Changing skills for a changing world: Understanding skills demand in EU neighbouring countries

Our world is experiencing a period of profound change, driven by technological advances – notably in terms of digital technologies – alongside the need for greening our economies and societies. In this context, governments need to ensure that all their citizens are equipped with the skills to adapt to new labour market realities and the capabilities to contribute to economic and social development. What are these skills? How are they changing in line with the current economic and labour market transformations? Documenting changes in labour markets and skills demands is crucial in designing better skills development systems to meet future needs.

While many studies on the effects of technological and societal changes on skills demand are undertaken in advanced (high-income) economies, there is little information or evidence that relates to developing and transition countries. This publication is part of ETF effort to enrich the intelligence on changing skills demands in its partner countries, generating new evidence and analysing and disseminating the existing data. The articles gathered here, written by researchers and experts from various countries neighbouring the European Union, document changes in the labour markets and/or skills demands – shifts in sectors, trends in job creation and destruction, emerging tasks and occupations, new patterns of employment and changing employment relations – of the countries reviewed. Emerging demands for new skills and occupations are also addressed.

The ETF hopes that the findings presented here will inspire further discussion and research to help those working in the fields of skills assessment and skills development processes to meet the needs of tomorrow’s labour markets, economies and societies.