Knowledge workers

Knowledge workers are an increasingly dominant and distinguishing factor within companies, research institutes and government. In addition to the knowledge they possess, they also have the skills to transform creative and innovative ideas into new solutions. Their labour productivity is higher than that of non-knowledge workers. Society places higher demands on the training of knowledge workers. These workers must permanently ensure that their knowledge and skills are up to date in an environment where technologies follow each other in rapid succession and knowledge and skills rapidly become outdated.

AWTI regularly draws attention to knowledge workers, for example examining how the Netherlands can make better use of innovative talent. The Council advises the government to join forces with knowledge institutes and the business community in devoting more attention to the learning of innovative skills, partly with a view to lifelong development. The Council also examines how the alignment between education and the labour market can be strengthened and what role research could play in this. The Council devotes special attention to the match between the supply of and demand for workers in the exact science and technology sectors. Finally, the Council periodically publishes advice on attracting international talent and on the attractiveness of the Netherlands as a draw for international top talent.