The Annual Report on Skills Intelligence 2025 presents findings from a survey of organisations and stakeholders across Europe’s textile, clothing, leather and footwear (TCLF) sectors. It examines workforce trends, skills need, digital technology adoption, sustainability and the relationship between education and industry requirements. The report also presents an updated SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) SWOT analysis validated by METASKILLS partners.

Key takeaways

• Workforce ageing and generational renewal: The report identifies an ageing workforce and challenges in attracting younger people to the TCLF sectors. Young people’s perceptions of careers in clothing and footwear are a particular concern.
• Digital skills: The extent to which organisations adopt digital technologies varies. The report highlights differences in digital skills needs and training across companies and sectors.
• Sustainability skills: Sustainability practices and related skills vary across the sectors. The report identifies sustainability training and the integration of sustainability into business practices as important areas of focus.
• Changing skills requirements: Digitalisation and sustainability are expected to bring significant changes to TCLF jobs, creating a need for workers to develop new skills.
• Practical training and education: The report examines practical learning opportunities, internships and the relationship between training and employment, highlighting these as relevant areas in the development of sector skills.
• Differences between sectors: The findings show that skills needs and challenges are not uniform across textiles, clothing, leather and footwear. The report’s sector-level analyses identify different priorities for digitalisation, sustainability and workforce development.
• Regional differences: The report identifies variations in workforce challenges and skills development across European regions, including differences in collaboration and vocational education systems.

The report provides an updated overview of skills intelligence across the TCLF sectors, highlighting workforce renewal, digitalisation, sustainability and practical training as important areas for continued attention.

To read the entire report please head to SKILLS4CIRCULARITY website.