Publications by subject - Human capital - 2012

The economic crisis has severely damaged the employment prospects of the young generation, and employment among young people is now at the lowest level ever recorded by Eurostat. To better capture the extent of economic inactivity among the young, the concept of NEET – not in employment, education or training – has been developed. This report analyses the labour market situation of young people in Europe, with a specific focus on the NEET group. It examines the determinants of belonging to the NEET group, and measures the economic and social costs of NEETs. It also assesses how Member States through policies and interventions have sought to support young people to gain a foothold in the labour market. Read more in the report.

This report analyses the labour market situation of young people in Europe, with a specific focus on the NEET group. It examines the determinants of belonging to the NEET group, and measures the economic and social costs of NEETs. It also assesses how Member States through policies and interventions have sought to support young people to gain a foothold in the labour market. It shows that successful policy initiatives address specific, disadvantaged subgroups in the NEET population. They are client-centred in their efforts to set young people on a pathway to long-term, sustainable employment and they are innovative, adopting new ways of reaching a target group. An executive summary is also available.

This report examines trends in working conditions and employment status in the retail sector in the EU27 countries and Norway between 2001 and 2010. The considerable expansion of the sector over the past 20 years or so is associated with a transformation in its competitive structure, greater use of technology and changes in the regulatory framework. Large companies now dominate at the expense of the numerous small and micro businesses that once characterised the sector in most countries. One result is a significant decline in the number of self-employed workers and a substantial increase in the number of part-time jobs (many held by women) and non-permanent contracts. These changes have affected career patterns and introduced new risks to employees’ health, especially psychosocial ones. Recent initiatives by the social partners have aimed above all to regulate flexibility and working time arrangements, promote training, reduce the risk of robbery and enhance employee well-being. Read more in the report.

This issue of Foundation Focus looks at young people in Europe and particularly how they are affected by the economic crisis. Youth unemployment rates have always been higher than overall unemployment rates, but the crisis has had a dramatic effect on the job perspectives of young people. The growth of the cohort known as NEETs, those not in employment, education or training, is testament to this. There are initiatives to combat the situation, but with mixed results so far. Migration is an option, but does it help in the long run? And what about the working conditions of those who have a job? How easy is it to gain the experience and find training to move into more stable, permanent employment?

In the last ten years, flexicurity has been adopted by the European Commission as a European labour market strategy through a set of common policy components and guidelines. The aim is to tackle the challenges of globalisation, ageing populations and relatively low employment rates, especially for the most vulnerable groups of workers. Foundation Findings provide pertinent background information and policy pointers for all actors and interested parties engaged in the current European debate on the future of social policy. The contents are based on Foundation research and reflect its autonomous and tripartite structure.