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Labour market participation

The declining number of people active in the labour market makes increased labour force participation one of the primary drivers behind labour market policies. The European Employment Strategy promotes active ageing, gender equality and the integration in the labour market of young people, older workers, people with disabilities, migrants, low-skilled and other vulnerable groups. The employment rate, in other words the proportion of the working age population that is in employment, is considered to be a key social indicator for analytical purposes when studying developments within labour markets.

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Eurofound expert(s)

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
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Carlos Vacas Soriano is a research manager in the Employment unit at Eurofound. He works on topics related to wage and income inequalities, minimum wages, low pay, job quality...

Research manager,
Employment research unit
Publications results (111)

Young people with disabilities or health problems face particular difficulties in accessing employment. Active inclusion policy is seen as the most appropriate policy instrument for combating the exclusion of these young people from the labour market. This study examines the implementation of active

14 January 2013

The proportion of people aged 65 and over will rise from 17% to 30% of the EU population by 2060, while at the same time the working age population will decline. The European Commission estimates that most of the increase in public spending in the EU over the next 50 years will be on pensions, long

28 November 2012

Of all the future challenges facing labour markets in Europe, none is more certain than the demographic imbalances resulting from the lower birth cohorts after the post-war ‘baby boom’ and the continual increase in life expectancy. Indeed, this has already led to a significant shift in the age

04 November 2012

In France, there has been a continuous focus on the inclusion of people with disabilities since 1987, even though the achievements have been modest. The employment difficulties of young people with health problems or disabilities persist despite the existence of the quota scheme that places an

22 October 2012

In recent years, Portugal has aimed to reform some of its main policies in order to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities. There has been a strong investment in enabling people with disabilities to gain qualifications and in promoting their integration into the labour market. Services

22 October 2012

In Slovakia, the most popular measure to support the employment of young people with health problems or disabilities is a public subsidy for employers and for self-employment to establish sheltered workshops or sheltered workplaces and to cover the related running costs. Some social and work

22 October 2012

Although a highly elaborated and differentiated rehabilitation system has been established in Germany and many measures may lead to adequate results, a general state of equality does not yet exist. But new opportunities, such as the personal budget since 2008 and supported employment, as well as the

22 October 2012

In 2006, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the city of Stuttgart and Eurofound formed the ‘European network of cities for local integration policies' (CLIP). This fourth and final module of the CLIP project looks at ethnic entrepreneurship. The general aim of

08 October 2012

The aim of flexicurity is to improve employment opportunities for workers, while at the same time increasing flexibility, enabling organisations to adapt their operations and employment levels to business needs. The past few years have, however, been particularly challenging for European labour

03 July 2012

This report summarises available data on recent employment trends for older workers in the EU27 as well as the results of organisation case studies and overviews on developments in workplace age management undertaken by Eurofound in 2011. The first section uses Eurostat data to provide a statistical

23 May 2012

Online resources results (34)

Debate centres on new policies for older employees

The central Dutch employers' organisations and trade unions, represented on the Labour Foundation, will soon publish recommendations to promote the participation of older employees in the labour market. In addition, the Dutch Government has reached an agreement on a bill that prohibits companies

Debate in the Chamber of Deputies on women and employment

Following a public hearing in which the chambers representing employers' and employees' professional interests (Chambres Professionnelles) took an active part, a recent debate in Luxembourg's Chamber of Deputies suggested measures that the Government might adopt to promote equality between men and

Youth employment: an unsolved problem

Shortages of jobs, alternating periods of employment and unemployment and lack of job security are the main features of the current employment situation for young people in Spain. For some of them this is a temporary situation, but others will find it hard to escape. However, the reform of labour

National conference on youth employment

In a context of increasingly difficult youth employment in France, and of social tension about what course of action to take, a recent national conference has defined a number of concrete objectives. These seek to secure employment for the most disadvantaged, and to expose students to the world of


Blogs results (9)
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The pandemic has had differential impacts on women. Raised consciousness about them must be applied to advance gender equality in recovery measures. All crises have a strongly gendered impact and none more so than the current pandemic, across a range of indicators. While the virus itself seems to

28 Aprile 2021
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​​​​​​​The decades-long trend of a narrowing gender employment gap in Europe has halted in recent years. Now the COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately affecting low-paying service sectors with a high share of social contact, including many with a majority of female workers, risking forcing them

9 Dicembre 2020
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The exponential growth of COVID-19 cases across Europe this autumn has quickly erased hopes that the virus had been contained and confirmed the surge of another wave of the pandemic. With Member States now implementing new restrictive measures for the second time since March in an attempt to control

23 Ottobre 2020
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As Europe faces into what appears to be a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, concern is mounting about the evolution and dramatic impact of the disease, with rising numbers of infections, hospitalisations and deaths. There is also a growing focus on the repercussions for the economy, the labour

7 Ottobre 2020
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Unemployment in the EU is continuing to fall, with the rate approaching its 2008 low point. This is good news: the Europe 2020 target of 75% employment in the working age population is now in sight for many Member States. However, as unemployment reaches new lows, the opposite problem is emerging –

19 Novembre 2018
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Over the last decade, European labour markets have seen a surge in the number of older workers in work and a continuous decline in their unemployment rates. A lot of young and middle-aged workers lost their jobs in the Great Recession, but not so the older age group. This favourable state of affairs

15 Novembre 2018
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In his recent State of the Union address, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker laid out his vision for the EU over the next 12 months. There was no shirking of responsibility; Europe faces difficult challenges, and the EU Institutions, as well as the Member States, must deliver for EU

20 Ottobre 2016
Data results (2)

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