labour_market_policies.jpg

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

es-presidency-logo.png

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)

Labour cost reductions pose new challenges to industrial relations in banking

Over the past few months, the Governor of the Bank of Italy, Antonio Fazio, and the Abi banking employers' association have urged the Government to start negotiations with employers' associations and trade unions in order to deal with the problems linked to the low profitability of the Italian

27 april 1997
Article
Collective bargaining
Restructuring
Labour market policies
Work organisation
Working conditions
Industrial relations
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Reduction of working time is key issue

In the framework of negotiations for the two-year National General Collective Agreement covering the years 1996 and 1997, the GSEE (Greek General Confederation of Labour) trade union confederation placed on the agenda of discussions with the employers its demand for the reduction of weekly working

27 april 1997
Article
Working time
Job creation
Labour market policies
Employment and labour markets

1996 solidarity pact in the chemical industry proves successful

The German chemical industry enjoys a long tradition of successful consensus-based industrial relations. In spring 1996, the bargaining partners concluded a "solidarity pact" in the form of a package of regional and national collective agreements. The agreements ran for 12 months and covered 590,000

27 april 1997
Article
Collective bargaining
Employment relationship
Pay and income
Non-standard employment
Ageing workforce
Labour market policies
Working conditions
Working conditions and sustainable work

A new role model - centralised wage bargaining in Ireland

One of the keenest debates in industrial relations in Europe is the relationship between the institutional structure of the labour market and economic performance and, in particular, the contribution of the wage determination process to national competitiveness. Considerable attention has focused on

27 mars 1997
Article
Pay and income
Labour market policies
Employment and labour markets

Working time moves to the top of the agenda

The immediate catalyst for the current prominence of working time in UK industrial relations is the failure in November 1996 of the Government's attempt to have the EU Directive on certain aspects of the organisation of working time (Council Directive 93/104/EC of 23 November 1993) annulled by the

27 februari 1997
Article
Working time
Labour market policies
Working conditions
Working conditions and sustainable work

Implementation of the tripartite Pact for Employment

The Italian Government and social partners are currently implementing their tripartite "Pact for Employment" (Patto per il Lavoro), which is intended to promote employment and foster economic development in Italy through the introduction of a wide and complex set of policies. The agreement, signed

27 februari 1997
Article
Labour market policies
Labour and social regulation
Employment and labour markets

Employers and unions adopt positions on labour market reform

Employers and unions want to reduce the amount of temporary recruitment and the number of types of employment contract. They also want to increase their freedom to negotiate labour market issues through collective bargaining. These are the key issues in the current debate over a new round of labour

27 februari 1997
Article
Labour market policies
Collective bargaining
Social dialogue
Non-standard employment
Restructuring
Employment relationship
Working conditions
Employment and labour markets
Industrial relations
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Apparent breakdown of Belgian central bargaining

For the first time since 1960, the Belgian social partners have failed to reach an intersectoral pay agreement and have instead accepted government imposition of measures on employment and maximum pay increases. This development runs counter to all traditions of free collective bargaining and the

27 februari 1997
Article
Collective bargaining
Social dialogue
Pay and income
Labour market policies
Working time
Employment and labour markets
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Proposal to exempt long-term unemployed people from legal minimum wage

The Dutch Government wants to allow employers temporary exemptions from the legal minimum wage [1] (WML- wettelijk minimumloon), and to that end, a bill was submitted to Parliament in 1996. The target group consists of long-term unemployed people aged between 20 and 65. The purpose of the bill is to

27 februari 1997
Article
Pay and income
Minimum wage
Labour and social regulation
Unemployment
Labour market policies
Blogs results (10)
ef23046.png

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
ef21087.png

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
ef21082.png

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
ef21078.png

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
ef21048.png

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
image_blog_short_term_working_05052020.png

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
image_blog_low_carbon_24022020.png

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
image_1_blog_good_jobs_29102019.png

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
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_platform_work_02112018.jpg

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 (2)

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

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.