Tackling unemployment while addressing skill mismatch

136 Pages·2015·1.61 MB·English

RESEARCH PAPER
No 46
Tackling unemployment
while addressing
skill mismatch
Lessons from policy and practice
in European Union countries

Tackling unemployment while
addressing skill mismatch

Lessons from policy and practice
in European Union countries

Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2015
Please cite this publication as:
Cedefop (2015). Tackling unemployment while addressing skill mismatch: lessons
from policy and practice in European Union countries. Luxembourg: Publications
Office. Cedefop research paper; No 46. http://dx.doi.org/10.2801/648140

A great deal of additional information on the European Union is available on the
Internet.
It can be accessed through the Europa server (http://europa.eu).
Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2015

ISBN 978-92-896-1935-6
ISSN 1831-5860
doi: 10.2801/648140

© European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop), 2015
All rights reserved.
The European Centre for the Development
of Vocational Training (Cedefop) is the European Union’s
reference centre for vocational education and training.
We provide information on and analyses of vocational education and
training systems, policies, research and practice.
Cedefop was established in 1975
by Council Regulation (EEC) No 337/75.

Europe 123, 570 01 Thessaloniki (Pylea), GREECE
PO Box 22427, 551 02 Thessaloniki, GREECE
Tel. [phone], Fax [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]
www.cedefop.europa.eu

Joachim James Calleja, Director
Micheline Scheys, Chair of the Governing Board

Tackling unemployment while addressing skill mismatch
Foreword

Skill mismatch research tends to be concerned with methodological issues, the
incidence of mismatch and its impact. While there is much research and analysis
on mismatch, little work has focused on policy and practice addressing it. This
means that it is difficult to assess systematically what works and what does not in
skill mismatch policy instruments. This study aims to fill this knowledge gap by
reviewing recent policies and practices aiming to tackle unemployment through
addressing skill mismatch in the EU-28 Member States.
Matching skills to jobs is gaining attention among policy-makers. Earlier
Cedefop work and reports by the European Commission have mapped the extent
of mismatch in European Union (EU) labour markets and reflected on its
consequences. This work has shown how complex and multidimensional the
phenomenon is and that careful and robust analysis is needed to reach the right
policy conclusions.
What has not been systematically researched is to what extent education,
employment and other policies can be combined to address mismatch. Much
current action in employment policy focuses on getting people into work. But
ensuring a good match between the skills people have and labour market needs
is also important to ensure that Europe makes full use of the skills of its citizens.
Achieving this while meeting employment objectives has been a trend in some
EU Member States with skill strategies covering multiple policy domains. Moving
to a policy context with more awareness of the importance of tackling skill
mismatch, and taking relevant action, is a challenge for other countries.
Policy learning can be important mechanism in helping countries make the
right choices when introducing and implementing new policy instruments
targeting skill mismatch. But copy-paste approaches to transferring entire policies
or measures are rarely useful, as the national policy context, labour market
characteristics, education systems and other national contextual conditions
impact on the effectiveness of policy measures. What is helpful when trying to
learn from experience elsewhere is information on specific features or principles
of policies and practices that have proven their effectiveness. Such information is
hard to come by as policy evaluation is not well developed in many countries.
This report systematically reviews skill mismatch policy instruments targeting
unemployment in all EU Member States and so contributes to better
understanding of the implementation of these policies and impact. The report is
not a comprehensive overview of all policy measures in Europe, but it presents
promising ideas for innovative policy practices. I am confident that these can
inspire policy-makers.

Joachim James Calleja
Director
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Tackling unemployment while addressing skill mismatch
Acknowledgements

This publication is a result of a team effort. Douwe Grijpstra, Gert-Jan Lindeboom
(Panteia) and Georg Markowitsch (3S) drafted the text on which this report is
based. Konstantinos Pouliakas and Jasper van Loo coordinated the work at
Cedefop and prepared this report for publication.
The research was carried out by Panteia under Cedefop’s service contract
AO/RPA/JVLOO-KPOUL/Skill mismatch policies/001/13.

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Tackling unemployment while addressing skill mismatch
Table of contents

Foreword .............................................................................................................. 1
Acknowledgements .............................................................................................. 2
Table of contents .................................................................................................. 3
Executive summary .............................................................................................. 6
1. Introduction ........................................................................................... 10
1.1. The skill mismatch challenge ........................................................... 10
1.2. Scope of the study ........................................................................... 11
1.3. Skill mismatch and policies addressing it ......................................... 12
1.4. Method ............................................................................................. 15
1.5. Structure of the report ...................................................................... 17
2. Addressing skill mismatch among the unemployed ..................................... 19
2.1. Introduction ...................................................................................... 19
2.2. Upgrading skills of the unemployed .................................................. 20
2.3. Career guidance for the unemployed ............................................... 45
2.4. Subsidised work ............................................................................... 53
3. Addressing skill mismatch to prevent unemployment ................................... 62
3.1. Introduction ...................................................................................... 62
3.2. Targeting people in education or training ......................................... 62
3.3. Improving the skills of the employed................................................. 72
3.4. Guidance and counselling ................................................................ 86
4. Lessons and options for policy-makers ........................................................ 94
4.1. Introduction ...................................................................................... 94
4.2. Lessons of skill mismatch policies for the unemployed ..................... 95
4.3. Lessons for education and training ................................................. 101
4.4. Lessons from skill mismatch policies training the employed ........... 106
4.5. Creating a conducive policy environment and stimulating
cooperation between stakeholders ................................................. 111
4.6. General conclusions and recommendations ................................... 117

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Tackling unemployment while addressing skill mismatch
List of abbreviations ......................................................................................... 120
References ....................................................................................................... 121
Websites ................................................................................................... 127
List of tables, boxes and figures
Tables
1. Policies versus instruments ....................................................................... 15
2. Examples of instruments providing general skills training for the
unemployed ........................................................................................... 22
3. Instruments offering training in specific skills to the unemployed ............... 26
4. Instruments training the unemployed in specific skill shortages ................. 33
5. Examples of instruments upskilling the unemployed by in-company
training ........................................................................................... 37
6. Instruments with in-company training targeting unemployed youth ............ 44
7. Instruments supporting guidance for the unemployed ............................... 46
8. Instruments supporting subsidised work .................................................... 54
9. Instruments providing skills through new training provisions in
education ........................................................................................... 64
10. Instruments seeking to match skills provided in curricula and
qualifications with labour market needs ..................................................... 68
11. Instruments supporting training of employees to improve their skills ......... 73
12. Instruments supporting the training of employees in skill shortages ......... 81
13. Instruments providing career guidance in education and work .................. 87
14. Lessons from instruments targeting the unemployed .............................. 101
15. Lessons from instruments targeting education and training ..................... 106
16. Lessons from training instruments addressing the employed .................. 110
17. Lessons in creating a conducive policy environment ............................... 117
Boxes
1. Hungary: the community public work programmes .................................... 24
2. Slovakia: education and training for the labour market .............................. 28
3. Portugal: active life-qualified employment ................................................. 30
4. Austria: ways into nursing ......................................................................... 35
5. Belgium (Flanders): curative individual training in enterprise ..................... 39
6. Finland: project Välke ................................................................................ 39
7. Portugal: employment internships ............................................................. 42
8. Belgium (Flanders): competence-based matching ..................................... 47
9. Slovakia: online guide to the labour market ............................................... 49
10. Czech Republic: ‘education and work’ web portal ..................................... 51
11. Slovenia: early identification of key competences ...................................... 52
12. Denmark: job rotation ................................................................................ 57
13. The Netherlands: starting grant ................................................................. 60
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