Skills strategies for future labour markets

Many countries are experiencing a persistent gap between the skills needed in the labour market and those offered by the workforce. Skills anticipation is a strategic and systematic process through which labour market actors identify and prepare to meet future skills needs, thus helping to avoid potential gaps between skills demand and supply. A skills anticipation strategy enables training providers, young people, policy-makers, employers and workers to make better educational and training choices, and through institutional mechanisms and information resources leads to improved use of skills and human capital development.

The Branch’s area of work on Skills Strategies for Future Labour Markets helps ILO constituents to develop forward looking approaches to adapt skills development to the labour market demand and to respond to industrial, sectoral, trade, technology and environmental policies and challenges. Technical support provided by this area of work includes assistance in building systems and institutions to anticipate skill needs and minimise skills mismatches. It also develops, adapts and applies knowledge and tools on skills anticipation and improved labour market outcomes of learning.

The Branch's research and technical assistance on Skills Strategies for Future Labour Markets includes work on:

Key Resources

  1. Guidelines on Rapid Assessment of reskilling and upskilling needs in response to the COVID-19 crisis

    Skills development has an important role to play in the immediate effort to lessen the impact of COVID-19 while the pandemic is active, in building the resilience of workers and firms, and in preparing for recovery. Time is of the essence in this response, to help speed recovery from recession, to get people back to work safely, to limit the career scarring effects of prolonged unemployment and skills mismatch, and to take advantage of opportunities that may otherwise dissipate over time. These Rapid Assessment guidelines aim to inform timely and practical action within the constraints of public health and workplace OSH policies. The guidelines focus on three broad types of impact on the labour market, and hence on demand for skills and opportunities for workers, with implications for reskilling and upskilling needs.

  2. Guidance Note: Anticipating and matching skills and jobs

    Many countries are experiencing a persistent gap between the skills needed in the labour market and those offered by the workforce. Skills anticipation is a strategic and systematic process through which labour market actors identify and prepare to meet future skills needs, thus helping to avoid potential gaps between skills demand and supply. Skills anticipation enables training providers, young people, policy-makers, employers and workers to make better educational and training choices, and through institutional mechanisms and information resources leads to improved use of skills and human capital development. This guidance note explains the key components of skills anticipation systems, including data, methodologies, tools and institutions