The European Commission has published its "New Skills Agenda for Europe", with the aim of ensuring that people develop a broad set of skills from early on in life and to make the most of Europe’s human capital, which will ultimately boost employability, competitiveness and growth in the region.

The report calls on Member States and stakeholders to improve the quality of skills and their relevance for the labour market. It also states that 70 million Europeans lack adequate reading and writing skills, and even more have poor numeracy and digitals skills which would subsequently put them at risk of unemployment, poverty and social exclusion.

On the other hand, a large number of Europeans, particularly high-qualified young people, work in jobs that do not match their talents and aspirations. At the same time, 40% of European employers report that they cannot find people with the right skills to grow and innovate. Finally, too few people have the entrepreneurial mindset and competences to start their own business and keep adapting to evolving requirements of the labour market.

"We need to invest more in skills in Europe,” Marianne Thyssen, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility, said. “The most competitive countries in the EU, and in the world, are those that invest most in skills and 70 million Europeans are at the risk of falling behind. Stronger investment in skills is vital for strengthening competitiveness and boosting growth. And most of all, it is crucial to help people to realise their professional dreams and goals and reach their potential. I invite Member States, social partners and businesses to work together with us and make this New Skills Agenda for Europe a success."

To help tackle skills challenges, the Commission will launch 10 action points which will address these issues and make skills more visible and improve their recognition at local, national and EU levels, from schools and universities to the labour market.

For the full report, click here.