The OECD publishes a report analysing the 'skills-first' model and warns that removing the university requirement does not guarantee a change in selection outcomes. Spain remains in the initial phase, with few job offers focused on skills and a high emphasis on degrees.
The OECD published this June 18, 2026 a report on the skills-first labour market model, which places demonstrable skills at the centre of recruitment. The organisation warns that its implementation is not limited to removing the university degree from requirements: if the recruiter continues to value traditional pathways equally, candidates from other routes may still be excluded. The information, reported by OK Diario, indicates that Spain is starting from a less advanced position than other countries.
The report defines the skills-first approach as one where demonstrable competencies weigh more and degrees become a complementary signal. To apply it, a company must transform the job description, identify the necessary capabilities, and verify them through competency interviews, exercises, or structured tests. The OECD emphasises that the change affects the entire process, not just the text of the advertisement.
A previous study by the same organisation places Spain, along with Italy and Chile, in the so-called “Skills Transition Stage”. These are markets with a reduced presence of job offers specifically focused on skills and little differential behaviour from candidates towards these types of vacancies. The OECD explicitly states that in Spain, employers continue to prioritise formal qualifications.
The report highlights a paradox in the Spanish labour market: 60% of SMEs have difficulties hiring workers with the right capabilities, despite 66.2% of the population having at least basic digital skills.
Data from the latest report, based on more than 1,000 employers from 55 economies, shows that experience and degrees maintain their weight. Around 80% expected to prioritise experience when hiring between 2025 and 2030, while more than 40% still relied on university degrees. The difference appears in complementary methods: approximately half plan to use pre-employment tests and about a third consider psychometric profiles.
The OECD clarifies that the model does not imply that studying for a degree ceases to be useful. Degrees remain mandatory in regulated professions and provide valuable information in many occupations. The change consists of preventing them from functioning as the sole filter when a competency can be acquired through Vocational Training, experience, courses, certifications, or on-the-job learning. This also explains the growth of micro-credentials and short-term training, although the organisation insists that these credentials need quality and recognition mechanisms for companies to interpret them correctly.
For the candidate, the new context requires a better description of what they can do, in what context they have applied it, and what results they can demonstrate. For the company, it means designing processes capable of verifying these capabilities without creating new biases. The full report is available on the OECD website.
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