ESCOX: A tool for skill and occupation extraction using LLMs from unstructured text

Abstract

ESCOX, also known as ESCOSkillExtractor, is an open-source, non-proprietary tool for identifying and classifying skills, skillsets, and occupations from job postings and general text. It utilizes the European Skills, Competences, Qualifications and Occupations (ESCO) taxonomy to structure extraction, addressing the need for taxonomy-aligned skill identification in unstructured labor market data. Developed within the SKILLAB EU Horizon project, ESCOX combines LLMs and text embeddings to map content to standardized categories. It offers a user-friendly graphical interface for researchers, educators, and HR professionals, supporting skills gap analysis, training, recruitment, and policy planning, and contributing to the development of a skills-based economy.