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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.
 

Topic

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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Spanish presidency 2023: Eurofound's contribution

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.

Web page

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
Publications results (148)

France: Partial unemployment allowance and compensation for long-term reduced activity allowance

The reduction of working time has played a major role in lessening the impact of lowered production output on employment levels, and this project aims to investigate short-time working and temporary layoff schemes which have been used as a means of avoiding redundancies by many Member States during

25 November 2010
Publication
Research report
Labour market policies
Skills and training
Working time
Working conditions
Employment and labour markets
Working conditions and sustainable work

Slovenia: Partial subsidies of full-time work and partial reimbursement of payment compensation

The reduction of working time has played a major role in lessening the impact of lowered production output on employment levels, and this project aims to investigate short-time working and temporary layoff schemes which have been used as a means of avoiding redundancies by many Member States during

25 November 2010
Publication
Research report
Labour market policies
Skills and training
Working time
Working conditions
Employment and labour markets
Working conditions and sustainable work

Germany: Short-time working allowance

The reduction of working time has played a major role in lessening the impact of lowered production output on employment levels, and this project aims to investigate short-time working and temporary layoff schemes which have been used as a means of avoiding redundancies by many Member States during

25 November 2010
Publication
Research report
Labour market policies
Skills and training
Working time
Working conditions
Employment and labour markets
Working conditions and sustainable work

Belgium: Short-time working and temporary layoff allowances

The reduction of working time has played a major role in lessening the impact of lowered production output on employment levels, and this project aims to investigate short-time working and temporary layoff schemes which have been used as a means of avoiding redundancies by many Member States during

25 November 2010
Publication
Research report
Labour market policies
Skills and training
Working time
Working conditions
Employment and labour markets
Working conditions and sustainable work

Austria: Short-time working subsidy

The reduction of working time has played a major role in lessening the impact of lowered production output on employment levels, and this project aims to investigate short-time working and temporary layoff schemes which have been used as a means of avoiding redundancies by many Member States during

25 November 2010
Publication
Research report
Labour market policies
Skills and training
Working time
Working conditions
Employment and labour markets
Working conditions and sustainable work

Poland: Employment subsidies for reduced working time and training subsidies

The reduction of working time has played a major role in lessening the impact of lowered production output on employment levels, and this project aims to investigate short-time working and temporary layoff schemes which have been used as a means of avoiding redundancies by many Member States during

25 November 2010
Publication
Research report
Labour market policies
Skills and training
Working time
Working conditions
Employment and labour markets
Working conditions and sustainable work

Extending flexicurity – The potential of short-time working schemes: ERM Report 2010

In the face of recession, falling demand and the consequent slowing of production, short-time working and temporary layoff schemes have been extended (or introduced) in many Member States. These schemes, often with the aid of public funds, reduce working time, while protecting workers’ incomes and

23 November 2010
Publication
Annual report
Skills and training
Working time
Working conditions
Labour market policies
Employment and labour markets
Working conditions and sustainable work

EMCC case studies - Short-time working in the legal sector: the Flex Programme at Norton Rose (United Kingdom)

Norton Rose LLP, part of the Norton Rose Group, has been one of the few law firms in the UK that did not make staff redundant during the recent crisis. Instead it launched a one year ‘flex scheme’ in May 2009 that allowed the firm to either put volunteer partners and salaried staff on a four-day

11 November 2010
Publication
Case study
Labour market policies
Working time
Working conditions
Working conditions and sustainable work

Restructuring in Belgium - Background paper

This background paper gives an overview of restructuring in Belgium from the first quarter of 2008 until the third quarter of 2010. Along with basic descriptive statistics outlining the employment effect of restructuring activities in Belgium, this overview includes brief narratives of individual

03 November 2010
Publication
Research report
Labour market policies
Employment and labour markets

Financing and operating active labour market programmes during the crisis - Background paper

This customised report responds to a request from the EESC’s Labour Market Observatory (LMO) for the Foundation to present data, research and findings on the financing and operation of active labour market programmes during and after the crisis (2008 to date). Eurofound proposed to use its network

25 October 2010
Publication
Customised report
Labour market policies
Employment and labour markets
Online resources results (199)

Building the European social dialogue in construction

The European construction sector generates some 26 million jobs directly and indirectly, representing 20% of the total workforce in the European Union. This employment is broken down as follows: 9.6 million direct jobs; 2.5 million direct jobs in the building materials and product sector; and 14.3

27 augusti 1998
Article
Collective bargaining
Labour market policies
Skills and training
Health and well-being at work
Migration and mobility

The National Minimum Wage: Report of the Low Pay Commission

One of the key commitments of the Labour Government which came to power in May 1997 (UK9704125F [1]) is the introduction of a National Minimum Wage (NMW). The Low Pay Commission (LPC) was appointed in July 1997 (UK9711177F [2]) to recommend the level of the NMW, and it published its report in June

27 juli 1998
Article
Pay and income
Minimum wage
Labour market policies

Bill on regulation of labour relations

In June 1998, the Greek Minister of Labour and Social Security announced a bill on the "regulation of labour relations and other provisions", which seeks to regulate various aspects of industrial relations, both in the private and public sector.

27 juli 1998
Article
Labour and social regulation
Labour market policies
Non-standard employment
Working time
Unemployment
Working conditions
Employment and labour markets
Working conditions and sustainable work

Labour market reform facing stiff opposition

In the search for a remedy for Finland's long-running mass unemployment, in mid-1998 the opposition Centre Party proposed a labour market reform with its ideological roots in the UK Labour Party. Trade unions are trying to resist the reform at an early stage, fearing that it will undermine the

27 juni 1998
Article
Unemployment
Labour market policies
Social dialogue
Employment and labour markets
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Government unveils proposals for a fairer workplace

On 21 May 1998, the Government published a white paper entitled Fairness at work [1] setting out its legislative agenda in the area of industrial relations. As well as giving details of the Government's proposed statutory trade union recognition procedure, the white paper outlines a range of other

27 juni 1998
Article
Labour market policies
Labour and social regulation
Social partners
Employee representation
Leave
Working conditions
Employment and labour markets
Working conditions and sustainable work

Mergers in banking cause serious concerns about employment

The banking sector in Belgium is going through a period of serious turbulence and structural change in the late 1990s, to which several factors have contributed. First, banks are positioning themselves in the increasingly internationalised market for financial services. Second, the further financial

27 juni 1998
Article
Labour market policies
Employment and labour markets

Initial assessment of the 1997 labour reform

Over a year after April 1997's major reform of the labour market in Spain, the Government and employers believe that progress is being made towards creating employment. The trade unions, on the other hand, stress what they see as the inadequacies of the reform and the continuing insecurity of

27 juni 1998
Article
Labour market policies
Non-standard employment
Employment relationship
Working time
Work organisation
Working conditions
Working conditions and sustainable work

Spain draws up National Action Plan for employment without union backing

The Spanish government, in drawing up its National Action Plan for employment in response to the EU employment guidelines, for submission to the June 1998 Cardiff summit, has given priority to active employment policies supported by training and local activity. However, the trade unions have

27 maj 1998
Article
Labour market policies
Skills and training
Non-standard employment
Employment and labour markets

Considerable employment growth achieved in Norway

Norway has experienced favourable employment statistics over the last few years. Newly published figures from Statistics Norway show that there has been a further fall in unemployment, and the employment rate is higher than ever. Norway is not a member of the European Union, and is thus not bound by

27 maj 1998
Article
Employment and labour markets
Labour market policies
Unemployment
Skills and training

Ireland set to introduce a national minimum wage in 2000

The long-awaited report of Ireland's National Minimum Wage Commission, published in April 1998, is set to herald the introduction of a national minimum wage of around IEP 4.40 per hour. The target date set by the Commission is 1 April 2000, a date which would deliberately coincide with the

27 april 1998
Article
Labour and social regulation
Minimum wage
Pay and income
Social partners
Labour market policies
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue
Blogs results (10)
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EU lack of labour won't be solved by skills alone: Improving job quality is key

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
Tina Weber
Blog
Skills and training
Working conditions
Gender equality
Employment and labour markets
Labour market policies
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Recovering from this pandemic means rebuilding hope for the future

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
Ivailo Kalfin
Blog
Youth
Subjective well-being
COVID-19
Labour market policies
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The pandemic aggravated labour shortages in some sectors; the problem is now emerging in others

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
Dragoș Adăscăliței
Blog
Skills and training
Employment structure
European Pillar of Social Rights
Employment and labour markets
COVID-19
Labour market policies
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Minimum wages rise again, but the pandemic puts a brake on their growth

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.

8 juni 2021
Carlos Vacas‑Soriano
Blog
Social dialogue
Pay and income
Working poor
Minimum wage
European Pillar of Social Rights
Labour market policies
Industrial relations and social dialogue
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Two worlds of income support during COVID-19

​​​​​​​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
Tina Weber
Blog
COVID-19
Employment and labour markets
Labour market policies
Pay and income
Social protection
Unemployment
Working time
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Can short-time working save jobs during the COVID-19 crisis?

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
Tina Weber
Blog
COVID-19
Labour market policies
Labour and social regulation
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Europe’s low-carbon transition makes economic sense

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
James Higgins
Blog
Employment and labour markets
European Green Deal
Industrial policy
Job creation
Just transition
Labour market policies
Structural change
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Where are all the good jobs?

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
John Hurley
Blog
Employment structure
Labour market policies
Job creation
Job quality
Employment and labour markets
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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
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Platform work – Breaking barriers or breaking bad?

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
Irene Mandl
Blog
Platform work
Working conditions
New forms of employment
Digitalisation
Labour market policies
Anticipating and managing the impact of change
Working conditions and sustainable work
Upcoming publications results (3)

Company practices to tackle labour shortages

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
Employment and labour markets
Job creation
Labour market policies

COVID-19 support measures and their effects on mitigating the longer-term consequences of COVID-19 for business, work and employment

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
COVID-19
Employment and labour markets
Labour market policies

Becoming adults: Young people in a post-pandemic world

During the pandemic, many young people had to change their plans for the future. While at the end of 2023 young people’s labour market situation was more favourable than it had been in recent years, many obstacles remained on their route to independence, such as the rising cost of living and

May 2024
Forthcoming
Publication
Research report
Youth
Living conditions and quality of life
Inclusive labour markets
NEETs
Subjective well-being
Psychosocial risks
Labour market policies

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