Job opportunities in the Information Society
The conclusions of a report recently adopted by the European Commission, reveal that employment prospects in the Information Society sector are promising, if Europe acts decisively to make the most of the potential offered by this rapidly growing and changing industry. The report was adopted by the Commission in the framework of the European Employment Strategy and in the run-up to the next European Council in Vienna, on the joint initiative of the European Commissioner for employment and social affairs, Mr Padraig Flynn, and the President of the Commission, Mr Jacques Santer. The report reveals that information technologies have rapidly become one of the biggest and fastest-growing sectors in the EU economy, already accounting for over 5% of the GDP. The sector now also leads employment growth in Europe, with over 4 million people working in the sector. The future potential of the sector is also described in the report, with examples such as the European audiovisual market, which is expected to grow by some 70% between now and 2005. Despite the obvious potential for employment creation one of the largest remaining problems is that of skill shortages, with over 500,000 IT jobs in Europe currently unfilled. The report finds that action is required in three main areas: - The need for more action to create an enterprise culture in order to create an environment where new ideas, new start-ups, and new products and services can flourish. Access to finance in this context is underlined as critical for the creation of an enterprise culture; - Organisational change and adaptability is also vital if the full potential of new technologies is to be exploited to improve efficiency and develop new products and services; - Skills and technical literacy levels also need to be boosted if the full employment potential of the Information Society is to be maximised. The Commission therefore recommends a series of actions requiring urgent attention. They recommend that Member States should submit a comprehensive strategy by June 1999 taking into account the priorities outlined. Top priority should also be given to ensuring the swift implementation of EU initiatives related to the Information Society. The Information Society industries are also invited to present their priorities for strengthening EU leadership in this field and in particular relation to exploiting employment potential by June 1999. Social partners are also invited to develop a framework for modernisation designed to promote the introduction of new technology and new work organisation in the knowledge-based economy.