The public sector of the EU countries has a shortage of 8.6 million people with necessary skills across three categories, according to new research by McKinsey. In their article they show that the region will lack 3.7 million people with ‘classical’ skills (e.g. problem-solving and creativity), 3.2 million in ‘Digital Citizenship’ skills (digital literacy) as well as 1.7 million in technological skills.
The article highlights that for Europe to close this skills gap new thinking and processes must be applied in recruiting, upskilling and reskilling. When recruiting, the authors suggest that the workplaces start focusing more on competences rather than qualifications while providing regular mentoring and support to their employees. They also mention that upskilling of employees should have a well-developed online practice to make it as easily accessible and manageable as possible, while reskilling relies heavily on strong partnerships with universities and other external educational facilities to provide appropriate learning platforms.
See the full article on McKinsey’s website.
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