Skills, Education and the Future of Work (Taidot työhön)

Public description of the goals at the beginning of the project

The advances in technology and increasing globalization cause major changes in the nature of work. Adapting to the changes requires new abilities and skills from the employees. In addition to qualifications achieved in formal education, practical skills such as ICT skills, foreign language skills, and social skills are in increasing demand.

Key questions are how the aging workforce can cope with the changes in skill requirements, how managers support the renewal, and how the skills of increasingly diverse population can be recognized and employed in productive working life.

In this project we evaluate the impact of the changes in the labour market on the demand for various skills. We also examine skill gaps in groups that have troubles adapting to these changes and design and test an intervention aiming at upgrading key labor market skills.

Public description of the results at the end of the project

The advances in technology and increasing globalization cause major changes in the nature of work. Adapting and adjusting to the changes in demand requires new skills from the workers. In addition to skills related to formal qualifications, practical skills related to computer use and foreign language skills, various non-cognitive skills, interpersonal skills, and career management skills are in increasing demand. Key questions are how the aging workforce can cope with the changes in skill requirements and on the other hand, how the skills of increasingly diverse population can be recognized and employed in productive working life.

In this project we have evaluated the effects of the changes in the labor market on demand for various skills. We have also examined skill gaps in groups that have troubles adapting to these changes and design and tested an intervention aiming at upgrading key labor market skills.