Skills forecast 2030 predicts job losses for teachers

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Cedefop has recently published its report Skills forecast: trends and challenges to 2030, which examines labour force trends in Europe, the implications for occupations, the qualifications and skills mismatch, and the job task content from now until the year 2030.

A reduction in physical tasks and a rise in intellectual tasks is foreseen leading to expansion in areas such as management, professional and associate professional jobs, as well as in the food, retail and hospitality industries. According to Cedefop, competences for future job tasks will therefore include business literacy, numeracy (accounting and analytic), creativity, problem-solving, information-gathering and evaluation, basic ICT knowledge, and programming skills. Social skills such as serving, selling, teaching, managing, autonomy and teamwork will also be essential for many face-to-face tasks.

According to Cedefop, there will be limited growth in the education section as a direct result of austerity measures. Although moderate growth is expected in certain countries, overall, job losses are anticipated within the teaching profession.

This report also invites reflection on how education and employment policies will respond to the transformation of the labour market. It ponders whether adult learning will be sufficient to sustain upskilling and reskilling of the labour force in the digital era and asks how employment can be protected in sectors where technology has the highest penetration. Cedefop also calls on education policy makers to work closely with social partners to ensure that workers are equipped with the right skills for their jobs and to avoid qualifications and skill mismatch. For further reading, the report can be accessed here.