On April 30, the European Year of Skills comes to an end. Looking back, what stood out most to me is the collective ambition this year inspired across Europe. From policymakers to enterprises, from educational institutions to individuals, there was a united push toward enhancing skills for a future-ready workforce.
Looking ahead, the challenge and the opportunity lie in maintaining the momentum generated by the European Year of Skills. This past year should be seen as a launchpad for more sustained efforts in skills development, a key step toward what must now become a ‘decade of skills’. We stand at the threshold of a new era where the agility of the labor force will determine the competitiveness of economies. It is an era that demands not just investment in skills, but also a reimagining of how we think about and manage career development, talent acquisition and professional growth.
The digital and green twin transitions demonstrate how skills will have a concrete impact on the real, urgent transformations that the European workforce must navigate — and we are now starting to see the impact of EU stakeholders’ upskilling and reskilling efforts. By leveraging our unique and real-time data on the labor market through LinkedIn’s Economic Graph, we see a 91 percent increase in professionals with green skills in the EU over the past five years, compared with a 70 percent growth at the global level.
The EU is well positioned for the digital transition, with a 126 percent increase in professionals with AI skills in the EU over the past five years — compared to a 119 percent growth globally. AI talent is growing everywhere in the EU, with Denmark, Austria, Germany and Ireland showing the fastest relative AI talent growth.
More generally, we see an accelerating demand for both digital proficiency and essential human skills. We look forward to continuing to support the collective approach driven by the EU to tackling skills gaps and preparing for the labor demands of tomorrow. In particular, I warmly welcome the new action plan from the European Commission to tackle labor and skills shortages, launched on March 20, and its focus on supporting the activation of underrepresented people in the labor market, and providing support for skills development, training and education.
The skills-based approach promoted through the Year of Skills is crucial in this context. It’s about moving beyond traditional indicators of talent, such as degrees and job titles, to recognize the inherent value of skills — whether they are acquired through formal education, professional experience, or personal initiatives. Our report “Skills-First: Reimagining the Labour Market and Breaking Down Barriers” shows that talent pools expand nearly 10 times when using a skills-based approach to hiring. Such an approach also increases globally, on average, the proportion of women in the talent pool 24 percent more than it would for men in jobs where women are underrepresented. It also benefits workers without bachelor’s degrees by 9 percent more than for workers with degrees.
As we transition from the Year of Skills to a more long-term view, I am excited about the role LinkedIn will play in this evolution. Our mission at LinkedIn has always been about more than just connecting people. It’s about understanding and responding to the evolving dynamics of the global labor market, with a rich ecosystem for learning, growth and opportunity. We are dedicated to ensuring that everyone, regardless of their starting point, has access to the skills and opportunities that will enable them to thrive in the changing world of work.
In support of this vision, LinkedIn has developed recommendations for accelerating the shift to skills-based hiring, aimed at empowering policymakers, business leaders and workers to adopt forward-thinking recruitment strategies. Proposals include revising requirements in government job postings and third-party contracts to welcome candidates without traditional credentials, fostering a skills-based approach in government roles.
Additionally, it is crucial to develop national and local skills-based hiring strategies, starting by identifying sectors with staffing shortages that would benefit from a wider applicant pool. Recognizing companies that prioritize skills over credentials and publicly celebrating their contributions can promote this hiring model.
Efforts should also be made to fund public initiatives that provide workers with in-demand skills and place them in growing job markets. This includes increasing support for training programs for incumbent employees, particularly those at risk due to changing skill demands, allowing for flexible reskilling and upskilling opportunities. We look forward to working with our partners and stakeholders across the EU, including the European Commission, to realize the vision of the Year of Skills to create a labor market that is inclusive, dynamic and equipped to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities of the digital and green transitions.
Let’s embrace this moment not just as an end, but a beginning — the start of a decade of skills that will shape the future of work for generations to come.
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