecurity  risks,  will  increase  upskilling  needs (42).  Already  now, 
approximately  63%  of  EU  companies  trying  to  recruit  information  and  communication 
technology  (ICT)  specialists  experience  difficulties  in  filling  those  vacancies  (43)  and 
demand for them is expected to more than double by 2030 (44). The defence industry, which 
is key for the EU’s security and long-term prosperity, is also affected by labour and skills 
shortages,  which  may  increase  in  the  future,  due  to  underinvestment  in  new  defence 
programmes and the need to attract more young talents (45).  

The rising share of young people with very low levels of basic skills accentuates the 
risk  of  future  skills  shortages.  Large-scale  international  surveys,  including  the 
Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), provide strong indications that 
young people increasingly lack basic skills in literacy, mathematics and science. At the 
same time, the share of young people with a top performance is declining (46). People with 
a  very  low  level  of  basic  skills  will  face  major  challenges  when  they  enter  the  labour 
market,  due  to  their  limited  employability.  Improving  the  performance  of  education 
systems would help to prevent future skills shortages from arising. Tackling the growing 

(37)  Flash  Eurobarometer  FL529  (2023):  European  Year  of  Skills  -  Skills  shortages,  recruitment  and 

retention strategies in small and medium-sized enterprises. 

(38)  Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council progress on competitiveness 

of clean energy technologies (COM/2023/652 final). 

(39)  Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, 
the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on REPowerEU Plan 
(COM(2022) 230 final). 

(40)  Impacts of circular economy policies on the labour market - Publications Office of the EU. 
(41)  Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council progress on competitiveness 

of clean energy technologies (COM/2023/652 final). 

(42)  Investment in these skills are promoted by the Commission proposal for an Artificial Intelligence Act, 
the  Digital  Decade  Policy  Programme  2030,  the  Commission  Communication  on  closing  the 
cybersecurity  talent  gap  to  boost  the  EU’s  competitiveness,  growth  and  resilience,  the  Council 
Recommendation on improving the provision of digital skills and competences in education and training, 
the Digital Europe programme, the AI innovation package and by some of the Centres of  Vocational 
Excellence projects.  

(43) EU survey on ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprises.  
(44)  European Commission (2023), Employment and Social Developments in Europe, Annual Review 2023. 
(45)  Joint  Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  European  Parliament,  the  European  Council,  the 
Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on a new 
European Defence Industrial Strategy (JOIN(2024) 10 final). 

(46)  According to the most recent data on PISA, the share of young people (aged 15) who have a very low 
level  of  these  basic  skills  went  up  in  mathematics  from  22.9%  in  2018  to  29.5%  in  2022 
(https://www.oecd.org/publication/pisa-2022-results/). 

8 

 
 
lack  of  qualified  teachers  will  be  key,  even  to  preserve  basic  skills  and  educational 
outcomes.  

Under the European Education Area (47) the EU promotes the development of quality 
and inclusive education, offering equal opportunities from an early age, in line with 
the  first  principle  of  the  European  Pillar  of  Social  Rights.  Education  expenditure  is 
associated with high rates of return, particularly when combined with reforms that make 
educations systems more agile and responsive to labour market needs (48). Initial education 
and  training  should  provide  the  necessary  skills  for  a  changing  world  of  work  amid 
technological change and automation – including digital, entrepreneurial, social, green and 
civic  competences.  Enhancing  collaboration  between  upper  secondary  and  tertiary 
education  and  training,  including  vocational  education  and  training,  and  labour  market 
actors increases the labour market relevance of education. 

Throughout  professional  careers,  continuing  training  for  the  workforce  is  key  to 
addressing evolving skills needs. To this end, Member States have committed to taking 
actions to achieve the headline target on adult learning of the European Pillar of Social 
Rights Action Plan (49), under which at least 60% of all adults participate in training every 
year by 2030.  

Several  EU  initiatives  already  help  to  address  skills  shortages,  but  their 
implementation,  including  with  a  sectoral  approach,  needs  to  be  bolstered.  The 
European  Skills  Agenda  (50)  is  the  strategic  EU  framework  for  addressing  the  need  for 
upskilling and reskilling. It launched 12 actions to advance the digital and green transitions, 
promote  a  fair  recovery,  ensure  competitiveness  and  strengthen  resilience.  They  are  all 
already  in  place,  including  the  initiatives  on  individual  learning  accounts  (51),  on 
microcredentials  (52),  on  upskilling  pathways  for  low-qualified  adults  (53),  and  on 
vocational  education  and  training  (54).  The  Communication  on  ‘Harnessing  Talent  in 
Europe’s Regions’ (55) proposes a policy framework aimed at making all regions attractive 
including  through  up  and  re-skilling.  It  thus  addresses  the  challenging  phenomenon  of 
‘brain  drain’  affecting  some  of  Europe’s  regions.  The  focus  now  should  be  on  their 
implementation, to ensure they can address existing skills shortages. In the Pact for Skills, 
20 sectoral partnerships have been set up with the pledge to upskill more than 10 million 
people. It is necessary to ensure that the existing commitments are effectively delivered 
upon,  including  through  allocating  sufficient  financial  resources  to  these  programmes, 

(47)  Commission Communication on ‘achieving the European Education Area by 2025’ (COM(2020) 625 
final) and Council Resolution of 26 February 2021 on a strategic framework for European cooperation 
in education and training towards the European Education Area and beyond (2021-2030), 2021/C 66/01. 
(48)  European Commission, Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Expert 
Network  on  Economics  of  Education,  Algan,  Y.,  Brunello,  G.,  Goreichy,  E.,  Hristova,  A.,  (2021), 
Boosting social and economic resilience in Europe by investing in education. EENEE Analytical Report 
No. 42, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg. 

(49)  Commission Communication, The European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan (COM(2021) 102). 
(50)  Commission Communication of 1 July 2020, European Skills Agenda for sustainable competitiveness, 

social fairness and resilience (COM(2020)0274).  

(51)  Council Recommendation of 16 June 2022 on individual learning accounts (2022/C 243/03).  
(52)  Council Recommendation of 16 June 2022 on a European approach to micro-credentials for lifelong 

learning and employability (2022/C 243/02).  

(53)  Council Recommendation of 19 December 2016 on Upskilling Pathways: New Opportunities for Adults 

(2016/C 484/01).  

(54)  Council  Recommendation  of  24  November  2020  on  vocational  education  and  training  (VET)  for 

sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience (2020/C 417/01). 

(55)  Commission Communication, Harnessing talent in Europe’s regions (COM/2023/32 final). 

9 

 
 
while continuing to foster further engagement.  Several EU Skills Academies have been 
established  to  address  specific  skills  shortages  in  key  sectors.  The  European  Battery 
Alliance Academy (56), seed-financed by the ESF+, has already provided training directly 
to some 50 000 workers, with more than 100 000 benefiting indirectly. Additional skills 
academies, such as the one for cyber-skills, the New European Bauhaus Academy for the 
construction sector and those established as a result of the Net-Zero Industry Act (57), will 
support  large-scale  training  efforts  to  support  the  twin  transitions  especially  in  fields 
related to, among others, hydrogen, solar energy, raw materials and wind. The ongoing 
European  Year  of  Skills  is  highlighting  how  all  of  these  actions  can  contribute  to 
addressing labour and skills shortages.  

Upskilling measures financed by the 
Recovery and Resilience Facility and 
the  ESF+  in  Greece  will  promote, 
among other things, digital and green 
skills 
for  over  half  a  million 
beneficiaries.  The  investment  has 
been preceded by a reform of the life-
to  ensure 
long 
learning  system, 
labour  market  relevance  of 
the 
training offered.  

In its Recovery and Resilience Plan, 
Latvia launched individual learning 
accounts that are already supporting 
3 500 adults.  

Improving  data  collection  on  labour  and 
skills shortages is vital for better policies. The 
main  sources  of  data  on  labour  and  skills 
shortages  at  the  EU  level  are  the  job  vacancy 
statistics of Eurostat and survey-based sources, 
such as the EU Business and consumer surveys, 
(EURES) 
European  employment 
surveys,  surveys  on  skills  shortages  and 
forecasts  by  Cedefop  and  new  data  sources, 
such  as  the  Web  Intelligence  Hub  of  Eurostat 
(58). Yet, more efforts are needed to  engage in 
concerted action to improve the availability and 
coverage  of  data,  including  on  demographic 
change.  

services 

Portugal supported at least 100 000 
adults  to  raise  their  qualification 
levels relying on RRF support. 

Member  State  policies  and  investments  to 
tackle  labour  and  skills  shortages  benefit 
from substantial support from the EU budget 
(EUR 65 billion). The ESF+, notably supports 
training, 
vocational 
apprenticeships,  lifelong  learning  and  career  transitions.  The  RRF  supports  Member 
States’ reforms and investments in the domain of education and skills in a broad sense, for 
example  through  reforms  to  improve  skills  intelligence,  development  and  governance, 
including qualification recognition. Moreover, technical support is available for national 
reforms to improve the quality and the funding of adult education and training. 

education 

and 

Despite  the  numerous  initiatives  by  the  EU,  Member  States  and  social  partners, 
implementation  needs  to  be  stepped  up  and  the  potential  of  EU  funding  better 
leveraged in order to achieve the EU target of at least 60% of all adults participating 

(56)  The European Battery Alliance (EBA) was launched in October 2017 by the European Commission with 
the aim to make the EU the global leader in sustainable battery technology. The alliance, coordinated by 
the  European  Institute  of  Innovation  and  Technology  (EIT)  includes  700  industrial  members.  The 
European Battery Alliance Academy was created under the framework of the EBA to address the skills 
shortages in the European battery value chain and it is expected to train 800 000 workers by 2025. The 
EIT  will  also  manage  the  European  Solar  PV  Academy,  to  be  launched  in  2024.  The  EIT  Campus 
consolidates  the portfolio of education and training initiatives into a one-stop-shop, offering flexible 
learning pathways for upskilling to learners and companies. 

(57)  Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on establishing a framework 
of  measures  for  strengthening  Europe’s  net  zero  technology  products  manufacturing  ecosystem  (Net 
Zero Industry Act)(COM/2023/161 final) 

(58)  Eurostat Job vacancy statistics, the Web Intelligence Hub and skills OVATE. 

10 

 
 
 
in training every year by 2030 and to make Principle 1 of the Pillar of Social Rights 
on education, training and life-long learning a reality.  

To this end, the Commission will: 

•  Promote the setting up and implementation of new sectoral and regional skills 
partnerships under the Pact for Skills (59) and support the launch and boost the work 
of all the Skills Academies in net zero technologies and cyber skills, including via 
the Blueprint Alliances. The Commission will also provide support services to Pact 
members, with information on available funding for up-skilling and re-skilling. 

•  Co-finance more Centres of Vocational Excellence (60), with a target of at least 100 
projects  by  2027,  to  support  European  and  regional  development,  innovation  and 
smart specialisation strategies.  

•  Work  together  with  Member  States  and  social  partners  to  adopt  in  2025  a  new 
declaration  on  vocational  education  and  training  (VET)  in  the  context  of  the 
Copenhagen Process (61), to further align policy actions and reforms in VET to new 
developments in the labour market and the impact of technological development such 
as artificial intelligence.  

•  Improve  skills  intelligence  and  data  gathering  in  close  coordination  with  EU 
agencies (Eurofound, European Labour Authority and Cedefop), to broaden the scope 
of harmonised and comparable information available on labour and skills shortages 
at the EU level.  

The Commission calls on Member States to: 

•  Fully  implement  the  initiatives  of  the  European  Skills  Agenda  with  the 
involvement  of  social  partners  and  relevant  stakeholders,  pushing  for  a  sectoral 
approach  that  addressed  the  EU’s  most  pressing  shortages.  In  particular,  Member 
States  should  set  up  schemes  to  provide  adults  with  individual  learning  accounts, 
support the development, implementation and recognition of micro-credentials, put 
into  action  the  national  implementation  plans  following  up  on  the  2020  Council 
Recommendation on vocational education and training, address the gaps highlighted 
by  the  evaluation  report (62)  on  the  Council  Recommendation  on  Upskilling 
Pathways,  and  implement  the  Council  recommendations  on  digital  education  and 
training. 

•  Support the implementation of skills partnerships under the Pact for Skills and the 
roll-out of the Net-Zero Industry Skills Academies, including by making available 
sufficient funding. 

(59)  In this context, Member States are invited to launch national or regional agri-food pacts for skills to 
promote the implementation of the EU-level upskilling and re-skilling strategy developed by the large-
scale partnership, to best target tools and adapt them to the local specificities of the agricultural sector.  
(60)  Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) are formed by networks of partners that develop local "skills 
ecosystems"  to  provide  high  quality  vocational  skills  to  young  people  and  adults,  and  contribute  to 
regional  development,  innovation,  industrial  clusters,  smart  specialisation  strategies  and  social 
inclusion. 

(61)  The 2002 Copenhagen Declaration launched the European strategy for enhanced cooperation in VET, 
commonly  referred  to  as  the  ‘Copenhagen  Process’.  The  Copenhagen  Process  provides  a  tripartite 
platform  to  intensify,  complement  and  operationalise  the  EU  VET  policy  through  a  series  of 
declarations. The current one, the Osnabrück Declaration, expires at the end of 2025. 

(62)  Report  from  the  Commission  to  the  Council:  Evaluation  of  the  Council  Recommendation  of  19 

December 2016 on Upskilling Pathways: New Opportunities for adults, (COM(2023) 439).  

11 

 
 
•  Develop  and implement  comprehensive and tailor-made national  skills  strategies 
involving  relevant  stakeholders,  including  social  partners,  tailored  to  national 
circumstances.  

•  Develop  labour  market  analysis,  skills  intelligence  and  forecasting  and  use  the 
insights they provide to revise training curricula, with a focus on sectors with skills 
shortages. 

•  Adapt  curricula  in  initial  education  and  training  to  strengthen  the  skills  and 
competences that empower students to better meet the labour market needs, with 
support from the Commission in facilitating the exchange and the dissemination of 
good practices, graduate tracking and, in agreement with Member States, monitoring 
national reforms (63).  

The Commission welcomes the intention of social partners to:  

•  Develop  and  implement  actions  to  promote  up-skilling  and  re-skilling  in  the 
context of social dialogue (64), support skills recognition, and help identify shortage 
skills (65) by relying on their information and skills intelligence. 

•  Contribute  to  updating  VET  curricula  and  qualifications  and  aligning  training 
provision with the skills needs of the labour market, with the help of skills intelligence 
and information at their disposal (66). 

•  Support  apprenticeships 

(67),  partnerships  between  VET  providers  and 
employers (68), strengthen VET frameworks through the establishment of sectoral 
and, 
training 
entrepreneurship  skills (70)  and  foster  the  development  of  future-proof,  green  and 
digital skills (71). 

coaching,  mentoring, 

peer-learning 

centres (69), 

support 

•  At sectoral level, collaborate further on micro-credentials and train long-term care 
service workers on the delivery of more person-centred care and on the skills needed 
to digitalise services relying on the “Care4Skills” project (72). 

•  Come forward with a joint statement to address skills and labour shortages and 
to use the European Network of Public Employment Services as a forum for dialogue, 
mutual  learning  and  benchmarking  of  policies  to  address  skills  and  labour  market 
mismatches by the end of the first quarter of 2024 (73).  

•  Use  social  dialogue  and  collective  bargaining  to  address  the  lack  of  skills  and 
workforce in the hospitality sector, by negotiating employment conditions, promoting 

(63)  For example in the context of the Learning Lab.  
(64)  Retail,  Wholesale  and  International  Trade  Representation  to  the  EU  (EuroCommerce),  Council  of 

European Employers of the Metal, Engineering and Technology-Based Industries (CEEMET). 

(65)  HOTREC. 
(66)  ECEG. 
(67)  HOTREC. 
(68)  SMEunited, CEI-Bois. 
(69)  CoESS. 
(70)  HOTREC, SMEunited. 
(71)  SGI Europe, ECEG, European Barge Union and European Skippers Organisation, ETF in Maritime and 

Inland Waterways. 

(72)  Project  included  in  the  Pact  for  Skills.  Joint  commitment  by  the  Federation  of  European  Social 

Employers (FESE) and the European Public Service Union (EPSU). 

(73)  UNI-Europa and WEC. 

12 

 
 
education and training and providing a protective framework for the mobility of third 
country migrant workers  (74). 

•  Further  leverage  EU  funding  opportunities  to  support  upskilling  and  reskilling 

activities (75). 

3.3.  Improving working conditions 

Promoting  fair  working  conditions  can  help  address  labour  shortages  in  certain 
sectors or occupations. This is especially true in some occupations requiring more manual 
skills and lower education levels, or those with higher health and safety hazards, which are 
characterised by high job strain (76) and/or low wages (77).  

Adequate  wages,  including  minimum  wages,  can  help  to  reduce  labour  shortages  in 
certain sectors, taking also into account living costs and the balance between supply and 
demand  for  labour  across  geographical  locations.  Health  and  safety  at  work,  adapted 
workplaces, the provision of training and career development opportunities, access to 
adequate  social  protection,  an  adequate  work-life  balance,  including  the  right  to 
disconnect and the adoption of flexible working arrangements, all play a role in improving 
job quality, and, thus, can help to reduce labour shortages. Reductions in job strain could 
also contribute to attracting and retaining workers in some sectors (Figure 2). 

Figure 2 - Job strain was highest for health, residential care, and transport workers  
Job quality index (%), by subsector, EU-27 

Source: Employment and Social Developments in Europe 2023, European Commission (2023) on the basis of Eurofound’s European 
Working Conditions Telephone Survey 2021. 

The impact of working conditions on labour shortages varies per sector and location, 
thereby requiring an approach that corresponds to the challenges faced. According to 
Eurofound, more than 40% of cleaners, cooks, and carers, and over 30% of construction 

(74)  HOTREC and the European Federation of Food, Agriculture, and Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT). 

(75)  ECEG, joint commitment of FESE and the EPSU. 
(76)  Job  strain  is  a  form  of  psychosocial  stress  that  occurs  in  the  workplace,  when  workers  have  more 

demands than resources (see Job strain index of the OECD). 

(77)  European Commission (2023), Employment and Social Developments in Europe, Annual Review 2023 
and Eurofound’s 2021 European Working Conditions Survey. More than 40% of cleaners, cooks, and 
carers, and over 30% of construction workers and drivers report high difficulties in making ends meet. 
Almost half of the workers in healthcare, residential care and transport report high levels of job strain. 

13 

 
 
 
 
workers and drivers report high difficulties in making ends meet (78). Almost half of the 
workers in healthcare, residential care and transport report high levels of job strain (79). 
Shortages in the healthcare and residential care sectors, especially of nurses and primary 
care professionals, are primarily due to high job strain, and inadequate health and safety 
conditions, including the risk of violence at work (80). The COVID-19 crisis amplified this 
further  (81).  In  rural  areas,  low  attractiveness  of  living  conditions  and  poor  access  to 
services can make these shortages more acute (82). Agricultural workers also report high 
job  strain,  health  and  safety  risks,  and  financial  concerns (83).  In  this  sector,  some 
occupation  shortages  are  also  caused  by  precarious  work,  low  compliance  with  basic 
occupational,  health  and  safety  standards  (84).  The  transport  sector  is  facing  a  lack  of 
drivers, in part due to long working hours (85) and poor enforcement of occupational and 
safety standards (86).  

Spain’s Recovery and Resilience Plan contains a 
reform  to  improve  working  conditions  in  the 
healthcare sector. To address shortages of nurses 
and  doctors,  this  reform  will  reduce  the  use  of 
temporary  contracts,  foster  the  deployment  of 
professionals in remote regions and improve their 
working environment and conditions.  

In Slovenia, a re-negotiated collective agreement 
in the paper industry has set a higher basic wage, 
making  employment 
the  sector  more 
attractive.  

in 

To  boost  the  provision  of  training  in  sectors 
affected  by 
the  Slovak 
labour  shortages, 
Recovery and Resilience Plan contains a measure 
that  aims  to  provide  training  to  at  least  60%  of 
teachers 
lower  secondary 
education, while, in the Netherlands, collective 
bargaining  in  the  motor  vehicle  manufacturing 
sector  is  helping  to  retain  workers  by  offering 
them the possibility to learn new skills. 

in  primary  and 

Collective bargaining plays a key 
role  in  ensuring  fair  working 
conditions. Well-functioning social 
dialogue  and  collective  bargaining 
are  the  most  effective  means  to 
improve 
conditions 
working 
thereby  helping  to  mitigate  labour 
shortages. Similarly, social partners 
should  be  consulted  on  new  or 
enhanced  legislation  on  working 
conditions to maximise its impact.  

conditions 

In recent years, the EU has put in 
place  many  initiatives to  promote 
fair  working 
and 
adequate  wages.  They  include  the 
Directive  on  adequate  minimum 
wages in the EU (87), the Directive 
transparent  and  predictable 
on 
conditions (88), 
the 
working 
Strategic Framework on Health and 

(78)  Eurofound’s 2021 European Working Conditions Survey 

(79)  Eurofound’s 2021 European Working Conditions Survey 

(80)  European Commission (2023),: Employment and Social Developments in Europe, Annual Review 2023. 
(81)  European Commission (2023),: Employment and Social Developments in Europe, Annual Review 2023. 
(82)  European care strategy (COM(2022)440). 
(83)  “The future of agriculture in Europe and its Impact on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH)”,  report 

of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, 2021. 

(84)  ‘The future of agriculture in Europe and its Impact on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH)’,  report 

of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, 2021. 

(85)  2023 World Employment and Social Outlook by ILO on ‘the value of essential work’. 

(86)  European Commission (2023),: Employment and Social Developments in Europe, Annual Review 2023. 

(87)  Directive (EU) 2022/2041 of the European Parliament and of the Council on adequate minimum wages 

in the European Union. 

(88)  Directive (EU) 2019/1152 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on transparent 

and predictable working conditions in the European Union. 

14 

 
 
Safety at Work 2021-2027 (89), as well as the proposal for a Directive to improve working 
conditions in platform work (see Annex).  

To further improve working conditions, additional actions are needed to reinforce and 
fully enforce EU labour law and to strengthen collective bargaining.   

To this end, the Commission will: 

•  Adopt  a  proposal  for  a  reinforced  Quality  Framework  for  Traineeships  to 
improve pathways for young people to gain professional experience, improve their 
skills and access to the labour market. 

•  As a follow-up to the European Parliament’s legislative own-initiative report on the 
right to disconnect and telework (90), launch the first-step social partners’ consultation 
in view of proposing an initiative on telework and the right to disconnect to ensure 
workers’ work-life balance in the context of increased digitalisation of the world of 
work,  as  well  as  their  physical  and  mental  health,  and,  in  turn,  their  overall  job 
quality.  

•  Adopt  a  proposal,  in  the  third  quarter  of  2024,  for  the  sixth  amendment  of  the 
Carcinogens,  Mutagens  and  Reprotoxic  Substances  Directive (91)  to  improve 
health  and  safety  of  workers  by  addressing  five  relevant  substances  or  groups  of 
substances.  

•  Analyse  the  impact  of  digitalisation  and  automation  technologies,  including 
Artificial  Intelligence,  on  labour  markets  and  assess  the  potential  future  need  to 
regulate the use of algorithms in the world of work (92). 

•  Conduct  a  survey  on  mental  health  of  health  workforce  and  present  some 
guidelines to protect their mental health (93), under the EU4 Health programme. 

•  Conduct  a  peer  review  with  Member  States  on  their  legislative  and  enforcement 
approaches to address psychosocial risks at work in the Member States with a view 
to  considering  a  possible  EU-level  initiative  in  the  medium  term,  subject  to  its 
findings and the input of social partners.  

•  At sectoral level, follow-up on the European Parliament’s legislative own-initiative 
report  on  the  social  and  professional  situation  of  artists  and  workers  in  the 
cultural  and  creative  sectors.  In  this  context,  the  Commission  intends  to  launch 
several initiatives such as reinforcing the implementation and enforcement of existing 
rules and identifying any regulatory gaps that would need further follow-up through 
other initiatives and proposals. 

(89)  European Parliament resolution of 10 March 2022 on a new EU strategic framework on health and safety 
at work post 2020 (including better protection of workers from exposure to harmful substances, stress 
at work and repetitive motion injuries) (2021/2165(INI)). 

(90)  European Parliament resolution of 21 January 2021 with recommendations to the Commission on the 

right to disconnect (2019/2181(INL)). 

(91)  Directive (EU) 2022/431 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2022 amending 
Directive 2004/37/EC on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to carcinogens or 
mutagens at work (OJ L 88, 16.3.2022, p. 1-14). 

(92)  As  a  follow-up  to  the  commitment  taken  in  the  Commission  Communication  on  ‘Better  working 
conditions for a stronger social Europe: harnessing the full  benefits of digitalisation for the future of 
work’(COM(2021) 761 final).  

(93)  2023 Communication on Comprehensive approach to mental health. 

15 

 
 
•  Propose  a  Council  Recommendation  on  attractive  and  sustainable  careers  in 
higher  education,  to  promote  more  attractive  working  conditions  in  the  higher 
education sector and improved governance.  

•  Organise  a  participatory  Labour  Market  Conference  on  23  April  2024  with 
relevant stakeholders in the transport sector – which is particularly affected by 
labour shortages – and exchange good practices and solutions. 

The Commission calls on Member States to:  

•  Fully  implement  the  EU  initiatives  aimed  at  improving  working  conditions,  in 
particular, ensure the correct and timely transposition of the Directive on adequate 
minimum wages, and of the EU health and safety at work directives concerning the 
updates of Asbestos at Work Directive (94), Carcinogens, Mutagens and Reprotoxic 
Substances Directive (5th amendment) and Chemical Agents Directive (95).  

•  Ensure the effective enforcement of labour law, and therefore facilitate the process 
of labour inspections, by shortening the procedures for workers to identify and report 
abuses,  stepping  up  sanctions  and  preventing  companies  from  evading  penalties, 
while  seeking  to  minimise  unnecessary  administrative  burdens,  in  particular  for 
SMEs. 

•  Deliver on  the  Council  Recommendation  on  ensuring  a  fair  transition  towards 
climate-neutrality, also in the context of the future Just Transition Observatory, and 
follow-up with  relevant  measures including  on how to  create attractive  working 
conditions in green sectors. 

•  At sectoral level, develop policies to attract and retain nurses through improving 
working  conditions  and  mentoring  young  professionals,  with  the  support  of  the 
EU4Health Programme.  

The Commission welcomes the intention of social partners to:  

•  Address  poor  working  conditions  through  collective  bargaining  in  the  sectors 
characterised by inadequate working conditions, such as healthcare, long-term care, 
transport, construction, agriculture (e.g. seasonal workers), and education (96). 

•  Engage in the negotiations of updating the multi-sectoral guidelines to tackle third-
party violence and harassment related to work in the healthcare sector (97). 

•  Improve working conditions in the education sector, through collective bargaining 
at all levels, ensuring competitive salaries, promoting well-being, risk reduction, and 
work-life balance, as well as investing in professional development (98).  

(94)  Directive 2009/148/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on the 
protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to asbestos at work (OJ L 330, 16.12.2009, p. 
28-36).  

(95)  Council Directive 98/24/EC of 7 April 1998 on the protection of the health and safety of workers from 

the risks related to chemical agents at work (OJ L 131, 5.5.1998, p. 11-23). 

(96)  CoESS,  EPSU,  ETF,  European  Trade  Union  Confederation  (ETUC),  ETUCE,  EFEE,  FESE,  and 

IndustriAll Europe. 

(97)  EPSU and the European Hospital and Healthcare Employers' Association (HOSPEEM). 
(98)  ETUCE and EFEE. 

16 

 
 
•  Work  on  recommendations  to  improve  working  conditions  in  social  services, 
including in the long-term care sector as part of the IWorCon (99) project (100).  

•  Work together towards a European framework for improved working conditions 

for third-country drivers (101). 

•  Promote the Global Drivers’ Charter on improving the treatment of drivers at 
delivery  sites,  and  improving  health  and  safety  standards  for  truck  drivers, 
including at the time of loading and unloading (102). 

3.4.  Improving fair intra-EU mobility of workers and learners 

Fair labour mobility can help address shortages that are particularly acute in some 
countries or regions, while being less prevalent in others. In 2023, close to 10.7 million 
EU citizens aged between 15 and 64 were living in an EU Member State other than that of 
origin (103). More than 7.5 million were active on the labour market, which corresponds 
to about 3.6% of the total EU labour force (104). The European Labour Authority (ELA) 
has been set up to ensure that the right to free movement of workers is fairly and effectively 
enforced by facilitating access to information, capacity building and cooperation between 
Member States and an effective application and enforcement of EU law in the field. Since 
2021,  the  ELA  also  manages  the  European  employment  services  (EURES)  network,  to 
facilitate job-matching across borders. However, this transition encountered a number of 
challenges and, so far, the number of EURES users is lower than in past years. 

In this context, EU social security coordination ensures that people continue to be 
covered by social security when moving to another Member State.  A move towards 
more digitally integrated social security systems can facilitate the mobility of workers and 
learners. This can help reduce barriers to labour and learning mobility and make it easier 
for workers and learners to exercise their social security rights in other EU countries. It 
could also enable EU citizens to have easier access to job opportunities across the whole 
EU.  Steps  taken  so  far  for  the  digitalisation  of  social  security  coordination  include  the 
establishment of the Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information (EESSI) and the 
launch of the European Social Security Pass (ESSPASS) initiative, which explores digital 
solutions  for  verifying  people’s  social  security  entitlement  documents  in  other  EU 
countries  (105).  Companies  have  identified  the  declaration  needed  in  the  context  of  the 
posting of workers cross-border as a significant administrative burden. The Commission 
has responded by facilitating the agreement of a common form for the declaration of posted 
workers  for  interested  Member  States  and  by  exploring  options  to  create  a  common 
electronic portal for such declarations.  

Cross-border  access  to  regulated  professions is  governed  by  an  EU  Directive 
supporting the mutual recognition of professional qualifications by Member States 

(99)  IWorCon  aims  to  improve the  working  conditions  in  the  social  services  sector  to  reinforce  its 

attractiveness. 
(100) FESE and EPSU. 
(101) The International Road Transport Union (IRU) and ETF. 
(102) IRU. 
(103) Population on 1 January 2022. Source: Eurostat, population and migration statistics. 
(104) Source: Eurostat, labour force survey. Moreover, there were 1.7 million cross-border workers and 3.6 

million posted workers in the EU in 2021 (Annual Report on Intra-EU Labour Mobility 2022). 

(105) Commission Communication of 6 September 2023 on ‘Digitalisation in social  security coordination: 

facilitating free movement in the Single Market’, COM(2023) 501. 

17 

 
 
(106).The Directive currently provides for  a mechanism that enables citizens  to pursue a 
regulated profession in another Member State but experience shows that the recognition 
procedures can be improved to make them simpler and faster in support of mobility in the 
EU.    

Greater learning mobility has the potential to decrease skills shortages by improving 
the employability of participants, including by developing their language and transversal 
skills  or  acting  as  a  steppingstone  towards  a  work  experience  in  another  country  (107). 
Achieving  greater  learning  mobility  requires  removing  obstacles  such  as administrative 
burden,  language  barriers,  the  sometimes  insufficient  financial  support  and  the  lack  of 
automatic recognition of qualifications (108). These obstacles can be particularly important 
for learners with fewer opportunities or less advantaged socio-economic backgrounds.  
The proposal for a Council Recommendation on ‘Europe on the move’ (109) contains 
ambitious targets for learning mobility by 2030. These include the share of graduates 
participating  in  learning  mobility  in  higher  education  (25%)  and  vocational  education 
(15%). In particular, the mobility of apprentices and other learners in vocational education 
and training requires reinforced efforts. Further embedding learning mobility in education 
and training curricula, awareness raising, enhanced language learning and the automatic 
recognition  of  learning  outcomes  should  pave  the  way  for  achieving  these  targets.  The 
proposal also contains a quota for the participation of underprivileged students (20%) and 
dedicated principles to support the mobility of apprentices who face specific barriers.  

All these steps are also in line with the Commission’s efforts at simplifying existing rules 
and reduce the administrative burden for businesses (110). 

To further improve fair intra-EU mobility of workers and learners, additional actions 
are needed. 

To this end, the Commission will:  

•  In  cooperation  with  ELA,  implement  additional  synergies  between  EURES  and 
EUROPASS  for  better  services  to  Member  States,  job-seekers  and  employers,  to 
make  full  use  of  EURES’  potential  and  increase  the  number  of  cross-border 
placements. 

•  Promote the timely agreement and widespread implementation of a common form of 
electronic  format  for  posted  worker  declarations,  complemented  by  the 
development of a digital multilingual portal through which companies can submit 
posting declarations for Member States that decide to make use of this tool, which 
will help reduce the administrative burden. 

(106) Directive  2005/36/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  7  September  2005  on  the 

recognition of professional qualifications (OJ L 255, 30.9.2005, p. 22-142). 

(107) Commission  staff  working  document  accompanying  the  proposal  for  a  Council  Recommendation 

‘Europe on the move’ – learning mobility opportunities for everyone, (SWD(2023) 719). 

(108) As  the  2023  Report  on  the  implementation  of  the  2018  Council  Recommendation  on  automatic 
recognition points out, further effort is needed to achieve automatic recognition of qualifications and 
learning periods abroad for both higher education and secondary education level. 

(109) Proposal  for  a  Council  Recommendation  of  17  November  2023  on  ‘Europe  on  the  move  –  learning 

opportunities for everyone’(COM(2023) 719 final).  

(110)  As announced in the 2024 Commission Work Programme, available online. 

18 

 
 
 
•  Encourage  the  ELA  to  work  in  close  cooperation  with  Member  States  and  social 
partners  on  a  tool  to  facilitate  the  calculation  of  the  remuneration  of  posted 
workers.  

•  Update  the  recommendations  for  Member  States  on  how  to  reform  the  access  to 

regulated professions (111). 

•  Explore  the  possibility  of  a  broader  reform  of  the  EU  system  on  recognition  of 
qualifications and validation of skills, to ensure that the existing legal framework, 
tools and systems are future-proof, ambitious and contribute to a well-functioning 
Single Market.  

•  Further  promote  apprentice  mobility  through  the  European  Alliance  for 
Apprenticeships and the Toolkit for apprentice mobility (112), as well as dedicated 
transnational experimentation projects under Erasmus+ on this topic (113).  

•  Propose  a  higher  education  package  that  includes  an  initiative  on  a  blueprint 
towards  a  European  degree  and  a  proposal  for  a  Council  recommendation  on  a 
European quality assurance and recognition system in higher education, with the aim 
of  further  facilitating  student  mobility  by  removing  the  remaining  barriers  to 
automatic recognition of qualifications and learning periods abroad. 

The Commission calls on Member States to: 

•  Swiftly  adopt,  and  subsequently  deliver  on,  the  proposal  for  a  Council 
Recommendation  ‘Europe  on  the  move  –  learning  mobility  opportunities  for 
everyone’. 

•  Increase the number of concerted and joint inspections with ELA and ensure the 

necessary follow-up.  

•  Further  support  the  digitalisation  of  social  security  coordination,  notably  by 
finalising  the  implementation  of  EESSI  by  December  2024  at  the  latest  and  fully 
engaging in the ESSPASS pilot activities.  

•  Make use of the common form for the electronic declaration of the posting of 

workers in the Single Market.  

•  Make  progress  on  the  implementation  of  the  Council  Recommendations 
adopted in the context of the European Education Area and work together with 
the  European  Commission  and  stakeholders  for  the  future  integration  of  the 
European degree in the national qualification frameworks.   

•  In  line  with  the  2023  Council  Conclusions  on  further  steps  to  make  automatic 
mutual recognition in academic education and training a reality, take steps to 
remove the remaining barriers to automatic recognition.  

The Commission welcomes social partners’ intention to:  

•  Identify, together with the Commission and Member States, a number of  priority 
regulated  professions  where  shortages  are  strongest  to  support  the  mobility  of 
workers in these professions (114).  

(111) To  update  the  previous  guidance  in  the  Commission  Staff  Working  Document  on  ‘reform 

recommendations for regulation in professional services’, COM/2021/385 final.  

(112) EafA Toolkit for apprentice mobility.  
(113) Erasmus+ Policy experimentation call on support structures and networks for apprentice mobility. 
(114) BusinessEurope. 

19 

 
 
•  Foster  transnational  mobility  for  apprentices  and  young professionals  through 
creating partnerships between VET providers and SMEs based on the skills needs of 
companies (115).  

•  Support the elimination of obstacles for skilled workers’ mobility such as non-

competition clauses in workers’ contracts. (116)  

•  At  sectoral  level,  work  with  the  Commission  on  a  future  EU  Council 
security 

cross-border  background 

checks  of 

Recommendation  on 
personnel (117). 

•  Encourage  learning  mobility  within  the  umbrella  of  traditional  school  settings 

(118).  

3.5.  Attracting talent from outside the EU  

Complementing efforts to harnessing talents from within the Union, orderly mobility 
from third countries also has an important role to play in addressing labour and skills 
shortages.  Yet,  the  EU  is  punching  below  its  weight  in  terms  of  its  attractiveness  as  a 
destination for global talent. Facilitating job matching and ensuring equal and fair working 
conditions for third-country nationals can help attract talent from non-EU countries.  As 
part of the Skills and Talent Mobility package (119), the recently proposed EU Talent Pool 
(120) aims to facilitate the recruitment of jobseekers from non-EU countries in EU-wide 
shortage occupations at all skills levels. Once established, this will be the first EU-wide 
online platform open to any third-country national wishing to work legally in the Union, 
and  where  participating  Member  States  will  register  job  vacancies  of  employers 
established in their territories. It can thereby complement the provisions on movement of 
natural  persons  in  the  EU’s  Free  Trade  Agreements  which  also  facilitate  the  supply  of 
services by third country professionals with high skill levels. Moreover, in addition to the 
protections for migrant workers included in the Single Permit Recast Directive (121) such 
as procedural guarantees or specific rights granted on the basis of this permit, the EU Talent 
Pool will include built-in safeguards to avoid exploitative and unfair practices, recalling 
that third-country nationals recruited through the EU Talent Pool will have the same rights 
and  obligations  as  EU  workers  once  they  are  in  employment,  including  regarding  the 
respect of EU laws and principles to ensure smooth integration into the local communities.   

(115) SMEunited.  
(116) Eurocadres. 
(117) Confederation of European Security Services. 
(118) HOTREC. 
(119) Commission  Communication  of  15  November  2023  on  Skills  and  Talent  Mobility(COM(2023)  715 

final). 

(120) Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing an EU Talent Pool 

(COM/2023/716). 

(121) Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on a single application procedure 
for a single permit for third-country nationals to reside and work in the territory of a Member State and 
on  a  common  set  of  rights  for  third-country  workers  legally  residing  in  a  Member  State  (recast) 
COM/2022/655 final. 

20 

 
 
on 

strategically 

In  November  2023,  Estonia, 
Latvia  and  Lithuania  have 
launched  the  project  ‘Digital 
Explorers  2’,  supported  by  the 
Commission  via  the  Migration 
Partnership Facility. The project 
facilitates talent and knowledge 
exchange  between  the  EU  and 
non-EU  countries.  During  the 
next  two  and  a  half  years,  ICT 
professionals 
from  Nigeria, 
Kenya and Armenia will work in 
Baltic companies and start-ups.   

Talent  Partnerships  can  also  enhance  legal 
pathways  to  the  EU  while  engaging  partners 
countries 
migration 
management, in particular by helping to reduce 
irregular migration and incentivising partners to 
cooperate  on  return  and  readmission.  So  far, 
talent  partnerships  have  been  established  with 
Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Pakistan, and Bangladesh 
(122).  These  partnerships  provide  a  policy  and 
to  strengthen  cooperation 
funding  framework 
between  the  European  Union,  Member  States  and 
key  partner  countries  on  mobility  and  skill 
development  in  a  mutually  beneficial  way.  The 
initiatives (123) 
Commission  programmes 
focusing  on  the  mobility  of  migrants  from  partner 
countries to study, work or train in the EU contribute to talent partnerships, based on the 
principle of mutual benefits for both origin and destination countries. Moreover, as part of 
the comprehensive Global Gateway, the EU supports technical and vocational education 
and training and skill building in partner countries.   (124) 

and 

The validation of skills and recognition of qualifications also plays a key role in the 
context of recruiting talent from non-EU countries. Slow or complex processes for the 
recognition  of  skills  and  qualifications  can  restrict  employment  opportunities  for  third-
country nationals, and act as a disincentive for employers. As indicated in the Skills and 
Talent Mobility package (125), the reality of labour markets calls for skills-first approaches. 
The Commission Recommendation on the  recognition of qualifications of third-country 
nationals (126), also adopted as part of the Skills and Talent Mobility  package, provides 
guidance to Member States on how to simplify and accelerate the validation of skills and 
recognition of qualifications gained outside the EU, to ease access to regulated professions 
and to learning programmes, as well as to visa or work and residence permits.  

To further attract talent from outside the EU to fill in EU shortages, additional actions 
are needed to ensure effective job matching and integration policies as well as equal 
and fair working conditions.   

To this end, the Commission will: 

•  Explore how to further support non-EU countries in developing curricula and 
training modules, including within the framework of talent partnerships and through 
the support of the EU funding programmes. 

(122) Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic 
and  Social  Committee  and  the  Committee  of  the  Regions  Attracting  skills  and  talent  to  the  EU 
COM/2022/657. 

(123) The Commission initiative “Towards a holistic approach to labour migration and mobility in North of 
Africa” (THAMM) is an example of a programme that supports the setting up of the Talent Partnerships, 
by  strengthening  labour  migration  governance  in  the  region  and  setting-up  mobility  schemes  from 
Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt to Europe. 

(124) Joint  Communication  to  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council,  the  European  Economic  and  Social 
Committee, the Committee of the Regions and the European Investment Bank on The Global Gateway, 
JOIN(2021) 30.   

(125) Commission Communication of 15 November 2023 on Skills and Talent Mobility, COM(2023) 715. 
(126)  Commission  Recommendation  of  15  November  2023  on  the  recognition  of  qualifications  of  third-

country nationals (COM(2023)7700). 

21 

 
 
•  Establish  the  EU  Talent  Pool,  once  adopted  by  the  co-legislators,  to  facilitate 

international recruitment of third-country nationals residing outside the EU. 

•  Step up cooperation on skills and legal pathways with non-EU partner countries  
including  through  reinforcing  and  exploring  new  talent  partnerships  as  part  of 
strategic and comprehensive migration management cooperation and other relevant 
cooperation initiatives,, while averting ‘brain drain’ and turning it into ‘brain gain’ 
in partner countries. 

•  Step  up  its  engagement  with  Member  States  and  social  partners  on  issues 
bringing together legal migration and employment through the Labour Migration 
Platform.  

The Commission calls on Member States to: 

•  Further  engage  in  talent  partnerships  to  enhance  legal  migration  pathways  by 
launching new mobility schemes with the support of EU funding, where relevant, 
and through jointly agreed roadmaps for talent partnerships.  

•  Build a welcoming culture and provide for an effective integration policy for the 
workers – and their families – encompassing, education and training, employment, 
health and housing in line with the EU action plan on integration and inclusion (127); 
and respecting common European values.  

•  Swiftly complete the full transposition of the revised EU Blue Card Directive (128), 
and make full use of the additional flexibility provided in the recast Single Permit 
Recast Directive to simplify the immigration procedures once it enters into force.  

•  Consistently enforce national and EU legislation to tackle labour exploitation of 
migrant  workers  and  guarantee  them  equal  treatment  in  line  with  the  Employers 
Sanctions Directive (129) and the reinforced protection included in the recast Single 
Permit Recast Directive. 

The Commission welcomes the intention of social partners to:  

•  Further  contribute  with  their  expertise  to  the  establishment  of  the  EU  Talent 

Pool (130).  

•  Ensure that migrant workers are guaranteed fair and decent conditions to access 
employment,  avoiding  discrimination  and  ensuring  equal  treatment  with  EU 
nationals and fair working conditions at work (131).  

•  Pursue joint work aiming at fair treatment of professional third-country drivers, 
and contributing to the creation of an EU transparent and harmonised framework to 
facilitate the recognition of professional third-country skills and qualifications (132). 

(127) Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic 
and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions Action plan on Integration and Inclusion 2021-
2027 COM/2020/758 final. 

(128) Directive (EU) 2021/1883 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 October 2021 on the 
conditions  of  entry  and  residence  of  third-country  nationals  for  the  purpose  of  highly  qualified 
employment, and repealing Council Directive 2009/50/EC (OJ L 382, 28.10.2021, p. 1-38). 

(129) Directive 2009/52/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 June 2009 providing for 
minimum  standards  on  sanctions  and  measures  against  employers  of  illegally  staying  third-country 
nationals (OJ L 168, 30.6.2009, p. 24-32). 

(130)  BusinessEurope, ECEG, HOTREC, and SMEunited.  
(131) European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CESI), ETUC and IndustriAll. 
(132)  IRU. 

22 

 
 
4.  CONCLUSIONS 

Effective  implementation  of  this  Action  Plan  requires  a  whole-of  government 
approach  –  at  EU  level  and  by  Member  States  in  close  cooperation  with  social 
partners. Labour and skills shortages are a serious bottleneck for the EU’s sustainable and 
inclusive  growth,  competitiveness,  green  and  digital  transitions.  They  can  also  hamper 
EU’s  overall  resilience  and  its  quest  to  improve  its  open  strategic  autonomy  and  its 
security. They are driven by demographic change, changes in skills needs on the labour 
market  and  sometimes  poor  working  conditions.  They  differ  by  sector,  occupation  and 
region, hence requiring different policy responses. Many activities are already ongoing and 
for many EU initiatives the challenge lies in their effective implementation on the ground 
and at sectoral level. The Commission is committed to support Member States and social 
partners in effectively using the available funds and instruments to this end. 

Further concerted action by the Commission, Member States and social partners is 
necessary to tackle labour and skills shortages. This is in line with the Val Duchesse 
Declaration, where the Commission, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU and 
social  partners  committed  to  take  action  to  address  the  root  causes  of  labour  and  skills 
shortages, each in their remit of their competences but in close cooperation. Hence, this 
action plan has laid out a number of actions that the Commission will take and that Member 
States  are  invited  to  implement.  It  also  highlights  a  number  of  key  actions  that  social 
partners intend to take as a follow-up to the Val Duchesse Summit to address labour and 
skill shortages.  

Comprehensive  action  will  be  central  to  unlocking  the  EU’s  growth  potential  and 
advancing its policy priorities. By reducing labour and skills shortages, it will boost the 
EU’s attractiveness for innovation and investments, foster its industrial base, and ensure 
its  competitiveness.  This  will  also  contribute  to  preserving  the  EU’s  social  protection 
systems and overall social cohesion. Progress in the implementation of this action plan will 
be monitored in the framework of the European Semester, most notably by feeding into 
the  Employment  Guidelines  and  relevant  country-specific  recommendations.  The 
Commission will invite the Employment Committee and the Social Protection Committee 
to have regular tripartite exchanges on this issue, with the participation of European and 
national social partners. Thereby, the Commission will continue to promote a collective 
effort to address labour and skills shortages in the EU.  

23 

 
 
 
Annex A 

Mapping of recent and forthcoming initiatives 

Over the past five years, the Commission has put in place a broad range of policies and 
instruments to tackle labour and skills shortages, most of them under the European Pillar 
of Social Rights Action Plan and the European Semester. 

1.  ACTIVATION POLICIES  

•  The Work-Life-Balance Directive  (133)modernises  the existing  EU legal  and policy 
frameworks to better support work-life balance for parents and carers, encourage a more 
equal  sharing  of  parental  leave  between  men  and  women, and  address  women’s 
underrepresentation in the labour market. 

•  The  Reinforced  Youth  Guarantee (134)  is  a  commitment  by  all  Member  States  to 
ensure  that  all  young  people  under  the  age  of  30  receive  a  good  quality  offer  of 
employment, continued education, apprenticeship or traineeship within a period of four 
months of becoming unemployed or leaving education. 

•  The  Recommendation  on  the  integration  of  the  long-term  unemployed  in  the 
labour market (135)  encourages Member States to ensure that long-term unemployed 
are  registered  with  an  employment  service,  are  provided  with  an  individual  in-dept 
assessment to identify their needs and are offered a job integration agreement at the very 
latest at 18 months after becoming unemployed.  

•  The  Council  Recommendation  on  adequate  minimum  income  ensuring  active 
inclusion aims at pursuing high levels of employment by promoting adequate income 
support,  effective access to  services  and fostering labour market  integration of those 
who can work, in line with the active inclusion approach.  

•  The European Care Strategy (136) aims to ensure quality, affordable and accessible 
care  services  across  the  EU  and  to  improve  the  situation  for  both  carers  (either 
professional or informal) and care receivers. The Strategy is accompanied by a Council 
Recommendation  on  access  to  high-quality  affordable  long-term  care,  setting  a 
framework for policy reforms and investments in the Member States, and the Council 
Recommendation  on  early  childhood  education  and  care (137),  which  encourages 
Member States to increase participation in these services. It follows on from the original 
“Barcelona  targets”  that  were  established  by  the  European  Council  in  2002  and 
completes the Council Recommendation on high quality early childhood education 
and care systems (138). 

(133) Directive (EU) 2019/1158 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on work-life 

balance for parents and carers and repealing Council Directive 2010/18/EU. 

(134) Council Recommendation of 30 October 2020 on A Bridge to Jobs – Reinforcing the Youth Guarantee 
and replacing the Council Recommendation of 22 April 2013 on establishing a Youth Guarantee (2020/C 
372/01). 

(135) Council Recommendation of 15 February 2016 on the integration of the long-term unemployed into the 

labour market OJ C 67. 

(136) Commission Communication on the European care strategy, COM(2022) 440 final. 
(137) Council Recommendation of 8 December 2022 on Early Childhood Education and Care: the Barcelona 

targets for 2030 (2022/C 484/01). 

(138) Council  Recommendation  of  22  May  2019  on  High-Quality  Early  Childhood  Education  and  Care 

Systems (2019/C 189/02). 

24 

 
 
•  The Disability Employment Package, which is part of the Strategy for the Rights of 
Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 (139), aims to promote the employment of persons 
with disabilities in the fair green and digital transition.  

•  The  ALMA  (Aim,  Learn,  Master,  Achieve)  initiative  is  designed  as  a  social 
empowerment  initiative  for  disadvantaged  young  people  aged  18  to  29  not  in 
employment, education or training (NEETs). 

•  The Demography Toolbox (140) sets  out  a  comprehensive approach to  demographic 
change structured around four pillars: facilitating the reconciliation of work and private 
life for parents, enabling youth to realise their potential, supporting healthy and active 
ageing, and attracting talent from outside the EU. 

•  The  action  plan  for  the  social  economy  (141)  outlines  specific  measures  aimed  at 
reinforcing  the  social  economy,  including  entities  such  as  work  integration  social 
enterprises which provide social and professional integration for disadvantaged groups. 
This  commitment  is  further  underscored  by  the  Council  recommendation  on 
developing framework conditions for the social economy (142). 

•  The Union of Equality strategies adopted by the Commission in 2020 and 2021 (143) 
aim to create the conditions for everyone to live, thrive and lead in society regardless of 
gender, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. 
All strategies include concrete measures to support labour market activation.  

•  The  European  Citizen  Panels  aim  to  give  a  voice  to  citizens,  building  on  the 

Conference on the Future of Europe. 

•  The EU’s Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025 (144) presents policy objectives and 
actions to make significant progress by 2025 towards a gender-equal Europe. The goal 
is a Union where women and men, girls and boys, in all their diversity, are free to pursue 
their chosen path in life, have equal opportunities to thrive, participate in and lead our 
European  society.  Relevant  on-going  initiatives  include:  the  implementation  of  pay 
transparency rules (145), the Barcelona targets for 2030 on early childhood education 
and care (146), and rules on work-life balance (147). 

(139) Commission Communication on a Union of Equality: Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 

2021-2030, COM/2021/101. 

(140) Commission Communication on Demographic change in Europe: a toolbox for action, COM/2023/577. 
(141) Commission  Communication on ‘Building an economy that works for people: an action plan for the 

social economy’ (COM(2021) 778). 

(142) Council recommendation of 27 November 2023 on developing social economy framework conditions 

(C/2023/1344). 

(143) These include Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025; LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2020-2025; EU Roma 
Strategic  Framework  2020-2030;  EU  Anti-racism  Action  Plan  2020-2025;  Strategy  for  the  rights  of 
persons with disabilities 2021-2030.  

(144) Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic 
and  Social  Committee  and  the  Committee  of  the  Regions:  A  Union  of  Equality:  Gender  Equality 
Strategy 2020-2025 COM/2020/152.  

(145) Directive (EU) 2023/970 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 May 2023 to strengthen 
the application of the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between men and 
women through pay transparency and enforcement mechanisms. 

(146) Council  Recommendation  of  22  May  2019  on  High-Quality  Early  Childhood  Education  and  Care 

Systems, ST/9014/2019/INIT.  

(147) Directive (EU) 2019/1158 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on work-life 

balance for parents and carers and repealing Council Directive 2010/18/EU.  

25 

 
 
•  The  EU  Platform  of  Diversity  Charters  promotes  diversity  and  inclusion  in  the 

workplace.  

•  In  the  Council  Recommendation  on  Roma  equality,  inclusion  and  participation 
(148),  Member  States  commit  to  fighting  antigypsyism  and  improve  the  situation  of 
Roma people, inter alia in employment and education.  

•  The Technical Support Instrument supports Member States, upon demand, in further 
increasing  the supply  of  labour  by  strengthening  the  capacity  of  public  employment 
services and reforming the implementation of active labour market policies (ALMPs), 
for example under the TSI 2023 flagship initiative Youth FIRST, or better coordinating 
and  integrating  social  care  and  health  care,  under  the  TSI  2023  flagship  on  Person 
centred integrated care. 

•  The  Communication  on  putting  people  first,  securing  sustainable  and  inclusive 
growth, unlocking the potential of the EU’s outermost regions (149) calls on Member 
States  and  outermost  regions  to  identify  skill  needs,  reskill  workers  in  the  tourism 
sector, as well as promote green and digital skills. 

2.  SKILLS POLICIES 

•  The 2020 European Skills Agenda (150) is the Commission's strategy for education and 
training,  with  12  actions  to  advance  the  digital  and  green  transitions,  promote  a  fair 
recovery, ensure competitiveness, and strengthen resilience. It encompasses: 

–  The  Council  recommendation  on  vocational  education  and  training,  which 
defines  key  principles  for  ensuring  that  vocational  education  and  training  adapts 
swiftly to labour market needs and provides quality learning opportunities for young 
people and adults. 

–  The  Pact  for  Skills,  which  brings  together  public  and  private  organisations, 
including employers and trade unions, to take concrete action to upskill and reskill 
people in Europe.  

–   The  Blueprint  sectoral  skills  alliances,  which  gather  key  stakeholders  from 
industrial ecosystems, to use skills intelligence and a sector skills strategy to address 
skills shortages.  

–  The Council Resolution on a new European agenda for adult learning 2021-2030 
which highlights the need to significantly increase adult participation in formal, non-
formal and informal learning. 

–  The  Council  recommendation  on 

learning  accounts,  which 
recommends that Member States consider establishing individual learning accounts 
as a means for enabling and empowering individuals to participate in labour-market 

individual 

(148) Council Recommendation of 12 March 2021 on Roma equality, inclusion and participation 2021/C 

93/01 ST/6070/2021/INIT. 

(149) Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic 
and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on ‘Putting people first, securing sustainable 
and inclusive growth, unlocking the potential of the EU’s outermost regions’ COM (2022) 198 final. 

(150) Commission Communication of 1 July 2020, European Skills Agenda for sustainable competitiveness, 

social fairness and resilience, COM(2020)0274. 

26 

 
 
relevant training and facilitate their access to or retention in employment, along with 
putting in place an enabling framework. 

–  The  Council  recommendation  on  micro-credentials,  which  recommends  that 
Member States adopt a European approach to micro-credentials and in particular to 
apply a common EU definition, EU standards and key principles for the design and 
issuance  of  micro-credentials.  Micro-credentials  document  the  learning  outcomes 
that a learner has acquired following a small volume of learning. 

•  The  main  aim  of  the  European  Year  of  Skills  (May  2023-May  2024)  is  to  raise 
awareness and mobilise a wide range of actors to give a fresh impetus to upskilling and 
reskilling around four key objectives: investment; skills relevance; matching people's 
aspirations and skill sets with opportunities on the job market and attracting talent from 
third  countries.  The  Communication  on  Harnessing  talent  in  Europe’s  regions (151) 
(which  includes  the  Talent  Booster  Mechanism)  and  the  Commission  proposals  for 
Council  Recommendations  providing  high-quality,  inclusive  and  accessible  digital 
education and training have been put forward under the European Year of Skills. 

•  The  2023  Council  Recommendation  on  the  key  enabling  factors  for  successful 
digital  education  and  training  calls  on  EU  countries  to  ensure  universal  access  to 
inclusive  and  high-quality  digital  education  and 
the 2023  Council 
Recommendation on improving the provision of digital skills and competences in 
education and training calls on EU countries to provide digital skills in a coherent way 
through all sectors of education and training.  

training; 

−  The  2022  Council  Recommendation  on  ‘Pathways  to  School  Success'  aims  at 
promoting  better  educational  outcomes  for  all  learners,  regardless  of  their  socio-
economic,  cultural,  or  personal  backgrounds,  thereby  enhancing  the  inclusive 
dimension of education. 

−  Development of key competences in line with the 2018 Council Recommendation 
on key competences for lifelong learning. Nowadays, competence requirements 
have changed with more jobs being subject to automation, technologies playing a 
bigger  role  in  all  areas  of  work  and  life,  and  entrepreneurial,  social  and  civic 
competences  becoming  more  relevant  in  order  to  ensure  resilience  and  ability  to 
adapt to change.  

−  The  2022 Council Recommendation on learning for the green transition and 
sustainable  development  supports  EU  Member  States  in  their  efforts  to  equip 
learners and educators with the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for a greener 
and more sustainable economy and society. 

•  The 2022 Council Recommendation on learning for the green transition and sustainable 
development supports EU Member States in their efforts to equip learners and educators 
with  the  knowledge,  skills  and  attitudes  needed  for  a  greener  and  more  sustainable 
economy and society. The Net-Zero Industry Academies, under the Net-Zero Industry 
Act (152) aim to roll out upskilling and reskilling programmes in strategic industries for 
the clean energy transition like raw materials, hydrogen, solar and wind technologies. 

(151) Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic 
and  Social  Committee  and  the  Committee  of  the  Regions  on  Harnessing  talent  in  Europe’s  regions 
COM(2023) 32 final. 

(152) Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on establishing a framework of 
measures for strengthening Europe’s net-zero technology products manufacturing ecosystem (Net Zero 
Industry Act) COM(2023) 161. 

27 

 
 
•  The Digital Europe Programme supports the development of education and training 
programmes (e.g., Bachelor and Master’s programmes) in cutting-edge technologies in 
order to support excellence in higher education institutions, making them world leaders 
in  training  of  digital  specialists,  to  increase  the  capacity  of  the  training  offer  for 
advanced  technologies  and  to  nurture  and  attract  digital  talent  (both  students  and 
teaching staff). 

•  The Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027, which has a set of actions dedicated to 

supporting the development of digital skills.  

•  The Commission adopted New European Innovation Agenda, which seeks to propel 
Europe to the forefront of the emerging deep technology innovation and start-up scene. 
Its goal is to assist Europe in creating novel technologies to tackle urgent societal issues 
and to make them available on the market. One of the five flagships focuses on talent 
and skills, promoting, attracting, and retaining talent, which will guarantee the growth 
and movement of crucial deep tech skills within and into the EU through a range of 
initiatives.  

•  The  European  strategy  for  universities  stresses  the  relevance  of  re-skilling  and 
upskilling, including for the twin transition. It fosters cooperation among universities 
and with industrial ecosystems.   

•  The European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers (EGF) 2021-
2027 that is special EU instrument to express EU solidarity with European workers or 
the self-employed that were displaced due to restructuring, and to help them find new 
jobs, also with up-skilling and re-skilling measures.  

•  The  Talent  Booster  Mechanism  supports  EU  regions  to  attract,  develop  and  retain 
talent  and  to  address  the  impact  of  the  demographic  transition.  In  this  context,  the 
Harnessing  Talent  Platform  is  a  catalyst  for  collaboration,  enabling  the  exchange  of 
ideas, knowledge and resources.  

•  The Cybersecurity Skills Academy, launched by the Commission in April 2023, aims 
to bring together existing initiatives on cyber skills and improve their coordination, in 
view  of  closing  the  cybersecurity  talent  gap.  Its  four  pillars  aim  to:  i)  establish  a 
common European approach to cybersecurity training, ii) ensure a better channelling of 
funding opportunities for skills-related activities, iii) boost stakeholder involvement to 
tackle the cybersecurity skills gap, including measures to improve gender balance; and 
iv) develop a methodology to monitor the progress achieved. 

•  The  Technical  Support  Instrument  supports  Member  States,  upon  demand,  in 
designing  and  implementing  structural  reforms  to  promote  up-  and  reskilling  of  the 
population  for  example  through  the  Technical  Support  Instrument  2024  flagship  on 
Skillsand the TSI 2023 flagship on Digital skills for the health workforce. In 2025, the 
Technical Support Instrument will continue to support active labour market policies and 
skills  reforms  in  the  context  of  demographic,  socio-economic  and  technological 
challenges. 

•  The Commission has announced two new pilot initiatives aimed at nurturing talent and 
interest  in  the  space  sector:  a  job  placement  scheme  for  university  students  and 
graduates,  and  the  CASSINI  Space  Summer  Camp,  targeting  14–18-year-old 
students. These initiatives complement the SpaceSUITE project underpinned by the 
Space4GEO large-scale skills partnership, aimed at fostering competitiveness of the 
EU space industry through skills development and life-long learning.  

28 

 
•  In  the  recently  published  European  Defence  Industrial  Strategy,  the  Commission 
announced that it will explore actions with the aim of improving workforce mobility 
and supporting defence-related education, notably through the opportunities provided 
by the EU defence industrial programmes, cooperation between education providers, 
including the European Security and Defence College.Member States can also draw 
on the European competence framework on sustainability GreenComp, which sets out 
the  competences  that  all  learners  need  to  develop  related  to  the  environment  and 
sustainability,  as  well  as  the  joint  EU/OECD  financial  competence  framework  for 
adults, and for children and youth which sets out the skills and attitudes needed to enable 
people to make informed decisions about their finances. 

•  Additionally, the European Institute for Innovation and Technology (EIT) is actively 
carrying out The Deep Tech Talent Initiative with the goal of upskilling one million 
individuals  in  deep  technology  fields  by  2025.  It  focuses  on  advancing  cutting-edge 
technologies and fostering a sustainable culture of entrepreneurship and innovation in 
education and training. 

•  The New European Bauhaus Academy will accelerate up-skilling and re-skilling in 
the construction ecosystem to support the transition from an extractive, mineral-based 
and  fossil  hydrocarbon-fuelled  construction  economy  to  a  regenerative  bio-economy 
and circular system of material reuse.  

3.  POLICIES TO IMPROVE WORKING CONDITIONS 

•  The Directive on adequate minimum wages in the EU (153) establishes a common 
European  framework  to  ensure  adequate  minimum  wage  protection  and  promote 
collective bargaining on wage setting. 

•  The  Commission  proposal  for  a  Directive  on  improving  working  conditions  in 
platform work (154) aims at improving working conditions of platform workers.  

•  The Directive on transparent and predictable working conditions (155) provides new 
substantive rights for all European workers, and especially for those in precarious forms 
of  employment,  while  reinforcing  the  information  they  shall  receive  on  their  work 
relationship and putting them into a better position to defend their rights. 

•  The Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work 2021-2027 (156) defines the 

key priorities and actions for improving workers’ health and safety at work. 

•  A key element of the European Care Strategy (157), the Council Recommendation 
on access to high-quality long-term care and the Council Recommendation on early 
childhood education and care is the improvement of working conditions for carers.  

(153) Directive (EU) 2022/2041 of the European Parliament and of the Council on adequate minimum wages 

in the European Union. 

(154) Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on improving working conditions 

in platform work (COM/2021/762). 

(155) Directive (EU) 2019/1152 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on transparent 

and predictable working conditions in the European Union. 

(156) European Parliament resolution of 10 March 2022 on a new EU strategic framework on health and safety 
at work post 2020 (including better protection of workers from exposure to harmful substances, stress 
at work and repetitive motion injuries) (2021/2165(INI)). 

(157) Commission Communication on the European care strategy SWD(2022) 440. 

29 

 
 
•  The  Recommendation  on  access  to  social  protection  for  workers  and  the  self-
employed (158) aims at ensuring access to social protection for  all, in particular non-
standard workers and the self-employed. 

•  The  Common  Agricultural  Policy  (CAP)  2023-2027  has  introduced  a  social 
conditionality  mechanism  through  which  farmers’  payments  are  linked  to  the 
compliance  with  EU  labour  law  provisions  on  transparent  and  predictable  working 
conditions, occupational safety, and health, as well as the obligation for Member States 
to support the provision of farm advisory services in the field of working conditions, 
and  the  possibility  to  support  sectoral  investments  for  the  improvement  of  working 
conditions.  

•  The Commission Recommendation on means to address the impact of automation 

and digitalisation on the transport workforce (159).  

•  The  Commission  Communication  on  a  comprehensive  approach  to  mental 
health (160)  includes  a  flagship  initiative  that  addresses  the  skills  of  health 
professionals, and a flagship that addresses the mental health of the health workforce. 

•  The  Mobility  Package  I  includes  a  wide-ranging  set  of  initiatives  to  address  key 
challenges  affecting  European  transport  and  mobility.  Amongst  other  benefits,  the 
Package significantly improves working conditions in the road transport sector. 

•  The  Council  Recommendation  on  a  European  framework  to  attract  and  retain 
research, innovation  and entrepreneurial  talents  in  Europe  underpins work to  attract 
and retain research, innovation and entrepreneurial talents in Europe and supports the 
newly created European Competence Framework for Researchers (ResearchComp).  

•  The  Net-Zero  Industry  Platform,  a  Net-Zero  Industry  Act  instrument,  aims  to 
promote career prospects and quality working conditions in jobs in net-zero technology 
industries.   

4.  POLICIES TO IMPROVE INTRA-EU MOBILITY  

•  Established  in  2019,  the  European  Labour  Authority  aim  to  ensure  that  labour 
mobility is fairly and effectively enforced by facilitating access to information, capacity 
building and cooperation between Member States and support to effective application 
and enforcement of Union law in the field. 

•  The introduction and implementation of a common form for the declaration of the 
posting  of  workers  and  the  building  of  a  common  electronic  portal  for  such 
declarations. 

•  EURES  facilitates  job-matching  across  borders  and  operationalises  cooperation 
between  employment  services  in  different  Member  States.  Under  the  ‘EURES 
Targeted  Mobility  Schemes’,  the  Commission  supports  partnerships  which  help 
targeted groups of workers, to decide for labour mobility. 

•  Europass as a platform helps users to manage their careers. It allows to document skills 
and work experiences, to create a personal profile (including CVs and cover letters), to 

(158) Council Recommendation of 8 November 2019 on access to social protection for workers and the self-

employed (2019/C 387/01). 

(159) EUR-Lex - 32024H0236 - EN - EUR-Lex (europa.eu). 
(160) Commission Communication on a comprehensive approach to mental health COM/2023/298. 

30 

 
 
manage skills and store digital credentials in order to apply for trainings or jobs across 
the EU. 

•  The European classification of Skills, Competences, and Occupations (ESCO) is a 
multilingual classification that provides standardised descriptions of 3 008 occupations 
and 13 890 skills and knowledge concepts. It is used by public and private organisations 
across  the  EU  for  job  matching,  curricula  development,  career  guidance,  skills 
intelligence and labour market analysis. 

•  The  European  Qualifications  Framework  (EQF)  is  a  tool  for  transparency  and 

comparability of qualifications.  

•  European  Digital  Credentials  are  being  increasingly  used  in  Europe.  They  can  be 
verified instantaneously and facilitate the matching of skilled workers with jobs, as well 
as recruitment and recognition processes. 

•  The  Proposal  for  a  Council  Recommendation  'Europe  on  the  Move'  -  learning 
mobility for everyone, adopted in November 2023, sets concrete targets for the share 
of graduates that should have experienced learning mobility.  

•  The  revision  of  Regulation  883/2004  and  Regulation  987/2009  on  social  security 

coordination rules (pending). 

5.  POLICIES TO ATTRACT TALENT FROM ABROAD 

•  Talent  Partnerships  provide  a  framework  to  strengthen  cooperation  between  the 
European  Union,  Member  States  and  key  partner  countries  on  mobility  and  skills 
development  in  a  mutually  beneficial  way,  in  line  with  the  Pact  on  Migration  and 
Asylum.  They  have  been  established  with  Morocco,  Tunisia,  Egypt,  Pakistan,  and 
Bangladesh. EU funding from the NDICI-Global Europe instrument and the Asylum, 
Migration  and  Integration  Fund  can  support  initiatives  to  facilitate  employment  or 
learning mobility  in  the EU as part of Talent Partnerships, based on the principle of 
circular  benefits.  European  Commission  programmes  and  initiatives  focusing  on  the 
mobility of nationals from partner countries to study, work or train in the EU contribute 
to Talent Partnerships, including by providing capacity-building assistance to partner 
countries in areas such as labour market and skills intelligence, vocational education 
and training, integration of returning migrants and diaspora mobilisation.  

•  The  Labour  Migration  Platform  facilitates  collaboration  between  the  Commission 
and representatives from Member States with expertise in migration and employment 
policy, to discuss common challenges such as labour shortages and enhance information 
exchange.  It  will  be  needed  to  support  the  effective  operationalisation  of  EU-level 
initiatives  on  legal  migration  and  employment.  This  will  also  ensure  continued  and 
regular exchanges with social partners, who are represented in the Platform.   

•  The  Skills  and  Talent  Mobility  package,  which  follows  up  on  President  von  der 
Leyen’s 2022 State of the Union address, presents a set of initiatives that aim at making 
the EU more attractive to talent from outside the EU. In addition to the EU Talent Pool 
and the Recommendation ‘Europe on the Move’ on learning mobility, it includes 
the  Commission  Recommendation  on  the  recognition  of  qualifications  of  third-
country  nationals,  which  encourages  member  states  to  simplify  and  speed  up  the 
recognition of skills and qualifications of third-country nationals. 

31 

 
•  The Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion 2021-2027 proposes concrete actions 
to support Member States and other relevant stakeholders in overcoming integration-
related challenges for migrants and EU citizens with a migrant background.   

•  The  Revised  Blue  Card  Directive  will  facilitate  the  recruitment  of  highly  qualified 
workers  in  the  EU,  by  introducing  more  efficient  rules,  including  more  flexible 
admission conditions, enhanced rights and the possibility to move and work more easily 
between EU Member State. 

•  The proposal for a recast of the Long-Term Residents Directive, once adopted, will 
contribute to create a more effective, coherent and fair system to acquire EU long-term 
resident status. 

•  The  recast  of  the  Single  Permit  Directive,  on  which  the  co-legislators  reached  a 
political agreement in December 2023, will contribute to facilitate the recruitment of 
third-country  nationals  by  streamlining  the  single  permit  procedure,  while  making  it 
more effective for non-EU workers and employers. 

•  The  Technical  Support  Instrument  2023  flagship  on  Migrant  integration  and  Talent 
attraction can also support Member States reforms to attract and integrate migrants to 
fill labour market shortages. 

•  Assessing  the  qualifications  and  skills  of  bus  and  lorry  drivers  from  several  third 
countries and compare them with the corresponding requirements in the EU in order to 
support Member States in streamlining the necessary complementary qualification in 
the EU. 

6.  FUNDS ADDRESSING LABOUR AND SKILLS SHORTAGES 

The EU budget and NextGenerationEU provide a sizeable budget in skilling, re-skilling 
and upskilling, including:  

•  the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) is the EU's main instrument for investing in 
people which contributes to employment, social, education and skills policies in the EU 
as well as structural reforms in these areas. With EUR 43.3 billion budget (almost one 
third of entire ESF+) dedicated to skills over the 2021-2027 period, it is  providing an 
important support to skilling, re-skilling and upskilling (161). 

•  the  Recovery  and  Resilience  Facility  (RRF)  which  contributes,  amongst  others,  to 
eight key areas: adult learning; green skills and jobs; human capital in digitalisation, 
non-youth employment support and job creation;  youth employment support and job 
creation;  modernisation  of  labour  market  institutions;  early  childhood  education  and 
care, as well as general, vocational and higher education (these eight areas altogether 
have an estimated cost of EUR 94.4 billion for reforms and investments combined, i.e. 
approximately 15% of the total RRF financial envelope in 2022 prices). These measures 
aim  to  address  some  of  the  challenges  for  the  quality,  equity  and  labour  market 
relevance of education and training systems across the EU, including with a view to 
tackling skills shortages (162). 

(161) More  information  on  https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/eu-budget/performance-and-

reporting/programme-performance-statements/european-social-fund-performance_en.  

(162) Measures include inter alia the creation of additional study places in higher education in study fields in 
high demand on the labour market, revision of curricula in school and higher  education, support for 

32 

 
 
 
•  Erasmus+ (EUR 26.2 billion), which also supports the development of learners, staff 

and institutions in adult learning and vocational education and training.  

•  InvestEU (EUR 4.9 billion), a financial instrument  that aims to  mobilise public and 
private investment over the period 2021-27 through guarantees, its social investment 
and skills window covering both the demand and supply side of skills.  

•  The  social  dialogue  prerogative  budget  lines  provide  funding  to  support  social 
partners'  work  on  labour  and  skills  shortages  through  two  social  dialogue  calls  for 
proposals - Training and information measures for workers' organizations and Social 
dialogue calls for proposals. 

As far as ESF+ is concerned, it is one of the key funding instruments for delivering on the 
Union’s political priorities, including the green and digital transitions, resilience and the 
implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights. In the context of labour and skills 
shortages, it is important to both invest in the people already on the labour market, and also 
to bring the people on the sideline of the labour market, the untapped potential, into the 
workforce. Using as a compass the 20 principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights, 
ESF+ funding focuses therefore on the following objectives (163): 

•  social  inclusion;  active  inclusion,  equal  access  to  quality  services  and  modernising 
social protection systems, socio-economic integration of third-country nationals, socio-
economic  integration  of  marginalised  communities,  such  as  Roma  people,  social 
integration  of  people  at  risk  of  poverty  and  social  exclusion,  addressing  material 
deprivation. 

•  education and skills; better education and training systems at all levels, equal access to 

quality education and training, upskilling, reskilling and lifelong learning for all. 

•  employment:  access  to  quality  employment  for  all,  including  youth  employment, 
modernising  labour  market  institutions  and  services,  gender-balanced  labour  market 
participation, adaptation of workers, enterprises and entrepreneurs to change. 

Other programmes that can support education, training and skills development include the 
European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for displaced workers, the European Regional 
Development  Fund  (164),  the  Just  Transition  Fund,  the  European  Solidarity  Corps,  the 
Programme for environment and climate action (LIFE), the European Maritime, Fisheries 
and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), the Modernisation Fund, the EU4health programme, the 
Technical  Support  Instrument,  and  the  Neighbourhood,  Development  and  International 
Cooperation Instrument. Sectoral policies and programmes also add to the EU upskilling 
and reskilling effort (165).  

The schemes referred to above also support activation measures and measures related to 
the improvement of working conditions.  The ESF+ for instance provides critical support 
towards  removing  barriers  to  employment,  including  promoting  accessible,  affordable, 

vocational education and training, as well as adult learning measures to facilitate the green and digital 
transitions. 

(163) More data on cohesion funds: https://cohesiondata.ec.europa.eu/cohesion_overview/21-27. 
(164) In the 2021-2027 period, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) provides around 8.4 billion 
euros to support skills development, education and training with a view to enhancing employability and 
competences to better address labour market needs, particularly linked to smart specialisation strategies, 
industrial transition and entrepreneurship.  

(165) In the agricultural sector, for example around EUR 2 billion will be spent under the CAP 2023-2027 to 
upskill  and  reskill  farmers,  foresters,  and  farm  advisors  through  dedicated  support  to  knowledge 
exchange, advice and training. 

33 

 
 
high-quality  early  childhood  education  and  care  that  implements  the  European  Care 
Strategy and the EU’s Work-Life Balance Directive. National ESF+ programmes address 
the gender employment gap and include youth employment as a priority. Member States 
with above-average rates of young people not in employment, education, or training should 
invest  at  least  12.5%  of  their  ESF+  resources  in  targeted  actions  for  supporting  young 
people. ESF+ investments bring increased job opportunities to young people, older people, 
people with a migrant background, and people with lower educational attainment to tackle 
labour shortages.  

Over recent years substantial financial support has also been made available to foster jobs 
and skills for the green transition under different EU funding instruments, such as the 
European Social Fund+ (EUR 9.6 billion have been programmed in total, including an EU 
contribution  of  EUR  5,8  billion),  Cohesion  Policy,  the  Just  Transition  mechanism, 
Recovery and Resilience Facility (EUR 1.5 billion), but also the REPowerEU programme.  

34