Skip to main content
topic_inclusive.jpg

Inclusive labour markets

Well-functioning labour markets are a prerequisite for making full use of the job creation potential of the economy as it emerges from the financial and economic crisis. The crisis had very different labour market consequences across the EU Member States, and some groups such as young people and those with low education were particularly hard hit. The rapid ongoing structural change also presents new challenges as regards possible labour shortages and skills mismatches in various sectors and regions.

    Topic

    Recent updates

    ef23011_card_cover.png

    This report investigates the social groups whose attachment to the labour market may be unstable and who are most likely to have non-standard working arrangements, and the implications of such...

    29 August 2023
    Publication
    Research report
    ef23015_card_cover.png

    In responding to Russia’s war against Ukraine, the EU activated its Temporary Protection Directive (TPD) for people who fled the country, allowing them to settle in the EU and to...

    14 June 2023
    Publication
    Eurofound research paper

    Eurofound research

    Eurofound’s research aims to deepen understanding of the dynamics of labour markets across Europe, while informing policy to improve their functioning. Given the persistently high unemployment levels in some Member States, policies to support the reintegration of unemployed people into the labour market and those geared towards specific groups – young people, migrants, women or older unemployed – are of particular interest. Eurofound has produced a large body of work in this area, focusing in recent years on youth issues, gender and work, new forms of employment, mobility and migration, as well as wages.

    Youth employment and entrepreneurship

    Eurofound has explored the employment and social challenges faced by young people. Studies have examined issues around social inclusion and the need to take account of the diversity of vulnerable young people when developing policies to support them. It has also looked at youth entrepreneurship and the types of measures that have been effective in supporting it.

    Gender and the labour market

    Another research strand has highlighted the economic and social costs of the gender employment gap and assessed the effectiveness of policy measures promoting the labour market participation of women.

    New forms of employment

    An ongoing research strand examines new forms of employment that are different from traditional standard or non-standard employment and looks at their implications for working conditions and labour markets. Initial research into the typology was followed up with in-depth reviews of specific new forms of employment such as strategic employee sharing and ICT-based mobile work.

    Migration and mobility of labour

    Research on mobility has provided an up-to-date picture on the movement of labour within Europe and the effect of economic crises on migration

    Labour market transitions

    Eurofound has also conducted in-depth analyses of various issues related to labour market transitions, including job tenure, temporary employment and transitions of young people from education into employment.

    Key outputs

    ef19004_card_cover.png

    Employment statistics consistently show that having a foreign background has an influence on people’s employment prospects. Less is known about the types of jobs workers with foreign backgrounds hold and...

    27 November 2019
    Publication
    Policy brief

    EU context

    The EU’s main tool for promoting employment and social inclusion is the European Social Fund – helping people to get a job, integrating disadvantaged people into society and ensuring fairer life opportunities for all. There is also wide-ranging European legislation that regulates the rights of workers in the labour market. Moreover, in April 2017, the European Commission launched the European Pillar of Social Rights. The Pillar builds on, and complements, EU social and employment policy in order to guide policies in a number of fields essential for well-functioning and fair labour markets and welfare systems.

     

    Eurofound’s work on well-functioning and inclusive labour markets links in with the Commission’s 2019–2024 priority on promoting our European way of life. 

    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
    caros-vacas-2023.png

    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 (37)

    Against a background of high youth unemployment, policymakers are paying more attention to encouraging young people to start their own businesses as a means of easing their entry into the labour market.

    13 April 2016

    Temporary employment has increased since the 1980s in most European countries as a result of demands for greater flexibility in labour markets and subsequent reforms of employment protection legislation. This report presents a broad picture of temporary employment across the EU27 between 2001 and

    15 December 2015

    Since the onset of the economic crisis, the unemployment level among young people has risen sharply and although an improvement is now being registered some EU countries still have stubbornly high youth unemployment rates. Young people, especially those who are not in employment, education or

    23 September 2015

    This report describes the findings of a study of change in job tenure between 2002 and 2012 in the EU. The study examined change in mean tenure as well as the distribution of short and long tenure in the EU and in individual Member States. It also looked at differences in tenure according to

    15 July 2015

    The level of youth unemployment is alarmingly high in several EU Member States, with rates of over 50% recorded in Spain and Greece in 2013. In light of the potential of entrepreneurs to create employment and sustainable growth, promoting youth entrepreneurship and making Europe more entrepreneur

    29 April 2015

    Across Europe, new forms of employment are emerging that are different from traditional standard or non-standard employment in a number of ways. Some transform the relationship between employer and employee, some change work organisation and work patterns, and some do both. This report identifies

    12 March 2015

    The European Commission promotes geographical mobility as a strategy to reduce discrepancies between supply and demand in European labour markets. While migration levels are low within and across EU Member States by comparison with other OECD regions, the proportion of EU migrants working in the EU

    31 October 2014

    Young people in Europe continue to experience great difficulties in entering the labour market. Although the youth unemployment rate in a few Member States has started to fall, overall 23% of young European job-seekers aged 15–24 could not find a job in January 2014. In 2012, 14.6 million young

    23 July 2014

    This issue of Foundation Focus looks at win–win practices in European workplaces that help companies to grow and innovate, while also increasing their competitiveness. What does the European Company Survey tell us about workplace practices related to work organisation, human resources policies

    07 July 2014

    With the average age of the population rising, people aged 55–64 make up an increasing share of workers in Europe. This demographic shift, as well as ongoing threats to the sustainability of national welfare and pension systems, has increased pressure for reforms to encourage longer careers. This

    29 April 2013

    Online resources results (4)

    Slovakia: latest working life developments Q2 2018

    An increase in wage supplements, easier access for people from countries outside the EU to join the Slovak labour market and new legislation for social enterprises are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in working life in Slovakia in

    Czech Republic: Latest working life developments – Q2 2017

    Continued growth in the Czech economy, staff shortages in the social services sector, the tightening of agency employment rules and legislative measures to regulate Uber are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in working life in the

    Finland: HR managers regard diversity as strength for workplaces

    The Diversity Barometer 2016, a survey-based study by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, explores the perceptions and attitudes of human resources professionals to diversity in Finnish workplaces. It finds that the key aspects of diversity are age and age-related issues, language and

    Italy: New solidarity contracts boost inter-generational staff turnover

    The aim of the 2016 Stability Law is to create stable permanent work for younger, less experienced workers while ensuring that the skills and experience of the older generation are not lost, and that shorter working hours or reduced social contributions do not erode entitlement to welfare benefits

    Blogs results (13)
    ef20083.png

    An ageing Europe and rising public expenditure on long-term care have signalled for some time that the fundamentals of care provision need to be addressed. However, the shocking death toll in care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic and the fact that many long-term care services were ill-equipped to

    2 December 2020
    Image of woman teleworking

    COVID-19 unleashed the pent-up potential for telework. Over a third of respondents to Eurofound’s online survey of Europeans in April had started teleworking because of the pandemic. Never before had so many people been working from home. For people with disabilities, telework has long been viewed

    17 August 2020
    ef19068_cooperatives-social-enterprises.jpg

    Much of the discussion on the future of work is focused on globalisation and technology, and their impacts on the labour market. However, there is also a growing interest in the business models used by cooperatives and social enterprises, and how they can contribute to a better future of work

    15 November 2019
    image_1_blog_flexibility_14052019.png

    Imagine you’re at work and something happens: you have to leave to visit a client, you have to go home to let in the plumber, or you have to collect the kids from school as the football training has just been cancelled. If you’re lucky, your employer gives you the flexibility to do this. If you’re

    14 May 2019
    ef18079_card_cover.png

    In this blog, originally posted in Social Europe, Massimiliano Mascherini looks at the enduring issue of long-term unemployment among young people. Despite considerable improvement in the labour market participation of youth in recent years, the legacy of the crisis is still visible in the

    17 April 2018
    ef18056_-_image.jpg

    The integration of migrants from outside the EU into society is one of the key challenges that the Union must address to maintain social cohesion and equality. This blog piece looks at how well migrants and their descendants have integrated into the labour markets of EU Member States.

    ef1714_-_cover_image.jpg

    The Great Recession had lasting effects on European labour markets, both in terms of employment levels and structure. Not only did employment rates drop significantly – taking years to return to pre-crisis levels, with some countries not fully recovered yet – but the crisis also accelerated

    3 August 2017
    migrants.jpg

    The refugee crisis has posed significant challenges for Europe – we have not seen such a large-scale migration of people since the Second World War. The exodus from war-torn regions initially posed a humanitarian challenge for frontline countries such as Greece and Italy. However, the longer term

    20 June 2017
    jov8sv3dz5pxlfx7hgwf.png

    EU-wide income inequality declined notably prior to 2008, driven by a strong process of income convergence between European countries. The Great Recession broke this trend. After 2008, income convergence has been sluggish, while inequality within many countries has increased significantly.

    21 March 2017

    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.