In a context of high unemployment, the share of recruitment projects deemed "difficult" increased considerably by French firms in recent years, from 32.4% to 44.4% between 2015 and 2018 [1]. Insufficient training of candidates and lack of skills are among the most often cited by employers for reasons explain this paradox. Some studies suggest as well as the French education system fails to meet the needs of the labor market. [2] Given the real gap between supply and demand for labor, the analysis can not however be limited to point out the shortcomings of the candidates. It must also focus on the ability of companies to identify, mobilize and develop the skills of their employees. [3] This "talent management" has several advantages: it promotes the hiring profiles that businesses need, it helps to better absorb technological or economic shocks and finally it accompanies changes in work organization. Yet only a quarter of private sector companies undertake systematically in a skills management approach, with marked differences related mainly to the size of the company and the industry. [googletranslate_en]

This report examines skills and performance challenges facing the advanced manufacturing sector with an emphasis on the mix of skills needed in specific occupations, as well as employer awareness of and engagement with National Occupational Standards (NOS). This project forms part of the Sector Insights research undertaken by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES). The overall aim of the programme is to examine skills and performance challenges across a range of industry sectors of critical importance for the UK economy. This study focuses on five key occupations that are prevalent in advanced manufacturing industries, and which represent a cross-section of skills levels: production managers and directors in manufacturing; biological scientists and biochemists; production and process engineers; metal working production and maintenance fitters; assemblers of electric and electronic products.

For many years the European Union’s growth model has been to find new markets for the products and services it is able to produce cheaper and better than most other countries. This model is under pressure. The number of under-exploited markets is shrinking, while new competitors emerge quickly, challenging the comparative advantage of the EU even in higher value-added goods and services. To secure growth and jobs in Europe, it is likely to be necessary to move to a new growth model built on developing emerging sectors with high value added. But in which sectors can Europe grow, and what economic policies would work? We propose a general approach that can be used to prioritise policies based on quantitatively localising sectors and regions with measurable growth potential. Sectors can be identified based on recent and expected growth of their global markets and the technology dynamics. We assess the potential of countries to excel in these emerging sectors based on their current export specialisation in this sector. This revealed comparative advantage indicates whether a country is better able than others to compete in this particular field. But even if a country is not yet specialised in a certain sector it might develop a comparative advantage over time, especially if the sector is based on rapid innovation. We thus propose to identify whether countries are particularly specialised in innovating in the identified sector based on patent data. Finally, certain sectors have commonalities. Even if a country is currently not good at exporting and patenting in a certain sector, it might easily acquire this capability if it is strong in nearby sectors. So, we propose to also investigate the strength of countries in sectors found to be close to the identified sector, as a proxy for whether the country might have the potential to develop a comparative advantage in the identified sector. Given global decarbonisation concerns, the wide array of low-carbon technologies offers significant growth potential. Some EU countries have already been able to develop a comparative advantage in wind turbines and electric vehicles, though the EU is less effective at exporting solar panels and batteries. Based on patenting activities we, however, see some potential – maybe not for entire countries but for some regions – to further specialise in all of these four low-carbon technologies. A regional overview is valuable because it can help in targeting public investment (e.g. in infrastructure, research and education) to enable development in the most promising sectors/regions.

Going digital—leveraging digital technologies to connect organizations, people, and processes—leads to changes in strategy that can reshape a company or disrupt an industry. In this report, we describe the skills a digital leader needs (think digital and business knowledge, start-up mentality) and examine the relative merits of positioning various functional heads as your company’s digital leader.

This paper reviews policies to strengthen Germany’s productivity growth and prepare for changes in labour markets brought about by new technologies. This paper also discusses how social protection and the bargaining framework should be reformed for the future of work. Germany enjoys a relatively high labour productivity level, but productivity growth has been modest in recent years. There is room to boost productivity growth by accelerating the diffusion of new technologies throughout the economy. Vigorous entrepreneurship and innovation by small and medium enterprises are key for such technology diffusion while strong broadband and mobile networks widen the scope of data-intensive technologies that can be exploited to increase productivity. Widespread use of new technologies will bring about significant changes in skill demand and work arrangements. As in many countries, Germany saw a decline in the share of middle-skilled jobs in employment. A relatively high share of jobs is expected to be automated or undergo significant changes in task contents as a result of technological change. New technologies are also likely to increase individuals engaging in new forms of work, such as gig work intermediated by digital platforms. Such workers are less covered by public social safety nets such as unemployment insurance than regular employment.

The 2017 Symposium invites countries to examine the crossroads at which the relevance and impact of career development interact with the significant changes occurring in their labour markets and to explore constructive and impactful career development responses. Countries are expected to develop a Country Paper in which the following four themes will be addressed: Theme 1- Understanding how work opportunities are changing. Theme 2- Ensuring that content and delivery of career development programs and services are relevant. Theme 3- Improving career practitioner training and practice. Theme 4- Reforming career services in education and labour to focus on career competencies and successful transitions.

The process of technological progress is one of creative destruction, where some occupations, skills, products and firms become obsolete and are replaced by technologically superior alternatives. This process, facilitated by trade, improves overall economic growth and raises living standards in the long run. In the short run, however, it risks igniting economic and political tensions as some businesses fail and some people lose their jobs. At the same time, new jobs are created, and the skills required to perform others might change dramatically. Given historical trends of employment, it seems unlikely that all occupations that are highly susceptible to automation will be replaced by smart machines over the next few years. As the demand for skills in the labour market continues to grow, however, there is room for public policy to moderate the effect of technological change on the labour market in a number of ways. Each province faces slightly different challenges when developing policy to confront a technologically advanced and uncertain future. Some provinces, with more economic diversification or a concentration of workers in areas that are not very susceptible to automation, appear to be better situated for technological change than others. In developing policies to facilitate the transition to a high-tech future, provinces that face a higher risk of labour market disruption might require a broad-based approach, while those facing a lower risk of disruption might be able leverage existing policies and expand educational or unemployment support where necessary. Differences in the composition of employment and skills levels across the country highlight priority areas that provincial governments should consider in developing education and employment policy responses to adapt to current and future technological change. Disruption as a result of technological change is not a uniform process, so the policies to tackle it similarly should be not be uniform but should take into account each region’s strengths and weaknesses.

Through the Preparing for the Future of Work project, the World Economic Forum (WEF) provides a platform for designing and implementing collaboration on the future of work by major industries, the public sector, unions and educators. The output of the project’s first phase of work, Towards a Reskilling Revolution: A Future of Jobs for All, highlighted a method to identify viable and desirable job transition pathways for disrupted workers, using data from the United States. The project’s second phase has focused on two areas of work: 1) extending our previous research to assess the ‘business case’ for reskilling and establish its magnitude and 2) mobilizing selected industries to address specific future of work challenges and opportunities. This second report, Towards a Reskilling Revolution: Industry-Led Action for the Future of Work, demonstrates the results of this second phase of work. It encompasses the results of the business case research as well as data and proposed actions for five industries—Aerospace; Aviation, Travel and Tourism; Consumer; Financial Services; and Oil and Gas—to support them in their transition to the future of work. It is produced in collaboration with Boston Consulting Group, and with the support of Burning Glass Technologies. It is designed to provide key strategies, innovative frameworks and data-driven tools that can support businesses, governments, educators and civil society in taking proactive and coordinated action to prepare for the future of work.

This report presents ten strategies and twenty-two case studies that illustrate the range of actions that can be taken by educationalists, education technologists, business leaders and government to shift to a fully skills-based labour market. The strategies can help prepare the labour market for the future of work and build a new foundation for social mobility. They span a range of approaches: realizing the potential of education technology; building and certifying skills across the age range; designing coherent and portable certifications, mapping the skills content of jobs and aligning existing skills taxonomies.