Labour Market

Theme

This pilot is about the relation between economic and population decline through changes in the labour market for higher educated. Brain drain and aging influence the existing stock of regional human capital and the pilot looks for measures to uphold this stock.

Short description of pilot

Demographic changes and economic decline are interrelated because of the effects of population decline on the labour market. An ageing population through the retirement of the aged population eventually means less young people and a shrinking labour force. The regional working population further declines through the out-migration of young people to other regions.

 
This present particular a problem for the percentage of higher educated in the regional labour force, who are needed for a competitive regional economy as meant in the Lisbon agenda. In theory a region could keep up its economic potential by rationalising its economic production processes and outsourcing labour-intensive economic activities to other regions. This however overlooks the problem of keeping a crucial level of skilled people in the (peripheral) regions. The overall shortage of higher educated caused by aging, will draw people to metropolitan region.

  
The focus of this pilot is on the process of raising awareness for the problem of a lack of human capital and the formulation of adequate measures in a participatory process, using the transnational process of learning from the partner regions and others experiences.

Main aim

The main aim of the project is to ensure that the North Sea Region is ready to cope with her new demographic future on the labour market for higher educated. That means both dealing with the negative effects of demographic change and at the same time taking advantage of the chances offered by this process.

Expected results

The expected results of this pilot are to:

1. iIsight in causes and consequences of problems with the labour market for higher educated in a region due to demographic changes.
2. An infrastructure for employers in need of higher educated in the region to implement measures together.
3. A set of concrete measures both for individual employers in need of higher educated in the region and for employers joining forces.
4. A higher percentage of higher educated in the region.

Co-partners

• Career Center Twente (organisation of bigger employers in need for higher education in the Twente Region)
• University of Twente, institute CSTM