On 10 February 2026, the Horizon Europe project EU-ALMPO – EU Active Labour Market Policies Observatory held its high-level Launch Event titled “Harnessing AI in Supporting Labour Market Policy Making.”
While described as a “Launch Event,” the project officially began one year earlier. The event therefore marked an important milestone, signalling the transition from foundational research to the presentation of initial insights, emerging directions, and early lessons from the project’s analytical work.
The event brought together representatives from European institutions, international organisations, academia, research centres, and policy practice to explore how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can strengthen evidence-based labour market governance across Europe.
Labour markets are undergoing rapid transformation. Digitalisation, demographic shifts, green transition pressures, and economic volatility are reshaping employment structures and skills demand.
Yet policymaking tools often remain fragmented, static, and reactive.
EU-ALMPO was created to address this gap. The project aims to develop AI-supported tools that enhance the full Active Labour Market Policy (ALMP) cycle — from policy design and targeting to monitoring and evaluation — while ensuring transparency, accountability, and ethical safeguards.
In the opening presentation, Prof. Giannis Tzimas (University of Peloponnese, Project Coordinator) outlined the project’s ambition to move from fragmented ALMP evidence toward a structured, AI-powered observatory model.
Key components include:
- A centralized EU repository of ALMP knowledge
- AI-powered monitoring and classification systems
- A Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) analytical infrastructure
- An Interactive ALMP Design Wizard to support policymakers
The objective is not automation of decisions, but augmentation of institutional capacity through structured evidence and advanced analytics.
The keynote session provided strategic insights into the intersection between AI and labour market policy.
Mihai Palimariciuc (European Commission) underlined the strategic importance of aligning AI deployment with Europe’s employment, digital transformation, and competitiveness priorities.
Dr. Stefano Scarpetta (OECD) emphasised that AI adoption does not inherently reduce employment but reshapes task composition and skills demand. He highlighted the importance of investing in upskilling and reskilling while ensuring that AI deployment remains human-centred and inclusive.
Andrea Glorioso (European Commission, DG Employment) addressed the balance between algorithmic innovation and the protection of quality jobs and worker wellbeing. The discussion reinforced that governance frameworks must evolve alongside technological capabilities.
Dr. Konstantinos Pouliakas (CEDEFOP) presented evidence showing that AI-related skills are spreading beyond ICT occupations. Skills gaps, rather than technological limitations, may become the primary bottleneck for effective adoption.
Dr. Eleana Kafeza (Technology Innovation Institute) explored open-source AI approaches, demonstrating how large language models can support explainable workflows, multilingual services, and privacy-preserving deployment within public administrations.
Together, the keynote contributions underscored a common message: AI can enhance policymaking only when embedded within strong institutional governance and ethical safeguards.
The roundtable discussion, moderated by Prof. Łukasz Sienkiewicz (Gdańsk University of Technology), brought together representatives from the OECD, Eurofound, academic institutions, and policy practice to examine how AI tools can become usable and actionable within policymaking environments.
The exchange focused on:
- AI applications across the ALMP cycle
- Institutional readiness and barriers to adoption
- Governance and accountability mechanisms
- Ensuring transparency and public trust
- Strengthening collaboration between research and policy communities
Participants agreed that AI should augment, not replace, policy judgement. Effective deployment requires continuous validation, stakeholder involvement, and clear governance frameworks.
The Launch Event positioned EU-ALMPO within the broader European debate on digital transformation, competitiveness, and inclusive labour market governance.
The project now advances into its next phase, focusing on:
- Further development of the AI-powered repository
- Deployment of the RAG-based analytical system
- Implementation of the Interactive ALMP Design Wizard
- Policy validation and innovation experiments
EU-ALMPO aims to provide European policymakers with practical, responsible, and forward-looking tools that strengthen evidence-based decision-making.