Skill mismatch may be on the rise

Mara Brugia – Cedefop Deputy Director 

Cedefop Deputy Director Mara Brugia told University of Macedonia students in Thessaloniki that there are indications of an increasing skill mismatch in Europe as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. She was invited to give a lecture to students of the university’s Department of International and European Studies on the decentralized EU Agencies’ role and Cedefop’s mandate and work as part of the EU institutions, on 20 January. Welcoming Ms. Brugia, Professor Dimitrios Skiadas, who is also a member of Cedefop’s Management Board, representing the Greek Government, expressed his delight that the students had the chance to learn about Cedefop and ask probing questions.

Analyzing the issue of skill mismatch, the Cedefop Deputy Director said: ‘Not everything that looks like a skills shortage is a skills shortage. There is often alarming reporting of employers unable to find people with the skills they need. With highly specialized digital skills, this might be true. But in many cases, it would be wrong to blame only the lack of skills for not being able to find the right people in particular sectors or occupations. Skill mismatch has both supply-side and demand-side drivers and dimensions. Over the past two decades, the policy landscape placed a lot of emphasis on supply-side policies and interventions: people are expected to be job-ready. Although sometimes this is necessary, when skill mismatches are closely linked to demand characteristics, this might mean unattractive jobs or insufficient possibilities to use and develop skills at the workplace.’

Ms. Brugia presented Cedefop’s mission to support the promotion, development, and implementation of the European Union policy in vocational education and training, skills, and qualifications; its supporting role as a decentralized EU Agency; its place in the EU institutional environment, and its tripartite governance with representatives of Member State governments, employers and employees in the Management Board.