Three tools to facilitate online job matching throughout Europe ESCO, EURES, Match & Map
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ESCO, EURES, Match & Map Making online job matching easier Matching skills with vacancies is a priority for achieving efficiency in the labour market. The ability to quickly identify redundant skill sets and emerging skill demands is key to improving the quality of advice for jobseekers and employers. The European labour market will face a number of challenges in the coming years 1. New technologies are improving the effectiveness of production and changing the way employees work. Companies are now operating across a wider geographical area and there is a greater emphasis on, for example, multitasking and teamwork, thereby increasing the need for higher-skilled workers. Europe s population is ageing, which will have a considerable effect on the supply of labour and skills, and certain sectors, such as health and social care, are increasingly demanding more workers than others. Also, there is an undeniable and ongoing shift to a low-carbon economy which will necessitate education and training for new professions. A skilled and adaptable workforce not only benefits both employers and workers, but can boost the competitiveness of the European economy. Possessing the necessary skills and having the ability to move between jobs is therefore becoming more and more important. In creating an open, flexible, and adaptable labour market, several factors are vital: The accurate and effective matching of the demand and supply of skills; Anticipation and monitoring of the requirements of the labour market; The identification of the skill sets required to enhance the long-term employment prospects of jobseekers; Relevant and responsive education and training. To help European citizens enhance their skills and meet the demands of tomorrow s labour market, two new online tools have been developed. Created with the aim of improving and facilitating skills matching, these tools can increase the efficiency with which jobseekers will find vacancies and employers will find candidates. ESCO : The European multilingual taxonomy 2 of Skills / Competences, qualifications and Occupations Match & Map : The automatic matching and geographic mapping of job offers and jobseeker profiles These tools will be supported by the improved EURES portal. EURES : The platform for the exchange of vacancies, CVs, and learning opportunities 1 New Skills for New Jobs: Anticipating and matching labour market and skills needs, European Commission, 2009. This leaflet will introduce you to ESCO, the EURES portal, and Match & Map and show you how they can be used for the benefit of all European citizens. 2 A particular classification arranged in a hierarchical structure. 1
ESCO A multilingual classification of skills, competences, qualifications and occupations Efficient matching between skills, jobs, and learning opportunities on the European labour market can only be achieved if there is a common multilingual classification of skills, competences, qualifications and occupations. The European Commission is coordinating, in collaboration with stakeholders, a multilingual classification, or taxonomy, of skills, competences, and occupations called ESCO. It is the only European multilingual taxonomy linking skills and competences to occupations and it will be available free of charge to all labour market and education institutions, and other interested parties in 30 EEA (European Economic Area) countries. All interested parties are encouraged to actively contribute throughout its development. The first version of ESCO, based on the structure of ISCO and ISCED, and introduced in the course of 2010, contains 6 000 skills and 5 000 occupations. Over time, this collection will be enriched to include new occupations and skills, including soft skills and competences such as team work, communication, and interpersonal skills. ESCO will continually evolve, in order to remain up-to-date with current labour market situations. ESCO is disseminated using state-of-the-art technology. Cutting edge technologies, such as RDF, SKOS, and LOD, guarantee that ESCO will be easily accessed, and that the potential of the Semantic Web can be fully exploited by all interested parties. ESCO is simple, open, and flexible. The taxonomy can be readily used by countries or organisations that do not have their own classification system, while any existing taxonomies can be linked to it. ISCO is the International Classification of Occupations. ISCED is the International Standard Classification of Education. 2 The Semantic Web is a development of the World Wide Web into a Web of data where information can be automatically interpreted and understood, exchanged, and distributed. RDF, SKOS, and LOD are important components of the Semantic Web. RDF (Resource Description Framework) is a method to describe or model the format of information available as resources on the Web. SKOS (Simple Knowledge Organization System) is a standard format for building controlled vocabularies, such as taxonomies, and making them available as RDF. SKOS guarantees exchangeability and interoperability with other taxonomies. LOD (Linked Open Data) is a method of exposing, sharing, and connecting data on the Web. For more information: http://www.w3.org/standards/semanticweb/
Why is ESCO important? Semantic interoperability The creation of this multilingual taxonomy enhances the quality refers to the ability of two or more computer and transparency of vacancy information, not to mention systems to automatically improving matching between jobseekers and vacancies, and interpret any information between skills and labour market needs. exchanged meaningfully The efficient and accurate online matching of jobseekers and accurately. To achieve with vacancies depends on the quality and reliability of semantic interoperability, both sides must use a the information exchanged. To achieve perfect semantic common standard for interoperability all communicating systems involved must use information exchanged. identical terminology. However, valuable results can already be obtained if the various systems are mapped to a common terminology, such as ESCO. Improved interoperability between European Employment Services facilitates easier and more accurate matching between jobs and candidates. This is true not only for the information exchanged via the EURES portal, but in all situations involving the exchange of this kind of information including between private employment services, and directly with employers. ESCO will help to describe qualifications in terms of learning outcomes in line with the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) and the National Qualifications Frameworks (NQFs), which are being developed. ESCO will be sufficient to broadly meet the needs of Member States who do not have their own classifications system, and to enable those with existing national and sectoral classifications to link with each other. I S C O 1. Professionals (2) 2. Accounting, Legal, Social Science and Artistic Professionals (24) 3. Social Science and related Professionals (244) 4. Philologists translators and interpreters (2 444) E S C O 5. Translator: Occupation name This diagram shows how ESCO can be used to facilitate interoperability between two or more taxonomies by mapping them to a common term. In this case, Taxonomy A and Taxonomy B each have different names for the same occupation; by using elements of ESCO they are not only linked to ESCO, but also indirectly with each other. 3
Once fully developed, the ESCO classification will consist of three main pillars, linking skills, occupations, and qualifications. What can a skills, competences, qualifications and occupations taxonomy be used for? Jobseekers can use it to describe their skill set when developing a CV, that can then be easily used for various automatic matching purposes; Employers can use it to define a set of skills and competences required when they are developing a job description to be advertised with public or other employment services; Learners can use it to build personal skill profiles and to record their learning outcomes; Bodies developing and/or awarding qualifications can use it to express learning outcomes in more operational terms; Education and training institutions can use it to improve planning and curriculum development related to emerging skill needs, and to facilitate the recognition of foreign qualifications; Human resource managers and guidance providers can use it to enhance planning and enrich aptitude or ability tests, skills, and interest inventories or tools. 4
ESCO Supporting job matching on the European labour market ESCO will help to significantly improve matching between labour demand and labour supply at all levels, from local or sectoral to national and European. ESCO has the potential to become the European standard classification for skills and competences, building a bridge between labour markets and the world of education and training. It has the potential to complement, or even replace, existing national, international, and sectoral occupational classifications. ESCO enables players on both the labour and educational markets to create standard tools that respond to the latest market developments and provide more and better options for matching, interoperability, and up-skilling. ESCO was created to be a common language and the backbone of Europe-wide semantic interoperability. ESCO facilitates the creation of dynamic labour markets that are characterised by smooth transitions between employment sectors, between education and employment, and between training and the return to work. ESCO in practice. ESCO Occupation ESCO Skill/competency ESCO Qualification Company X Has need for Can work at Engineer Knows about and is qualified in Is required to be Mechanical Engineering Can be achieved by following Completing it gives you Master in Engineering Can be obtained by following courses at Offers the course to allow to obtain University Y 5
EURES A platform for the exchange of vacancies, CVs, and learning opportunities The EURES Job Mobility Portal is built on a platform for the exchange of vacancies, CVs, learning opportunities, and information on European labour mobility. The portal represents more than 1/3 of all vacancies on the European labour market. At the end of 2010, the portal hosted over 1 000 000 job vacancies, 500 000 CVs and over 20 000 registered employers. It is a central information point for both jobseekers and employers, and members of the EURES network. In addition to hosting innumerous jobseeker CVs and job vacancies, the EURES portal provides a platform for syntactic interoperability. This means that vacancy information can be exchanged between Public Employment Services in a standardised way; ensuring that clear material is presented to jobseekers and thereby eliminating skills mismatches. Further developments to the portal exchange platform will mean improved quality. Companies and private employment services can also avail of the standardised format for job vacancies and CVs. Additionally, the use of a common set of documents including a European CV format, provided by Europass, allow the skills and qualifications of a jobseeker to be clearly and easily understood throughout Europe. In combination with the use of the ESCO taxonomy in the development of vacancies and CVs, the EURES portal therefore has the potential to be the sharing point for all European vacancy information. Jobseekers qualifications can be widely recognised and identified, and posted vacancies understood and answered. The EURES portal is facilitating the more accurate and efficient matching of jobseekers to jobs, and employers to candidates. It allows standardised vacancy information to be presented in the context of a more flexible and adaptable labour market. Syntactic interoperability occurs when two or more systems are capable of communicating and exchanging data. For systems to exhibit syntactic interoperability, standardised formats are fundamental. 6
Europass opens doors to learning and working in Europe by helping people to make their skills and qualifications easily understood. Europass consists of five documents for the presentation of skills, qualifications, and competences, and is supported by a network of national Europass centres. For more information visit http://europass.europa.eu The main areas of the EURES portal that have undergone improvements are: For Jobseekers My CV: enables jobseekers to create up to five online CVs, publish up to 10 linguistic versions, and export CVs to the standard Europass format if needed. My CV also offers jobseekers the opportunity to create a personalised presentation with an online video so they can showcase their personalities, as well as their qualifications. For Employers My Candidates: makes it considerably easier for employers to find the right candidates. Registered employers can check out useful hints and tips, run searches based on the desired location and occupation of the jobseeker, and view a candidate s CV in all available languages. Once potential candidates have been found, employers can send them short enquiry messages from their personal EURES accounts. For Everyone My Forums: provides a platform for interaction, and allows users to join discussions on topics related to labour mobility and working abroad. Exchange hints and tips, form connections, maintain relationships, and participate in debates. The Virtual Job Fair: exactly like a Job Day only virtual! The fairs act as an online space where jobseekers, employers and EURES Advisers can meet, chat, and arrange appointments. Employers can present their companies and job offers, jobseekers can view job opportunities, and EURES Advisers can meet and greet the visitors and provide expert advice. 7
Match & Map The geographic mapping of jobs and opportunities The creation of Match & Map on the EURES portal is a vital step towards the realisation of better matching between skills and labour market needs. It answers the question all jobseekers and employers are asking simply and efficiently: Where are the jobs and where are the workers? Match & Map, to be implemented in several steps from 2011 onwards, goes a long way towards limiting skills mismatches, while ensuring a widespread and efficient job-matching and support service for all European citizens. It is a user-friendly, transparent online service, providing comprehensive and accessible information on occupations, skills, and learning and training opportunities across the EU. PLOTEUS is the Portal on Learning Opportunities throughout the European Economic Area, providing information on studying in Europe for students, jobseekers, workers, parents, teachers, and guidance counsellors. For more information visit http://europa.eu/ploteus/ EURAXESS is the Researchers in Motion portal providing information on European mobility tailored specifically to mobile researchers. For more information visit http://ec.europa.eu/ EURAXESS/ Match & Map requires interoperability between many different operators and systems. This can only be achieved successfully if information is standardised, and at a high quality. The standards already exist, from Europass CVs to country classifications, but if not all actors use them the quality of the information provided is affected. Match & Map is therefore developed with the use of ESCO to ensure a high quality of information. Match & Map automatically matches information provided in a jobseeker s online CV with the available job vacancies. It evaluates the jobseeker s profile, professional and educational background, skills, interests, qualifications, and desired occupation. The result? A graphical map of Europe, showing the jobseeker where they can find the opportunities they are looking for, and the employer where they can find the available jobseekers and skills they need. Match & Map also recognises the necessity of skills upgrading, for all jobseekers. Should a job search reveal a skills gap, Match & Map will show the user where to find information on learning opportunities that will bridge the divide between desired occupation and skill set. 8
Users also have the option of widening the search criteria to find vacancies that are not an exact match with their profile. If this leads them to a vacancy for which they lack the required skills, they will be directed to information on further learning opportunities and skills upgrading. Information on education and training opportunities is presented in cooperation with PLOTEUS. Match & Map bases its results on vacancy information provided by EURES and other mobility network resources such as EURAXESS. European Commission Three tools to facilitate online job matching throughout Europe - ESCO, EURES, Match & Map Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union 2010 9 pp. 14,8 21 cm ISBN 978-92-79-15980-0 doi: 10.2767/70301 This publication is available in English, French and German. 11
The online tools ESCO, Match & Map and the improved EURES portal, were created with the aim of improving and facilitating skills matching and increasing the efficiency with which jobseekers will find vacancies and employers will find candidates. This publication serves as an introduction to these three online matching tools developed by the European Commission. KE-31-10-454-EN-C Are you interested in the publications of the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities? If so, you can download them or take out a free subscription at http://ec.europa.eu/social/publications You are also welcome to sign up to receive the European Commission s free Social Europe e-newsletter at http://ec.europa.eu/social/e-newsletter http://eures.europa.eu http://ec.europa.eu/esco http://ec.europa.eu/social