Upskilling and Reskilling Needs in Europe – 128 million adults or 46.1% of the adult population of this area

This study is the first volume of Cedefop research on empowering adults through upskilling and reskilling pathways.

It estimates the magnitude of the low-skilled adult population according to a broader conceptualisation which goes beyond educational attainment levels, and considers digital skills, literacy and numeracy, as well as skill loss and skill obsolescence. The study also identifies different subgroups of adults most at risk of being low-skilled, by skill dimension. Better understanding the magnitude of the low-skilled adult population and recognising different and specific target groups within the heterogeneous group of adults with potential for upskilling and reskilling, is crucial to better design and implementation of effective upskilling pathways for those most in need.

ESTIMATION OF THE ADULT POPULATION WITH POTENTIAL FOR UPSKILLING AND RESKILLING IN THE EU-28+

As there is no single European dataset encompassing information on all skill domains considered in this study, estimation of the magnitude of the adult population with potential for upskilling and reskilling has been carried out using a four- step residual approach. To reduce overlapping of relevant information, four sets of low-skilled adults have been estimated and summed up to arrive at a single value:
(a) adults with low education
(b) adults with medium-high education working in elementary occupations
(c) adults with low digital skills (8), among those
which have medium-high education and are not employed in a manual job;
(d) adults with low cognitive skills (low literacy and/ or low numeracy).

According to these estimates, in the EU-28+, there are 128 million adults (46.1% of the adult population of this area) with potential for upskilling and reskilling, since they present either low education, low digital skills, low cognitive skills or are medium- to high-educated at risk of skill loss and obsolescence, because they work in elementary occupations.

These estimates depict an alarming picture and hint at a much larger pool of talent and untapped potential than the 60 million low-educated adults usually referred as low-skilled adults in the EU-28.
There are considerable differences among countries. Very high shares of adults with potential for upskilling and reskilling (around 70%) are observed in Malta and Portugal. Estimates are also quite alarming for Greece, Spain, Italy and Romania, all of which report values over 50%. Conversely, the lowest shares can be observed in Czechia and Finland (28% and 27% respectively) but also in Estonia, Norway, Slovakia and Sweden (between 31 and 33%).

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story @ Empowering adults through upskilling and reskilling pathways | Cedefop