C 146/18
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
27.4.2023
2.2.
Skills, qualifications and employment, the changing nature of work and the development of an inclusive labour market have been the subject of numerous EESC opinions (5), which are still relevant today.
The aim of this opinion is to analyse what type of skills are needed for future labour market transformations, how to maintain employability and contribute to boost productivity, and to explore effective strategies to improve labour force development and reduce labour shortages, including for SMEs.
2.3.
Skills development strategies must be made part of national growth policies and plans in synergy with industrial research and economic development.
Member States should encourage the development of high value-added sectors, help workers and businesses to manage change and be able to keep pace with innovation in the technological, digital and green fields.
This will require further investment in resources and planning in terms of an education and training system that is able to meet the new challenges and that can eliminate the mismatch in the labour market.
2.4.
The EESC believes that maintaining sustainable employability is a multifaceted issue, where the main challenges relate to the changing nature of work, jobs and occupations, the need for effective implementation of the right to lifelong learning and development, digitalisation, the growing role of human potential and labour productivity, changes in work organisation, demographic change and the need to ensure new patterns of work-life balance with flexible working time, and promote active aging policies (6).
There is a need for a supportive environment, so that people understand and are well aware of the importance of training for their professional lives, and are able and motivated to use all opportunities for lifelong learning, regardless of their stage of life.
In this context, the capacity to maintain employment is directly linked to attitudes towards and the ability to develop new skills in line with labour market dynamics.
2.5.
Social partners are key actors when it comes to developing and maintaining employability skills.
They are best placed to support the convergence between the aspiration of the employee in their professional career and the skills needs of the companies.
Their role, in particular through a sound and effective collective bargaining structure, is essential in the process of recognition of skills.
The EESC considers that in order to improve the overall outcome in the labour markets, the coordination between education systems, VET systems and employment services with policies on the development of innovation, industry, trade, and technology, and also macroeconomic policies, must be strengthened.
This could be especially effective at the local levels.
2.6.
Changes in the nature of work are also leading to the development of new and flexible forms of employment relationships and non-standard employment models that change the way in which the European labour market is structured.
New forms of work, duly protected, can open up new opportunities for people to engage in entrepreneurship, to diversify incomes, and to take up occupations and activities that were previously unavailable to them.
On the other hand, new forms of work should provide a guarantee of access to social protection, as this is directly linked with the financial
(5)
(6)
Labour Market Observatory (LMO) study on ‘The work of the future, ensuring lifelong learning and training of employees’ (2022); Future of work — acquiring of appropriate knowledge and skills to meet the needs of future jobs (2017); Sustainable funding for lifelong learning and development of skills, in the context of a shortage of skilled labour (2019); The changing world of work and the longevity/ageing population — The preconditions for ageing workers to stay active in the new world of work (2019); Digitalisation, Al and Equity — How to strengthen the EU in the global race of future skills and education, while ensuring social inclusion (2019); Vocational training: the effectiveness of systems to anticipate and match skills and labour market needs and the role of social partners and different stakeholders (2020); Proposal for a Council Recommendation on vocational education and training (VET) for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience (2020); How to promote, based on education and training, from a lifelong learning perspective, the skills needed for Europe to establish a more just, more cohesive, more sustainable, more digital and more resilient society (2020); An SME Strategy for a sustainable and digital Europe (2020); Industrial ecosystems, strategic autonomy and well-being (2021); Blended learning (2021), Higher education package (2022), etc.
https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/observatories/eurwork/industrial-relations-dictionary/active-ageing http://erc-online.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/With-signatures_Framework-agreement-on-active-ageing.pdf