Leiden, Netherlands, 3 September 2026 – Europe can prevent technological change from widening skills gaps, but vocational training and lifelong learning systems must adapt quickly enough to keep pace with changing jobs, researchers from the EU-funded SkiLMeeT project have found.
The new policy brief, Technological Change, Skills Gaps, and Workers’ Careers in Europe, by Lukas Jonas, Anna Salomons, Cäcilia vom Baur and Ulrich Zierahn-Weilage, shows that regular curriculum updates can narrow the gap between the skills taught in vocational training and those demanded by employers.
The policy brief draws on two SkiLMeeT studies. One uses nearly five decades of German vocational curricula to examine how training responds to technological change and affects workers’ careers. The other links vocational curricula with German job advertisements from 2017 to 2025, finding that curriculum updates reduce skills mismatch by around 4 percentage points.
Workers entering the labour market after training under updated curricula also earn around 3.3% more on average, with gains reaching 5.5% in occupations particularly exposed to technological change. They are more likely to remain in the occupation for which they trained and to move to higher-paying firms.
“Technological change does not have to create permanent skills gaps,” said Ulrich Zierahn-Weilage, professor at the Utrecht University School of Economics and co-author of the brief. “When training is updated in time, workers acquire skills that employers need and see real benefits in their careers. The risk comes when institutions adapt too slowly.”
The findings show that digitalisation is transforming jobs from within, rather than simply replacing entire occupations. Clerks, technicians, production workers and care workers may retain the same job titles, while their daily work increasingly requires digital systems, data handling, communication, coordination and non-routine problem-solving.
New technologies are therefore shifting demand away from routine tasks and towards combinations of digital, social and problem-solving skills. The SkiLMeeT research finds that training content changes in response to this shift: curricula in occupations more exposed to digital breakthrough technologies are more likely to be updated and updated sooner. Their revision increases the supply of digital and social skills while reducing routine-intensive content.
However, not all workers benefit automatically. SkiLMeeT finds signs of skill obsolescence among the oldest incumbent workers, whose wages can decline by more than 3% when newly trained workers with more current skills enter their occupation. Younger workers are more likely to respond by moving to another occupation. “Workers who completed their education years ago also need realistic opportunities to renew their skills. Otherwise, technological progress risks widening the divide between workers with current skills and those whose training has become obsolete,” said Zierahn-Weilage.
The authors call for shorter and more systematic curriculum revision cycles in technology-exposed occupations. They also recommend stronger mid-career training and greater emphasis on transferable skills, including communication, adaptability, and problem-solving.
The SkiLMeeT findings suggest that Europe can limit the skills gaps created by technological change by updating training content regularly and strengthening lifelong learning. This can help workers maintain relevant skills and benefit from new technologies throughout their careers.
Lukas Jonas, Anna Salomons, Cäcilia vom Baur and Ulrich Zierahn-Weilage (2026), Technological Change, Skills Gaps, and Workers’ Careers in Europe: Why Updating Skills Matters, SkiLMeeT Policy Brief No.2. Grant Agreement No. 101132581.
Read the full policy brief here.
