Italy has one of EU's highest levels of 'skills mismatch'

(ANSA) - Brussels, February 23 - Italy is among European Union countries with the highest levels of mismatch between the skills that workers have and those requested by the jobs market, a European Commission report showed.
    Italy tops the skills gap table along with Belgium and Ireland.
    The concept is closely linked to that of "educational mismatch" or education of children that does not meet the needs of companies.
    The skills mismatch remained high in Italy even while the number of highly qualified and medium-qualified workers rose slightly in the first four months of 2015, to around 20% and 40% of the active workforce respectively.
    Meanwhile the number of low skilled workers declined to about 40%.
    The high level of skills mismatch can be linked to the low employment rates among low skilled workers, in contrast to better employment situations in other countries such as Germany, Denmark and Britain.