Skill mismatches and especially skill shortages present significant challenge for the socio-economic development of many EU countries and neighboring developed economies in the conditions of the post-pandemic recovery and degrading global geopolitical situation. Understanding of  the  nature of skill mismatch and skill shortages in the context of changing labour markets and their implications for labour migration is crucially important in seeking to deal with existing inadequacies by applying skills development, activation and matching, remuneration, changing work conditions and innovations at work (EC, 2020). According to the European Labour Authority (McGrath, 2021) skills shortages in the workforce affect as many as 28 occupations currently employing 14% of the total EU workforce, concerning STEM, healthcare, IT and communication, as well as transport, hospitality, retail, manufacturing and construction. Skill shortages are usually dealt by the labour market stakeholders and policy makers by investing in the development of the local human capital or relying on attracting of the migrant workers.  Triandafyllidou (2017) claims that current skills shortages in the EU can be dealt with more effectively by a demand-led approach taking into consideration economic cycles of Member States, different economies and labour markets and long-term socio-demographic processes like ageing of societies, configuration of nuclear families without extended support networks, and participation of women in paid work. McGrath (2021) claims that most employees in shortage occupations in the EU have a medium level of qualification and the possibilities to compensate for skills shortages by employing migrants are limited by the shortage of such workers in origin countries. Despite of growing understanding of the role of immigration in the solution of skills shortages in the EU and neighboring developed countries, applied practices of immigration and integration of migrant workforce raise many issues of sustainability. Employing migrant workers is widely used to solve labour and skills shortages but is often based on short-term economic interests and lacks socio-economic sustainability. European Commission concern over reliance of sectors and enterprises in the EU on low skilled migrant workforce is because this is an unsustainable strategy that worsens the quality of work and life not only for migrants but also for the societies of host countries. Sustainability of international recruitment of migrants involves not only dignity of their work and employment but also development of their human capital by creating a pool of talent to be used also by countries of origin (EC, 2020).  The EU New Pact on Migration (European Commission 2020) encourages the establishment of wide skills partnerships in the EU and third countries covering policies of education, economic development, public administration, sectoral development, research, energy, environmental protection and dealing with climate change. This document also stresses the importance of capacity building for VET and integration of returning migrants in both countries of origin and destination.

This workshop seeks to discuss the implications of the skills shortage models of so called destination countries in Europe for the choices of economic stakeholders and policy makers between the investment in the development of local human capital and attracting migrant workforce. There are discussed the following research questions: 1) What are the common and specific features of skill matching and skills shortages in the countries? 2) How are the eventual skill mismatches and shortages regarded and treated by the enterprises, education and training providers and policy makers? 3) Tow what extent and how immigration and attracting foreign workforce is favored as solution of skill matching and shortage problems? 

It is based on the research executed in the framework of the EU Horizon 2020 programme project “Skill Partnerships for Sustainable and Just Migration Patterns (Skills4Justice) implemented in 2023-2026.

The research study involves identification of the demand of qualifications in the sectors of economy and explanation of the reasons of existing shortages of qualifications, identification of the changes in the demand of skills in the selected occupations with the most important shortages of skilled workforce by applying work process analysis, research of availability of the free skilled workforce, disclosing capacities of the national system of qualifications, education and training providers to adjust the existing supply of qualifications to the changing demand, assessing the need to expand workforce by investing in the local HC or recruiting foreign labour. Exploration of the skills shortage model for recruitment of skilled workers is based on the collecting and analysis of the available official statistical data on the demand and supply of skills and qualifications, as well as conducting of qualitative research by interviewing representatives of employers (20 interviews per country), education and training institutions (15 interviews per country), national policy making institutions (5 interviews per country) in the involved countries.

This research study will disclose the key characteristics of the skill shortage models in the EU countries (Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Italy, France, Norway, UK) and will explain the related choices of policy and practice solutions between the investment in the development of the local human capital and attracting migrant workers. It will also elaborate on the sustainability of these solutions by referring to the challenges posed by the global demographic, socio-economic and geopolitical context.

European Commission (2020). Briefing paper EMN – JRC – DG Home Roundtable. EU labour migration policy: time to move from a skill-based to a sector-based framework? 5 November 2020 McGrath J (2021) Report on Labour Shortages and Surpluses November 2021. Brussels: European Labour Authority. Triandafyllidou A (2017) A Sectorial Approach to Labour Migration: Agriculture and Domestic Work. In M McAuliffe and M Klein Solomon (Conveners) (2017) Ideas to Inform International Cooperation on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. Geneva: IOM. Triandafyllidou A and Yeoh BSA (2023) Sustainability and Resilience in Migration Governance for a Post-pandemic World. Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies 21(1): 1-14.