LABOUR AND SKILL SHORTAGES IN THE EU!
The ENRF participated in the Research Seminar on “Labour and Skill Shortages in the EU” which aimed at discussing the theoretical, methodological and policy implications of the latest economic and social research. Labour shortages peaked at the end of 2019, were interrupted by the Covid-19 crisis but re-emerged during the post-pandemic recovery in different sector such as healthcare, hospitality, construction and ICT.The lack of qualified professionals is the consequence of lack of skills.
In the healthcare sector, healthcare professionals are overloaded with frontline work, unsustainable rhythms and high levels of stress, having an inevitable consequence on the abandonment of the profession. This is what is happening to nurses who are massively leaving the nursing profession due to low salary and terrible workingconditions.
Barbara Kauffmann Director, Employment and Social Governance, Analysis – DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion recognised that the labour shortage increased a lot in the healthcare sector, above all during due to Covid-19 pandemic which caused the deteriorating of working conditions and she added “This is an important topic for the EU agenda. The EU Commission is very active to guarantee active support to employees and a fair transition to climate neutrality, focusing on 2 key areas: Active support to quality employment and reskilling people to be competitive in the labour market (skills intelligence)”.
Moreover, the Covid-19 pandemic consequences affected the labour market boosting change, in terms of technologies, innovations and new skills. According to the research discussed at the seminar, after Covid-19, lots of firms started to invest more and more in innovative trainings in order to give new digital skills to its employees to make them more competitive in the new emerging labour market.
Upskilling and reskilling of nurses and allied healthcare professionals represents a fundamental step forward for creating a resilient healthcare ecosystem able to face new challenges.
BeWell is aiming to promote the upskilling and reskilling of the European health workforce. Embedded in the European Skills Agenda 2020, the project partners will, over four years (2022-2026), develop a green and digital skills strategy for the health ecosystem that can be implemented at a local, regional, national, and ultimately at the European level through the Pact for Skills. Upskilling and reskilling can only happen through the engagement of frontline nurses and nursing researchers in the co-creation of digital tools, impacting on workflows of frontline nurses and the entire nursing profession.
