6 May 2026 – Understanding future workforce needs requires continuous evidence. In 2026, METASKILLS4TCLF launched a new update of its Skills Intelligence research to capture how skills requirements are evolving across the textile, clothing, leather and footwear industries.
The annual exercise builds on research carried out in 2024 and updated in 2025. It collects input from companies, education and training providers and other stakeholders in order to identify emerging competences, persistent shortages and new priorities linked to the green and digital transition.
This repeated approach is important because the sector is changing quickly. Circular production, digitalisation, automation, traceability and new regulatory requirements are influencing job profiles across the value chain. Education and training systems therefore need a way to distinguish short-term trends from structural changes and adapt learning provision accordingly.
For companies, better skills intelligence can support workforce planning and investment decisions. For schools, universities and VET providers, it provides evidence for updating curricula and creating new training modules. At policy level, it can help regions and national authorities direct funding and support towards the areas where skills gaps are most acute.
The research also feeds into the wider work of the TCLF Skills Alliance, where skills intelligence, training development and regional implementation are increasingly connected. EURATEX’s objective is to help create a system that does not simply react to shortages after they appear, but anticipates change and gives companies and workers more time to prepare.