Group of workers brainstorming in business office

Job creation

Job creation refers to the process of providing new jobs, especially for people who were previously unemployed or inactive. Job creation is a key priority for EU social and employment policy. 

Topic

Recent updates

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European Restructuring Monitor

Since 2002, the European Restructuring Monitor (ERM) has been monitoring the employment impact of large-scale restructuring events in Europe and covers the 27 EU Member States plus Norway.

Web page

Eurofound research

Research carries out research on employment and changing labour markets, restructuring and job creation in the EU Member States. The investigation of factors supporting or inhibiting job creation also requires access to company-level information. Eurofound has conducted four editions of its European Company Survey (ECS) since 2003, providing comparative evidence on company practices and their link to innovation and job creation.

Jobs monitor

Eurofound’s European Jobs Monitor (EJM) looks in detail at recent shifts in employment at Member State and aggregate EU levels, covering cases of job creation and job loss by occupation and sector.

Publication: European Jobs Monitor 2021: Gender gaps and the employment structure

 

Restructuring monitor

The European Restructuring Monitor (ERM) has recently explored the case of SMEs, meaning companies with fewer than 250 employees, as a source of job creation. It found that SMEs are likely to have contributed to improved employment levels and increasingly gain attention as a source of job creation in Europe. However, due to the large scale of the SME population, there is considerable heterogeneity among them, and not all are equally dynamic job creators.

Born globals

‘Born global’ enterprises – young companies with an international mindset – are also dynamic in job creation, despite their low share among enterprises. Eurofound research has looked at the potential of job creation in these new international businesses. It characterises born globals and outline their main strengths and weaknesses, as well as economic and labour market potential. 

Sector focus

A study on the creation of more and better jobs in home-care services highlights the persistent labour shortages in the health and social care sector. It analyses initiatives that were successful in either creating more jobs in the sector, or improving the quality of its jobs, with the dual aim of attracting new recruits and retaining existing staff.

As part of a pilot project on the future of manufacturing in Europe from 2015 to 2018, Eurofound gathered information on the reshoring of manufacturing and other value-chain activities to the EU and the resulting job gains.

Key outputs

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Reshoring in Europe: Overview 2015–2018

Reshoring – namely the relocation of value chain activities back to the home country or its nearby region – has attracted an increasing interest both among scholars and policymakers. The...

1 április 2019
Publication
Research report
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More and better jobs in home-care services

As Europe’s population ages, the number of adults needing long-term care is increasing. There are, however, persistent labour shortages in the health and social care sector; well-qualified staff are particularly...

10 szeptember 2013
Publication
Research report

EU context

The European Commission’s Investment Plan for Europe adopted in November 2014 focuses on creating jobs and boosting growth by making smarter use of financial resources, removing obstacles to investment and providing visibility and technical assistance to investment projects. Building on this, the InvestEU Programme 2021–2027 will further boost investment, innovation and job creation by making EU funding simpler to access and more effective. 

Research shows that the strongest recent structural employment growth was recorded in the health and care sectors and in information and communication technologies. Both sectors have strong potential for continued job creation, along with green jobs, as highlighted in the Commission’s 2012 ‘Employment package’. 

The Commission has recognised the contribution of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to economic development and labour markets in the EU, and it supports SMEs through a variety of policies and instruments. In 2016, the European Parliament issued a resolution on how best to support the job creation potential of SMEs.

Eurofound’s work on job creation links in with the Commission’s 2019–2024 priority on an economy that works for people. 

 

European Industrial Relations Dictionary 

Eurofound expert(s)

John Hurley

John Hurley

John Hurley is a senior research manager in the Employment unit at Eurofound. He took up the role of research manager in February 2012. He is responsible for the European...

Senior research manager,
Employment research unit
Publications results (108)
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A digitális kor: Az automatizálás, a digitalizáció és a platformok hatása a munkavégzésre és a foglalkoztatottságra

A technológiai változások az információk digitális tárolására, feldolgozására és kommunikációjára alkalmas elektronikus eszközök kapacitásának bővülésével egyidejűleg gyorsulnak. A digitalizáció átalakítja az EU gazdaságát és munkaerőpiacát: az EU tagállamaiban található munkahelyek egyharmadát a

15 December 2021
Publication
Flagship report
A foglalkoztatás új formái
Platform work
Employment structure
Employment relationship
Foglalkoztatás és munkaerőpiac
A változások hatásának előrejelzése és kezelése
A digitális korszak: a munka és a foglalkoztatás lehetőségei és kihívásai
Job creation
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Tools of trade: Supporting export businesses to improve their workplace practices

The economic and labour market contribution of international businesses is well recognised, but policymakers could do more to help such enterprises to develop their activities. This policy brief explores the workplace practices in export-oriented establishments that may contribute to their success

06 October 2021
Publication
Policy brief
Small and medium-sized enterprises
Participation at work
Working conditions and sustainable work
Working conditions
Work organisation
European Pillar of Social Rights
Innovation
Job creation
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European Jobs Monitor 2019: Shifts in the employment structure at regional level

Accumulating evidence indicates that large metropolitan centres are faring much better than other regions within the Member States of the EU. Such interregional inequality contributes to disenchantment with existing political systems, which in turn can weaken the social bonds that ground democratic

07 October 2019
Publication
Research report
Employment structure
Employment and labour markets
Anticipating and managing the impact of change
Industrial policy
Job creation
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Cooperatives and social enterprises: Work and employment in selected countries

Cooperatives and social enterprises are recognised for their resilience to cyclical and structural economic changes and their capacity to contribute to local and regional economic development, including social inclusion. In recent years, attention has increasingly focused on their ability to further

12 June 2019
Publication
Research report
Small and medium-sized enterprises
Employment and labour markets
Innovation
Job creation
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The future of manufacturing in Europe

The pilot project The Future of Manufacturing in Europe is an explorative and future-oriented study. It explores the future adoption of some key game-changing technologies and how this adoption can be promoted, even regionally. The analysis of implications for working life focuses primarily on tasks

10 April 2019
Publication
Research report
Restructuring
Employment structure
European Green Deal
Employment and labour markets
Anticipating and managing the impact of change
Industrial policy
Job creation

Reshoring in Europe: Overview 2015–2018

Reshoring – namely the relocation of value chain activities back to the home country or its nearby region – has attracted an increasing interest both among scholars and policymakers. The European Reshoring Monitor is a collaborative project between Eurofound and a consortium of Italian universities

01 April 2019
Publication
Research report
Restructuring
Small and medium-sized enterprises
Industrial policy
Anticipating and managing the impact of change
Labour market policies
Job creation
Employment and labour markets

Trade scenario: Employment implications in Europe of a large increase in global tariffs

Protectionism is on the rise. This scenario estimates the potential impact of a significant increase in tariffs in the world’s major trading blocs. The analysis is carried out using the E3ME macroeconometric model, which provides information on sectoral impacts, together with the Warwick Labour

14 March 2019
Publication
Research report
Structural change
Employment structure
Industrial policy
Anticipating and managing the impact of change
Job creation
Employment and labour markets
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Company initiatives to align apprenticeships to advanced manufacturing

Building on the analysis of national apprenticeship systems in the 2018 Eurofound report Adaptation of national apprenticeship systems to advanced manufacturing, this report summarises the results of 14 case studies of good practice in the manufacturing sector in five EU Member States (Denmark, Fran

28 February 2019
Publication
Research report
Skills and training
Youth
Employment and labour markets
Anticipating and managing the impact of change
Labour market policies
Industrial policy
Job creation

Energy scenario: Employment implications of the Paris Climate Agreement

This report explores the potential employment and economic impacts of an EU transition to a low-carbon economy by 2030 – on the EU, and on other regions of the world. It analyses the impacts across sectors and occupations, with a particular focus on manufacturing.The report highlights that the

12 February 2019
Publication
Research report
Structural change
Employment structure
European Green Deal
Employment and labour markets
Anticipating and managing the impact of change
Just transition
Industrial policy
Job creation

Estimating labour market slack in the European Union

Labour market slack is the shortfall between the volume of work desired by workers and the actual volume of work available. The most important indicator of labour slack is the unemployment rate, but an exclusive focus on this fails to take account of the four-fifths of the jobless population who are

18 July 2017
Publication
Research report
Social protection
Unemployment
Inclusive labour markets
Employment status
Labour market policies
Job creation
Employment and labour markets
Online resources results (44)

First company agreement on employment and working time in Catalonia

JEVSA is the first private company based in Catalonia in which an agreement has been reached on employment and working time, under the auspices of this Spanish region's "pact for employment". Signed in December 1998, the JEVSA agreement is based on a scheme providing incentives to promote permanent

27 március 1999
Article
Working time
Job creation
Employment and labour markets

Agreements on good employment practices in Spanish companies

A number of agreements on "good employment practices" signed in Spanish companies indicate a new direction in the 1998/9 collective bargaining round. The main features of these agreements are job creation and secure employment in exchange for wage moderation and flexibility, in order to allow

27 március 1999
Article
Social dialogue
Job creation
Employment relationship
Working conditions
Employment and labour markets
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Active use of unemployment benefits - initial results and union unease

Belgium's policy of reducing unemployment through using unemployment benefits to fund work is going well. After a careful start, it received a boost in April 1998 from the National Action Plan for employment prepared by the Belgian Government in line with the EU Employment Guidelines for 1998. New

27 július 1998
Article
Unemployment
Job creation
Social protection
Employment and labour markets

Eurocopter lands on a 35-hour week

While France's CNPF employers' confederation has been vociferously opposing the law - adopted in May 1998 - implementing the 35-hour working week in 2000, large companies have been negotiating agreements trading off "working time" for "flexibility". These agreements will be implemented prior to the

27 június 1998
Article
Working time
Pay and income
Job creation
Employment relationship
Working conditions
Employment and labour markets
Working conditions and sustainable work

French National Action Plan on employment adopted

Following the special Employment Summit [1] in Luxembourg in November 1997 (EU9711168F [2]), EU Member States agreed a set of Employment Guidelines [3] designed to provide a framework for national action under four main "pillars" - employability, adaptability, entrepreneurship and equal

27 május 1998
Article
Skills and training
Entrepreneurship
Job creation
Work organisation
Gender equality
Working time
Employment and labour markets

Prolonged union protests in the social sector lead to promises for the future

The "social sector", which has also been labelled the "care", "social-profit" or "quartiary" sector, is of growing importance for the Belgian economy in terms of employment. About 10% of all paid employees and 7.9% of the self-employed work in this sector, which includes voluntary and social

27 április 1998
Article
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial action
Job creation
Employment and labour markets

Unions propose relaunch of textile company

In September 1997 the Institute of Labour, the research and training arm of the Greek General Confederation of Labour, published a study on the modernisation, market repositioning and relaunch of the Piraiki-Patraiki textile concern. The study, which has been submitted to the Ministry of Development

27 szeptember 1997
Article
Restructuring
Job creation
Employment and labour markets

Tackling the apprenticeships crisis

Apprenticeships, together with secondary vocational schools (ninth to 13th grade, around 15 to 19 years of age), form the backbone of the Austrian skill-formation system. They are a part of the formal educational structure, and are usually entered into at the age of 15, after completion of the

27 június 1997
Article
Skills and training
Job creation
Labour market policies
Labour and social regulation
Working conditions
Employment and labour markets
Working conditions and sustainable work

Tripartite agreement on Employment Alliance for eastern Germany

A year after the collapse of the tripartite "corporatist" attempt to revitalise the entire German economy (DE9702202F [1]), government, business and trade unions have succeeded in forging an alliance to boost economic growth, productivity and employment in eastern Germany. [1] www.eurofound.europa

27 június 1997
Article
Job creation
Social dialogue
Collective bargaining
Employment and labour markets
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Controversy surrounds dual pay scales

Over 1995-7, certain collective agreements in Spain have allowed employers to recruit workers at lower wages than workers in the same job grade who are already employed by the firm (the "dual pay scale"). Companies' objectives in reducing labour costs and workers' objectives in creating employment

27 május 1997
Article
Gender equality
Job creation
Employment relationship
Working conditions
Employment and labour markets
Social policies
Working conditions and sustainable work
Blogs results (6)
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Europe’s low-carbon transition makes economic sense

At the very outset of its mandate, the new European Commission presented the European Green Deal, establishing the objective of becoming the first climate-neutral bloc in the world by 2050. The initiative emphasises the seriousness which the European Commission places on the climate and biodiversity

21 február 2020
James Higgins
Blog
Employment and labour markets
European Green Deal
Industrial policy
Job creation
Just transition
Labour market policies
Structural change
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Where are all the good jobs?

Economic disparities have been decreasing between EU member states over the past decade, but at the same time inequality has been growing within member states. Despite national level convergence, the gap in wealth and income between the rich and the poor is growing in most of Europe. Some of this

29 október 2019
John Hurley
Blog
Employment structure
Labour market policies
Job creation
Job quality
Employment and labour markets
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The future of manufacturing – is it in Europe?

Over the past four years a special project delegated to Eurofound has looked in detail at ongoing changes in manufacturing on a global scale, analysed how the industry will change further in the future, and assessed what the impacts will be for Europe. Looking at everything from changes in tasks for

9 április 2019
Donald Storrie
Blog
Employment structure
Industrial policy
Job creation
Employment and labour markets
Restructuring
The many faces of self-employment In Europe

The many faces of self-employment in Europe

While the Europe 2020 strategy actively promotes entrepreneurial self-employment as a means to create good jobs, policy makers at national and EU level are actively looking at better social protection for self-employed workers. Understanding this paradox requires looking beyond the ‘self-employed’

26 október 2017
Mathijn Wilkens
Blog
Inequality
Job creation
Non-standard employment
Working conditions and sustainable work
New-generation cars boost manufacturing employment

New-generation cars boost manufacturing employment

Rising levels of employment in manufacturing in the EU since 2013 have seen the part reversal of a long-term decline in employment in this sector. Data from the European Restructuring Monitor (ERM) database to early September 2017 show that, for the first time since 2005, the number of new

25 október 2017
John Hurley
Blog
Job creation
Employment and labour markets
Anticipating and managing the impact of change
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Employment shifts in Europe during the recovery: three little noticed trends

The EU has finally recovered all the net employment losses sustained since the global financial crisis. It has been a long and painful process. But there is at last growing evidence of positive momentum in EU labour markets, if not quite ‘animal spirits’. Many of those member states most affected by

26 július 2017
John Hurley
Blog
Employment structure
Gender equality
Job creation
Employment and labour markets
Non-standard employment
Upcoming publications results (1)

Company practices to tackle labour shortages

This report provides updated data on the scale of labour shortages and labour market slack in the EU and at Member State level and focusses on organisational policies aimed at attracting workers in shortage occupations. It provides lessons on steps employers can take to fill vacancies, whether actin

September 2024
Forthcoming
Publication
Research report
Employment and labour markets
Job creation
Labour market policies
Data results (2)

European Company Survey

24 október 2023
Reference period:
2019

European Jobs Monitor

20 szeptember 2023

Disclaimer

When freely submitting your request, you are consenting Eurofound in handling your personal data to reply to you. Your request will be handled in accordance with the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data. More information, please read the Data Protection Notice.