European Economic
and Social Committee
Labour and skills shortages in transport, energy, infrastructure and the digital sector
Background
The energy transition, central to Europe's commitment to a sustainable future, demands not just technological advancements but also a skilled and adaptive workforce. As the continent pivots towards greener energy solutions, there is an urgent need to equip its citizens with the requisite skills. These skills, ranging from renewable energy management to sustainable infrastructure development, are pivotal in ensuring that the transition is smooth, efficient, and inclusive.
Besides looking at green skills, in the medium term, the growing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) will lead to profound changes in our society, including in the field of work.
Digital services and AI will improve healthcare increase productivity and help mitigate climate change, but only if we ensure that AI develops in a human-centric, transparent and responsible way based on EU values.
Moreover, Europe is facing demographic changes, characterised by an ageing population and declining birth rates, which are leading to a significant decline in the labour supply and therefore to significant shortage of staff in certain sectors such as transport and energy. The lack of human resources has an impact on the whole EU economy.
The journey to acquiring these skills presents a set of challenges. Traditional educational and vocational training curricula might not yet be aligned with the rapidly evolving demands of the green energy and transport sectors as well as the demands for enhanced digital competences. There is a risk of creating a skills gap and skill mismatches, where specific demographic groups, especially those already vulnerable, might be left behind.
In this regard, Member States have an important role to play in providing proper basic education, labour market policies and promoting the education and integration of those third country people who are already in the EU. Employers have a similarly important role to play in increasing on-the-job training, competing for workers by offering the most attractive jobs.
This own-initiative opinion therefore aims to shed light on the relationship between work and the ongoing green and digital transformations.
Key points
The EESC:
- highlights the increasing challenge of labour and skills shortages in the transport, energy, infrastructure, and digital technology sectors. These sectors are crucial for the prosperity and ecological sustainability of the EU and are central to the European Green Deal as well as to the future competitiveness of the EU.
- believes that more ambitious measures are needed to ensure a just transition which includes the promotion of quality jobs, labour market’s balance and the improvement of working conditions.
- recognises the important role of the social partners in developing and implementing measures to address labour and skills shortages.
- suggests developing and financing targeted programmes learner-centric guidance and coordinated learner support measures to facilitate the entry of underrepresented and disadvantaged groups into the labour market. These include women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) professions, people with a migration background, people with a disability, and older workers.
- encourages the Member States could implement training funds managed in a tripartite way respecting the features of different national systems, in order to reduce disincentives and support businesses in providing on-the-job training, such as apprenticeships.
Additional information
Section: Transport, Energy, Infrastructure and the Information Society (TEN)
Opinion number: TEN/836
Opinion type: Own-initiative
Rapporteur: Thomas Kattnig (Group II - Austria)
Date of adoption by section: 26 September 2024
Result of the vote: 69 in favour, 1 against, 0 abstentions
Date of adoption in plenary: 4-5 December 2024
Result of the vote: XXX in favour, X against, X abstentions
Contact
Marco Pezzani
Press Officer
Tel.: +32 2 546 9793 | Mob: +32 470 881 903
E-mail: marco.pezzani@eesc.europa.eu
Francesco Napolitano
Administrator
Tel.: +32 546 8921