Hello and welcome to the SEDEFO Podcast Skillset and Match.

I'm Rosie Vooduri and today's theme is SEDAFOP's second wave of the European Skills

and Job Survey.

The survey was conducted in the summer of 2021,

in all EU member states, Iceland and Norway, and over 46,000 workers gave their views on how

digitalization affects them, how their skills match with their jobs, and on their readiness to invest in continuous vocational

training. There is now a consensus among policymakers and experts that shaping the future

of work requires a skills revolution and action to address the so-called digital divides,

where more vulnerable people, including inactive or retired and offset and socioeconomic

background, lack basic digital skills. With 2023 being the European Year of Skills, the survey

findings become even more important. Sedefob explored ways of powering the European digital

transition in a high-level conference

which acted as a curtain-raiser for the year.

In his keynote speech, European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nicholas Schmidt

stressed that the EU's policies focus on digital equality with 170 billion euros of next-generation EU funds dedicated to digitalization.

He highlighted SETAFOB's role in the Year of Skills and the survey's valuable information for Europe's journey towards meeting its targets.

Another keynote speaker, Nobel laureate economist Professor Christopher

Pisaridis, noted that digital technologies are opening up new avenues for progress which

we can control, arguing that both companies and governments have an important role to play

in achieving sustainable and inclusive growth through the provision of good jobs and

restructured education and skills.

With me to talk about all these issues are Manuela Prina, the European Training Foundation's

...