Quantiative and Qualitative Approaches to Skills Monitoring in European Regions: Experiences from the European Network on Regional Labour Market Monitoring (EN RLMM)

European Network on Regional Labour Market Monitoring – EN RLMM

• Founded in 2005 – more than 400 members in all European countries

• Labour market monitoring on regional and local level• Processes of mutual exchange and learning• Extension in 2009: Initiative for Networking Regional and

Local Labour Market Observatories Across Europe

• Current discussions: shifting roles and functions of regional and local labour market observatories in the past years

European Network on Labour Market Monitoring – EN RLMM

European Network on Regional Labour Market Monitoring – EN RLMM

Since 2002: branch-related labour market monitoring systems (health and elderly care sector) in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany). Users: • Political and administrative decision-makers and social

partners (federal state level)• Administrative districts and cities• Placement offices• Employers• Workers• Unemployed

Skills monitoring is combining qualitative and quantitative approaches in order to:• Improve data quality• Satisfy user needs

IWAK – Institute for Economics, Labour and Culture

European Network on Regional Labour Market Monitoring – EN RLMM

PRIMARY USERS: members of the

Public Employment

Services

SECONDARY USERS I: decision-makers

(politics, administration), social

partners, interest groups

SECONDARY USERS II: employers, workers,

unemployed

Users of Labour Market Intelligence (LMI)User Groups

European Network on Regional Labour Market Monitoring – EN RLMM

Stakeholders on the regional and local level need forward-looking information on the labour market – differences in the LMI demand and affinity of the user groups.

Source: EN RLMM/IWAK

PRIMARY USERS: have strong affinity to LMI, possess the necessary skills - their demand

is covered

SECONDARY USERS I: some discrepancies between the

available LMI and their information needs; own data stocks - very specific needs

not satisfied by available data

SECONDARY USERS II: very specific needs, do not know

about the existence/benefits of monitoring systems

Users of Labour Market Intelligence (LMI)User Groups‘ LMI Needs

European Network on Regional Labour Market Monitoring – EN RLMM

Source: EN RLMM/IWAK

• Skills forecasting system established in 2007: supply of and demand for professions and qualifications on the level of administrative districts in the federal state of Hesse (5 years)

• Close cooperation with the Hessian Social Ministry

regio pro – Hesse, GermanyBackground

European Network on Regional Labour Market Monitoring – EN RLMM

regio pro – Hesse, Germany Example

European Network on Regional Labour Market Monitoring – EN RLMM

regio pro – Hesse, Germany Example

European Network on Regional Labour Market Monitoring – EN RLMM

regio pro – Hesse, Germany Example

European Network on Regional Labour Market Monitoring – EN RLMM

Combination of quantitative and qualitative skills monitoring: • Since 2009, experts validating structural data (improving

data quality)• Since 2012, focus groups in administrative districts

validating forecasting data and developing strategies (satisfying user needs)

regio pro – Hesse, GermanyHistory

European Network on Regional Labour Market Monitoring – EN RLMM

Two-fold responsibility in the process of labour market monitoring: • Support and guidance for secondary users for informed

and advanced use of LMI (acquiring labour market competence)

• Participatory approach in defining and implementing regional development strategies (involving the knowledge and experiences of existing regional/local stakeholder networks)

LMI + knowledge about the interest/actions of the stakeholders in the region/on the local level =>> informed decision-making

regio pro – Hesse, Germany Goals

European Network on Regional Labour Market Monitoring – EN RLMM

• Development of skills strategies on administrative district level

• Specific professions: locally relevant determinants for its prospective development

LEAD: Skilled Labour Alliances of the Federal Employment Agency; Regional enterprise development agencies; regional development agencies; municipal employment centreFOCUS GROUPS : input of monitoring data as a starting point.Different perspectives, interactive discourse.

regio pro – Hesse, Germany Approach

European Network on Regional Labour Market Monitoring – EN RLMM

• To some extent, the participation depends on the lead in the administrative district.

• Trade union : often not enough personnel for participating in such processes.

• Employers: difficult to reach; (indirectly) represented through regional enterprise development agencies, industry and trade chambers, crafts chambers. More possibilities for involvement in the implementation phase.

regio pro – Hesse, Germany Challenges of Participatory Strategy Development

European Network on Regional Labour Market Monitoring – EN RLMM

• The Basque Country

Skills Monitoring in Other European Regions

European Network on Regional Labour Market Monitoring – EN RLMM

Sigrid RandManager of the European Network on Regional Labour Market Monitoring

Institute for Economics, Labour and Culture (IWAK)Centre of Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Germany

+49-69-79825474s.rand@em.uni-frankfurt.de

www.regionallabourmarketmonitoring.net

European Network on Regional Labour Market Monitoring – EN RLMM