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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.
 

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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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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.

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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
Publications results (148)

The rise of the platform economy during the last decade is one of the main disrupting forces for European labour markets. While standard employment remains the norm, platforms are expanding their reach and diversifying into novel business models. In doing so, they are also attracting an increasing n

16 May 2023

On request by the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Eurofound prepared a background paper as a basis for the discussion at the informal Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) meeting on 3-4 May 2023. The paper outlines some of the key challenges

04 May 2023

Allteftersom ekonomin återhämtar sig från covid-19-pandemin blir bristen på arbetskraft allt tydligare trots att kriget i Ukraina har påverkat energi- och råvarupriserna. Inom vissa sektorer och yrken har denna brist varit endemisk sedan en tid tillbaka, och har nu förvärrats av krisen. I denna

28 March 2023

Historiskt sett har den politiska debatten om konvergens i EU tagit fart i efterdyningarna av olika kriser. Syftet med denna rapport är att i covid-19-pandemins kölvatten utvärdera konvergenstrender under de senaste två decennierna. Studien inleds med en empirisk undersökning av ekonomisk, social

22 March 2023

The European Union Agencies Network on Scientific Advice (EU-ANSA) consists of technical and regulatory agencies that provide scientific advice to EU policymakers. This report demonstrates how EU-ANSA member Agencies are addressing the socioeconomic effects of sustainable development. It is based on

05 January 2022

The rapid rise of the platform economy has led to a marked transformation of European labour markets, and existing regulatory frameworks and voluntary initiatives have yet to catch up. While platform work offers opportunities for workers and employers and potentially contributes to innovation

02 December 2021

This briefing is co-produced by the European Environment Agency (EEA) and Eurofound. It is based on the results of two complementary analyses by the EEA and the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) on the socioeconomic effects of climate policies, in

29 October 2021

I och med covid-19-pandemin upphörde eller begränsades många ekonomiska verksamheter under 2020. Detta hade en omfattande påverkan på arbetsmarknaden. Nedgången i sysselsättning i början av pandemin var kraftigare än den under den globala finanskrisen. En ännu kraftigare nedgång i antalet arbetade

19 October 2021

Samtidigt som arbetslösheten fortfarande är en stor utmaning i Europa, råder det brist på arbetskraft i vissa länder, sektorer och yrken. I rapporten undersöks olika metoder för att identifiera arbetskraftsbrist och nationella politiska debatter i frågan kartläggs. Offentliga åtgärder och

20 July 2021

I denna rapport undersöks utvecklingen av medlemsstaternas politik för att inkludera personer med funktionsnedsättning på den öppna arbetsmarknaden. Särskilt fokus ligger på tre stadier, dvs. möjligheterna att ta sig in på, stanna kvar på och återvända till arbetsmarknaden efter en tids frånvaro. I

19 April 2021

Online resources results (199)

The impact on work of next-generation mobile phones

According to Mobilkom, the largest Austrian provider of mobile telecommunications services, the Universal Mobile Telephone Standard (UMTS) will become operational in Austria in 2002. Its full implementation, including multimedia capabilities based on very high rates of information transmission, is

Industrial relations under new Labour: an update

The election in May 1997 of a Labour government undoubtedly marked a turning point in the long march towards a deregulated labour market in the UK. An EIRO record written just after the election (UK9704125F [1]) reviewed the changes in prospect, commented on their radical nature and argued that "to

National Action Plan for employment not yet in force

In late 1998, a commission of Luxembourg's Chamber of Deputies drew up an amended version of draft legislation implementing the country's National Action Plan for employment, which is likely to win a majority of votes in the Chamber. However, following a critical opinion on the draft law from the

Belgian labour market policy unrealistic, says report

The latest annual evaluation report on Belgian employment policy was published on 25 November 1998. The report ("Federal employment policy. Evaluation report 1998", M Jadot, Federal Ministry of Employment and Labour, Brussels, November 1998) is a performance review carried out by the Ministry of

Problems in transposing the National Action Plan on Employment

In late 1998, Luxembourg's National Action Plan for employment, negotiated on a tripartite basis in April 1998, was mired in controversy in the various professional chambers and within the framework of the legislative procedure in parliament. Despite the efforts of the minister of labour and

National intersectoral agreement received with acclaim

Negotiations on a new two-year intersectoral national agreement for 1999-2000 were characterised by a set of interwoven factors that at times seemed to resemble a Gordian knot. Over recent years, negotiations have had to take into consideration a statutory wage norm, which determines the maximum

Tripartite agreement reached on content of new labour market reform

On the basis of a document released in August 1998 (DK9809177F [1]), which set out possible adjustments to present Danish labour market policy, tripartite talks began on 17 September 1998 and an agreement - entitled a "joint conclusions paper" (fælles konklusionspapir [2]) - was reached by the

Levi Strauss closures hit crisis-ridden Belgian textile industry

On 1 October 1998, the US-based jeans manufacturer Levi Strauss announced the closure of its Belgian factories in Wervik, Gistel and Deurne, as well as one in France. In the Belgian plants, 1,034 mainly low skilled employees will most likely lose their jobs.

Euro-FIET gears up for EMU

With the deadline for EU Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) approaching rapidly, trade unions across the Union have been taking steps to prepare themselves for collective bargaining under a single currency. A joint statement [1] on signed in September 1998 by a number of unions from Belgium, Germany

Wage standard is main point of controversy in forthcoming intersectoral negotiations

In the early 1990s, the Belgian government of the time enacted a law on competitiveness. This law stated that pay increases agreed through collective bargaining must be limited to the so-called "wage standard" (or pay guidelines). This standard shows how much nominal wages may increase over two


Blogs results (10)
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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 mars 2023
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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 december 2021
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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 juli 2021
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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.

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​​​​​​​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 februari 2021
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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 maj 2020
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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 februari 2020
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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 oktober 2019
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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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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 november 2018
Upcoming publications results (2)

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

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

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