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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.

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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 (149)

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

Active inclusion of young people with disabilities or health problems - Background paper

This report reviews the evidence to support the contention that increasing numbers of young people (16 - 34 years) are entering the disability benefits system. It attempts to place this evidence within the context of the many factors that are known to influence the economic activity and labour

01 February 2010
Publication
Research report
Disability and chronic disease
Inclusive labour markets
Employment and labour markets
Labour market policies
Public services
Living conditions and quality of life
Skills and training
Social policies
Youth

Social dialogue and the recession

This paper aims to give a flavour of the latest developments across Europe and inform policy makers of topical issues. It will present measures taken in response to the recession (both employment market measures and financial stimulus packages), outline the extent of social partner involvement, and

08 December 2009
Publication
Research report
Labour market policies
Structural change
Collective bargaining
Social dialogue
Social partners
Employment and labour markets
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Supporting employment through public initiatives in Europe

As the effects of the recession reverberate across Europe, national and regional governments in the Member States have responded by launching comprehensive anti-crisis packages. A key element of many of these packages is support and assistance for companies and workers facing labour market

03 November 2009
Publication
Information sheet
Labour market policies
Structural change
Employment and labour markets

Tackling the recession: Employment-related public initiatives in the EU Member States and Norway

As European economies slide into recession, companies face increasing financial difficulties as sales decline and prospects for a quick recovery recede. Consequently, a growing number of businesses are coming under threat, putting the jobs of more workers at risk. Already across Europe many

08 October 2009
Publication
Research report
Restructuring
Structural change
Employment structure
Labour market policies
Job creation
Employment and labour markets

Recent restructuring trends and policies in the automotive sector - Background paper

The automotive sector is of immense importance in developed economies. Simply stated, a car is, after housing, the most expensive purchase that practically all consumers buy or aspire to buy. Automotive manufacturing accounts for just under 7% of all manufacturing in the European Union. Together

07 July 2009
Publication
Customised report
Labour market policies
Employment and labour markets

Age and employment in the new Member States

Over the last decade, Foundation research has examined effective ways of promoting the participation of older workers in the labour market, to enhance their contribution and productivity, and prevent their early exit and unemployment. This report extends the research to the new Member States and the

21 April 2009
Publication
Research report
Ageing workforce
Labour market policies
Labour market participation
Retirement
Employment and labour markets
Social policies

Employment of migrants by CLIP cities

This short annex to the main report provides some data for each city in the CLIP network on the migrant composition of their local population and on the composition of the municipal staff.

04 November 2008
Publication
Other
Employment and labour markets
Labour market policies
Migration and mobility
Living conditions and quality of life
Social policies

Attractive workplace for all: Contributions to the Lisbon strategy at company level

Eurofound project ‘Attractive workplace for all: A contribution to the Lisbon Strategy at company level’ aimed at identifying and analysing company case studies from seven countries (Austria, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and UK), showing how the Lisbon strategy is being

25 August 2008
Publication
Research report
Labour market policies
Skills and training
Working conditions
Working conditions and sustainable work

Around the world in 80 ways – The truth about delocalisation

At present, delocalisation only accounts for a relatively small number of jobs lost in Europe due to restructuring. However, competitive pressure from abroad leads to other forms of job loss. As European companies are increasingly exposed to foreign competition, a growing number of companies may not

02 June 2008
Publication
Information sheet
Employment structure
Labour market policies
Anticipating and managing the impact of change
Employment and labour markets
Online resources results (199)

Disagreement over pay fuels tension between Government and unions

The process of social dialogue has underlined the strong disagreement between the Greek Government and the employers' associations on the one side and the unions on the other regarding the impact of increases in real wages over the coming years. Because the areas for agreement are already extremely

27 oktober 1997
Article
Collective bargaining
Pay and income
Labour market policies
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Latest pay claims: a threat to the Dutch concertation economy?

The almost unprecedented growth in jobs in the Netherlands, along with low unemployment figures, have aroused the attention of other countries. In the success story - dubbed "the Polder Model" - the leading roles are played by the social partners and the outcome is seen as an "employment miracle"

27 oktober 1997
Article
Labour market policies
Pay and income
Non-standard employment

Wage trends in Spain analysed

In Spain, where wage costs have grown far less than productivity, pay restraint has been the trend. This feature examines trends in real unit labour costs, real pay and pay differentials across the Spanish economy over the last 15 years.

27 augusti 1997
Article
Pay and income
Labour market policies
Social inclusion
Working conditions
Social policies
Working conditions and sustainable work

Trade unions present views on employment regulation and social protection

On 1 July 1997 the Greek trade unions made public their positions on one of the themes in the current social dialogue process, /Regulation of forms of employment and social protection: towards the year 2000/. Their positions differ significantly from those of the Government and the employer

27 augusti 1997
Article
Labour market policies
Working conditions and sustainable work
Working time
Unemployment
Employment and labour markets

Debate centres on new policies for older employees

The central Dutch employers' organisations and trade unions, represented on the Labour Foundation, will soon publish recommendations to promote the participation of older employees in the labour market. In addition, the Dutch Government has reached an agreement on a bill that prohibits companies

27 augusti 1997
Article
Ageing workforce
Labour and social regulation
Labour market participation
Labour market policies
Employment and labour markets

Government's proposals for regulating employment and social protection

In July 1997, in the framework of its current process of social dialogue, the Greek Government presented its proposals for industrial relations reform and new forms of employment.

27 juli 1997
Article
Labour market policies
Working time
Non-standard employment
Social dialogue
Employment and labour markets
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

New Government to continue social partnership

Ireland's newly elected Government, a minority centrist coalition between Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats (PDs), is firmly committed to implementing /Partners/ /hip 2000/, which was agreed between the social partners and the former "rainbow" coalition Government in January 1997 (IE9702103F

27 juni 1997
Article
Industrial relations
Labour market policies
Minimum wage
Participation at work
Employment and labour markets
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Tackling the apprenticeships crisis

Apprenticeships, together with secondary vocational schools (ninth to 13th grade, around 15 to 19 years of age), form the backbone of the Austrian skill-formation system. They are a part of the formal educational structure, and are usually entered into at the age of 15, after completion of the

27 juni 1997
Article
Skills and training
Job creation
Labour market policies
Labour and social regulation
Working conditions
Employment and labour markets
Working conditions and sustainable work

TUC social Europe conference marks ETUC day of action

The aim of the ETUC day of action (EU9704120N [1]) was to mobilise pressure on the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) (EU9704117F [2]) and the Amsterdam European Council meeting (EU9706133N [3]) for a strong commitment to employment creation in the revised European Union (EU) Treaty. [1] www

27 juni 1997
Article
Labour market policies
Social partners
Social dialogue
Employment and labour markets
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Social partners seek solution to bullying at work

The eradication of bullying at school has long been an important aim, and even though it still occurs, there is a genuine wish to stamp it out. However, relatively few people are aware of the seriousness of bullying within the workplace. Surveys have been highlighting this point for a long time -

27 juni 1997
Article
Health and well-being at work
Labour market policies
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 (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

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