skills obsolescence

Situation in which knowledge and skills of an individual or organisation are out of date or no longer in demand.

Comment

There are different kinds of human capital obsolescence:

  • wear of skills due to aging, or illness that may be related to working conditions;
  • atrophy of skills due to insufficient use;
  • job-specific obsolescence due to technological and organisational change;
  • sector-specific obsolescence due to shifts in employment;
  • firm-specific obsolescence due to restructuring.
Source

Cedefop, 2014; De Grip, A., van Loo, J. (2007); OECD, 2004.

Related term(s)
retraining / reskilling
skill gap
skill shortage
skills mismatch
upskilling