Cedefop projects a sharp decline in opportunities for low-qualified workers as digitalisation, automation and structural change reshape European labour demand to 2035.
Read the verified evidence first, then consider how it may affect fields of study, skills, countries or career direction.
Cedefop published new evidence on 26 August 2026 showing how low qualifications and low-skill jobs are exposed to Europe's digital, green and demographic transitions. The agency notes that around half of EU employment is in jobs with low-skill requirements, a group that is much broader than workers who are formally low-qualified.
For low-qualified workers specifically, Cedefop's Skills Forecast projects that job opportunities could fall sharply, with up to one-third expected to disappear by 2035 as automation, digitalisation and structural change reshape demand. The research also points to low participation in training among people in low-skill jobs despite their greater exposure to skills change.
One detail is especially relevant to study decisions: Cedefop reports that graduates in STEM, ICT, engineering and health face a markedly lower risk of ending up in low-skilled employment. That does not make these fields automatically suitable for everyone, but it reinforces the importance of connecting a degree with specific technical, digital or professional capabilities.
Students should read this as a direction-of-travel signal, not a forecast of their personal future. Programme quality, country, language, work experience, regulation and individual ability still strongly affect outcomes.
Turn the headline into a better study question.
A single market or education signal should not decide your degree. Compare it with your academic profile, budget, target country and long-term career plan.