Anna De Biasi, Bianca Lombardi
Challenges of an Inclusive Labor Market
The integration of migrants into the labor market remains one of the most significant challenges for the European Union, carrying important socio-economic implications.
Facilitating migrants’ access to employment not only enhances their well-being but also benefits host communities by filling labor shortages and boosting economic growth. As emphasized by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), “migrants and refugees bring a wealth of experience and skills to their host countries”, significantly enriching the local workforce and contributing to overall human capital formation. At the same time, barriers such as language difficulties, insufficient career guidance and unrecognized competences hinder migrants labor market participation, with the consequence of having their potential wasted. In this context, a strategic approach to integration is essential to overcome these barriers.
Vocational Education and Training (VET) as a Key Instrument
One of the primary mechanisms for enhancing employability is Vocational Education and Training (VET) programs. These programs provide individuals with job-specific skills tailored to occupational needs, thereby improving their labor market access. However, when approaching the labor market, migrants often face additional obstacles compared to native populations, thus calling for a re-adaptation of VET programs to better address their specific needs.
Among the various barriers to labor market integration, the failure to recognize migrants’ prior learning and qualifications particularly stands out. Many migrants possess valuable skills and experience that remain underutilized due to the lack of effective recognition mechanisms. The European Commission’s Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion (2021–2027) underscores the urgency of this issue, revealing that 40% of migrants are overqualified for their jobs. This mismatch between competencies and employment opportunities considerably delays migrants’ labor market entry, ultimately affecting their integration in the community.
Enhancing VET Programs through Prior Learning Recognition (PLR)
A key solution to this issue is to enhance VET programs through Prior Learning Recognition (PLR)—a structured process that assesses and validates all those skills that migrants have acquired through previous education, work experience, or informal learning. By reducing the time and costs associated with requalification and by enhancing employers’ trust in migrants’ capabilities, PLR can significantly smooth their transition into local labor markets.
Best Practices across Europe
Several examples of PLR implementation are present across Member States, which concern both the direct evaluation of competences as well as the recognition of formal certificates. While countries like Sweden and Norway have focused on setting up digital recognition of preliminary skills, Austria has instead resorted to competence tests conducted by public employment services. Germany, following the lead of Nordic countries, has opted for a digital validation system to recognize foreign certifications and diplomas.
Nonetheless, current recognition mechanisms vary significantly across EU countries with relevant implications in terms of efficiency and consistency.
Is it PLR so perfect as it seems?
Despite its promise, the implementation of PLR systems still faces several hurdles.
From a local perspective, most of VET providers lack the necessary expertise to proper validate migrants’ prior learning, resulting in dysfunctional integration practices. Untrained personnel may struggle to assess migrants’ competences correctly, resulting in mismatches between migrants’ skills and available job opportunities.
From a broader European perspective, the absence of a standardized framework across Member States leads to inconsistent outcomes in the recognition process. Migrants with identical qualifications may face different validation procedures depending on where they apply, ultimately influencing their mobility and employment opportunities.
Failing to account for these aspects when developing PLR systems can undermine the overall effectiveness of VET programs, potentially discouraging migrants from seeking assistance if it’s not properly provided.
Overall, for PLR to be truly effective, it requires commitment from different social actors as well as cooperation among Member States. Only through collective efforts can we create inclusive labor markets that benefit from the diverse talents migrants bring.
