BRIEFING PAPER #109: The European Commission’s proposal for an EU Talent Pool
The European Commission’s job-matching plan for third-country nationals is not inherently negative, but as it stands presents it risks aggravating issues of precariousness and access to rights for migrant workers. It must be improved by removing its focus on particular skills, allowing opportunities for migrants already on EU territory, and giving civil society organisations a greater role.
In 2023, the Commission proposed a Regulation establishing an EU Talent Pool to address severe labour shortages. It would be the first EU-wide online platform for job matching between jobseekers residing in third countries and EU employers.
An initiative that attracts personnel to critical sectors and enables migrants to work in the EU is, in principle, positive for third-country workers and for the EU’s economy and societies. However, the current proposal focuses disproportionately on the demands of EU businesses to create a pathway for migrants to carry out essential but unattractive jobs. It would limit the range of jobs applicable and be open only to applicants currently outside EU territory.
These restrictions should be removed from the proposal. The Talent Pool should promote access to quality work for non-EU workers. It should not provide an incentive for businesses to ignore the reasons – such as pay, conditions, and job security – that many EU workers are unwilling to do certain jobs.
This paper looks critically at the proposal for an EU Talent Pool and recommends changes to remedy its shortcomings.
