Employment structure

Europe has begun to emerge from the prolonged slump caused by the global financial crisis in 2008 and exacerbated by the euro zone single-currency crisis in 2010–2011. In the last year, aggregate employment levels have risen faster than at any time since 2008. This, the fourth annual European Jobs

Economic recovery in the EU has some positive tailwinds at last. These come in three forms; reduced oil prices are a significant boon to the EU as it is a major net importer; the ECB’s decision to adopt unconventional monetary policy options previously implemented in other developed economies

Dramatic recent oil price declines have seen deflation take hold in the EU. General price levels in December 2014 were 0.2% lower than a year earlier. This is further evidence of a tentative European economic recovery that appears to be running out of steam. Growth forecasts for the EU have been

The regulation of severance pay, that is the statutory benefits an employee receives from their employer to compensate for loss of income due to the termination of the employment, is left to the discretion of the Member States.

Recent data has cast doubt on the strength of the recovery. In its October 2014 World Economic Outlook, the IMF predicts a euro zone growth rate of 0.8% in 2014 (down from a forecast growth rate of 1.1% in April 2014). Factors contributing to the poorer outlook are slowdowns in the US, Japan and in

While restructuring is increasingly acknowledged as an inherent characteristic of economic development and receives substantial policy attention at European and Member State level, the regional perspective on it is rarely discussed. However, most large-scale restructurings affect the regions and

This report looks in detail at recent shifts in the employment structure at Member State and EU level, examining the main sectors and occupations that have contributed to job loss and job growth. It finds, for example, that in 2011–2013, the majority of net employment losses continued to occur in

According to the most recent European economic forecast from the European Commission’s DG-ECFIN, the recovery is broadening, as some measure of modest growth returns to the majority of Member States. DG-ECFIN also points to growing internal consumer demand as the driver of recent growth ‘reducing