"Several interdisciplinary studies highlight imperfect information as a possible explanation of skill mismatches, which in turn has implications for unemployment and informality rates. Despite information failures and their consequences, countries like Colombia (where informality and unemployment rates are high) lack a proper labour market information system to identify skill mismatches and employer skill requirements. One reason for this absence is the cost of collecting labour market data. Recently, the potential use of online job portals as a source of labour market information has gained the attention of researchers and policymakers, since these portals can provide quick and relatively low-cost data collection. As such, these portals could be of use for Colombia. However, debates continue about the efficacy of this use, particularly concerning the robustness of the collected data. This book implements a novel mixed-methods approach (such as web scraping, text mining, machine learning, etc.) to investigate to what extent a web-based model of skill mismatches can be developed for Colombia. The main contribution of this book is demonstrating that, with the proper techniques, job portals can be a robust source of labour market information. In doing so, it also contributes to current knowledge by developing a conceptual and methodological approach to identify skills, occupations, and skill mismatches using online job advertisements, which would otherwise be too complex to be collected and analysed via other means. By applying this novel methodology, this study provides new empirical data on the extent and nature of skill mismatches in Colombia for a considerable set of non-agricultural occupations in the urban and formal economy. Moreover, this information can be used as a complement to household surveys to monitor potential skill shortages. Thus, the findings are useful for policymakers, statisticians, and education and training providers, among others."

This note presents indicators that can be useful for the regular monitoring of skills mismatches across EU Member States. It distinguishes three broad groups of skills mismatch indicators: indicators of macroeconomic skills mismatch, specific skills shortages, and on-the-job skills mismatch. The indicators of macroeconomic skills mismatch measure the discrepancy between employment outcomes for workers with low, medium, and high skills. This type of indicator is most useful for informing macroeconomic policy and generally identifies countries in which individuals with low skills face significant challenges in the labour market. Specific skills shortage indicators reflect shortages of very specific skills profiles, as experienced by employers trying to recruit such profiles. Indicators of on-the-job skills mismatch measure the discrepancy between the skills individual workers have and those that are needed for their job. The latter two sets of indicators are most useful to inform policy in designing and maintaining a well-functioning education and training system (including adult education) that provides high-quality education and is responsive to the needs of today's as well as tomorrow's labour market.

This volume seeks to examine the skills development agenda for youth by exploring two key questions for sustainable livelihoods: What are the skills needed for employability in developing countries, especially in Africa and Asia? And, what skills are currently possessed by students and secondary school leavers? An introductory chapter will set the stage for the discussion and analysis to follow by reviewing in broad terms the current research on relevant topics such as global youth unemployment, the relationship between skills and economic growth, and the expansion of secondary education. The following chapters synthesize a series of background studies focused on Africa, South Asia and South-East Asia, including both a general overview and an in-depth look at several countries. The chapters introduce innovative models for skills delivery, and highlight some of the key elements of successful skills models, including multi-stakeholder partnerships, updated pedagogy, and innovative financing mechanisms. Each of the five core chapters of the book covers one theme, with the support of case studies to illustrate successes, challenges, and lessons in real world examples.

It is no secret that global markets and innovations in technology are driving rapid change in the U.S. economy. While much has been said over the years about the employment shift from goods-producing to service-providing industries, new research suggests that the shift is not due to sectoral employment change but rather a shift in the mix of jobs within industries and the types of skills that those jobs require. The phrase "skills gap" is used in the public arena very loosely with varying degrees of understanding of what a "gap" in "skills" actually means. Definitions of the phrase vary widely, with different schools of thought approaching the issue in drastically different ways. Formal methodology for quantifying a "skills gap" is either completely lacking, as in much of the policy-oriented research, or is too convoluted, as is often the case in the economic literature. A balanced approach for "skills gap" analysis is needed that incorporates rigorous quantitative methods with an eye for practical application. This paper seeks to enter the conversation by proposing a simple definition for the phrase "skills gap" by the most simple of interpretations: that a skills gap measures the difference between the skills needed for a job versus those skills possessed by a prospective worker. This paper posits that "skills gap" analysis should target identifiable skills. Initiatives based on findings of indirect measures of "skills" and "skills gaps" may invest precious time and resources in "skills" that are not in fact needed by employers. A balanced approach is needed for "skills gap" research that incorporates rigorous quantitative methods, uses a direct measure of skills, and has practical application for workforce policy. The paper proposes a skills gap methodology that uses more detailed and specific measures of skills for supply/demand analysis. A review of the literature on the methodology and use of the phrase "skills gap" follows, with highlights from the fields of workforce policy, industrial/organizational psychology, and economic-based research. Lastly, a gap analysis using the proposed methodology is conducted for four major industry sectors.

Measures of cognitive, noncognitive, and technical skills are increasingly used in development economics to analyze the determinants of skill formation, the role of skills in economic decisions, or simply because they are potential confounders. Yet in most cases, these measures have only been validated in high-income countries. This paper tests the reliability and validity of some of the most commonly used skills measures in a rural developing context. A survey with a series of skills measurements was administered to more than 900 farmers in western Kenya, and the same questions were asked again after three weeks to test the reliability of the measures. To test predictive power, the study also collected information on agricultural practices and production during the four following seasons. The results show the cognitive skills measures are reliable and internally consistent, while technical skills are difficult to capture and very noisy. The evidence further suggests that measurement error in noncognitive skills is non-classical, as correlations between questions are driven in part by the answering patterns of the respondents and the phrasing of the questions. Addressing both random and systematic measurement error using common psychometric practices and repeated measures leads to improvements and clearer predictions, but does not address all concerns. The paper provides a cautionary tale for naive interpretations of skill measures. It also points to the importance of addressing measurement challenges to establish the relationship of different skills with economic outcomes. Based on these findings, the paper derives guidelines for skill measurement and interpretation in similar contexts.

"UNESCO has recently published the third volume of its Education on the Move series, a series dedicated to the analysis of key trends in education with the hope of inspiring dialogue among policy makers, educators and other key stakeholders on the challenges of education for tomorrow. The latest publication, entitled Unleashing the Potential: Transforming Technical and Vocational Education and Training is focused entirely on issues related to technical and vocational education and training (TVET). It takes stock of the steadily increasing demands and expectations on TVET systems around the globe and presents recent policy trends in the field of TVET. In their analysis, the authors provide insights into what it takes to unleash the potential of TVET systems around the world. They propose an integrated analytical approach that takes into consideration such factors as economic growth, social equity and issues related to sustainability so that TVET can contribute more effectively to contemporary policy issues such as youth unemployment, gender disparities and climate change. Overall, the book calls for a transformation of TVET systems to enable them to respond to the demands of their contexts. This transformation should enable TVET systems to acquire agility to stay current and responsive to the rapidly changing demands of the twenty-first century."--Publisher's website.