New evidence from Cedefop’s second European skills and jobs survey

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Foreword

Digitalisation has been a powerful driver in labour markets and society for decades. The first reference to the ‘information society’ concept in an EU policy document dates to 1979. The Delors White Paper in 1993 advocated developing a pan-European information structure to boost economic growth and to create new markets and jobs. At the start of the ICT revolution, the paper already acknowledged that digital skills are at the core of employability.

Thirty years later, we see all around us that digitalisation has transformed the way we live, work and learn. With digitalisation accelerating, the future of work is here and no longer a buzz phrase referring to the nature of employment, jobs and skills in a distant future. Positioned strategically alongside the green transition, a just digital transformation has become a key policy concern.

Jobless future scenarios propagated by technological alarmists at the time technology accelerated will not materialise. This report clearly shows that the digital transition is first and foremost a skills tran- sition, not an uncontrollable job destructing megatrend. Some jobs will be lost and some tasks will be taken over by robots or other technology but, simultaneously, new jobs and tasks will emerge.

EU digitalisation, (vocational) education and training and skills policies rightly emphasise how crucial it is that Europe’s citizens have the possibilities and means to develop, upgrade or update their digital skills. To be fully effective, such policies need to be complemented with innovative approaches to pro- moting skills utilisation in work, by reshaping or redesigning jobs, maximising their learning potential, empowering workers or via new approaches to work organisation.

This report uses Cedefop’s second European skills and jobs survey (ESJS2) to provide new empirical insight into how digitalisation impacts different types of jobs and groups of adult workers with different skills levels. Going beyond what is common in many other surveys of workers, it details the impact of the pandemic, maps the use of different types of digital technology and their implications for jobs and workers, and reflects on changing tasks and skills needs. These novel and innovative aspects of the survey help make the case for public and private action that blends skills formation, job enrichment and task upgrading.

With this report, Cedefop aims to provide state-of-the-art evidence in support of the EU’s digital and skills agendas and their ambitious targets. The 2023 European Year of Skills is an excellent opportunity to engage in further discussion and debate on how to support business and citizens to take ownership in using technology to transition to a more prosperous and fair society.

Jürgen Siebel Antonio Ranieri

Executive Director Head of Department for VET and skills

Cedefop (2022). Setting Europe on course for a human digital transition: new evidence from Cedefop’s second European skills and jobs survey. Luxembourg: Publications Office. Cedefop reference series; No 123 http://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2801/253954