A skill gap? Missing:the EU Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights absent from the new Commission

Upon presentation of the new college of commissioners, we see that the commissioner post for social rights and jobs has been scrapped. Instead, a commissioner for ‘People, Skills, and Preparedness’ takes its place. Using the word ‘People’ poses many questions. After all, People should be the topic of almost any other portfolio, too. Or, we could also comment on the jargon-heavy nature of the word ‘Preparedness’, which also appears in another portfolio. 

However, it is about what's missing, and what's left behind. Social policy and employment have faded into the background, all in the name of competitiveness. The cryptic and sometimes colourful nature of some other job titles here speaks for itself: from Commissioner for Implementation and Simplification to Vice President for Prosperity, or Water Resilience, to name a few.

Since the 1970s there has been a portfolio for employment and social policy, renamed jobs and social rights in 2019. Key policies such as the European Pillar of Social Rights, and its far-reaching initiatives, were under it. Quality jobs, equality, social dialogue and working and living conditions remain fundamental issues for the very survival of our democracies.

Instead of employment, however, we have skills. That most of our current problems come from skill gaps seems to be an accepted idea in some circles. Companies struggle to find the skilled workforce they need. And it is no surprise. Entry jobs require several years of job experience, and it is not uncommon to see requirements for PhDs, several languages, and a long list of certifications for skills that could be learnt on the job in a few months. On top of this, very often the salaries offered hardly cover living costs. And this is for qualified positions, which already get the better end of the stick.

It is deeply worrying, as the Commission often says, to see this haphazard distribution of jargon mixed with a clearly competitiveness-dominated narrative. It seems to suggest that providing well-being, quality jobs and decent wages is already a mission accomplished and now the only issue left is to close the skill gap. However, this gap seems to exist mainly in the new college of commissioners, unable to grasp the current situation, put it into perspective, and offer realistic solutions. Let’s hope that beyond the initial portfolios and beneath the surface when scratching, we can find some solid proposals to strengthen social and working rights, democracy, and the fight against climate change.