On 9 March 2026, the Council adopted a Recommendation on human capital aimed at supporting Member States in addressing labour and skills shortages across the European Union, with the objective of strengthening competitiveness through a more skilled workforce.
This is the first time the Council has adopted a recommendation of this nature. The initiative will be integrated into the European Semester of economic and social policy coordination in order to help address labour and skills shortages across the EU.
In the text, the Council highlights that in 2024, up to 77% of companies in the EU reported that shortages of skilled workers were a barrier to investment and innovation, ultimately affecting competitiveness.
Against this background, the Council advises Member States to prioritise skills and education policies in order to close the skills gap in strategic sectors. Particular emphasis is placed on investing in and promoting university programmes and higher-level vocational education in STEM disciplines, with a specific focus on increasing the participation of female students.
The Council also stresses the need to improve the attractiveness of vocational education and training (VET) and apprenticeship programmes, especially for underrepresented groups such as women. Despite strong employment outcomes for graduates (in 2024, around 80% of VET graduates were in employment), these programmes are still widely perceived as less attractive educational pathways.
At the same time, the Council notes that the acquisition of basic skills remains a challenge in many Member States, particularly among learners from disadvantaged groups. Underachievement in basic skills continues to represent an additional obstacle to entering the labour market. For this reason, the Council calls on EU countries to strengthen skills acquisition across all ages and levels of education and training, with particular attention given to disadvantaged groups, including persons with disabilities.
The Recommendation also highlights the importance of developing high-quality strategic skills intelligence in order to ensure that education and training systems remain relevant to labour market needs. In this context, Member States are encouraged to make greater use of artificial intelligence and big data to improve skills forecasting and policy development.
The Council further recognises that public finances alone will not be sufficient to support the scale of upskilling and reskilling required. It therefore recommends that Member States adopt an approach that combines public spending with private investment and makes effective use of EU initiatives to help bridge the skills gap.
Ceemet fully supports the set of recommendations addressed to Member States. The MET industries believe that competitiveness today is closely linked to the availability of a properly skilled workforce. A highly skilled and mobile workforce forms the basis of an internationally competitive industry capable of providing quality jobs.
For this reason, Ceemet and its members have long called for the mobilisation of all available resources to make upskilling and reskilling a reality. For companies in the sector, workers with a strong STEM background and qualified STEM professionals are essential for the sustainability of the industries and for enabling companies to move forward, remain competitive and successfully manage the twin transition.
Ceemet therefore welcomes the Council’s call to promote the attractiveness of STEM studies and disciplines. The organisation also supports the recommendation to strengthen and promote vocational education and training and apprenticeship programmes.
As regards basic skills, Ceemet is fully aligned with the Council’s objectives. However, it stresses that the development of basic skills in compulsory education is primarily the responsibility of public authorities. Companies may support basic skills development where it is required for the job, but such efforts should be accompanied by adequate public support.
As a recognised sectoral social partner at the EU level, representing the MET sectoral social partners at the national level, Ceemet, and its members, will continue contributing to the European Semester process on skills policies and providing their views on how to best address the skills gap in order to strengthen European competitiveness.