In 2010 the Commission proposed an ‘Agenda for New Skills and Jobs’ to support Member States in reducing unemployment. Europe is suffering from record rates of unemployment, but also from a shortage of highly skilled workers, particularly in the fields of science, technology and engineering. This ‘brain drain’ has left Europe with a gap between the demand for highly skilled labour and the numbers of qualified workers. Statistics show that, in terms of immigration, the bulk of skilled labour goes to the US, whereas unskilled labour tends to go to the EU. Programmes supported by the Agenda focus on investment in education and training programmes, but the retention of highly skilled individuals within the EU should also be a priority.

What is the Commission doing to reduce the numbers of highly skilled workers leaving the EU?