Skills are one of the four core criteria that Article 4 of Directive (EU) 2023/970 requires employers to use when assessing whether work is of equal value. The factor should capture the knowledge and capabilities genuinely required by the job, not just formal qualifications. Technical expertise, training, experience, problem-solving, communication, coordination and other relevant capabilities can all matter. Article 4 specifically warns that relevant soft skills must not be undervalued, which is important because interpersonal, care, communication and coordination skills may be systematically overlooked in traditional job-evaluation systems.
Jurisdiction: European Union
Skills Are a Core Article 4 Criterion
Article 4 of Directive (EU) 2023/970 requires work-value assessments to include skills as one of four core criteria, alongside effort, responsibility and working conditions. Skills should be assessed as job requirements rather than as a measure of the individual worker's prestige or negotiating power. The question is what knowledge and capability the role requires for competent performance. That may include formal qualifications, specialist knowledge, technical expertise, judgement, communication and other capabilities that are relevant to the work.
Formal Qualifications Are Only Part of the Skills Picture
A job may require substantial skill even where it does not demand an advanced degree or professional licence. Employers should distinguish between entry credentials and the full capability needed to perform the role. Training requirements, accumulated experience, specialist techniques, problem-solving, coordination and the ability to manage complex interactions can all contribute to job value. A narrow framework that rewards only academic or technical credentials can produce distorted comparisons between different occupational groups.
Relevant Soft Skills Must Not Be Undervalued
Article 4 expressly states that relevant soft skills must not be undervalued. This is a significant instruction for gender-neutral job evaluation. Communication, empathy, conflict handling, coordination, persuasion, relationship management and emotional judgement may be essential to effective performance even when they are not described as technical skills. Employers should identify these demands where they are genuinely required and apply the same evaluation discipline used for technical or analytical skills.
Assess the Job, Not the Incumbent
Work-of-equal-value analysis should focus on the role's requirements. An unusually experienced employee should not automatically cause the job itself to be scored more highly, and an inexperienced incumbent should not reduce the value of the role. Job descriptions, role profiles, workflow evidence and interviews can help establish what skill level the work requires. Employers should also separate skills that are genuinely necessary from credentials that have been added historically without a clear connection to the work.
Document Skill Criteria Consistently Across Roles
The same skill framework should be usable across different departments and occupational groups. Employers should define what each skill level means, record the evidence supporting a rating and check whether similar skill demands receive similar treatment. Where workers' representatives exist, Article 4 requires the objective gender-neutral criteria to be agreed with them. Consistency makes later comparisons easier to defend and reduces the risk that one function's capabilities are described in richer language than another's.
Frequently Asked Questions
What skills count in a work-of-equal-value assessment?
Relevant job skills can include formal knowledge, training, experience, technical capability, problem-solving, communication, coordination and other capabilities required by the role.
Do soft skills count under the Directive?
Yes. Article 4 specifically states that relevant soft skills must not be undervalued.
Should employers score the worker or the job?
The work-value assessment should focus on the requirements of the job, not the individual characteristics of the current incumbent.
Related Guides
Official Sources
Requirements and practices differ by jurisdiction and organisation. Check current local law, official guidance and professional advice for a specific situation.