Cedefop’s European skills and jobs survey (ESJS) is the Centre’s first large-scale EU-wide survey, carried out to investigate the determinants of skills formation and skill mismatch among EU adult workers. A first wave was carried out in 2014 and collected data from about 49,000 adult employees from the 28 EU Member States. The first wave of the survey focused on obtaining deeper understanding of the complexities and drivers of skill mismatch in EU labour markets, for the purposes of informing the EU’s vocational education and training, skills and employment agenda.
In 2018 Cedefop decided to invest in a second wave of the ESJS, with fieldwork to take place in 2021. Following extensive consultation, and to provide answers to ongoing concerns about the ‘future of work and skills’, it was agreed that the 2nd wave of the ESJS should adopt a stronger focus on the relationship between technological change, digitalisation and the skill mismatch of EU adult workers.
To facilitate the development of the survey instrument, Cedefop has put together an expert working group of leading experts on skills, skill mismatch and the impact of digitalisation on labour markets. The expert working group guarantees the value added of the new survey by ensuring that the proposed focus and objectives of the 2nd ESJS survey are in alignment with state-of-the-art research and policy analysis and by providing deeper understanding of research and policymaking needs; the group also highlights potential barriers, biases and challenges to survey implementation, drawing from international survey experience.
Aim of meeting
The key aim of the 2nd meeting of the expert group was for Cedefop to validate the structure and content of the draft 2nd ESJS questionnaire and collect useful feedback for its revision prior to the initiation of the main survey implementation process in 2020-21.
During the meeting Cedefop:
- Presented to the group the progress made in relation to the development of a first draft questionnaire of the 2nd ESJS, as well as the survey implementation proceedings and planned future project actions;
- Consulted the group on whether the developed draft would be able to meet the stated objectives of the survey;
- Considered with the group if the developed draft would be able to facilitate desired empirical and policy analysis;
- Received inputs by the group on the need to revise the draft survey instrument.
This event was restricted to the invited expert group.