This deliverable introduces the EU-ALMPO analytical framework, a core reference model developed to support the understanding and addressing of skills mismatch through Active Labour Market Policies (ALMPs).
It provides a structured approach to analysing how labour market imbalances emerge and how policies can respond more effectively. The framework organises key elements such as policy objectives, target groups, and determinants of effectiveness, while also considering broader labour market trends and institutional factors.
As the conceptual foundation of the project, it supports the design, analysis, and evaluation of ALMPs and ensures coherence across subsequent work packages, including the development of AI-supported tools.
Why it matters
This framework provides the foundation for developing AI-supported tools that enable more effective and evidence-based labour market policies.
Key information
Objectives
- Provide a structured framework to analyse and address skills mismatch
- Establish a common conceptual foundation for the EU-ALMPO project
- Support the design, implementation, and evaluation of ALMPs
- Enable comparative analysis across countries and policy contexts
Target audience
- EU, national and regional policymakers
- ALMPs managing authorities
- Public Employment Services (PES)
- Labour market researchers and analysts
End users
- ALMPs designers and decision-makers
- PES practitioners involved in programme design and delivery
- Labour market policy analysts and evaluation experts
- EU-ALMPO project partners
- Developers of AI-supported tools
- Other stakeholders engaged in labour market interventions and skills policies
Keywords →
Policy
ALMPs | Policy design | Target groups
Analysis
Skills mismatch | Labour market frictions | Trends
AI
AI-supported policymaking | Data-driven decisions
This deliverable presents the EU-ALMPO analytical framework, developed within Work Package 1 (WP1) as a unified reference model to support the understanding and addressing of skills mismatch through Active Labour Market Policies (ALMPs).
Each section of the framework follows a tripartite structure:
- context and rationale, outlining the underlying logic for its inclusion in the model;
- key elements, presenting the main aspects to be considered;
- implications, highlighting the consequences for policy analysis, design, and evaluation.
This structure ensures that the framework not only describes its core components but also clarifies their relevance and interconnections.
The model builds on the insights from the Key Trends and Factors Report and Determinants of Effective ALMPs Report, ensuring it is grounded in a consistent and integrated literature review. It has also been discussed with key stakeholders from European Member States during an online validation workshop held on 26 September 2025, supporting its robustness and practical relevance.
Finally, the framework is complemented by an Appendix – Implications and suggestions for the future development of the project AI tools – which seeks to connect it to the creation of a generative AI-supported solution for policy design (WP3). Drawing on selected service design methodologies, the Appendix connects structured policy analysis with the adaptive potential of AI-based approaches. It presents the concepts of interactions and touchpoints to illustrate how policy-makers can engage with the system throughout the design process. It also describes potential usage scenarios to support the identification of end users and the definition of data requirements. Moreover, the Appendix provides recommendations for implementing the framework within the digital environment, highlighting how inputs, evaluation indicators, and real-world applications can inform both its configuration and assessment.
Beyond WP3, the analytical framework also contributes to ensuring coherence across other work packages of the EU-ALMPO project, serving as a reference for ongoing activities related to the analysis of skills-matching strategies in partner countries (WP2), the development of AI-based tools for labour market matching and policy support (WP4 and WP5), the implementation of innovation experiments (WP6), and the evaluation approaches (WP7).