Investing in the Future of Jobs and Skills; Scenarios, Implications and Options in Anticipation of Future Skills and Knowledge Needs - Sector Report Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Rubber & Plastic Products

This report presents the final results of the study Comprehensive analysis of emerging competences and economic activities in the European Union in the chemicals, pharmaceuticals, rubber and plastic products sector. The report is part of a series of sixteen future-oriented sector studies on innovation, skills and jobs under the same heading, commissioned by the European Commission (DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities). The study was executed by a consortium led by TNO (Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research) and consisting of TNO, SEOR, a consultancy of Erasmus University (Rotterdam, the Netherlands) and ZSI (Centre for Social Innovation, Vienna, Austria). The study was carried out during the period January 2008-April 2009. While the main focus of the study is on the future of skills and jobs by 2020, the study is both backward- and forward-looking in nature. It analyses recent relevant sector developments and trends and, at the same time, depicts the current state of play in the sector with an emphasis on innovation, skills and jobs. Current trends and developments form the stepping stone and fundament for the second and third future-oriented part of the study which is scenario-based, forward-looking and exploratory in nature