EESC Corner – Digital Skills in the Context of New Forms of Work

The Estonian presidency calls itself a digital presidency putting special emphasis on the promotion of an open and innovative European economy, in other words, on the development of a business environment which will support growth and competitiveness in all areas.

Development skills have been singled out as one of the areas of interest of the Estonian Presidency. In this context the Estonian Presidency submitted a request for exploratory opinion to the EESC on the Provision and development of skills, including digital skills, in the context of new forms of work: new policies and changing roles and responsibilities, which was discussed and adopted on 528. Plenary session on 20 September 2017.

Due to the availability of very high-capacity broadband networks, a growing number of atypical work forms are being developed. Automation and robots will also have a significant impact on the future of work: they can replace monotonous, heavy or dangerous work and can be particularly helpful for people with physical disabilities; they have the potential to stabilize the economy in an ageing society. Yet, a significant number of jobs could be affected by the introduction of more robots into the workplace. This is why the EESC believes that a social dialogue will be needed at an early stage.

Taking into account these challenges, the EESC is of the opinion that it should be ensured that appropriate skills will be available, so that Europe remains competitive and is able to create new businesses and new jobs, people can remain integrated into the labour market throughout their entire working lives, and that well-being for all is assured. These future skills should match societal needs and the demands of the labour market. Lifelong learning will be a necessity for everyone, while much more time will have to be devoted to professional training and informal learning. More specifically, public and private organisations will have to provide professional training in new technologies, especially for those who do not have the capacity to organise training themselves, such as SMEs, the liberal professions and the self-employed. Long-term developments though, which may lead to new and unpredictable challenges where today’s skills can quickly become obsolete, can best be dealt with by general education. Qualitative preparation of educators will, therefore, be of key importance, according to the EESC, as well as their status in terms of professional exibility, remuneration, and social guarantees.

Vladimíra Drbalová
Member of the EESC, Group I – Employers