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Labour market policies

To improve the functioning of labour markets, policymakers need to address labour market mismatches, labour market segmentation, and design employment policies geared towards the integration of specific groups into the labour market. Active labour market policies (ALMP) are public interventions which are explicitly targeted at groups of persons with difficulties in the labour market. These policies include Public Employment Services or other publicly funded services for jobseekers. Active support to employment is included in the European Pillar of Social Rights.
 

Topic

Eurofound research

Explore Eurofound's regularly updated EU PolicyWatch database of measures introduced by governments and social partners in the EU Member States to alleviate the effects on businesses, workers and citizens of recent crises – COVID-19, the war in Ukraine and rising inflation. It also lists policies to support the digital and green transitions, as well companies that need to restructure. 

Database: EU PolicyWatch

Recent updates

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Becoming adults: Young people in a post-pandemic world

During the pandemic, many young people had to change their plans for the future. While at the end of 2023 young people’s labour market situation was more favourable than it...

21 Maijs 2024
Publication
Research report
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Spanish presidency 2023: Eurofound's contribution

From July to December 2023, Eurofound supported the work of Spain's presidency of the Council of the EU, providing valuable research results on specific topics linked with the presidency priorities.

Web page

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 (149)
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Invaliditāte un integrācija darba tirgū — Politikas tendences un atbalsts ES dalībvalstīs

Šajā ziņojumā izvērtētas tās politikas norises ES dalībvalstīs, kuru mērķis ir atbalstīt personu ar invaliditāti iekļaušanu atvērtajā darba tirgū, īpašu uzmanību pievēršot trim posmiem — nodarbinātības uzsākšana, palikšana darbā un atgriešanās darbā pēc prombūtnes. Tajā ir izpētīti vairāk nekā 150

19 April 2021
Publication
Research report
Social policies
Publiskie pakalpojumi
Working conditions
European Pillar of Social Rights
COVID-19
Disability and chronic disease
Labour market policies
Labour market participation
Dzīves apstākļi un dzīves kvalitāte
Labour and social regulation
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Covid-19: ietekme uz nodarbinātību un darba dzīvi

Disclaimer: Please note that this report was updated with revised data (specifically for Bulgaria) on 23 March 2021.Šā ziņojuma mērķis ir novērtēt Covid-19 krīzes sākotnējo ietekmi uz nodarbinātību Eiropā (līdz 2020. gada 2. ceturksnim), tostarp tās ietekmi dažādās nozarēs un uz dažādām darba ņēmēju

11 March 2021
Publication
Research report
Sociālais dialogs
Social policies
Social partners
Non-standard employment
Darba samaksa un ienākumi
Social protection
Darba laiks
Unemployment
Employment status
Nodarbinātība un darba tirgi
COVID-19
Labour market policies
Living conditions
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ERM 2020. gada ziņojums — Pārstrukturēšana pāri robežām

Šim ziņojumam ir divējāds mērķis. Pirmkārt, tajā ir pārskatītas nesenās pārstrukturēšanas darbības ES no 2019. gada janvāra līdz Covid-19 krīzes pirmajai ietekmei (to ieskaitot). Otrajā daļā ir analizēti transnacionālās pārstrukturēšanas gadījumi, kas skar darba ņēmējus vairāk nekā vienā valstī. Abu

10 November 2020
Publication
Research report
Restructuring
Nodarbinātība un darba tirgi
Labour market policies
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COVID-19: Policy responses across Europe

The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lives of individuals and societies, including on the economy and labour markets, is unprecedented. The impact of the global health emergency has placed a growing number of businesses under threat, putting the jobs of more and more workers at risk and

24 June 2020
Publication
Research report
Social policies
Social partners
Working time
Teleworking
Unemployment
Employment and labour markets
Agreements
COVID-19
Labour market policies
Industrial relations and social dialogue
Industrial relations
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Labour market change: Trends and policy approaches towards flexibilisation

What have been the major trends and policy developments regarding the flexibilisation of employment in recent years? Eurofound’s work programme for 2017–2020 set out to document and capture these changes in the world of work. This flagship publication provides an overview of developments in Europe

16 April 2020
Publication
Flagship report
Platform work
Non-standard employment
Working time
Structural change
New forms of employment
Employment structure
Inclusive labour markets
Employment status
Employment relationship
Anticipating and managing the impact of change
Labour market policies
Employment and labour markets
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Upward convergence in working conditions

Social convergence has gained an equal footing alongside economic convergence as an EU goal in the wake of the economic crisis. This report presents the results of a study into convergence in working conditions, a major component of social policymaking. It examines whether working conditions have

12 December 2019
Publication
Research report
Youth
Working conditions
Labour market policies
Labour market participation
Promoting social cohesion and convergence
Working conditions and sustainable work

Labour market segmentation: Piloting new empirical and policy analyses

This report sets out to describe what labour market segmentation is and why it is problematic for the labour market and society, as well as disadvantaged groups. It takes a broad view of the term to examine the situation that arises when the divergence in working conditions between different groups

02 December 2019
Publication
Research report
Non-standard employment
Employment structure
Inclusive labour markets
Employment relationship
Minimum wage
Labour market policies
Labour market participation
Employment and labour markets

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
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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

Concept and practice of a living wage

A living wage has been defined as a measure of income that allows an employee a basic but socially acceptable standard of living. In recent decades, living wage initiatives have emerged in a small number of mainly English-speaking countries, including the UK and Ireland. These initiatives have

30 November 2018
Publication
Research report
Pay and income
Working poor
Inclusive labour markets
Minimum wage
Labour market policies
Employment and labour markets
Online resources results (199)

Labour cost reductions pose new challenges to industrial relations in banking

Over the past few months, the Governor of the Bank of Italy, Antonio Fazio, and the Abi banking employers' association have urged the Government to start negotiations with employers' associations and trade unions in order to deal with the problems linked to the low profitability of the Italian

27 Aprīlis 1997
Article
Collective bargaining
Restructuring
Labour market policies
Work organisation
Working conditions
Industrial relations
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Reduction of working time is key issue

In the framework of negotiations for the two-year National General Collective Agreement covering the years 1996 and 1997, the GSEE (Greek General Confederation of Labour) trade union confederation placed on the agenda of discussions with the employers its demand for the reduction of weekly working

27 Aprīlis 1997
Article
Working time
Job creation
Labour market policies
Employment and labour markets

1996 solidarity pact in the chemical industry proves successful

The German chemical industry enjoys a long tradition of successful consensus-based industrial relations. In spring 1996, the bargaining partners concluded a "solidarity pact" in the form of a package of regional and national collective agreements. The agreements ran for 12 months and covered 590,000

27 Aprīlis 1997
Article
Collective bargaining
Employment relationship
Pay and income
Non-standard employment
Ageing workforce
Labour market policies
Working conditions
Working conditions and sustainable work

A new role model - centralised wage bargaining in Ireland

One of the keenest debates in industrial relations in Europe is the relationship between the institutional structure of the labour market and economic performance and, in particular, the contribution of the wage determination process to national competitiveness. Considerable attention has focused on

27 Marts 1997
Article
Pay and income
Labour market policies
Employment and labour markets

Working time moves to the top of the agenda

The immediate catalyst for the current prominence of working time in UK industrial relations is the failure in November 1996 of the Government's attempt to have the EU Directive on certain aspects of the organisation of working time (Council Directive 93/104/EC of 23 November 1993) annulled by the

27 Februāris 1997
Article
Working time
Labour market policies
Working conditions
Working conditions and sustainable work

Implementation of the tripartite Pact for Employment

The Italian Government and social partners are currently implementing their tripartite "Pact for Employment" (Patto per il Lavoro), which is intended to promote employment and foster economic development in Italy through the introduction of a wide and complex set of policies. The agreement, signed

27 Februāris 1997
Article
Labour market policies
Labour and social regulation
Employment and labour markets

Employers and unions adopt positions on labour market reform

Employers and unions want to reduce the amount of temporary recruitment and the number of types of employment contract. They also want to increase their freedom to negotiate labour market issues through collective bargaining. These are the key issues in the current debate over a new round of labour

27 Februāris 1997
Article
Labour market policies
Collective bargaining
Social dialogue
Non-standard employment
Restructuring
Employment relationship
Working conditions
Employment and labour markets
Industrial relations
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Apparent breakdown of Belgian central bargaining

For the first time since 1960, the Belgian social partners have failed to reach an intersectoral pay agreement and have instead accepted government imposition of measures on employment and maximum pay increases. This development runs counter to all traditions of free collective bargaining and the

27 Februāris 1997
Article
Collective bargaining
Social dialogue
Pay and income
Labour market policies
Working time
Employment and labour markets
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Proposal to exempt long-term unemployed people from legal minimum wage

The Dutch Government wants to allow employers temporary exemptions from the legal minimum wage [1] (WML- wettelijk minimumloon), and to that end, a bill was submitted to Parliament in 1996. The target group consists of long-term unemployed people aged between 20 and 65. The purpose of the bill is to

27 Februāris 1997
Article
Pay and income
Minimum wage
Labour and social regulation
Unemployment
Labour market policies
Blogs results (10)
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EU lack of labour won't be solved by skills alone: Improving job quality is key

The European Commission declared 2023 as the European Year of Skills, stating ‘Helping people get the right skills for quality jobs and helping companies, in particular small and medium enterprises, address skills shortages in the EU is what this year is all about.’

27 Marts 2023
Tina Weber
Blog
Skills and training
Working conditions
Gender equality
Employment and labour markets
Labour market policies
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Recovering from this pandemic means rebuilding hope for the future

We need to study and understand the blow Europe’s youth have suffered from the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to adjust recovery and resilience measures to their needs: without prioritising young people in the present, we have little hope for the future.

3 Decembris 2021
Ivailo Kalfin
Blog
Youth
Subjective well-being
COVID-19
Labour market policies
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The pandemic aggravated labour shortages in some sectors; the problem is now emerging in others

Following the declines in employment rates and working hours across Europe in 2020, economies began to show signs of recovery during the first quarter of 2021. The gradual rekindling of economic activity has led to a surge in demand for workers and reawakened concerns over labour shortages

20 Jūlijs 2021
Dragoș Adăscăliței
Blog
Skills and training
Employment structure
European Pillar of Social Rights
Employment and labour markets
COVID-19
Labour market policies
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Minimum wages rise again, but the pandemic puts a brake on their growth

Decision-makers approached minimum wage setting for 2021 cautiously due to the economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic. Despite this, nominal statutory minimum wages rose in most Member States and the UK, although at lower rates than in recent years.

8 Jūnijs 2021
Carlos Vacas‑Soriano
Blog
Social dialogue
Pay and income
Working poor
Minimum wage
European Pillar of Social Rights
Labour market policies
Industrial relations and social dialogue
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Two worlds of income support during COVID-19

​​​​​​​To date, close to six million workers in the EU have lost their jobs due to COVID-19. Many businesses have closed their doors forever or been pushed to the brink, bringing severe financial and psychological hardship to the individuals and families affected. However, the toll of the pandemic

9 Februāris 2021
Tina Weber
Blog
COVID-19
Employment and labour markets
Labour market policies
Pay and income
Social protection
Unemployment
Working time
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Can short-time working save jobs during the COVID-19 crisis?

On 2 April, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a new fund of up to €100 billion to support EU Member States to introduce short-time working or similar schemes, including for the self-employed, in an effort to safeguard jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Known as SURE

5 Maijs 2020
Tina Weber
Blog
COVID-19
Labour market policies
Labour and social regulation
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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 Februāris 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 Oktobris 2019
John Hurley
Blog
Employment structure
Labour market policies
Job creation
Job quality
Employment and labour markets
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The challenge of plenty: Tackling labour shortages in the EU

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 Novembris 2018
Catherine Cerf
Blog
Labour market participation
Labour market policies
Migration and mobility
Working conditions
Working conditions and sustainable work
Working time
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Platform work – Breaking barriers or breaking bad?

In the abstract, platform work is the matching of supply and demand for paid work through an online platform. In practice, most people are likely to have encountered it through big online platforms such as Uber, Deliveroo or Amazon Mechanical Turk. This is a new form employment that began to emerge

2 Novembris 2018
Irene Mandl
Blog
Platform work
Working conditions
New forms of employment
Digitalisation
Labour market policies
Anticipating and managing the impact of change
Working conditions and sustainable work
Upcoming publications results (2)

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

COVID-19 support measures and their effects on mitigating the longer-term consequences of COVID-19 for business, work and employment

Job retention schemes were the main policy instruments used across the EU during the COVID-19 pandemic to preserve employment and support businesses. The report provides an analysis of job retention schemes in the EU, focusing on their institutional characteristics, their impact on employment levels

September 2024
Forthcoming
Publication
Research report
COVID-19
Employment and labour markets
Labour market policies

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