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EU Social Forum 2025 – Empowering Europe’s Next Chapter: Fueling Skills, STEM, and Inclusion for the Future of Work

Our partners at GEYC attended the 2025 European Employment and Social Rights Forum which opened on a vibrant note, with moderators Ali Al Jabri and Jennifer Baker welcoming a packed audience in Brussels and hundreds others joining online. They underscored the urgent need to address labor shortages, declining productivity, and ever-accelerating changes in Europe’s job market, all under this year’s theme, “Skills for Competitiveness.”

The two-day European Employment and Social Rights Forum 2025 highlighted the urgency of equipping Europe’s workforce with the right competencies to navigate rapid economic and technological changes. Conversations on digital upskilling, STEM education, green jobs, and social inclusion spoke directly to the mission of our partners at GEYC and our own at SENSE.

Bellow, you can find key takeaways from each session our partners at GEYC attended, listed if you just want to browse interesting ideas. Under the key takeaways, you can find an in depth description of the ideas discussed in each session.

1) EU Social Forum 2025 Opening & Fireside Chat (Sanna Marin & Mario Nava)

• Skills are essential for maintaining Europe’s competitiveness and social cohesion, bridging demographic gaps, and adapting to technological change.
• Finland’s model emphasizes inclusive education from early childhood onward, ensuring equal opportunities for all and upskilling at every stage of life.
• Artificial intelligence (AI) and digitalization demand updated skill sets, especially for workers in industries undergoing significant changes.
• Finland’s emphasis on high-quality basic education in reading, math, and science demonstrates the centrality of STEM to both early skill development and long-term adaptability in the labor market.

2) A European Workforce for the Future: AI, Skills, and the Next Chapter of Growth (Ryan Roslansky)

• AI has driven a 300 percent increase in hiring for AI-specific roles, reflecting sharp demand for advanced digital competencies.
• Traditional hiring filters—such as university names—limit opportunities; a focus on concrete skills enables broader, fairer recruitment.
• Strategic use of data helps predict future workforce needs, enabling targeted training and smoother transitions across industries.
• Roslansky stressed that building foundational STEM skills—including advanced mathematics and coding—can future-proof careers and spur AI-driven innovation across multiple sectors.

3) Investing in People and Modern Labour Markets

• Integrating social and economic policies can produce robust labor markets, with comprehensive support for job seekers and vulnerable groups.
• Structured partnerships between public employment services, businesses, and local governments ensure that training meets real labor market needs.
• Re-skilling large workforces—like Renault’s 38,500 employees—requires well-designed curricula and strong collaboration with academia.
• Young people and underrepresented groups (women, migrants, older workers) need tailored measures to ensure equitable access to quality jobs, as only 20% of workers get trained yearly.
• Panelists highlighted that integrating STEM competencies into vocational training, particularly in automotive and emerging tech industries, is crucial for developing next-generation workers.

4) The Union of Skills

• The Union of Skills is built on four pillars—upgrading basic skills, continuous upskilling, better recognition of qualifications, and attracting global talent.
• Basic competencies in math, science, and digital literacy are fundamental, with special emphasis on STEM for both short-term employability and long-term innovation.
• Portability of skills, via EU-wide qualification recognition, can accelerate mobility and reduce mismatches in the labor market.
• Setting a goal of recruiting one million additional women in STEM by 2030 showcases the Commission’s commitment to bridging both skills gaps and gender imbalances in high-value fields.

5) Can Europe be Both Competitive and Inclusive?

• Sustainable growth hinges on a people-centered approach: “saving people, not jobs” through upskilling and accessible re-skilling pathways.
• The green and digital transitions create both high-value, well-paid roles and jobs involving physical risk or lower pay, necessitating nuanced policy responses.
• Policies that measure outcomes, set realistic targets, and enforce accountability encourage member states to adapt quickly and effectively.
• Speakers noted that broadening STEM-based career paths for women, migrants, and older workers strengthens both Europe’s competitiveness and its social fabric, mitigating skill shortages.

6) Skill Needs for Future Jobs and the Digital, Green, and Demographic Transitions – New Evidence

• Many sectors require urgent re-skilling, from advanced digital roles to construction-based green jobs needed for wind and solar installations.
• Different “future-oriented” occupations vary widely in job quality: digital roles often offer lower job strain and better security, while some green jobs pose safety risks.
• Persistent gender segregation exists in many occupations, especially in higher digital intensity roles (male-dominated) and labor-shortage sectors (often female-dominated).
• Public and private cooperation in education systems, especially vocational training, is crucial for bridging skills gaps and preventing social exclusion.
• Speakers emphasized that enhanced STEM proficiency—from entry-level numeracy to advanced engineering—will be essential for driving green innovation and filling high-demand technical roles.

These takeaways, spanning multiple panels and expert presentations, underscore the shared conclusion that strengthening skills—in particular STEM—is indispensable for Europe’s competitiveness and social cohesion. They also highlight a pressing need for inclusive initiatives, advanced policy coordination, and substantial investments in human capital across all demographic and occupational groups.

EU Social Forum 2025 Opening & Fireside Chat (Sanna Marin & Mario Nava)

Mario Nava, Director-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL) at the European Commission, set the tone by highlighting the Commission’s newly adopted “Union of Skills.” He described skills as the essential foundation of Europe’s future, remarking, “Skills is not a nice to have. It’s not a cherry on the cake—it’s actually the cake and the meal itself.”

During a fireside chat, Sanna Marin, former Prime Minister of Finland, brought her country’s renowned education model into focus. Finland’s success, she explained, stems from an approach that invests in every stage of life, from early childhood education to continuous, lifelong learning.

Marin also addressed the necessity of preparing for artificial intelligence (AI), saying, “We don’t see a possibility for a future where we don’t have artificial intelligence as part of our everyday lives.” To her, AI represents a dual reality: high-tech industries already embed continuous training for their employees, while other sectors lag behind. Societies risk fragmenting into “winners” and “losers” unless governments and private sector actors collaborate to ensure that retraining and upskilling are widely available.

A European Workforce for the Future—AI, Skills, and the Next Chapter of Growth with Ryan Roslansky

In the session that followed, Ryan Roslansky, Chief Executive Officer of LinkedIn, presented a data-driven view of Europe’s labor market and the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in shaping the next wave of growth. Stressing LinkedIn’s mission to “create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce,” he revealed that the platform’s network now exceeds 1.1 billion members worldwide. Yet Roslansky underlined a concerning trend: while job applicants in the EU have increased by 17% year over year, overall job postings have dropped by 2%. This mismatch, combined with a “20x increase in members adding AI skills” and a “300% increase in hiring for AI-related roles,” points to the urgent need for policy and education systems to focus on upskilling and to create more job opportunities.

Roslansky urged a fundamental shift from hiring based on job titles or university pedigrees to a skills-first mindset. “It’s long been said that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not,” he remarked, citing research by the late Harvard Professor Clayton Christensen, who found that many organizations fail not because they miss warning signs but because they are unwilling to break old habits.

Investing in people and modern labour markets

In a session focused on investing in people and modern labor markets, the forum welcomed Celeste Drake, Deputy Director General at the International Labor Organization, Cillian Nolan, Executive Director at Poverty Action Lab J-PAL Europe, Patrick Benammar, Vice President of Learning and Development at Renault Group, and Dominique Hermans, Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer at Randstad. Celeste Drake offered a global outlook on tight labor markets and highlighted that unemployment rates in Europe hover around 6 percent, the lowest since the early 1990s. She stressed the need for human-centered policies that prioritize upskilling, re-skilling, and social protections, warning that the race for talent will accelerate as AI, climate shocks, and geopolitical shifts reshape the working world.

Dominique Hermans underscored the urgent need to bridge mismatches in skills and to foster a “circular labor market,” where workers are continually developed rather than discarded when their skills become obsolete. She noted changing attitudes among employees, who now demand work-life balance and clear pathways for career growth. Cillian Nolan presented insights from J-PAL Europe’s evidence-based research, calling for tailored vocational training and earlier, more intensive job-search assistance, particularly for vulnerable groups such as migrants, older workers, and women. He emphasized that better data and rigorous evaluations can help Europe channel resources effectively toward programs proven to boost job placement and wage growth.

Patrick Benammar described how Renault Group has trained 38,500 of its employees through “Renault University,” helping them transition from traditional auto manufacturing to next-generation electric and circular economy roles. He explained that public-private cooperation is vital for managing strategic investments in areas like electric motor production, where risk and technology adoption timelines can be uncertain.

The Union of Skills

Roxana Mînzatu, Executive Vice President of the European Commission for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs, and Preparedness presented the newly launched Union of Skills, emphasizing the need to align Europe’s competitiveness with social fairness. She noted that foundational proficiencies in mathematics, science, and digital literacy are at risk of decline, making it harder for young people and adults alike to adapt in today’s labor market. To counter these trends, she stressed the importance of strengthening STEM education, with a specific goal of recruiting at least one million additional women in STEM programs by 2030.

Mrs. Mînzatu outlined four key pillars in the Union of Skills: improving basic skills, prioritizing re-skilling and upskilling for adults, enhancing internal mobility and recognition of qualifications, and attracting global talent. She highlighted the creation of a portable EU-wide skills system and announced plans to establish a governance board, complete with industry representatives, to ensure that public-private cooperation drives real impact. Mrs. Mînzatu concluded by inviting stakeholders to co-own the strategy, emphasizing that effective collaboration, investment in partner countries’ educational systems, and ambitious commitments in STEM will be crucial to the Union of Skills’ success.

Can Europe be both competitive and inclusive?

The discussion was moderated by Fabian Dell, Head of the Strategic Coordination Unit in the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL) at the European Commission. The panel included Irene Wennemo, Director General of the Swedish National Mediation Institute; Julia Olofsson, Global Director at IKEA for Social Impact and Human Rights; Riikka Åstrand, Deputy Mayor of the City of Vantaa in Finland; and Eric Thode, Senior Advisor at the Bertelsmann Stiftung specializing in labor market issues.

The speakers agreed that carefully designed social policies do not have to undermine market performance and can, in fact, enhance competitiveness when tailored to help workers adapt to changes such as the green transition and rapid digitalization. Julia Olofsson explained how IKEA’s refugee upskilling programs address labor shortages while promoting social inclusion. Riikka Åstrand highlighted Vantaa’s plan to create a “competence campus” that will connect businesses, educational institutions, and social services to equip citizens with future-ready skills. Irene Wennemo drew on Sweden’s example of retraining and social dialogue, where measures focus on “saving people, not jobs” to enable transitions from declining industries to new, more sustainable sectors. According to Eric Thode, Europe already has the ingredients for inclusive growth but should coordinate and sequence reforms in a way that avoids leaving behind vulnerable groups. The discussion wrapped up with a look toward the next action plan under the European Pillar of Social Rights, stressing the importance of involving social partners, simplifying processes for businesses, and deepening engagement with local communities.

Skill Needs for Future Jobs and the Digital, Green, and Demographic Transitions

The session featured two expert presentations, followed by a panel debate with diverse stakeholders, all emphasizing the importance of STEM in preparing the workforce for the transitions ahead.

In the first presentation, Matthias Weitzel from the European Commission’s Joint Research Center revealed estimates on workforce requirements to meet solar and wind deployment targets by 2030. He pointed out that “When comparing energy infrastructure spending to human capital spending, only a small fraction is currently devoted to re-skilling, yet without the right people, there is no green transition.” Next, Nora Wukovits-Votzi from the Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion presented an upcoming working paper that maps out occupations affected by technological change, resource efficiency, and demographic factors. Nora Wukovits-Votzi stressed “Enhancing STEM and digital skills can unlock higher-quality employment, yet we must address persistent gender gaps in many industries.”

A wide-ranging panel followed. Konstantinos Pouliakas of Cedefop underscored that “Only a fraction of EU workers engage in advanced digital activities at work,” and warned, “Negative feedback loops arise when people in low-skilled jobs lack incentives to upskill.” Andrea Garnero from the OECD highlighted that “Some green jobs are well-paid and specialized, but others, like waste recycling roles, can be physically dangerous and offer subpar working conditions,” stressing a need for targeted protections. Mikkel Barslund of KU Leuven elaborated on regional disparities, remarking, “Urban centers often cluster digital expertise, yet many rural areas risk being left behind if they cannot attract STEM graduates.” He also argued, “Lifelong learning must go beyond immediate labor needs, since we cannot predict the full scale of skill requirements over time.”

Michael Stemmer from the European Investment Bank emphasized the importance of mobilizing different skill investment channels. “We are demand-driven, but building education infrastructure and teacher training are key to fostering STEM readiness,” he noted, later adding, “Stronger coordination among firms, public authorities, and training providers would speed progress.” Finally, Elva Bova from the Commission’s DG EMPL pointed to existing EU measures, explaining, “Extensive co-financing is available through the European Social Fund to support re-skilling efforts,” and concluded, “We must keep continuously refining our policies to reach the unemployed, women, migrants, and other groups at risk of exclusion.”

Shaping Europe’s Next Chapter: Skills, STEM, and a Collective Mission

At every stage of the forum, speakers underlined how forward-looking training methods and inclusive policies can create a Europe that is both economically robust and socially cohesive. From bridging gender gaps in STEM to providing quality jobs in emerging green sectors, the insights shared align with GEYC’s commitment to youth empowerment and SENSE.’s focus on innovative STEAM education. Ultimately, the forum’s vision of a dynamic, skill-centered Europe is one where young entrepreneurs can thrive, where digital and green transitions open doors for all, and where strategic collaboration across public, private, and nonprofit actors helps build resilient, inclusive communities.