I have rather mixed feelings about this article on Euronews.

They report that "75% of employers in 21 European countries could not find workers equipped with the right skills in 2023". That figure rose to 82% in Germany and Greece. At first glance this seems to be an education problem, but I am not so sure.

As a long-term resident in Germany I know from personal experience that the required qualifications for many jobs are simply too stringent; the same is true in many European countries. The concept of acquiring skills through work experience is almost non-existent, in Germany and most of Western Europe. As a freelance contractor, I was luckily able to sidestep many of the requirements that apply to permanent employees, but to be employed in my industry one must have the right qualifications to work as a manager, developer or tester. My partner Sheryl has also been caught out by this: she is still taking a leadership/management course that is specific to her industry, because it is a mandatory requirement imposed by the German government, even though she is probably better qualified to teach the course than the actual instructors.

Even people with qualifications usually have issues with the requirements, if they qualified in another country. You may have the appropriate certificates, but the government will decide whether they qualify you for a job, on a case by case basis. The only country that I know of that is worse in this respect is New Zealand, which typically requires immigrants to re-qualify in their profession before they can work. This applies to managers, doctors, nurses, lawyers, accountants etc. My father was an experienced manager in TV and radio repair in the UK, but when he moved to New Zealand he was paid as a technician until he re-qualified (6 months to take all the local exams - at least he didn't have to actually sit in a classroom or work under supervision to get all his NZ technical tickets).

There are other issues at play here. People now entering the workforce don't seem to be as committed to education: they may drop out, change subjects mid-course, or simply fail the exams. It may be a case of "the world owes me a living" syndrome.

Nevertheless, some of the shortage of skilled labour could be eased by making the qualification requirements a little less tough, and recognising certificates issued in other countries. Time for a bit of common sense, I feel, although common sense seems to be in woefully short supply nowadays.