Cedefop looks into selected sectors of the economy to identify new and emerging skill needs. Sectoral workshops are organised regularly to discuss the current situation and the development potential of a particular sector focusing on future skill requirements. A background study, if available, workshop proceedings and a Skillsnet ‘sector flash’ are published by Cedefop after each sectoral workshop highlighting the main trends, developments and skill needs in the sector. Cedefop has looked into selected sectors of the economy to identify the latest trends and skill needs. It investigates future skill needs but mainly the emergence of new skill needs which are not (yet) covered by related policies and statistics. This information is necessary for future-oriented policies, defining and validating skills, knowledge and competences and implementing them in curricula, training regulations, and qualification standards as well as using them for vocational guidance.

Highlights in five fields

Short-term Sector-Based Anticipatory System (SBAS):

The development of a short-term Sector-Based Anticipatory System (SBAS) aims at complementing and integrating existing European tools with methods and data for anticipating labour market trends and skill needs at European level.

The goal is to identify emerging competences and short-term skill needs at EU and MS level taking into account the distinctive characteristics and responsiveness of different sectors to change, with the purpose of providing well-structured and comprehensible information on skill needs to a targeted group of labour market and policy actors.


As European society ages, healthcare and related social services are becoming increasingly important. This growing demand for services that are provided by the public sector in many Member States is creating unprecedented pressures on health and social care systems. Member States are facing skills shortages in healthcare occupations such as nurses, medical specialists, and health technicians. To cover these shortages, vocational qualifications can facilitate entry- level career opportunities and open pathways to higher education.

Agri-food and forestry-wood:

The demand for new skills and for a different type of the workforce is characterised by diversification of primary production to generate more income from other sources and enlargement. Here are the skills that determine the success of entrepreneurs in agri-food and forestry-wood sectors.



Nanotechnology provides great opportunities not only for sciences but also for the everyday life of individuals. It has a interdisciplinary character and, therefore, it is difficult to identify future skill needs, especially at intermediate level. Europe already experiences a shortage of specialists and scientists with tertiary education, this shortage is expected to increase in the future.


The tourism sector can offer unique growth potential to an economy but it is necessary to adapt to new demands and market needs. New social trends generate new occupations. For example, tourism for the disabled and those with restricted mobility has become important. Multiskilling and new hybrid occupations reflect the trend of the demand for new types of tourism products and services (more complex and sophisticated) and the growing demand for functional flexibility of the labour force. In terms of specific skill requirements, personal and social skills are most sought after across all countries.


For older publications related to sectoral analysis, click here.

Project contacts

Skills Analysis Team