Periodic Reporting for period 1 - GS4S (Global Strategy for Skills, Migration, and Development)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2024-01-01 do 2024-12-31
In the context of green and digital transitions and with an aging workforce, the EU is faced with the challenge of finding people with the right skills for their rapidly changing labor markets. However, skills shortages are recognized as a global problem, which has led to increased competition for talent. Swift changes in skills development globally and migration and mobilities policies to cater to such changes are needed.
Between 2024 and 2026, 'Global Strategy for Skills, Migration and Development' (GS4S) aims to develop new knowledge and innovative tools for ethical, equitable, scalable and sustainable solutions for skills shortages in Digital, Care and Construction sectors. The interdisciplinary consortium led by Radboud University studies the potential of skills mobility/talent partnerships, labor migration, and six additional alternatives to address skills shortages, with a broad geographical focus on: EU, EEA, Western Balkan, Middle East and Northern Africa, West Africa, and South/South-East Asia. GS4S notably captures business strategies for filling skills shortages, and experiences of migrant workers with skilling, upskilling and reskilling.
Our research question is: ''What skilled migration schemes or alternatives do businesses prefer to address their skilled labor shortages and what types of public/private policies are needed to facilitate addressing (future) skills needs in a sustainable way?'' To address it, we have three timely objectives:
1. Build on existing and develop new knowledge on qualifications and workforce availability globally. By assessing a variety of skills partnerships, we provide innovative analyses that go beyond migration governance and lie at the intersection of MEDT policy fields (i.e. migration, education, development & trade).
2. Explore labor migration and alternative ways to fill labor shortages from a business perspective at macro, meso and micro levels.
3. Design practical tools for policy makers, businesses, educational institutions and skilled workers to better meet labor market needs, offering a set of actions that can form part of a global strategy for skills.
With its comprehensive, mixed-methods approach, GS4S directly tackles challenges such as: limited data availability, non-targeted decision making, absence of large-scale research on impact of MNEs and SMEs for filling skills shortages or underrepresentation of migrants’ perspectives. In this way, we work toward mid-term and long-lasting (2050) impact in scientific, economic, societal and policy realms. This is well-captured in our contributions to SDG 3 - Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, SDG 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all, and SDG 8 - Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. For more information on our project and publications, we invite you to consult our website: https://www.gs4s.eu/(odnośnik otworzy się w nowym oknie).
Between 2024 and 2026, 'Global Strategy for Skills, Migration and Development' (GS4S) aims to develop new knowledge and innovative tools for ethical, equitable, scalable and sustainable solutions for skills shortages in Digital, Care and Construction sectors. The interdisciplinary consortium led by Radboud University studies the potential of skills mobility/talent partnerships, labor migration, and six additional alternatives to address skills shortages, with a broad geographical focus on: EU, EEA, Western Balkan, Middle East and Northern Africa, West Africa, and South/South-East Asia. GS4S notably captures business strategies for filling skills shortages, and experiences of migrant workers with skilling, upskilling and reskilling.
Our research question is: ''What skilled migration schemes or alternatives do businesses prefer to address their skilled labor shortages and what types of public/private policies are needed to facilitate addressing (future) skills needs in a sustainable way?'' To address it, we have three timely objectives:
1. Build on existing and develop new knowledge on qualifications and workforce availability globally. By assessing a variety of skills partnerships, we provide innovative analyses that go beyond migration governance and lie at the intersection of MEDT policy fields (i.e. migration, education, development & trade).
2. Explore labor migration and alternative ways to fill labor shortages from a business perspective at macro, meso and micro levels.
3. Design practical tools for policy makers, businesses, educational institutions and skilled workers to better meet labor market needs, offering a set of actions that can form part of a global strategy for skills.
With its comprehensive, mixed-methods approach, GS4S directly tackles challenges such as: limited data availability, non-targeted decision making, absence of large-scale research on impact of MNEs and SMEs for filling skills shortages or underrepresentation of migrants’ perspectives. In this way, we work toward mid-term and long-lasting (2050) impact in scientific, economic, societal and policy realms. This is well-captured in our contributions to SDG 3 - Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, SDG 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all, and SDG 8 - Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. For more information on our project and publications, we invite you to consult our website: https://www.gs4s.eu/(odnośnik otworzy się w nowym oknie).
In February 2024, GS4S team held its kick-off meeting in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Since then, the consortium has been meeting online to share knowledge and updates, but also established close cooperation with its sister projects - Link4Skills and Skills4Justice. The latter was described in an internal memorandum (Milestone 1), which has inspired our ongoing work on joint proposals and events. Moreover, GS4S established its Social and Scientific Board (incl. Gender and Equality board), and organized the first annual meeting in September 2024 - Milestone 2 of the project As part of WP1: Management, the consortium completed the Project Action Plan and the Data Management Plan (updated in January 2025). In June 2024, we received the approval of the Ethics Assessment Committee Law and Management of Radboud University.
Research work packages (WP2-WP6) resulted in close to 40 (internal and public) outputs in 2024, reflecting the interdisciplinary essence of our project.
Notably, we completed four working papers (D7.3) and one policy brief studying policy implications of skills-oriented migration from the Western Balkans (D2.3). Working papers cover a wide array of topics, including (i) the (relevant) role of skills-shortages in migration aspirations in the Western Balkans (WP3, T3.3) (ii) overeducation of immigrants in Europe (WP5, T5.1) (iii) a big data approach to locating shortages in potential countries of origin (WP3, T3.3) and (iv) the potential skilling, upskilling, and reskilling opportunities for the migration and mobility of workers in Egypt, Bangladesh and Nigeria (WP6, T6.2). Working papers (ii) and (iii) were also accompanied by digital tools: an interactive dashboard: ''Skill waste across EU Member States'' (D5.1) and a database on vacancies in non-EU countries (D3.1). In early 2025, we finalized the fifth working paper, exploring the potential of international business-to-business approaches to address skills shortages (WP2). We are now preparing several submissions to scientific journals on the basis of our working papers, and are excited to make further scientific contributions. In the meantime, working papers and the policy brief are available on Zenodo and the GS4S website: https://gs4s.eu/working-paper-series/(odnośnik otworzy się w nowym oknie).
GS4S partners also finalized nine internal country reports studying the intersection of migration, education and development policies in Bangladesh, Italy, Estonia, The Netherlands, Serbia, Nigeria, Egypt, Switzerland and Germany (WP2, T2.2). The reports, based on desk research and in selected cases expert policy interviews will inform a comparative working paper and contribute to building on existing and creating new knowledge. Internal country reports were furthermore completed on the topic of the current state and most effective forms of up-/re-skilling programs for (not exclusively) migrants and refugees in Estonia, Italy, The Netherlands, Switzerland, and Germany (WP5, T5.2) , and will feed into further tasks. At this time, all project activities are on track, including a preparation for two surveys. The surveys will highlight and capture business strategies for filling skills shortages (WP4) and migrant perspectives in Egypt, Bangladesh and Nigeria (WP6).
Research work packages (WP2-WP6) resulted in close to 40 (internal and public) outputs in 2024, reflecting the interdisciplinary essence of our project.
Notably, we completed four working papers (D7.3) and one policy brief studying policy implications of skills-oriented migration from the Western Balkans (D2.3). Working papers cover a wide array of topics, including (i) the (relevant) role of skills-shortages in migration aspirations in the Western Balkans (WP3, T3.3) (ii) overeducation of immigrants in Europe (WP5, T5.1) (iii) a big data approach to locating shortages in potential countries of origin (WP3, T3.3) and (iv) the potential skilling, upskilling, and reskilling opportunities for the migration and mobility of workers in Egypt, Bangladesh and Nigeria (WP6, T6.2). Working papers (ii) and (iii) were also accompanied by digital tools: an interactive dashboard: ''Skill waste across EU Member States'' (D5.1) and a database on vacancies in non-EU countries (D3.1). In early 2025, we finalized the fifth working paper, exploring the potential of international business-to-business approaches to address skills shortages (WP2). We are now preparing several submissions to scientific journals on the basis of our working papers, and are excited to make further scientific contributions. In the meantime, working papers and the policy brief are available on Zenodo and the GS4S website: https://gs4s.eu/working-paper-series/(odnośnik otworzy się w nowym oknie).
GS4S partners also finalized nine internal country reports studying the intersection of migration, education and development policies in Bangladesh, Italy, Estonia, The Netherlands, Serbia, Nigeria, Egypt, Switzerland and Germany (WP2, T2.2). The reports, based on desk research and in selected cases expert policy interviews will inform a comparative working paper and contribute to building on existing and creating new knowledge. Internal country reports were furthermore completed on the topic of the current state and most effective forms of up-/re-skilling programs for (not exclusively) migrants and refugees in Estonia, Italy, The Netherlands, Switzerland, and Germany (WP5, T5.2) , and will feed into further tasks. At this time, all project activities are on track, including a preparation for two surveys. The surveys will highlight and capture business strategies for filling skills shortages (WP4) and migrant perspectives in Egypt, Bangladesh and Nigeria (WP6).
In September 2024, GS4S presented a novel digital tool, ''Interactive Dashboard: Skill Waste Across EU Member States.'' The user-friendly tool allows users to understand (the change) in overeducation trends. Moreover, the dashboard differentiates between groups of workers (native population, EU vs. non-EU immigrants and male vs. female workers) to reveal insights about the persistence of differences in overeducation between native vs. immigrant populations. These findings have clear messages for public policy, as described in detail in the working paper: Dalmonte, A., Frattini, T., & Giorgini, S. (2024). The Overeducation of Immigrants in Europe. Global Strategy for Skills, Migration and Development (GS4S). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14071464(odnośnik otworzy się w nowym oknie).