According to a new Eurobarometer survey published today, skills shortages are one of the most serious problems for small and medium-sized enterprises in the EU. This challenge has intensified over the years and now affects all EU Member States and all sectors of the economy.

The research is a useful tool for understanding the impact of skills shortages on SMEs and will be used to inform the Commission’s policies. Among other things, it will be used in the context of the implementation of the aid package for small and medium-sized enterprises adopted in September 2023, while it provides for several actions to improve the performance of EU SMEs in skills. The survey also complements another recent Eurobarometer study which, among other things, focuses on the training and skills acquisition activities of businesses.

Today’s Eurobarometer 537 survey ‘SMEs and skills shortages’ was carried out as part of the European Year of Skills. It took place in September and October 2023 in the 27 EU Member States, as well as in Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, North Macedonia, Turkey, the USA, Canada and Japan. Over 19,350 companies (SMEs and large companies) were interviewed by telephone.

Following today’s publication, the research will be presented at the annual EU SME meeting, which will take place on 13-15 November in Bilbao, Spain. Hundreds of policy makers are taking part in this flagship EU event for SMEs.

Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said: “Skills shortages are a growing problem for the European economy. The Commission is already working to address skills shortages in key strategic sectors such as batteries and other net zero emission technologies. This research will help us understand how skills shortages affect SMEs, which represent 98% of the European economy, with a view to improving their wider competitiveness.”

Nikos Andritsos