Politics and Analysis
Education and training alone cannot solve labour shortages in the EU
1. July 2019
Article
On June 5, the European Commission put forward the country-specific recommendations as part of the European Semester for 2019. In its recommendations for Denmark, the Commission points to the need for investment in training and skills. The Confederation of Danish Employers welcomes the recommendation, but reminds that labour shortages can-not be solved by investing in education and training alone.
The need for more skilled labour
In its recommendation for Denmark, the Commission emphasises that the prerequisite for ensuring sustainable and innovative growth in Denmark is initiatives that solve the labour shortage. The Commission points to the need for reforms and investment that will lead to more skilled labour. A specific initiative is to make vocational training more attractive in order to increase the supply of skilled employees.
- It is positive that the Commission is encouraging Denmark to ensure increased application for and admission to vocational training courses. It is very important to focus on this, and we support this very strongly. In the wake of the tripartite agreement, employers in Denmark increased the number of apprenticeships by approx. 3,000 additional places in 2018. But the Commission is right when it states that there is a need for more political initiatives to ensure that more people choose vocational training,” says Head of Integration and Qualifications Jannik Bay from the Confederation of Danish Employers.
Increased focus on education and training is not enough
The Commission also encourages investment in further adult education, lifelong learning and digital skills and urges Denmark to focus increasingly on integrating vulnerable and marginalised groups into the labour market. In this regard, the Commission emphasises young people with low levels of education and people from an immigrant background, those with reduced capacity to work and the disabled.
- In general, we agree with the Commission’s recommendation for Denmark. But increased focus on education and training is just not enough. There is a need for reforms which tackle the problem of labour shortages head on. We need to change the rules for the supply of foreign labour from countries outside the EU. This is a challenge that not just Denmark, but employers all over Europe are facing.
- That is why it is also positive that the Commission puts the shortage of relevant skills firmly on the agenda and encourages Member States to ensure that citizens increasingly acquire the skills that the job market needs,” says Christiane Miβlbeck-Winberg, Director, European and International Affairs at the Confederation of Danish Employers.