The Fight against unemployment

European Parliament - EPRS Policy podcasts

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Non-profit, Government & Organizations

4.8 • 13 Ratings

🗓️ 7 December 2018

⏱️ 6 minutes

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Summary

By promoting a high level of employment, the European Union (EU) has been fighting against unemployment since as long ago as the early 1950s. The fight against unemployment was brought to the top of the European agenda with the onset of the 2008 economic and financial crisis, and the consequent rise in unemployment rates in all European Union (EU) Member States. In its Europe 2020 strategy, the European Commission set a target to get 75 % of 20 to 64 year-olds into employment by 2020. EU labour market conditions have significantly improved in recent years, and most labour market indicators have strengthened steadily. Since mid-2013, the unemployment rate has continued to decline, and the EU is back to its pre-crisis level (6.8 % in July 2018). Despite the recovery in economic growth and its positive impact on the labour market, the EU has still to face unemployment challenges, particularly concerning differences between Member States, youth unemployment and long-term unemployment. Since 2014, efforts have been made in a number of areas, including to help young people enter the labour market, to combat long-term unemployment, upgrade skills, and facilitate workers' mobility in the European Union. The improvement in labour market indicators has been reflected in citizens' improved evaluation of the EU's involvement in the fight against unemployment, but there is still a very high demand for even more EU intervention in this policy area (76 % of EU citizens). In the future, new or updated legislation relating to employment could modernise work to help in adjustment to a digital world, support sustainable transitions from unemployment into employment and between jobs, increase labour mobility and create closer coordination between economic and social policies.
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2018/630274/EPRS_BRI(2018)630274_EN.pdf

Source: © European Union - EP

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to the European Parliamentary Research Service podcast on the EU's role in fighting unemployment.
0:07.0	The 2008 financial and economic crisis left many in Europe without a job, propelling the fight against unemployment to the top of the EU agenda.
0:16.0	Ten years later, our economies have recovered and the unemployment rate is back to its pre-crisis levels,
0:21.5	but there is still a lot the EU could do and is being asked to do by citizens
0:25.5	to ensure that no one in Europe is left without a job.
0:28.6	Want to know more? Stay with us.
0:31.9	If competence for employment policy remains primarily with member states,
0:36.1	you may be wondering, what does the EU have to say about it?
0:39.3	The short answer is actually quite a lot. Now bear with us a little longer and we'll give you the long answer.
0:44.3	Promoting a high level of unemployment has been a key objective of the European Union since as long ago as in 1950s when it became clear that the introduction of a common market for coal and steel
0:55.1	would hurt the weakest companies and support would be needed to help led off workers to
0:59.7	readjust.
1:00.4	But it was with the economic and financial crisis that hit Europe in 2008 when more and more
1:05.5	people lost their jobs, that the fight against unemployment was brought back to the top
1:09.6	of the European agenda.
1:10.6	Over recent years, however, EU labour market conditions have improved substantial that the fight against unemployment was brought back to the top of the European agenda.
1:15.0	Over recent years, however, EU labour market conditions have improved substantially and the EU is making progress towards its target of getting 75% of 20 to 64-year-olds
1:21.1	into employment by 2020.
1:23.6	Since 2013, the EU unemployment rate has continued to decline and since July 2018, it's actually back to its pre-crisis level at 6.8%.
1:32.7	So things are definitely better. And yet, the EU still faces important challenges as regards unemployment.
1:39.0	For example, substantial differences between member states, with unemployment rates ranging from around 3% in the Czech
1:44.8	Republic and Germany to over 20% in Greece and over 15% in Spain. But there's also youth unemployment
	...

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