The European Year of Skills: Future proofing Europe's workforce

Europe is facing a labour crisis. A substantial number of work vacancies across all sectors following the COVID-19 pandemic is being further intensified by the digital and green transition.

Without a highly skilled workforce, there are fears European companies will lag behind others over the coming decades.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on society and the way we work. This disruption was further realised following the outbreak of war in Ukraine, and the labour market is yet to recover. In 2022, the rate of vacancies in the European Union was 2.8%, ranging from 0.8% in Romania to 4.6% in Austria, with many member states seeing increases from pre-pandemic levels.

Spain saw vacancies increase by 150% in the transport sector, by 111% in public administration, and by 91% in professional and technical activities. The largest shortages are concentrated in manufacturing and construction. Businesses across the continent are starting to feel the brunt of this shortage. A quarter of the 25 million SMEs in Europe say hiring high-quality managers and staff is their biggest problem.

The NextGen Robotics is a Danish consortium developing a new generation of robots and autonomous solutions. It brings together universities and local companies like Inrotech, which designs welding robots. Training and attracting talent are vital for their businesses.

The company is already reaping the benefit of EU funding. Philip Toft Halskov is a marketing manager who choose to upskill and learn 3D modelling to attract more clients.

"Sometimes it could be very difficult to show customers how the robot looks and how it works. So, the plan was to learn how to visualise… this gantry, for instance: to show how it is working, and how the customer will be