1. IntroductionThe introduction will give an overview on different theoretical approaches used in the study in order to provide readers with an interdisciplinary framework. Moreover, this first chapter will address definitory issues and it will provide with a short overview of the different methods applied throughout the research project. The following chapters are based on literature research and empirical primary and secondary data.
2. The future of high-skilled work - main developments and drivers of change
Chapter Two will describe the main trends shaping the future of work in general, i.e. technology and demographic change, examining existing and future trends.
3. The high-skilled of tomorrow
Who are the high-skilled of tomorrow? What skills do they have? Which educational background? Chapter Three will try to answer these questions, outlining the profile of high-skilled workers in terms of qualifications, work prospects and geographical mobility and migration.
4. Shaping the future organization of work and life
How should work and workplace be organized, in order to meet high-skilled workers´ needs? Which organizational changes are required by the recent developments? What does work-life-balance will mean in future? Chapter Four deals with these questions and the challenges such issues pose to employees and employers.
5. Does "place" matter? The importance of location factors
Chapter Five will discuss the importance of location factors, both from the theoretical and empirical point of view. A section will be devoted in fact to the newly developed European Regions´ Talent Competitiveness Index, the aim of which is measuring one region´s attractiveness for high-skilled workers.
6. Specific case study: South Tyrol
Following the results of the European Regions' Talent Competitiveness Index, chapter Six will illustrate a specific case study of a European region located in the north of Italy, in order to explore and discuss how the above-described global developments will affect the local level and viceversa. This section introduces data on the current situation on in- and outmigration and on the demand and supply of workers in the region.7. Discussion and conclusion
The closing chapter will offer some points of reflections for practitioners and policy-makers, alongside with limitations and ideas for further research.
About the Author: Ingrid Kofler is a sociologist. She is Senior Researcher at the Center for Advanced Studies at Eurac Research in Bolzano, Italy. She has held Visiting Researcher positions at the 21st Century Global Dynamics initiative, the University of California, Santa Barbara, USA, and at the Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWI), Germany.
Elisa Innerhofer is a business economist and political scientist. She is Senior Researcher at the Center for Advanced Studies at Eurac Research.
Anja Marcher is a geographer and researcher at the Center for Advanced Studies at Eurac Research. She is also a Junior Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS) in Vienna, Austria.
Mirjam Gruber is a political scientist. She is a researcher at the Center for Advanced Studies of Eurac Research, and a PhD candidate at the University of Leipzig's Institute of Political Science.
Harald Pechlaner is a business economist. He is Head of the Center for Advanced Studies at Eurac Research, and Professor of Tourism and Head of the Center for Entrepreneurship at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Germany.
