Efforts to Tackle Skills Shortages Across Policy Domains – Reflections from Migration, Education, and Development Policies

This working paper is D7.3 (T3.4) of the Horizon Europe project GS4S - Global Strategy for Skills, Migration and Development (gs4s.eu). Labour shortages are becoming a critical issue across Europe, reaching historical highs in various sectors. These shortages pose serious risks, undermining essential services like healthcare and slowing down progress on major initiatives, such as the green transition. Europe’s ageing population compounds these challenges, putting further pressure on the labour market and threatening the European Union’s economic prosperity. This working paper examines the complex landscape of policy approaches to addressing skills shortages in Europe, offering a comparative analysis of interventions across migration, education, and development policy domains. Through a detailed exploration of policy responses at both national and European levels, the paper provides a typology of alternatives for mitigating shortages across these policy areas, with a particular focus on the digital, care, and construction sectors. By analysing the diversity of policy responses, the paper identifies emerging trends, challenges, and untapped opportunities to bridge skills gaps in Europe including through enhanced coherence across policy domains. From this typology of potential solutions, it concludes with actionable recommendations to inform future policy development.