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List of policy instruments

  • Job opportunity

    Kans op werk

    Description

    Focus area
    Main skills assessment/anticipation initiative
    The primary goal of Job Opportunity is to provide information on the future labour market by showing future job opportunities for graduates in secondary vocational education in their attained level of education. It displays the ratio between the expected number of graduates looking for work and the number of expected vacancies that are suitable for these graduates in terms of content and level. This information is useful for students who are choosing their qualification in secondary vocational education. Job Opportunity also provides schools with information about the needs of the labour market for graduates and gives businesses an indication as to whether sufficient secondary vocational education graduates will become available on the labour market. The chances of work are split out by qualification and region.
    Link
    Reference/weblink
    https://www.s-bb.nl/feiten-en-cijfers/kans-op-stage-leerbaan-en-werk
    Implementation level
    At what level is the initiative implemented?
    National
    Legal base
    Legal base (E.g. Law, regulation, implementing provision, other)
    The SBB (short for Cooperation organisation Vocational Education and Business) has a legal mandate to provide information to intermediate vocational education institutions and to businesses about the labour market, professional development and the effectiveness of the education system’s output.
    Starting period
    TIMESPAN: In what year did the initiative commence?
    2016
    Perspective
    PERSPECTIVE: is the initiative based on evidence derived from skill forecasts or foresight activities?
    Yes. Job Opportunity shows future job prospects of students that are starting secondary vocational education. An estimate is made of future vacancies that are suitable for the attained level of education. The estimate is based on current available vacancies, expected production growth and mobility using forecasts of growth or contraction in certain business sectors. The expected number of graduates looking for a job and other job seekers is calculated using current vacancies and expectations with regard to the popularity of the program and the labour market influx.
    Policy area
    To which POLICY AREAS(s) does the initiative apply?
    Education
    Employment
    Funding
    How it is funded?
    Funded by national government

    Skill mismatch

    Skill mismatch target
    What type(s) of skills MISMATCH does the initiative aim to addresses?
    Underqualification (individuals' qualifications/credentials are below their job's needs)
    Skills obsolescence (some or all of an individual's skills are no longer relevant to the current employer or in the labour market generally)
    Skills matching focus
    How does  the initiative address skills mismatches?
    Match young graduates' skills to labour market
    Address sectoral or occupational skill shortages
    Job Opportunity shows the number of expected vacancies that are suitable for graduates of secondary vocational education and therefore possible skill shortages on sectoral or occupational level.
    Skills delivered
    What types of skill  does the initiative deliver?
    Job search skills
    Career management skills

    Methods

    Methods
    What methods of undertaking skills assessments and / or skills anticipation does the policy instrument utilise?
    Skills forecasting
    Job Opportunities provides an arithmetic model to predict future job prospects of secondary vocational education graduates and gives a better insight into the labour market relevance of a qualification.
    Skills foresight
    Job Opportunity releases a yearly rapport that ensures that education and business are well supported in the choices and agreements they want to make.
    Vacancy surveys
    The survey inquired what proportion of vacancies are suitable for school-leavers and what preferences companies have to gain insight into the competition recent graduates face from others who enter the labour market
    Use of skills intelligence
    How is labour market information / skills intelligence used within the initiative?
    Informing career-making decisions of students
    Job Opportunity informs students about which professions and education trajectories offer the best opportunities on the labour market, therefore helping student make career decisions.
    Enabling strategic business decisions at sector/enterprise level
    Job Opportunity gives businesses an indication as to whether sufficient secondary vocational education graduates will become available on the labour market , which enables businesses to make strategic decisions at a sectoral level.

    Stakeholders

    Main responsible body
    Main body or organisation with overall responsibility for the initiative.
    National agency
    Other involved organisations
    Which other organisations have a role in the initiative?
    National ministry
    The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (Ministerial van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap (OCW)) and the government body Education Inspection (Inspectie van het Onderwijs) helped to compile an overview of all qualifications. Additionally SBB advices the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science on the relation between vocational education and the labour market
    National agency
    The executive education service (Dienst Uitvoerend Onderwijs (DUO)) and secondary vocational education council (MBO Raad) also helped to compile an overview of all qualifications
    Research centres, universities
    Research organisation Panteia and Etil helped developing the model
    Other
    Job feed is an independent organization that takes a central place in determining the total work demand. Jobfeed registers all vacancies and their specific characteristics on a daily basis

    Sustainability

    Success factors
    SUCCESS FACTORS in the implementation
    The method used to measure Job Opportunity is shown to have high validity and reliability, making the predictions useful and accurate. The outcomes are useful for (prospective) students, their parents, deans, (organized) businesses, pre-vocational secondary education institutions, secondary vocational education institutions and other stakeholders such as UWV and municipalities.
    Barriers
    BARRIERS in the implementation
    Job Opportunity looks at labour market relationships over 2 to 4 years. While the results are generally accurate, they remain estimated forecasts. Other than this, the initiative has not encountered many inhibiting factors.
    Monitoring and evaluation
    MONITORING and EVALUATION: Is progress measured regularly? What are the indicators used to measure progress of the policy instrument? Have any evaluations been conducted?
    The method is adjusted/further developed annually after evaluation (in parts) and was more thoroughly evaluated in 2019 where it was shown that almost all qualifications are consistent/plausible an it did not result in recommendations. The results are compared with another well-known labour market indicator: the Tension Indicator by UWV.
    Updates
    UPDATES: whether there have been any major updates of the initiative since it has been implemented?
    The evaluations did not result in recommendations and therefore there were no major updates since Job Opportunity was implemented.
    No
    Effectiveness
    EVIDENCE ON EFFECTIVENESS: How effective is the policy instrument?
    The stated aim of educating about the labour market opportunities of senior secondary vocational education graduates is effective as it publishes accurate annual results. The results are compared with the UWV Tension Indicator (Tension Indicator), which uses a different method, but comparable results.
    Sustainability
    SUSTAINABILITY: How sustainable is the policy instrument? Do you expect the instrument to continue over the next few years and why?
    As Job Opportunity provides accurate information that is useful for many stakeholders, such as (prospective) students, sector chambers, market segments, schools and branches, it is likely that the initiative will continue for some time. There have not (yet) been found factors that would undermine the initiative in the years ahead.

  • Labour Market Information System

    Arbeidsmarktinformatie systeem (AIS)

    Description

    Focus area
    Main skills assessment/anticipation initiative
    The AIS (labour market information system), developed by ROA (Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market), focuses on the match between education and occupation, the substitution processes in the labour market, and generates the mid-term forecasts for the labour market perspectives in the Netherlands for the Project Education-Labour Market (POA).
    The information in the AIS is useful for young people and their educational and occupational choice, for the unemployed and unemployed placement office when considering retraining or career changes, for employers in their hiring policy and for policy makers who are concerned about the optimality of the match between educational demand and supply on the labour market.
    Link
    Reference/weblink
    https://roastatistics.maastrichtuniversity.nl/
    Implementation level
    At what level is the initiative implemented?
    National
    Legal base
    Legal base (E.g. Law, regulation, implementing provision, other)
    The Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market (ROA) is part of the School of Business and Economics of the University of Maastricht. Therefore there is no legal mandate for AIS. ROA does however cooperate closely with different ministries and the Dutch PES on multiple AIS based projects
    Starting period
    TIMESPAN: In what year did the initiative commence?
    2010
    Perspective
    PERSPECTIVE: is the initiative based on evidence derived from skill forecasts or foresight activities?
    Yes. ROA uses a variety of data and their own econometric models to make a forecast of labour demand (i.e., expansion, replacement and substitution demand) and supply (i.e., influx of graduates in into the labour market). It then computes early warning indicators for imbalances on the labour market. The labour market forecasts are updated every other year.
    Policy area
    To which POLICY AREAS(s) does the initiative apply?
    Education
    Training
    Employment
    Funding
    How it is funded?
    Funded by national government
    Funded as project (at least 3 years)

    Skill mismatch

    Skill mismatch target
    What type(s) of skills MISMATCH does the initiative aim to addresses?
    Skill shortages (employers cannot fill their vacancies due to a lack of skills in the labour market)
    Skills obsolescence (some or all of an individual's skills are no longer relevant to the current employer or in the labour market generally)
    Skills matching focus
    How does  the initiative address skills mismatches?
    Match young graduates' skills to labour market
    Job brokers use the information in the AIS to help graduates who cannot find a job by advising on further career choices and possible retraining.
    Upskill or reskill non-employed adults
    By taking into account the supply and demand relationship on the labour market, students can make a choice about their education with future chances of employment in mind.
    Skills delivered
    What types of skill  does the initiative deliver?
    Job search skills
    Career management skills

    Methods

    Methods
    What methods of undertaking skills assessments and / or skills anticipation does the policy instrument utilise?
    Skills forecasting
    The AIS contains forecasts of labour demand (i.e., expansion, replacement and substitution demand) and supply (i.e., influx of graduates in into the labour market), they are updated every other year.
    Use of skills intelligence
    How is labour market information / skills intelligence used within the initiative?
    Informing and training career guidance and counsellors
    The unemployed placement office uses the AIS when considering retraining or career change and steer people in a certain direction with more labour market opportunities.
    Informing career-making decisions of students
    (Upcoming) students use the AIS to be better informed about future labour market opportunities when making their choice of education/career path. Students later in their education can also use this information to steer their direction of study to an area with greater job opportunities.
    Informing job-search decisions of unemployed
    People who are unemployed use the AIS to inform themselves about (future) job opportunities on the labour market and making job search decisions accordingly. Employment agencies also use the information to help their clients in their job search.
    Enabling strategic business decisions at sector/enterprise level
    The early warning indicators in the AIS help employers make adjustments in their hiring policies.

    Stakeholders

    Main responsible body
    Main body or organisation with overall responsibility for the initiative.
    National agency
    The Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market (ROA), a research institute of the Maastricht University School of Business and Economics.
    Other involved organisations
    Which other organisations have a role in the initiative?
    National ministry
    The AIS is funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW), the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV), the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK) and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (SZW).
    National agency
    Randstad Nederland is an employment agency that operates on a national level and it helps fund the AIS. The foundation for the Co-operation Vocational Education, Training and the Labour Market (SBB) also helps to fund the AIS.
    Regional PES
    Research centres, universities
    Labour Force Survey (Enquête Beroepsbevolking (CBS)), the Labour Supply Panel (het Arbeidsaanbodpanel (SCP)), the Labour Demand Panel (het Arbeidsvraagpanel (SCP)), Education Executive Agency (Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs (DUO)) and ROA School Leaving Surveys (ROA Schoolverlatersenquêtes (SIS)) all provide data for the AIS.

    Sustainability

    Success factors
    SUCCESS FACTORS in the implementation
    The AIS provides labour market information for about 100 educational programs and occupations, 35 labour market regions and 21 industry sectors in the Netherlands, which shows the broadness of the system. The AIS is useful for many parties, such as students, unemployed people, employment agencies, employers and policy makers.
    Barriers
    BARRIERS in the implementation
    Intra-sectoral employment shifts are difficult to identify and predict, but a separate model has been used to solve this. The level of detail limited due to the availability of basic data that serve as input for the forecasting models. Other than that, there were no other barriers worth mentioning.
    Monitoring and evaluation
    MONITORING and EVALUATION: Is progress measured regularly? What are the indicators used to measure progress of the policy instrument? Have any evaluations been conducted?
    The various components of the ROA forecasting model are regularly evaluated. The evaluation studies can give cause to adjust or renew the forecasting models. It is not clear is the AIS itself is regularly evaluated.
    Updates
    UPDATES: whether there have been any major updates of the initiative since it has been implemented?
    The various components of the ROA forecasting model are regularly evaluated. The evaluation studies can give cause to adjust or renew the forecasting models. It is not clear is the AIS itself is regularly evaluated.
    No
    Effectiveness
    EVIDENCE ON EFFECTIVENESS: How effective is the policy instrument?
    The intended goal of providing information and early warning indicators about the match between education and occupation, the substitution processes in the labour market and mid-term forecasts for the labour market perspectives is effective because it provides this exact information. Since the implementation the AIS has been the core of every ROA rapport within their Project Education-Labour Market (POA), providing accurate labour market forecasts and actual labour market information.
    Sustainability
    SUSTAINABILITY: How sustainable is the policy instrument? Do you expect the instrument to continue over the next few years and why?
    The forecasts and actual labour market information are widely used in research and policy, making the AIS a convenient and essential information system. Therefore, it is likely that the AIS will last for the coming years.

  • Pact for the technical sector

    Techniekpact

    Description

    Focus area
    Key training policy measure
    Techniekpact (the pact for the technical sector) is a key measure to address shortages in the technical sector. In 2013, administrators from the education sector, the business community, employers and employees, the regions and the government signed the Techniekpact. The goal of the Techniekpact is to use a structural approach to ensure a well-educated workforce and increase the number of technicians and to strengthen beta, technical and technological skills on the Dutch labour market. . The techniekpact is linked to both the UWV tension meter and de Labour Market Information System forecasts main initiatives.
    Implementation level
    At what level is the initiative implemented?
    National
    Legal base
    Legal base (E.g. Law, regulation, implementing provision, other)
    The Techniekpact agenda was The Cabinet has determined the implementation of the Technology Pact for 2021. Four themes (intake, teacher shortage and professionalisation, public-private partnership and life-long learning) are addressed with national agreements and regional technology pacts and actions.
    Starting period
    TIMESPAN: In what year did the initiative commence?
    2013, most recently in 2020 a renewed version of the Techniekpact was signed
    Perspective
    PERSPECTIVE: is the initiative based on evidence derived from skill forecasts or foresight activities?
    The techniekpact is linked to both the UWV tension meter and de Labour Market Information System forecasts main initiatives. Current forecasts are that in the long term 30,000 extra technicians are needed annually to meet the growing need for technical staff.
    Policy area
    To which POLICY AREAS(s) does the initiative apply?
    Education
    Training
    Employment
    Funding
    How it is funded?
    Funded by national government
    The Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, The Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science
    Other
    technical labour market funds fund some of the initiatives related to upskilling and reskilling. Some Techniekpact related initiatives and projects are funded on a regional level

    Skill mismatch

    Skill mismatch target
    What type(s) of skills MISMATCH does the initiative aim to addresses?
    Skill shortages (employers cannot fill their vacancies due to a lack of skills in the labour market)
    Skill gaps (worker's skills are below the level of proficiency required by their employers and jobs)
    Skills matching focus
    How does  the initiative address skills mismatches?
    Upskill or reskill employed adults
    Techniekpact also focuses on upskilling and reskilling for the technical professions as part of lifelong learning and upskilling teachers in technical subjects and training programmes
    Address sectoral or occupational skill shortages
    The main goal of the Techniekpact is to address current and growing shortages of technical workers mainly through education and getting more young people to choose a technical educational programme and job.

    Methods

    Methods
    What methods of undertaking skills assessments and / or skills anticipation does the policy instrument utilise?
    The Techniekpact makes use of skills forecasts and current labour market information produced by main initiatives as the basis of their own monitor.
    Skills forecasting
    Labour market information system
    Real-time labour market information (e.g. big data analysis of job advertisements, CVs)
    UWV tension meter
    Use of skills intelligence
    How is labour market information / skills intelligence used within the initiative?
    Labour market information is used to determine in which technical professions there are expected shortages. The information is regularly updated in the monitor Techniekpact. This information serves as input for partners in the Techniekpact to develop initiatives on regional and sectoral level.
    Informing decisions on course funding/provision
    LMI is used to develop up-to-date educational programmes
    Informing career-making decisions of students
    Educational institutions use the information to develop initiatives to attract more students for relevant educational programmes
    Enabling strategic business decisions at sector/enterprise level
    The technical labour market funds use the LMI to develop their own reskilling and upskilling initiatives

    Stakeholders

    Main responsible body
    Main body or organisation with overall responsibility for the initiative.
    National ministry
    The Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, The Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.
    Other involved organisations
    Which other organisations have a role in the initiative?
    There are many organisations involved in the Techniekpact. It is a national strategy to tackle shortages in which more than 60 stakeholders participate
    National ministry
    The Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, The Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science coordinate the Techniekpact.
    Regional agency
    representatives of the Dutch regions are part of the National Steering Committee Techniekpact
    Social partner: employer organisation
    signed the Techniekpact
    Social partner: trade union
    FNV and CNV are part of the National Steering Committee Techniekpact
    National PES
    UWV is part of the National Steering Committee Techniekpact
    Training Providers
    umbrella organizations of training providers are National Steering Committee Techniekpact
    Research centres, universities
    umbrella organizations of educational institutions on alle educational levels are part of the National Steering Committee Techniekpact
    Other
    many other stakeholders signed the Techniekpact such as technical labour market funds who fund initiatives related to upskilling and reskilling

    Sustainability

    Success factors
    SUCCESS FACTORS in the implementation
    The strengthened public-private partnership is an important aspect of the success of the Technology Pact. The commitment of the three ministries and the joint approach from national policy as well as the cooperation with the regions is seen as added value.
    Barriers
    BARRIERS in the implementation
    The Techniekpact is still very fragmented, which is evident from the governance. In the governance structure of the pact it becomes visible that the country districts are set up differently. This can also be seen in the written documents that describe bottlenecks, objectives and plans; these are sometimes drawn up centrally at the level of the district, but often also for each sub-region within the district.
    Monitoring and evaluation
    MONITORING and EVALUATION: Is progress measured regularly? What are the indicators used to measure progress of the policy instrument? Have any evaluations been conducted?
    The Techniekpact itself was evaluated for the period 2013 - 2020 in the year 2020, it concluded that bottlenecks that the Pact focuses on have been improved in a number of ways through the efforts of a very broad spectrum of players at national and regional level in a number of ways. Nevertheless, a large number of the bottlenecks from 2013 still apply today.
    Updates
    UPDATES: whether there have been any major updates of the initiative since it has been implemented?
    A renewed Techniekpact was signed in 2020.
    No
    Effectiveness
    EVIDENCE ON EFFECTIVENESS: How effective is the policy instrument?
    The 2020 evaluation noted that the direct impact of the Technology Pact on the realisation of the objectives cannot be demonstrated with hard effect measurements.
    Sustainability
    SUSTAINABILITY: How sustainable is the policy instrument? Do you expect the instrument to continue over the next few years and why?
    The Techniekpact will most likely continue over the next few years due to the forecast of remaining shortages for technical professions, the quickly changing skills required in technical professions due to technological advancement and the need for coordination of all relevant stakeholders.

  • Programme labour market healthcare and welfare

    Programma Arbeidsmarkt Zorg en Welzijn

    Description

    Description of the initiative
    Please select one only option and add a brief description
    Focus area
    Main skills assessment/anticipation initiative
    In this programme, the Dutch sectoral labour market funds and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, work together to provide partners in the Health and Welfare (welfare, youth care and child care) Sectors with reliable information on the labour market. With the labour market information from the research programme, stakeholders in the sector can develop policy for the future. Such policy takes into account current and future developments and bottlenecks on the labour market.
    Link
    Reference/weblink
    https://www.azwinfo.nl
    Implementation level
    At what level is the initiative implemented?
    Due to the collaboration between the sectoral labour market funds and
    National
    Legal base
    Legal base (E.g. Law, regulation, implementing provision, other)
    Please mention the type of the legal base and specify its title and a weblink to regulation / legislation if available
    Starting period
    TIMESPAN: In what year did the initiative commence?
    1994
    Perspective
    PERSPECTIVE: is the initiative based on evidence derived from skill forecasts or foresight activities?
    No
    Policy area
    To which POLICY AREAS(s) does the initiative apply?
    Please tick all that apply
    Education
    Training
    Employment
    Funding
    How it is funded?
    Funded by national government
    The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport provides 50% of the funding.
    Other
    The involved sectoral labour market fundsprovide the other 50% of the funding

    Skill mismatch

    Skill mismatch target
    What type(s) of skills MISMATCH does the initiative aim to addresses?
    Skill shortages (employers cannot fill their vacancies due to a lack of skills in the labour market)
    Skills matching focus
    How does  the initiative address skills mismatches?
    Address mismatch broadly
    One of the products of the research programme is Prognosis Model Care and Welfare. The prognosis model was developed to give national and regional parties more insight into expected personnel shortages in the healthcare and welfare sector.

    Methods

    Methods
    What methods of undertaking skills assessments and / or skills anticipation does the policy instrument utilise?
    Employer surveys
    Periodical large scale employer surveys
    Other
    Administrative data from CBS (Central Bureau of Statistics) and pension funds (ABP/PFZW) are also used for analysis. And there are also periodical large scale employee surveys.
    Use of skills intelligence
    How is labour market information / skills intelligence used within the initiative?
    Developments over time are outlined and forecasts for the future are made. The information is presented in reports, regional portraits and fact sheets.
    Enabling strategic business decisions at sector/enterprise level
    The LMI provided is used by sectoral labour market funds to develop policy and skills initiatives. Individual enterprises also use the information to develop strategic workforce plans.
    Other
    In making policy for the Healthcare and Welfare sectors at the national level by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport.

    Stakeholders

    Main responsible body
    Main body or organisation with overall responsibility for the initiative.
    National ministry
    Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport.
    Other
    The sectoral labour market funds: StAZ (hospitals), StAG (disabled care), A+O VVT(nursing homes and home care), SoFoKleS (University Medical Centres or academic hospitals), SSFH (GP care), O&O GGZ (mental health care) Arbeidsmarktplatform Jeugdzorg (youth care), Arbeidsmarktplatform Sociaal Werk (social work), Arbeidsmarktplatform Kinderopvang (child care)
    Other involved organisations
    Which other organisations have a role in the initiative?
    Research centres, universities
    every four years there is a tender for research organizations who carry out the actual research within the programme.

    Sustainability

    Success factors
    SUCCESS FACTORS in the implementation
    The main success factor for the initiative is the cooperation between the ministry and the sectoral labour market funds.
    Barriers
    BARRIERS in the implementation
    One of the suggested improvements in the 2016 evaluation was that the contact between the steering group of the programme and the sectoral labour market funds could be better and focusing on the improving the usability of the information on enterprise level.
    Monitoring and evaluation
    MONITORING and EVALUATION: Is progress measured regularly? What are the indicators used to measure progress of the policy instrument? Have any evaluations been conducted?
    The research programme was last evaluated in 2016 with positive results.
    Updates
    UPDATES: whether there have been any major updates of the initiative since it has been implemented?
    Please describe whether there have been any major updates of the initiative since it was first implemented and what were these and why were they introduced (max. 50 words)
    Yes
    The last agreement (2015-2019) added two new labour market funds and thus two new branches SSFH (GP Care) and SoFoKleS (academic hospitals). Adjustments to the products: new products, such as more specific sectors well as adjustments to the content of existing products. The supervisory committees for the various products are chaired by a member of the steering group which accelerated the coordination process.
    Effectiveness
    EVIDENCE ON EFFECTIVENESS: How effective is the policy instrument?
    The programme is effective in producing frequent and reliable information which allows for coordinated training policies within and between the sectors. Before the research programme, sectors were responsible for their own information supply, often on an ad hoc basis. Without reliable forecasts no structural solutions are found and discrepancies in the labour market continue to exist as opportunities to develop strategic training and human resource planning are limited.
    Sustainability
    SUSTAINABILITY: How sustainable is the policy instrument? Do you expect the instrument to continue over the next few years and why?
    The research programme is sustainable and likely to continue for many years. Due to the Dutch structure of the sectoral labour market funds who are responsible for developing training, upskilling and reskilling within their sectors the joined research programme fulfils a crucial role with its periodical skills forecast.

  • Tension indicator

    Spanningsindicator

    Description

    Focus area
    Main skills assessment/anticipation initiative
    The Tension Indicator of the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV) provides an indication of the current tension on the labour market, varying from very generous to very tight, and describes the perspective for employees. The tension indicator is created by dividing the estimated number of open vacancies on the total vacancy market by the number of people receiving unemployment benefits (WW) for less than six months. The goal of the Tension indicator is to gain insight into the relationship between supply and demand on the labour market, both nationally and per labour market region.
    Link
    Reference/weblink
    https://www.werk.nl/arbeidsmarktinformatie/dashboards/spanningsindicator
    Implementation level
    At what level is the initiative implemented?
    National
    Legal base
    Legal base (E.g. Law, regulation, implementing provision, other)
    The tension meter is an initiative by the Dutch PES, UWV.
    Starting period
    TIMESPAN: In what year did the initiative commence?
    2012
    Perspective
    PERSPECTIVE: is the initiative based on evidence derived from skill forecasts or foresight activities?
    No
    Policy area
    To which POLICY AREAS(s) does the initiative apply?
    Training
    Employment
    Funding
    How it is funded?
    Funded by national government

    Skill mismatch

    Skill mismatch target
    What type(s) of skills MISMATCH does the initiative aim to addresses?
    Skill shortages (employers cannot fill their vacancies due to a lack of skills in the labour market)
    Skill gaps (worker's skills are below the level of proficiency required by their employers and jobs)
    Skills obsolescence (some or all of an individual's skills are no longer relevant to the current employer or in the labour market generally)
    Skills matching focus
    How does  the initiative address skills mismatches?
    Upskill or reskill non-employed adults
    The Tension Indicator shows which professions have good job opportunities and where it makes sense to invest in training, upskilling or reskilling of people who are unemployed.
    Facilitate job / career transitions
    The Tension Indicator helps people estimate the current prospects of their job and if necessary look for a career with more future opportunities, which could lead to job/career transitions.
    Skills delivered
    What types of skill  does the initiative deliver?
    Job search skills
    Career management skills

    Methods

    Methods
    What methods of undertaking skills assessments and / or skills anticipation does the policy instrument utilise?
    Real-time labour market information (e.g. big data analysis of job advertisements, CVs)
    The Tension Indicator uses a Job feed database containing all online vacancies. This is weighted and increased based on the total number of vacancies according to CBS (Central Statistical Office).
    Use of skills intelligence
    How is labour market information / skills intelligence used within the initiative?
    Informing decisions on course funding/provision
    The information from the Tension Indicator makes it clear which professions offer good job opportunities and where it makes sense to invest in training for people who are unemployed.
    Informing and training career guidance and counsellors
    The information from the Tension Indicator provides insight into the most and least promising professions. Career guidance agencies and consultants can use this information to assist their clients in a successful search and making a sustainable decision.
    Informing job-search decisions of unemployed
    With the overview the Tension Indicator provides, people who are searching for a job can take the job opportunities within different professions or the lack thereof into account. This leads to a more balanced labour market.

    Stakeholders

    Main responsible body
    Main body or organisation with overall responsibility for the initiative.
    National ministry
    UWV (Institute for Employee Insurance) and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (SZW)
    Other involved organisations
    Which other organisations have a role in the initiative?
    National agency
    The available insights from the Tension Indicator about the professions at MBO level have been coordinated with the Foundation Cooperation Vocational Education Industry (SBB).
    Research centres, universities
    Panteia helped develop the method for calculating the total number of vacancies per sector, professional group and region.
    Jobfeed, a large online database and analysis tool from Textkernel, searches the internet every day for vacancies. The vacancy data is deduplicated and coded by Textkernel.
    CBS provides data and is used as comparison material.

    Sustainability

    Success factors
    SUCCESS FACTORS in the implementation
    The information in the Tension Indicator is very extensive, information can be found per period, sector, labour market region or province, both at employer and employee level. UWV updates all dashboards monthly, so that the information is up-to-date, and is therefore useful and easily accessible to all kinds of stakeholders.
    Barriers
    BARRIERS in the implementation
    The Tension Indicator provides information about the current labour market and makes no predictions about the future. This can make it hard for this initiative to be used for long term policies. However, the detailed and current information can be used in more hasty policy adjustments.
    Monitoring and evaluation
    MONITORING and EVALUATION: Is progress measured regularly? What are the indicators used to measure progress of the policy instrument? Have any evaluations been conducted?
    While information on some changes within the method of the indicator was found (see below), there was no information on any evaluations available. However, an evaluation report is available in which the methodology and results of Job Opportunity and the Tension Indicator are compared (https://www.s-bb.nl/file/34226/download?token=b2y7Jsik)
    Updates
    UPDATES: whether there have been any major updates of the initiative since it has been implemented?
    Yes
    In 2016, the method was adjusted in response to a change in a number of definitions and classifications on the labour market (introduction of the BRC 2014 occupational classification). The method was adjusted again in 2017, this time a change in the weighing method.
    Effectiveness
    EVIDENCE ON EFFECTIVENESS: How effective is the policy instrument?
    The goal of the Tension Indicator is to provide an indication of the current tension on the labour market from the perspective of employees. This goal is achieved: the information is detailed, recent, and accurate, as it is released quarterly and it compares to other CBS data. The Tension Indicator was also used as comparison material for the Job Opportunity initiative, which shows that this initiative is seen as a credible indicator on labour market information.
    Sustainability
    SUSTAINABILITY: How sustainable is the policy instrument? Do you expect the instrument to continue over the next few years and why?
    The information from the Tension Indicator is detailed, broad and available to many stakeholders. This initiative sets itself apart from other similar initiatives such as Job Opportunity by examining the job market from the perspective of employers rather than employees and job seekers. The Tension Indicator is also used for yearly UWV reports on most and least promising professions among other things. Overall, the Tension Indicator is a useful and reliable instrument for collecting labour market information, making it an initiative that is likely to continue for the next several years.