Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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730. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the establishment of a national skills observatory as per recommendations made by the National Skills Council. [53328/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I, and my Department, welcome the recommendation from the National Skills Council for the establishment of a National Skills Observatory (NSO).

The OECD’s report on Ireland’s Skills Strategy (2023) provides a clear evidence base for the establishment of a NSO to enable a more coherent approach to the collation, use, and dissemination of skills and labour market data across the entire skills ecosystem.

The establishment of a NSO would be transformative in our national skills intelligence landscape and is expected to deliver significant benefits, including:

• Enhanced policy decision-making, providing evidence-based insights to inform education, employment, and economic policies.
• Improved workforce planning, assisting employers and training providers in aligning skills supply with industry demands.
• Greater economic competitiveness in ensuring Ireland’s workforce remains agile and responsive to evolving market needs.
• Lifelong learning and workforce reskilling supporting continuous professional development (CPD) initiatives aligned with labour market needs.
• Collaboration to facilitate evidence-based policymaking through regular dialogue with government, industry stakeholders, and education and training providers.
• Balanced regional development in developing region-specific skills intelligence to support balanced economic development.
• Stronger international positioning, aligning Ireland’s skills intelligence capabilities with leading global standards.
• Increased public engagement - offering accessible labour market data to help individuals make informed career and education choices.
• The advancement of national and EU priorities.