ILO study reveals widespread skill mismatch in Europe

A substantial mismatch between workers' competences and job demands in Europe necessitates efforts from governments and social partners, said a latest study released by the International Labor Organization (ILO) on Wednesday.

The study, entitled Skills Mismatch in Europe, found that between 25 percent and 45 percent of the employed in 24 surveyed European countries are either over-qualified or under-qualified for their job.

The study said that the proportion of over-qualified workers rose by 3.6 percentage points in most surveyed countries between 2002 and 2012, which partly reflected the impact of the global economic crisis.

Compared to the upward trend in over-qualification, under-qualification went down in a majority of countries, with the proportion of the under-qualified being reduced by almost 9 percentage points during the same period.

Theo Sparreboom, co-author of the ILO study, stressed that providing workers with skills was not sufficient to improve their labor market outcomes if these skills did not match those demanded by employers.

To fill the gap, ILO called on governments and the social partners to offer efficient job placement services and training opportunities, and to strengthen linkages between education and training systems and the labor market.

As highlighted by ILO, quality apprenticeship systems for youth, high levels of education and the lifelong learning are part of the solutions.