Archive:Labour market statistics introduced
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Labour market statistics measure the involvement of individuals, households and businesses in the labour market: the former mainly offer their labour in return for remuneration, while the latter act as employers. Market outcomes – for example employment, unemployment, vacant posts, wage levels, labour cost – affect not only the economy, but also the personal life of virtually every citizen. Eurostat statistics on the labour market cover both the supply and demand sides as well as policy interventions. Data are collected on short-term and structural aspects of the labour market, in monetary and non-monetary terms.
Labour market statistics are at the heart of many European Union (EU) policies following the introduction of an employment chapter into the Amsterdam Treaty in 1997. The European employment strategy (EES) seeks to create more and better jobs throughout the EU. A central element of the EES under the Lisbon objectives was a set of employment policy guidelines which formed part of an integrated approach based on three pillars: macro-economic policies, micro-economic reforms and employment policies.
The Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth put forward by the European Commission is the EU’s growth strategy for the coming decade. As part of the flagship initiatives, 'An agenda for new skills and jobs' and 'Youth on the move', (youth) unemployment rates will be targeted through a range of policies, including proposals aimed at education and training institutions, or measures for the creation of a (work) environment conducive to higher activity rates and higher labour productivity. There are also initiatives aimed at improving the entry rate of young people into the labour market.
To measure progress in meeting the Europe 2020 goals, five headline targets to be met by 2020 have been agreed; these are to be translated into national targets in each EU Member State, reflecting different situations and circumstances. One of these targets is that 75 % of 20 to 64 year-olds should be employed in the EU by 2020. The integrated economic and employment guidelines were also revised as part of the Europe 2020 strategy.
The financial and economic crisis had a major impact on the labour market in the EU. According to the ‘Employment in Europe’ report for 2010, the groups most affected by a fall in employment during the recession were men, young people, the low-skilled, migrants from non-member countries and those in temporary employment. The different gender impact of the recession strongly reflects the contraction in the number of jobs available in male-dominated sectors such as construction and manufacturing. Young people (those aged 15 to 24) were most affected by job losses, reflecting in part the high share of temporary employment among this group of the population and their concentration in certain activities.