PARIS - Talent shortages in the tech sector pose significant challenges for firms, workers and governments, hindering productivity, innovation, job satisfaction, and economic growth.
Skills-first approaches to hiring can help fill labour shortages by prioritising specific skills over traditional qualifications, which helps expand talent pools and enables employers to adapt to evolving technological demands.
This analysis also explores how governments, training providers and businesses can work together to maximise the benefits of short, targeted learning through micro-credentials.
The report also advocates for inclusive initiatives that broaden the talent pool by addressing barriers faced by women, minorities, youth and migrants.
Recent shifts in the demand for skills reveal gaps and mismatches in global labour markets. Employers face challenges in finding candidates with relevant skills, while individuals struggle to identify and signal their skills effectively. A skills-first approach – one that promotes hiring based on skills rather than conventional educational or professional indicators – could be the answer, by simultaneously addressing inequalities like hiring bias and access to lifelong learning opportunities.
Join the OECD Centre for Skills for a discussion about skills-first and the ongoing project “Beyond degrees: Empowering the workforce in the context of skills-first” in collaboration with LinkedIn.