Low-skilled workers in a bind

Jobseekers with low working skills were encountering increasing difficulties to find a job, the European Vacancy and Recruitment Report 2014 showed on Monday.

It noted that low-skilled workers were out-competed by medium-skilled people even in the most basic kinds of jobs.

The EU Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs, Laszlo Andor, said employment prospects for those with poor education were dire unless they obtained the right set of skills sought by employers.

Educational investment required

"We need to invest in training and career development schemes addressing the lower skilled," Andor said in a statement, adding that the European Social Fund provided crucial financial resources to do just that.

The EU's recruitment report pointed to the impact of the global financial crisis and recession in many of the bloc's member countries. It stated that only five countries in the bloc had recovered both their pre-crisis GDP and employment levels, including Germany and Sweden.

The study also warned that young people with low qualifications were worst affected by the crisis, mentioning that hiring fell by one third; comparing the second quarter of 2013 with the same period back in 2008.

Another side affect of the crisis was the drastic rise of temporary and non-standard contracts over the past five years, with jobseekers more often than not being forced to accept such positions or be out of the game.