Competitiveness is a multifaceted concept and in today’s highly competitive global economy, skills are an essential component in how a country or region can become – and remain – competitive. This contribution focuses on bolstering strategies that aim to close the EU’s skills gap, with an emphasis on utilising skills intelligence, targeting adults, SMEs and managers, and strengthening policy instruments that aim to tackle consistent underinvestment in training.
The contribution recognises that the demand for skills is not only driven by firms’ competitive strategies but also by policies and regional contexts. Well-designed policies can help regions build on their unique strengths while responding to the evolving needs of the labour market. This approach can not only enhance competitiveness but also ensure a more equitable distribution of the benefits of innovation, while preparing the EU workforce to meet the future challenges that they will inevitably have to face.
This CEPS contribution is part of a special series ‘The EU’s path to 2030’, where each of our research units were invited to provide insights on key policy files, offering guidance and recommendations for policymakers throughout the course of the new mandate up until 2030 (and sometimes beyond). Find other contributions to this series here.
