How Far Can Your Skills Take You

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Date
Aug 2018
This paper provides new evidence to characterize changes in the demand for skills associated with shifts in occupations for a sample of 10 of the G20 countries, using information available from LinkedIn profiles as a new and unique source of dynamic labor market data on occupations and skills. A unique feature of LinkedIn’s data is the availability of granular measures of skill importance by country and occupation. This data allows us to examine how similar occupations may differ in their skills composition across different countries, and to measure the corresponding shifts in skill demand associated with changes in occupations for each locality. Our analysis yielded several key conclusions and recommendations: Across all examined countries, tech-related occupations and advanced digital skills are on the rise. People-centric roles are also growing. Countries with more connected networks of occupations may have a better chance of helping workers to transition out of declining occupations. Alternative data sources complement rather than replace traditional sources of workforce data, therefore investments in modern labor market information systems are necessary to facilitate the interoperability, sharing and dissemination of different sources and types of data. This intelligence can be used by different stakeholders to 1) generate a more complete and timely picture of the labor market; and 2) facilitate a more rapid and informed adjustment of workforce development policies and programs.