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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)

Following the influx of over three million asylum seekers into the European Union in the three-year period 2015–2017, Member States faced a number of challenges related to integrating the newly arrived into their country. This report explores the role of public services – specifically housing

19 June 2019

In the wake of an economic crisis that had a very uneven impact on social outcomes across EU Member States, EU leaders and policymakers have come to acknowledge that to make social Europe a reality, social convergence must be given an equal footing to economic convergence in policymaking. In this

17 December 2018

People with disabilities are among the most disadvantaged groups in the EU. This policy brief examines the social situation of people of working age with disabilities, using data from the 2011 and 2016 rounds of the European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS). The brief looks at changes over this period

30 November 2018

While the youth labour market has improved considerably since 2014, one legacy of the recent economic crisis is the large cohort of long-term unemployed young people, which represents nearly one-third of jobless young people. This report provides an updated profile of the youth labour market in 2016

14 December 2017

This report expands on existing research on the labour market integration of refugees and asylum seekers as a response to the refugee crisis. It updates information on legislation and practical arrangements in the first half of 2016, examines labour market integration in the broader context of

14 December 2016

Although standard employment is still dominant in European labour markets, an increasing range of new employment forms is emerging that differ in their implications for working conditions. This study explores strategic employee sharing, an employment form for companies that have specific HR needs

21 November 2016

Women’s labour market participation in the European Union has increased over recent decades, passing 70% in 2014. In that year, women comprised almost 46% of the active EU labour market population.

11 October 2016

European countries face the challenges of ageing populations supported by shrinking workforces, more precarious types of employment, and in many cases, a decreasing number of jobs in the wake of the economic crisis. As a result, the issue of how to enable more people to participate in the labour

27 July 2016

The ageing of European society is leading to a situation where, at current employment levels, supporting the retired population will become increasingly unaffordable. The proposed solution can be summed up simply: bring more of the working age population into work and extend everyone’s working life

23 January 2015

This report examines employment opportunities for people with chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, arthritis and mental health problems in the EU28 Member States and Norway. People with a chronic disease may have a

14 November 2014

Online resources results (34)

An employment pact for older workers?

The participation rate of the over-50 age group in the labour market is low in Austria by European standards, and the unemployment rate amongst this group is high. This is true regardless of qualifications and includes managers over 50. Experts agree that the transition into the age-determined

Ageism back on the employment agenda

On 13 August 1998, the Department for Education and Employment (DOFEE) published the report of its consultation process on age discrimination [1], which had been launched in October 1997. This involved a wide-ranging and informal set of meetings and submissions involving interested parties such as

Uncertainties of the informal economy: a Belgian perspective

A recent study by DGV of the European Commission on the "informal" or "shadow" economy across EU Member States reveals a number of interesting facts (Communication on undeclared work[PDF file] [1], COM(98)219, European Commission, April 1998 - EU9804197F [2]). The shadow economy is estimated to

LO concerned about measures promoting self-employment

Contractor, free agent, self-employed, freelancer - there are many names for people selling their competence, skills, services and labour without having an employment contract. Even if Sweden, together with Denmark, has the lowest figures in the EU (8% of the total occupied labour force compared

New legislation promotes participation of ethnic minorities

The Dutch Government is seeking to promote the participation of people from ethnic minorities on the labour market by means of a new law, adopted in April 1998. Previous legislation was generally considered to be inadequate. Many provisions of the new law have been borrowed from a 1996 agreement

Austrian survey reveals patterns of parental leave

Commissioned by the Public Employment Service (Arbeitsmarktservice, AMS), the Institute of Demographics at the Austrian Academy of Sciences (Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, ÖAW) has produced a detailed study on the use and effects of parental leave. The legislation on parental leave has

Commission targets undeclared work

On 7 April 1998, the European Commission adopted a /Communication on undeclared work/ in which it calls for a debate on the subject as part of the European employment strategy. According to a Commision study, undeclared work represents between 7% and 16% of European Union's GDP- a significant

Employers and unions agree on the promotion of a multicultural working life

The issue of legislating against discrimination on grounds of ethnic origin in working life has been debated in Sweden for the last 30 years, but it was not until 1994 that the first law was enacted. To the very last, even one of the trade union confederations asserted that collective agreements

Women in the Belgian labour market: discrimination persists

There are several reasons for the unequal labour market position of men and women. A significant factor is horizontal segregation on the labour market, that is, the fact that men and women end up in different sectors and occupations. Around 40% of all those at work in Belgium are women; however

Disproportionate number of older employees made redundant by Dutch companies

Although the Dutch Government and the social partners are keen to promote the participation of older employees on the labour market, it is reported that companies currently make disproportionately more older employees redundant. Following the Government's withdrawal of its "Directive concerning


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 apríl 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 december 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 október 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 október 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 november 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 november 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 október 2016
Data results (2)

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