Integration: New Skills Profile tool to help non-EU nationals enter the labour market

21 Jun 2017 02:06 PM

On the occasion of the United Nations' World Refugee Day, the European Commission yesterday released the 'EU Skills Profile Tool for Third-Country Nationals'.

It is an off – and online web editor that will make it possible for non-EU nationals to present their skills, qualifications, and experiences in a way that is well understood by employers, education and training providers and organisations working with migrants across the whole European Union.

Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility, Marianne Thyssen, yesterday said: "In today's world of work we need everyone to be able to fully use their skills in our labour markets. The talents of non-EU nationals cannot be wasted. Our 'Skills Profile Tool' will facilitate their pathway towards work. It will also allow national administrations to have a clear understanding of their skills and qualifications, which will enable administrations to tackle challenges and seize opportunities relating to the integration of refugees, asylum seekers and other migrants in the labour market. This is a win-win for all."

Dimitris Avramopoulos, Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, said: "Migrants come with their own experience, talents and skills that can be real assets for our economies and societies. Investing in early labour market integration is therefore paramount. Successful integration is key if we want to turn migration into an opportunity for everyone involved. Our 'Skills Profile' will shorten the journey for newly arrived non-EU nationals to employment by making their individual skills sets visible.

The Skills Profile Tool will be a first instrument for reception centres, integration services, public employment services and other organisations offering services to non-EU nationals to make sure their skills and education are recognised, and to further guide them to training, education or employment. In addition to giving an overview of a non-EU national's skills profile – comparable with a CV – the tool helps migration organisations to identify individuals' specific needs for integration into the labour market. Ultimately this will simplify the process of matching jobseekers to vacancies.

Integration of non-EU nationals into the labour market is one of the most important challenges we face together, especially in light of the past, current and future inflow of refugees and asylum seekers. Indeed, the cost of non-integration is far greater in the long run than the cost of effective integration policies, and in light of digitalisation and an ageing society, Europe has an interest in becoming an attractive destination for the talent our economies need.To make the best of our human capital, we need to put all talent in the EU to use.

Background

The 'EU Skills Profile Tool' is one of the ten Key Actions announced in the New Skills Agenda for Europe. One year on from the launch of the New Skills Agenda, the Commission has delivered on a number of key actions related to increasing skills levels and making better use of existing skills in Europe.

The Skills Profile Tool aims at addressing mismatches between skills and jobs of non-EU nationals. It targets both those with a high level of education – who perhaps need help to get their qualifications recognised – and those with a low level of education and who need further education and training to obtain the skills needed in our labour market. In addition, among some non-EU nationals, limited abilities in the host countries' language(s) may hinder their labour market integration; the Skills Profile Tool will help to identify these gaps.The tool complements other tools for skills transparency such as Europass and the European Qualifications Framework, which have both been revised under the New Skills Agenda to allows employers, education and training providers and relevant authorities to compare national qualifications across the EU and internationally.

The 'EU Skills Profile Tool' is also coherent with the European Commission's Action Plan on the Integration of Third-Country Nationals, also launched one year ago, supporting Member States in the integration of the 20 million non-EU nationals residing legally in the EU. Since then, the Commission took a number of initiatives to improve the integration of third-country nationals into the labour market, the most recent one being the launch of the initiative "Employers together for integration" to promote employers' efforts to support the integration of refugees and other migrants.

On the occasion of the launch of the Skills Profile Tool, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility, Marianne Thyssen visited a reception centre for asylum seekers based in Brussels and run by Fedasil. There she observed first-hand how the tool can be used to support refugees and asylum seekers, as well as the social workers and assistants who accompany them in their integration process. The visit can be watched on EbS. In parallel, a launch event and networking conference is also taking place in Brussels.

For more information

MEMO: Questions and Answers on the EU Skills Profile Tool for non-EU nationals

EU Skills Profile Tool for Third-Country Nationals

Launch event EU Skills Profile Tool          

Ten actions to help equip people in Europe with better skills

New Skills Agenda for Europe

Action Plan on the Integration of Third-Country Nationals

Follow Marianne Thyssen on Facebook and Twitter

Follow Dimitris Avramopoulos on Facebook and Twitter

Press contacts:

General public inquiries: Europe Direct by phone 00 800 67 89 10 11 or by email