The European multilingual classification of Skills, Competences, and Occupations (ESCO) serves as a comprehensive glossary of occupations and skills relevant to the EU labor market and to education and training systems. ESCO provides detailed descriptions of 3,039 occupations and 13,939 related skills, translated into 28 languages—including all official EU languages, as well as Icelandic, Norwegian, Ukrainian, and Arabic.

The ESCO system is structured around three interconnected pillars:

• The occupations pillar includes 3,039 occupations, aligned with the ISCO-08 classification.
• The skills pillar encompasses 13,939 skills linked to these occupations.
• The qualifications pillar compiles information on formal qualifications awarded across EU member states.

ESCO occupations generally encompass the following elements:

• A brief description outlining the nature and interpretation of the occupation
• Alternative titles or labels for the occupation, including any relevant regulatory references
• The hierarchical classification according to ISCO-08A list of essential skills, competences, and knowledge necessary for the role
• Optional skills, competences, and knowledge that can enhance job performance.

In ESCO, skills, knowledge, and competences are categorized as either "essential" or "optional" depending on how commonly they are required for a given occupation. 

An occupation refers to a group of jobs that involve similar tasks and require a comparable set of skills.

Unlike a job or job title, which pertains to a specific position held by an individual in a particular work setting, an occupation encompasses multiple jobs that share common characteristics.

A skill is the ability to apply knowledge and expertise to carry out tasks and solve problems. Skills are generally classified as either cognitive or practical.

The term "skill" usually refers to the use of specific techniques or tools in a particular context and for specific tasks. In comparison, "competence" has a broader scope, typically describing a person's overall ability to independently and effectively apply both knowledge and skills.

A qualification is an official recognition granted following an assessment and validation process, in which a competent authority confirms that an individual has met the required learning outcomes based on predefined standards.

The qualifications pillar comprises qualifications drawn from the databases of Member States.

These qualifications are integrated into the National Qualifications Frameworks (NQFs) and aligned with the European Qualifications Framework (EQF).

Each qualification provides the following essential information:

• Title and field of study
• Country of award
• Corresponding EQF level
• Brief description of the qualification
• Overview of the knowledge, skills, and competences it encompasses
• Type of associated programme
• Awarding body

ESCO is a multilingual classification system for European Skills, Competences, and Occupations, developed as part of the Europe 2020 strategy.

It defines and structures the skills, competences, and occupations relevant to the labour market, as well as to education and training systems.

ESCO also systematically highlights the interconnections between these sectors.

Watch the brief introduction  video:

Why use ESCO?

The ESCO database helps users identify:

• The knowledge and skills required for a specific occupation
• The knowledge, skills, and competences related to a particular qualification
• The qualifications associated with a given occupation

A key mission of ESCO is to enhance the link between education and training systems and the labour market, aiming to reduce skill mismatches and support the more effective functioning of the labour market.

ESCO’s vision is to provide a shared reference language that enhances the transparency, translation, comparison, identification, and analysis of qualification content. This supports a clearer understanding of how qualifications align with the skills and occupations needed across various sectors and professions.

ESCO operates as a comprehensive dictionary that defines, identifies, and classifies professional occupations, skills, and qualifications relevant to the EU labour market and the education and training sectors.

Its main objective is to support workforce mobility and contribute to a more integrated labour market by offering a common understanding of skills, occupations, and qualifications.

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The European Commission developed ESCO with several core goals:

• To improve communication between the education and training sector and the EU labour market
• To encourage both geographical and occupational mobility
• To enhance the transparency and accessibility of information for a broad range of stakeholders
• To facilitate the exchange of data among employers, education providers, and job seekers
• To support evidence-based policymaking by strengthening the collection, comparison, and sharing of data for skills intelligence and statistical tools—enabling more effective analysis of skills supply and demand.

ESCO serves as a valuable tool for Public Employment Services by providing standardized terminology that improves the interpretation of job vacancies, CVs, and qualifications.

This shared language facilitates the efficient exchange of labour market information and supports the development of job postings and candidate profiles in multiple languages.

Watch how Iceland was one of the first EU Countries integrating ESCO at national level:

• ESCO enables IT systems to translate a jobseeker’s work experience and qualifications into a corresponding set of skills and competences.
• This capability supports more accurate and transparent matching between jobseekers and job vacancies, or between employers and suitable candidates.
• Employment Services across Europe are progressively incorporating ESCO into their systems.

• ESCO assists education and training systems in shifting towards learning outcomes that are better aligned with labour market demands.
• Organisations providing qualification data can use ESCO to tag learning outcome descriptions with relevant skills terminology, incorporating concepts of knowledge, skills, and competences that reflect the qualification’s objectives.
• This helps educational institutions express their learning outcomes more clearly, making qualifications easier for labour market stakeholders to interpret and enhancing their appeal to both local and international learners.

• The ESCO skills and occupations framework can be utilized to provide jobseekers and learners with personalized recommendations for learning and training opportunities.
• Digital platforms can leverage ESCO to inform users about available courses, suggest relevant learning options, create customized training programs, and recommend learning pathways based on their current skill sets.
• Additionally, career guidance providers can use ESCO to offer tailored advice and suggest appropriate training aligned with an individual’s skills and career aspirations.
• Organizations can utilize ESCO to identify the skills gained from a particular learning activity.
• After completing the activity, learners can receive certification—such as an open badge—that links their acquired skills to standardized terminology, helping to validate informal and non-formal learning outcomes.
• These badges can be displayed in e-portfolios and shared with employers or other stakeholders as credible evidence of learning.
• ESCO can support the validation of informal and non-formal learning.
• By providing clear and detailed learning outcomes, ESCO enables the identification, documentation, assessment, and certification of skills and experience gained through informal or non-formal learning.

Docebo is one of the first platforms combining artificial intelligence and the European Classification of Skills, Competences, Qualifications and Occupations (ESCO) in order to identify the right training requirements of employees.

Watch the video:

Watch this video tutorial on the use of ESCO:

To maintain its relevance and effectiveness for the labour market and education and training systems, ESCO requires continuous development and enhancement.

To celebrate the release of the new major version, ESCO 1.2, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, together with the European Training Foundation, hosted a promotional event titled "ESCO 1.2: A Global Language for Skills" on May 21–22, 2024.

Click here for more info on the event