Guidance Note

Anticipating and matching skills and jobs

Many countries are experiencing a persistent gap between the skills needed in the labour market and those offered by the workforce. Skills anticipation is a strategic and systematic process through which labour market actors identify and prepare to meet future skills needs, thus helping to avoid potential gaps between skills demand and supply. Skills anticipation enables training providers, young people, policy-makers, employers and workers to make better educational and training choices, and through institutional mechanisms and information resources leads to improved use of skills and human capital development. This guidance note explains the key components of skills anticipation systems, including data, methodologies, tools and institutions.