Digital skills demanded by employers and employees in Western Romania. Reality, future and needs

Digital transformation is reshaping labour markets across the European Union. Romania continues to face considerable challenges in basic and advanced digital skills, far behind the EU average. This paper explores the need for digital skills in Western Romanian employees and employers (which is characterised by a dynamic ICT and business service sector). The study is based on existing research on digital skills deficits in Central and Eastern Europe, but addresses an important gap: a lack of regionally demand-based assessments that integrate employer requirements and employee desires into a standardised competency framework. The study integrates regional labour market data with primary empirical evidence collected by organisations and individuals with a multi-level training needs assessment methodology based on DigComp 2.2. The research focuses on the following strategic economic sectors: information technology, information services and administrative support activities. 1,020 employees completed a structured questionnaire and 61 employers completed a semi-structured interview. The analysis maps the current digital competence and desired competence in the five DigComp areas, linking them to specific occupations and training preferences. The results revealed the clear need for information and data literacy, communication and collaboration and problem solving, as well as the critical deficiencies in the use of cybersecurity, data protection and digital technologies. Employers have high priority for advanced security, business process automation and data-driven decision-making, while employees are primarily motivated by career advancement, task automation and AI-based tools. The document proposes a portfolio of 14 targeted training programmes designed to respond to identified gaps and estimates that at least 600 positions require training in the region. The results provide a basis for the development of digital training strategies in the region and the alignment of vocational training in response to the needs of the labour market in western Romania.