TRAILS unveils two ground-breaking research papers on workforce skills and labour market dynamics

10/01/2025

The TRAILS project, committed to advancing workforce adaptability and economic resilience across the European Union, is proud to announce the publication of two research papers: “QUESTION II – Design of Survey Instruments” and “COMPARE I: Skills Mismatching in Europe Pre- and Post-Pandemic.” These papers provide valuable insights into workforce development and labour market challenges, offering robust methodologies and actionable recommendations for policymakers, researchers, and educators.

The “QUESTION II – Design of Survey Instruments” paper explores methodologies and thematic priorities essential for conducting surveys aimed at understanding workforce skills, resilience, and labour market dynamics within the EU. Key highlights include:

• The necessity of collecting nationally representative data to inform equitable and effective policies.
• Insights into platform and micro workers, emphasizing the need for fairness, transparency, and mobility within the platform economy.
• Recommendations on leveraging behavioural insights and stated preference techniques to better understand worker motivations and improve training relevance.
• Advocacy for data weighting as a cornerstone of methodological accuracy to ensure national representativeness.

By focusing on skills portfolios, organisational practices, job characteristics, and training experiences, this document lays the groundwork for policies that foster inclusive growth and economic resilience.

The second paper is “COMPARE I: Skills Mismatching in Europe Pre- and Post-Pandemic” authored by by Paul Redmond, Luke Brosnan, and Lorcan Kelly, this report dives into the challenges of educational and vocational mismatches in Europe before and after the pandemic. It examines:

• The evolving nature of skills mismatching and its impact on economic productivity.
• The role of vocational education in bridging gaps and enhancing workforce readiness.
• Policy implications for addressing the mismatches exacerbated by the pandemic’s disruptions.

This paper serves as a critical resource for understanding how educational alignment and labour market dynamics can drive post-pandemic recovery and growth.