The forum opened with a clear call to action from Mario Nava, director-general for employment, social affairs and inclusion at the European Commission. “Competitiveness and strong social rights are intrinsically linked and you cannot have one without the other. They are two sides of the same coin,” Nava said. He outlined three main goals: keeping employment high and of good quality, bolstering citizens’ well-being, and providing real opportunities for people of all ages.
Competitiveness and strong social rights are intrinsically linked and you cannot have one without the other
That sentiment was echoed in a compelling fireside chat with former Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, who brought a human-centered perspective to the economic conversation. “We need to invest especially in people in this era when we are going to the unknown with this technological transformation. That will be something that we haven’t witnessed before and the pace will be so fast that we really should boost up our effort on this. We are as strong as our weakest links,” Marin argued. “This is the basic principle [of] how we should view Europe in the future and investing in our education system,” she added.
This people-first approach shaped the tone for much of the first day, particularly in a keynote address by Ryan Roslansky, CEO of LinkedIn. Drawing on real-time labor market data from LinkedIn’s vast user base in Europe, Roslansky emphasized how digital and green transitions are rapidly reshaping the types of skills employers need. He pointed to the surge in demand for artificial intelligence-related capabilities, the accelerated pace of change in job requirements, and the growing gap between available talent and evolving roles. He called for a shift toward a more agile, inclusive and skills-based approach to training and hiring.
From policy vision to practical tools: the Union of Skills
Earlier that day, the European Commission had presented the Union of Skills — a new EU strategy designed to strengthen the EU’s human capital and competitiveness. The forum provided a timely platform for the Commission’s executive vice-president for social rights and skills, quality jobs and preparedness, Roxana Mînzatu, to present the strategy in detail. The new overarching initiative aims to deliver higher levels of basic skills, provide lifelong opportunities for adults to regularly learn new and additional skills, help workers to move freely across the EU via a skills portability initiative, and attract and retain top talent to Europe.
Mînzatu appealed to the experts and the stakeholders in the room to work together: “It’s a joint effort. In every sector, in every industry, the partnership that we can build between the public sector, the educational sector, and the private sector is absolutely essential.”
