The EU is facing a critical shortfall of skilled workforce to meet its economic ambition and to tackle the double digital and green challenge. Nearly two-thirds of Europe’s 25 million SMEs say they cannot find the right workers with the right skills.
The EU is facing a critical shortfall of skilled workforce to meet its economic ambition and to tackle the double digital and green challenge. Nearly two-thirds of Europe’s 25 million SMEs say they cannot find the right workers with the right skills. The need is visible across sectors and levels, regions and member states. The demand for industry related and tech-related skills should be taken as a primary concern in every emerging economic strategy. Demography and brain drain are disrupting the labour market despite numerous strategies and plans, both EU and national.
There are multiple questions that need to be tackled. Why do skilled workers choose employers beyond their own country or the EU? How are changing workers’ expectations met by the European labour market: the wage policies, the work-life balance, the technologies, affordable housing and childcare, and the integration of migrants? And which liberal solutions can be proposed to improve the labour market shortages? Is it for example time for a truly integrated internal labour market? What barriers stand in the way, and how can they be overcome?
10:00 Registration
10:30 Opening
Alva Finn, Executive Director, European Liberal Forum
Borislav Gutsanov, Minister of Labour and Social Policy, Bulgaria (tbc)
10:40 Presentation of the Bulgarian innovative social start-up “Bulgaria Wants You”
Speaker: Andrey Arnaudov, Co-Founder of “Bulgaria Wants You”, TV personality, Entrepreneur
10:50 Presentation by the authors : « EU Labour Market: Liberal Solutions to Retain, Attract and Innovate »
Speakers: Benjamin Robitaille, Research Fellow at the European Liberal Forum, Belgium
Freedom and fairness on the road towards a genuinely flexible labour market.
Riccardo Fratini, Scientific Committee of the Luigi Einaudi Foundation, Italy
Workforce analytics as a liberal lever for innovation in the EU Labour Market
Joana de Matos Monteiro, IT professional and Political Opinion Writer, Portugal
Bridging the Digital Skills Gap: Rethinking Education and Career in the Age of AI
Cristian David, President, Institute for Freedom and Democracy, Romania
Brain Drain and Brain (Re)Gain
11:45 Discussion
The role of the national and European levels of governance and regulation; economic and social dimentions of the labour force movement; incentives to attract talent and their financing; the role of technology, the institutions and the private sector.
Moderator: Chrisrtina Christova, Minister of Labour and Social Policy of Bulgaria (2003-2005)
12:45 Closing remarks
13:00 Family photo &networking
13:30 Еnd of the event