Attracting global skills and talents to EU’s cities and regions

European Union (EU) member States have diverse qualifications and education systems, which are a primary competence of member States. Understanding those systems and the factors that contribute to the effective recognition of qualifications of migrants is an important first step to identifying strategies to more effectively connect the needs of European economies and the set of skills that migrant workers have to offer. EU institutions acknowledge the potential of these systems to attract global skills and talents to EU cities and regions, as well as the role that cities and regions play in facilitating that connection. Unlocking that potential requires a good understanding of the labour market and demographic trends in this context, and of existing practices across cities and regions in the EU that facilitate the recognition of qualifications and the validation of skills of third-country nationals. This report aims to map the current situation regarding the labour market and demographic situation in European regions and cities. In particular, it considers the percentage of third-country nationals living there and actively employed or looking for work and the barriers to their employment, with a focus on the systems, policies, programmes and procedures in place in regions and cities to facilitate the recognition of their qualifications and validation of their skills.