Recital (2)

Addressing labour and skills shortages requires an ambitious and comprehensive approach at Union and national level, which includes, as a priority, enabling those underrepresented in the labour market to better achieve their full potential. That approach could include reskilling and upskilling the existing workforce in line with the objectives of the European Year of Skills, established by Decision (EU) 2023/936 of the European Parliament and of the Council, facilitating intra-EU labour mobility, including by making better use of Council Directive 2003/109/EC and Directive (EU) 2021/1883 of the European Parliament and of the Council and by promoting the EURES network, as well as improving working conditions and the attractiveness of certain occupations. However, due to the scale of the current labour market shortages and to demographic trends, measures targeting domestic and Union workforces alone are likely to be insufficient to address existing and future labour and skills shortages. According to Commission estimates, the population of the Union is projected to shrink significantly. Furthermore, the number of people of working age is projected to decline even more. Therefore, legal and orderly migration is key to complement those measures and must be part of the solution to ensure the quality of welfare systems, competitiveness and sustained economic growth in the Union and to fully support the green and digital transitions.