PROFESSIONAL ADAPTABILITY

The degree of flexibility an individual demonstrates in finding and keeping a job, as well as updating occupational competences.

The term "adaptability" can refer to flexibility in "the organisation of work, working patterns and contracts, as well as adaptability in terms of regulatory and training systems."
(Eurofound, Adaptability, visited 2009-08-26)

"It is commonly agreed that the adaptability of the labour market to both short-term fluctuations in economic activity and longer-term changes in the context in which markets operate is an important determinant of the level of employment and competitiveness. There is less agreement over the definition of adaptability and how to measure it. The economic literature has tended to focus in the past on the short-term adaptation process, on the flexibility of wages to economic downturns and on ability of employers to shed labour in such circumstances, emphasising the need for wages to fall if unemployment is to be avoided and for companies to be able to reduce their work force to maintain profits and competitiveness."
(European Commission, Constructing Indices for Labour Market Adaptability, visited 2009-08-21)