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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 (149)

Apprenticeships combining alternating periods at the workplace and in training institutions are well suited to providing young people with an entry point into the labour market and to supplying enterprises with skilled workers. This report examines apprenticeship systems and practices in the manufac

31 October 2018

Labour market slack is the shortfall between the volume of work desired by workers and the actual volume of work available. The most important indicator of labour slack is the unemployment rate, but an exclusive focus on this fails to take account of the four-fifths of the jobless population who are

18 July 2017

The 2016 annual report from the European Restructuring Monitor (ERM) provides evidence of the employment impact of recent restructuring activity in Europe based on the European Union Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS) and the ERM events database. The thematic part of this year’s report centres on trends

01 February 2017

Reducing labour taxes or offering incentives to hire new workers could motivate employers to either retain staff who might otherwise have been let go or to create new jobs. Since the onset of the financial crisis in 2008, both types of measure have been deployed in many EU Member States.

30 January 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

The European Jobs Monitor 2016 looks at 2011 Q2–2015 Q2 employment shifts at Member State and aggregate EU level. A ‘jobs-based’ approach is used to describe employment shifts quantitatively (how many jobs were created or destroyed) and qualitatively (what kinds of jobs). It also introduces a new

20 June 2016

This report explores the involvement of peak social partners in the European Semester at EU and national level during the period 2011 to 2014. While their role in the European Semester is not set out in the European economic governance provisions (the so-called ‘Six-Pack’), the European

16 February 2016

Throughout Europe families have felt the effects of the economic crisis that began in 2008. This report describes their experience in the aftermath of the crisis, up to the present. It looks in detail at developments in 10 Member States that were selected to represent different types of family

27 January 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

Online resources results (199)

Social fund and extension of jobs pact agreed at Deutsche Bahn

On 7 June 2000, the rail workers' union TRANSNET (formerly GdED- DE0006263N [1]) and the board of Deutsche Bahn AG (DB AG) agreed to an "alliance to safeguard the future" (Bündnis für Zukunftssicherung). This consists of an extension of the existing "pact for jobs" (Beschäftigungspakt) (DE9810277N

Labour and skill shortages intensify

Over recent years, the Irish socio-economic context has changed from "managing economic crisis" to "managing economic growth and rising expectations". While the Irish economy was burdened with mass unemployment and huge debt during the 1980s, there has since been strong economic growth. The

Federal government gives financial support for pilot projects on subsidising low wages

On 4 May 2000, representatives of trade unions and employer's associations within the national "Alliance for Jobs, Training and Competitiveness" (Bündnis für Arbeit, Ausbildung und Wettbewerbfähigkeit [1]) and the Federal Chancellor's office agreed [2] on the introduction in four federal states

Industrial relations at British Airways - setting a new course?

In the early 1980s, British Airways (BA) was incurring substantial losses, its reputation for reliability was poor, and its costs exceeded those of other major airlines. In order to prepare for privatisation, new managers were appointed by the Conservative Thatcher government to turn the company

DGB greets Lisbon summit targets

The European Council held an extraordinary meeting on 23-24 March 2000 in Lisbon with the aim of agreeing a new strategic goal for the European Union, in order to strengthen employment, economic reform and social cohesion as part of a "knowledge-based economy" (EU0004241F [1]). The current

Greek shipbuilding industry in crisis

The Greek shipbuilding industry, like the wider European industry, is in crisis due to competition from countries with low labour costs. Greek shipyards have been forced to make a series of structural changes which have resulted in lower employment levels, but which are gradually creating the

Employers demand new labour market policy

In January 2000, the Confederation of German Employers' Associations (Bundesvereinigung der Deutschen Arbeitgeberverbände, BDA) presented a paper in which it calls for fundamental reforms in labour market policy. These proposals are embedded in a fundamental criticism of the current economy policy

Employment-related provisions of budget law for 2000

Italy's budget law for 2000 was approved in December 1999. The government's aim in the budget is to foster the growth of the Italian economy and to continue with the policy of redeeming the public debt. The law's provisions include a reduction of the tax burden and of labour costs, an expansion of

Crisis in Norwegian shipbuilding

Since 1998, the Norwegian shipbuilding industry has witnessed dramatic reductions in orders and Norwegian shipyards have experienced significant losses of income. The slump followed several successive years of growth, which reached a peak in 1997. As a result of this turnaround, wide-ranging

Studies relaunch debate on further liberalisation of shop opening hours

On 12 October 1999, two social and economic research institutes, namely the Dortmund Institute for Social Research (Sozialforschungsstelle Dortmund, SFS) and the Munich-based Ifo Institute for Economic Research (Ifo Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung) submitted reports on the effects of longer


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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