New ‘European Skills Index’

But other aspects also matter: how smoothly people move into work; how many and which groups of the population are economically active; and how well their skills are utilised at work. Skills development, activation and matching: it is these three aspects that make up a country’s skills system.

Cedefop Acting Director Mara Brugia noted: ‘To date, there has been no single measure to assess countries’ complex skills systems and compare their performance. Nor are there any easy answers to the question of how they can be made more effective. To fill this gap, Cedefop has developed the ESI, a monitoring tool, providing a snapshot of how countries’ skills systems perform.’

The ESI helps countries understand what is driving their results. It indicates scope for improvement and guides them to areas they need to focus on. It can also shed light on the relationship between various external factors and the outcomes of a country’s system for its economy and citizens.

The overall index reveals where countries stand. No Member State reaches, or comes close to, the ideal score of 100. The Czech Republic scored highest (75), followed by Finland, Sweden, and Luxembourg, based on 2016 data. Together with Slovenia, Estonia and Denmark, these countries are the top performers with results above 67. Half of the countries, mainly from western, central and eastern Europe, achieved scores in the mid-range, from 45 to 62. The remaining 25%, most from the south and south-east, scored below 45.

Over the years, the ESI will help Member States assess if the steps taken have led to better results and will indicate where further action is required to support continuous improvement of their skills systems.