European Skills Intelligence Observatory

This report maps the data sources and indicators available for measuring skills demand, supply and mismatch across the European Union. It assesses which of them can support regular monitoring by the European Skills Intelligence Observatory (ESIO). Each instrument is profiled on a common template covering description, methodology, published indicators, granularity, coverage, update frequency, microdata access, strengths and limitations. The mapping spans Eurostat surveys and online job advertisement data, the skills intelligence system of Cedefop, shortage and surplus reporting by the European Labour Authority, Eurofound surveys, sectoral partnerships, the OECD adult skills programmes, and private vacancy analytics. Three results follow. First, qualification mismatch, measured through credentials, and skills mismatch, measured through assessed or reported competencies, overlap only modestly. Hence, household, employer and vacancy sources are complementary rather than substitutable. Second, measured incidence depends on the instrument, because wording and thresholds differ even among sources asking about the same concept. Third, many of the instruments are also interdependent, each inheriting the constraints of the sources it draws on. The report converts this mapping into a scoring framework in which candidate indicators are rated on seven criteria. Scoring is comparative rather than threshold based, and records fitness for the ESIO dashboard use rather than quality