On the 10th of June, the European Commission has adopted a new and comprehensive Skills Agenda for Europe. The aim is to ensure that people develop a broad set of skills from early on in life and to make the most of Europe's human capital, which will ultimately boost employability, competitiveness and growth in Europe.
In the future, it is estimated that nearly all jobs will require some level of digital skills. The Digital Single Market could contribute €415 billion per year to the EU economy, therefore making the adoption of digital skills crucial step towards innovation and inclusion of EU citizens. According to studies, 70 million Europeans lack adequate reading and writing skills, and even more have poor numeracy and digitals skills. 40% of European employers report that they cannot find people with the right skills to grow and innovate. By 2020 there will be 756.000 unfilled vacancies for ICT professionals in the whole economy. New ways of working, including collaborative economy models, the digitalization of various facets of life, and changes in work organization across industries all have an impact on the types of skills needed.