CUPRINS - Universitatea George Bacovia

Savvas C. Savvidesin recent years has shifted away from traditional skills towards modern and high–skilled human capital labor and it reflects changes in the content of jobs themselvesrather than changes in the sectoral allocation of employment.Sustained income and productivity growth depends crucially on smoothadjustments in the labor market. Skill imbalances are invariably very disruptive ofthis process and preventing them is becoming an important challenge in anenvironment of rapid technological change associated principally with theexpanding diffusion of ICT across industries and economies. Given the on–goingtechnological transformation, the skill intensity of the Cypriot economy willincrease. It is essential, therefore, that a set of coherent and synergistic policies –education, science, training, mobility, etc. – reinforce each other to ensure that theemerging demand for skills is met on a sustainable and uninterrupted basis. Theseissues are of course fundamental components of the Lisbon agenda and Cyprus, asall member states especially the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, need tomake progress in the area of human capital development.Knowledge (and the capacity to use it effectively) is thus a key to thecompetitiveness of the Cypriot economy, as any other modern economy. New waysof education and training have to be explored, and the use of technology forlearning must be reinforced to facilitate access to learning as well as improve thequality of learning. To ensure that Cypriots have the required knowledge and skills,and consistent with the Lisbon Strategy, the Government of Cyprus hasconsistently provided for the following measures in the recent annual and longrange Development Plans in order to develop and implement coherent strategiesand practical measures to foster lifelong learning for all: 25• Implementation of the acquis communautaire with regard to workingconditions• Promotion of diversified forms of employment, such as contract, partialemployment, flexible schedules• Creation of conditions for regulating professions in Cyprus with theintention to harmonize with the acquis and for the mutual recognition ofdiplomas• Better utilization of human resources by narrowing quantitative andqualitative imbalances in the labor market.• Utilization of the idle female labor force with the creation of furtherinfrastructure and facilities (such as pre-primary classes, partialemployment, flexible working schedules, etc).• Improvements in manpower training25 See Making a European Area of Lifelong Learning a Reality, Communication from theCommission to the European Parliament and the Council, COM (2001), 678 final,21.11.2001.210