Europe urgently needs digital skills, but the situation varies across Member States and demographic groups. In this context, a 2022 report by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre entitled ‘Supporting policies addressing the digital skills gap’ is prepared.
The report analyses the latest relevant data from official sources on digital skills and jobs, such as Eurostat, OECD and Cedefop, and closes the digital skills gaps in the context of the labour market. It aims to close the gap between datasets (based on different methodological approaches) and makes recommendations to societal groups in need of upskilling and reskilling, which should be prioritised by policymakers. The report aims to answer the following questions:
- What types of digital skills gaps can we see in the EU?
- Which socio-demographic groups are most in need of specific policies to acquire digital skills?
Through these questions, research also aims to support several of the latest Digital Decade targets on digital skills, which are also outlined in the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan and in the actions of the European Skills Agenda, including: Action 2: Improving action 3 skills intelligence: EU support for national strategic upskilling actions and action 6: The Commission’s promotion of digital skills for all; and the Digital Education Action Plan, priority 2, improving digital skills and competences for the digital transformation.
The full report of the Joint Research Centre is available on the website of the European Commission.