Everyone is talking about the green transition. Everyone is talking about the digital transition. Far fewer people are talking about a third shift that may be just as decisive for Europe’s labour market: the demographic transition.
According to Cedefop, Europe’s core working-age population, those aged 20 to 50, is expected to shrink by 2035, while the number of workers aged 60 and over continues to grow. This is one of the central findings of its 2023 report, Skills in transition: the way to 2035.
For HERA, which supports women aged 45+ to re-enter or advance in the labour market, this demographic shift helps explain why making better use of existing experience and talent is becoming increasingly important.
A labour market looking for people
Cedefop expects Europe’s overall activity rate to rise, but this will depend on policies that extend working life and improve the participation of groups currently underrepresented in employment.
EURES, the European job mobility network, put the same idea even more directly in a note published in March 2024:
“A third, demographic, transition is taking place at the same time. An ageing workforce is not being replaced at the same rate by younger workers who now spend more years in education […] It is therefore important to raise participation among medium-skilled workers, especially women, to fill vacancies.”
Discussions about the green and digital transitions tend to focus on the skills that will be required, from digital competences to renewable energy and circular-economy knowledge. Less attention is given to a more fundamental question: who will be available to do this work?
If the number of workers aged 20 to 50 is shrinking, Europe cannot expect younger generations alone to fill emerging roles. Reskilling is therefore not only a tool for social inclusion. It is also becoming essential for maintaining a resilient workforce.
The paradox facing women 45+
Women aged 45+ are well placed to contribute to this changing labour market. Many bring decades of professional and personal experience, and evidence cited in HERA’s needs analysis indicates that women show a strong willingness to participate in adult education when practical barriers are removed.
At the same time, much of the employment growth linked to the green and digital transitions is concentrated in male-dominated sectors. According to the European Institute for Gender Equality, around 80% of the energy workforce is male. Women represent approximately 35% of the renewable energy workforce and are more commonly employed in administrative than technical positions.
The EU’s own Policy Officer for adult education experimentation 2023 briefing identified barriers such as limited time, motivation and insufficient information as restricting access to adult learning. Women aged 45+ may therefore be increasingly valuable to the labour market while remaining particularly likely to be overlooked by recruitment and training systems.
Turning experience into a pathway
Imagine a woman entering a HERA Lab with years of experience, but uncertainty about how it fits into a changing labour market. Instead of beginning with what she lacks, the process starts with what she already knows and where those abilities could lead next.
Working alongside other women, employers, training providers and public institutions, she can explore local opportunities and define a realistic reskilling pathway. This might involve recognising transferable skills, addressing a specific digital gap, finding suitable training or connecting with a mentor.
This is the practical role of the HERA Labs. Across eight European countries, women aged 45+ help explore local skills needs and test approaches to reskilling in real-life settings. A digital Community Portal expected to reach hundreds of women is complementing this work by connecting participants with training and mentoring opportunities.
The experiences emerging from the Labs are helping to identify what enables women to participate and what continues to stand in their way. These lessons can inform training providers, employers and policymakers seeking to make reskilling more accessible and relevant.
For women aged 45+, the message is that experience is not a liability in the green and digital economy. It is a foundation on which new skills can be built.
For employers, the workforce needed to address skills shortages may already be nearby, but outside the usual recruitment channels.
For policymakers, supporting women aged 45+ to reskill is not a niche initiative. Demographic change is making it an increasingly important part of labour-market and vocational education policy.
Future HERA updates will share what is learned through the Labs, participants’ experiences and the practical tools developed along the way.
Sources
- Cedefop (2023). Skills in transition: the way to 2035. Publications Office of the European Union. cedefop.europa.eu/en/publications/4213
- EURES (March 2024). Briefing note on labour-market transitions.
- EIGE (2023). Gender Equality Index 2023: Towards a green transition in transport and energy. eige.europa.eu
- European Economic and Social Committee (December 2023). Women still underrepresented in green and digital sectors.
- HERA Project Proposal, 101196001-HERA-ERASMUS-EDU-2024-POL-EXP.
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