On 23 January, Ceemet attended the Global Forum on Migration & Development (GFMD) which took place in Geneva between 23 & 25 January 2024. On this occasion, Delphine Rudelli, Ceemet Director General, spoke in a panel organised by the GFMD Business Mechanism which brings the voice of businesses to the Forum and helps shape migration and skills mobility policy.
The panel discussion was dedicated to “Global competition for talent – all skills included – in the new world of work”. This was a good occasion to remind the participants about Ceemet’s position on skills and labour shortages. For our organisation, it is important to distinguish between labour shortages and skills shortages which are different issues, requiring a different set of answers but in both cases a holistic approach.
Only a well-planned and coordinated strategy with a combination of European and national measures addressing migration, skills, employment and labour market issues will enable the European MET industries to address the problem of labour shortages. Therefore, Ceemet’s suggestions to tackle increasing labour shortages include:
- investing in active labour market policies to urgently bring back to the labour market those individuals not in employment nor undergoing training;
- promoting intra-EU mobility;
- incentivising prolonged workforce participation;
- Continuing to invest in, and ensure, the adequate health and safety conditions in the workplace;
- and implementing well-designed legal migration policies.
As regards the measures which are necessary to address skills shortages, they should aim at improving career guidance systems, developing vocational education and training systems, upskilling and reskilling the workforce in the companies with agile on-the job training programmes. They should also aim at finding ways to motivate workers to follow training to remain employable and adapt to the twin transition.
For more information on the Ceemet position, please read here: https://www.ceemet.org/position-papers/education-training/tackling-labour-skills-shortages-in-the-met-industries/