ReportCompetence Framework_DEF_19.06.2018

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. [Project Number: 2017-1-SK01-KA204-035385] 2.1. Definition of low-skilled adult 2.1.1. SLOVAKIA The analysis of low-skilled status in the labour market to date has been primarily conducted using the level of educational attainment of the population, including education level 0-2 by Eurostat methodology: pre-primary, primary and lower secondary education. This definition does not take into account different types of skills, abilities and factors which can result in a low-skilled status such as: long-term unemployment and/or disengagement from the labour market, skills obsolescence due to aging, technological changes, changes in the production processes, gaps between individual job skills and changing skills of the labour market, etc. “Low qualified = low educated” The difficult employment position of disadvantaged groups is a long term and particularly problematic area of the Slovak labour market. Those with the lowest levels of education and some age cohorts consistently face major obstacles acquiring adequate job positions. The factors, which are particularly risky for unemployment incidence, include low education level and duration of unemployment. This is also confirmed by comparing the relative deviations of unemployment rates of the Slovak unemployed with the EU average values, revealing the largest gaps with the EU average are confirmed for those with the lowest level of attained education and for the long term unemployed 2 . The figure bellow shows the EU ranking of low qualified: _______________________________ 2 Lubyova M. & Stefanik M. (2017). Labour Market in Slovakia, Bratislava. Center of Social and Psychological Sciences of The Slovak Academy of Sciences.