labour_market_participation.jpg

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.

Topic

Recent updates

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
caros-vacas-2023.png

Carlos Vacas‑Soriano

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)

Policy lessons from the fifth EWCS: The pursuit of more and better jobs

This report examines the evidence and policy lessons that can be drawn from the findings of the fifth European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) carried out in 2010. The focus is on the links between working conditions and labour market participation in the light of the EU’s longstanding policy

25 September 2014
Publication
Research report
Working conditions
Labour market policies
Labour market participation
Job quality
Employment and labour markets
Working conditions and sustainable work

Mapping youth transitions in Europe

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
Publication
Research report
Youth
NEETs
Inclusive labour markets
Labour market participation
Employment and labour markets

Tackling undeclared work in Iceland

The aim of this report is to provide a systematic overview of the extent and nature of undeclared work, and how it is being tackled, in the EU candidate country of Iceland. The objectives of the report are to analyse the prevalence and character of undeclared work in Iceland; to examine how the

22 July 2013
Publication
Research report
Structural change
Fraudulent work
Labour market participation
Employment and labour markets

Tackling undeclared work in Montenegro

The aim of this report is to provide a systematic overview of the extent and nature of undeclared work, and how it is being tackled, in the EU candidate country of Montenegro. The objectives of the report are to analyse the prevalence and character of undeclared work in Montenegro, to examine how

22 July 2013
Publication
Research report
Structural change
Fraudulent work
Labour market participation
Employment and labour markets

Tackling undeclared work in Croatia

The aim of this report is to provide a systematic overview of the extent and nature of undeclared work, and how it is being tackled, in the EU acceding country of Croatia. The objectives of the report are to analyse the prevalence and character of undeclared work in Croatia; to examine how the fight

27 June 2013
Publication
Research report
Structural change
Fraudulent work
Labour market participation
Employment and labour markets

Tackling undeclared work in 27 EU Member States and Norway: Approaches and measures since 2008

Since the publication of previous reports on how undeclared work is being tackled in the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU27) and Norway (Eurofound, 2008, 2009), the ongoing recession took hold. The aim of this report is to provide an updated overview of the policy approaches and measures

09 June 2013
Publication
Research report
Undeclared work
Structural change
Fraudulent work
Labour market participation
Employment and labour markets

Tackling undeclared work in Croatia and four EU candidate countries

The aim of this report is to provide a systematic overview of the extent and nature of undeclared work, and how it is being tackled, in Croatia and four EU candidate countries: Iceland, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Turkey. The objectives are to analyse the magnitude and

09 June 2013
Publication
Research report
Undeclared work
Structural change
Fraudulent work
Labour market participation
Employment and labour markets

Tackling undeclared work in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

The aim of this report is to provide a systematic overview of the extent and nature of undeclared work, and how it is being tackled, in the EU candidate country of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The objectives of the report are to analyse the prevalence and character of undeclared work

03 June 2013
Publication
Research report
Structural change
Fraudulent work
Labour market participation
Employment and labour markets

Tackling undeclared work in Turkey

The aim of this report is to provide a systematic overview of the extent and nature of undeclared work, and how it is being tackled, in the EU candidate country Turkey. The objectives of the report are to analyse the prevalence and character of undeclared work in Turkey; to examine how the fight

03 June 2013
Publication
Research report
Structural change
Fraudulent work
Labour market participation
Employment and labour markets

Building intercultural bridges in European cities: Lessons for local migrant integration policy

This report briefly summarises the policy relevant experiences of the CLIP network (cities for local integration policy) of more than 35 European cities in 22 countries over a period of five years from 2006 to 2010. CLIP was founded with the objective of improving local integration policy for

06 May 2013
Publication
Research report
Social inclusion
Living conditions and quality of life
Social policies
Migration and mobility
Labour market participation
Promoting social cohesion and convergence
Online resources results (34)

Living, working and COVID-19: Impact on gender equality

Living, working and COVID-19: Impact on gender equality 11 March 2021, European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) virtual meeting Presentation by Maria Jepsen, Acting Executive Director, Eurofound

22 marec 2021
Presentation
Care
COVID-19
Gender equality
Health and well-being at work
Inequality
Job quality
Labour market participation
Pay and income
Psychosocial risks
Teleworking
Work-life balance
Working time

Slovenia: Latest working life developments – Q4 2017

Positive changes to labour market legislation for the unemployed, amendments to family legislation for fathers, and the announcement of strikes by public sector trade unions for 2018 are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in working

9 február 2018
Article
Industrial action
Labour market participation

United Kingdom: Latest working life developments – Q4 2017

Brexit talks and the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, easing the pay cap for some NHS staff and tougher action for non-payment of the national minimum wage are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in working life in the United Kingdom in the fourth

24 január 2018
Article
Labour market participation
Unemployment

Italy: Social partners approve measure to tackle poverty

The Italian government has introduced a policy measure to tackle poverty called Income for Inclusion, which has been broadly welcomed by the social partners as being a step towards the social and economic activation of people in poverty.

27 november 2017
Article
Labour market participation
Social inclusion

Sweden: Labour market effects of temporary residence permits

Asylum seekers have been eligible only for temporary residence permits in Sweden since Parliament voted in June 2016 for a three-year freeze on their right to immediate permanent residency on arrival. During widespread public debate about the decision, unions have expressed fears that this is

23 november 2017
Article
Labour market participation
Migration and mobility

EU level: Latest working life developments – Q1 2017

Issues related to the European Commission’s proposal on the European Pillar of Social Rights, as well as some developments in social dialogue at EU level, are the main topics of interest in this article. This update reports on the latest developments in working life at EU level in the first quarter

15 máj 2017
Article
Ageing workforce
Inequality
Social policies
Social dialogue
Labour market participation
Work-life balance
Working conditions
Working time
Social protection
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Denmark: Tripartite agreement on integration of refugees

On 17 April 2016, the Danish government concluded tripartite negotiations with social partner confederations with an agreement on the integration of refugees. Those with no or few competencies are to be offered internships on apprentice wage level, combined with Danish lessons and the possibility

22 apríl 2016
Article
Migration and mobility
Minimum wage
Labour market participation
Collective bargaining
Social dialogue
Working conditions
Industrial relations
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Norway: Inclusive workforce agreement shows positive results

Implementation of the tripartite agreement on the 'Inclusive workplace' appears to be successful, according to the most recent annual report.

11 december 2015
Article
Collective bargaining
Health and well-being at work
Industrial relations
Employment and labour markets
Labour market participation
Living conditions and quality of life
Social dialogue
Working conditions
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial relations and social dialogue

UK: Racial labour market inequalities highlighted by TUC

TUC survey findings highlight the labour market disadvantage of black and Asian workers in terms of pay and employment contract.

30 júl 2015
Article
Discrimination at work
Gender equality
Employment and labour markets
Labour market participation
Living conditions and quality of life
Social policies
Working conditions
Working conditions and sustainable work

Netherlands: Social and Economic Council proposes changes to unemployment financing

The tripartite Social and Economic Council has unanimously agreed guidelines aimed at securing a sustainable labour market in the Netherlands. The guidelines propose changes to the financing of the unemployment benefit system.

21 máj 2015
Article
Labour and social regulation
Employment and labour markets
Labour market participation
Unemployment
Blogs results (9)
image_webinar_08032022.png

Marking International Women's Day - Sharing the caring: a necessary step towards gender equality

8 marec 2022
John Hurley
Blog
Teleworking
Work-life balance
Gender equality
Employment and labour markets
Labour market participation
ef21075_v2.png

Good news for gender equality as we exit the COVID-19 crisis?

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
Maria Jepsen
Blog
Care
COVID-19
Employment and labour markets
Gender equality
Labour market participation
Pay and income
Teleworking
Work-life balance
Working conditions
ef21069.png

Choosing to challenge – the EU Gender Equality Strategy one year in

8 marec 2021
Anna Gallinat
Blog
COVID-19
Gender equality
Labour market participation
Pay and income
Work-life balance
ef20085.png

Could COVID-19 unravel years of progress on gender equality in employment?

​​​​​​​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
Martina Bisello
Blog
Work-life balance
Gender equality
Labour market participation
Employment and labour markets
image_blog_youth_23102020.png

Youth in a time of COVID

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
Massimiliano Mascherini
Blog
COVID-19
Promoting social cohesion and convergence
Skills and training
Youth
Subjective well-being
Labour market participation
ef20074.png

Tentative growth in trust shows COVID-19 has not yet torn the social fabric of Europe

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
Juan Menéndez-Valdés
Blog
COVID-19
Trust
Living conditions and quality of life
Working conditions
Teleworking
Labour market participation
Working conditions and sustainable work
image2_blog_the_challenge_of_plenty_19112018.png

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 november 2018
Catherine Cerf
Blog
Labour market participation
Labour market policies
Migration and mobility
Working conditions
Working conditions and sustainable work
Working time
image_blog_labour_market_integration_15112018.jpg

Not finished at 50: Keeping older workers in work

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
Irene Mandl
Blog
Working conditions and sustainable work
Sustainable work
Employment and labour markets
Labour market participation
Ageing workforce
hjy6snpldhailjsveikm.jpg

The gender employment gap – an issue that affects us all

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
Juan Menéndez-Valdés
Blog
Gender equality
Inclusive labour markets
Inequality
Employment and labour markets
Labour market participation
Working conditions
Working conditions and sustainable work
Data results (2)

Share of main population groups among persons granted temporary protection in the EU (%)

28 marec 2024

Sectoral pattern: Number of countries ranking each sector as among the top four for employing Ukrainian refugees, selected countries

28 marec 2024

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.