VILNIUS, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Several currently existing professions will disappear in the future due to digitalization and the increased role of technologies, said Marianne Thyssen, European Commissioner for Employment and Social affairs, on Thursday, highlighting the importance of investing in lifelong learning.
"We usually graduate from school or university and then we think that we will not have to study again. This is a worrying trend. We need to leave behind this way of thinking as increased digitalization will require new skills," the visiting commissioner was quoted by local media as saying.
Thyssen attended a conference on "The Impact of Digitalization on Work", organized by Lithuania's Ministry of Social Security and Labor.
The fact that only one out of ten European citizens is involved in lifelong learning is a worrying figure, and the authorities should strive to change this trend, she underlined.
Lithuanian Minister of Social Security and Labour Linas Kukuraitis noted that his country is even more vulnerable as some low-skilled jobs can easily be automated.
Thyssen also met with Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite and discussed the "European Semester", which provides a framework for the coordination of economic policies across the European Union, as well as Lithuania's priorities under the multiannual financial framework.
