Biletta, Isabella

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 markets: the recent financial crisis and recession have had an inevitable negative impact on EU labour markets and unemployment levels. This has called into question the effectiveness of the flexicurity strategy in terms of supporting vulnerable workers. Eurofound research in six EU Member States analysed company initiatives targeting young workers, older workers and women.

Work plays a pivotal role in people’s lives, in the functioning of companies and in society at large. Improving the quality of work and working conditions has long been at the forefront of EU policy, most recently in the Europe 2020 Strat...

This concept paper is an input to ongoing preparatory work for the new four-year work programme of Eurofound 2013–2016. It is based on the outcome of a joint working group between Eurofound and the European Institute for Public Administration (EIPA). In addition, the paper includes contributions and recommendation from a high-level expert seminar on relevant issues, which took place in Brussels on 21-22 June 2011.

This annual review highlights the most significant developments that took place in industrial relations in the EU Member States and Norway in 2009, both at national and EU level. It first sets out the political context, then goes on to exam...

This study examines the employment situation of young people in 26 European countries, looking at unemployment data, the regulatory framework and programmes at national level specifically targeted at raising employment levels. The study also presents the role and views of the social partners and highlights the main issues for policy consideration. It is based on national reports on the subject, drawn up on the basis of a questionnaire, available on the Foundation’s website.

The aim of this overview, which is based on the national contributions of 23 European countries, is to create a picture of undeclared work in Europe, taking into account the regulatory framework, as well as the impacts, role and actions of public authorities and social partners. Thus, the focus is on a qualitative rather than a quantitative approach to the phenomenon of undeclared work.