Archive:Labour market statistics introduced
Labour market statistics are at the heart of many European Union policies following the introduction of an employment chapter into theAmsterdam Treaty in 1997. The European Employment strategy (EES) was launched at the Luxembourg jobs summit in November 1997 and was revamped in 2005 to align the employment strategy more closely to the revised Lisbon objectives. The EU has set itself the ambitious targets of a 70 % total employment rate and 60 % female employment rate by 2010, while in the spring of 2001 a 50 % target rate was added for the employment rate of persons aged between 55 and 64 years.
In July 2008, the Council decided on updated employment policy guidelines for the period 2008 to 2010. To meet the objectives of full employment, improved quality and productivity at work, and strengthening economic, social and territorial cohesion, it was decided that actions should continue to concentrate on the priorities established in the 2005 review, namely to:
- attract and retain more people in employment, increase labour supply and modernise social protection systems;
- improve adaptability of workers and enterprises;
- increase investment in human capital through better education
and skills.
These guidelines for the period 2008 to 2010 (1) form part of an integrated approach based on three pillars: macro-economic policies, micro-economic reforms and employment policies. The integrated employment guidelines for 2008-2010 encourage Member States to:
- work with renewed endeavour to build employment pathways for young people and reduce youth unemployment, in particular, through adapting education and
training systems in order to raise quality, broaden supply, diversify access, ensure flexibility, respond to new occupational needs and skills requirements; - take action to increase female participation and reduce gender gaps in employment, unemployment and pay, through better reconciliation of work and private life and the provision of accessible and affordable childcare facilities and care for other dependants;
- give support to active ageing, including initiatives for appropriate working conditions, improved health and incentives to work and discouragement of early retirement;
- develop modern social protection systems, including pensions and healthcare, ensuring their social adequacy, financial sustainability and responsiveness to changing needs, so as to support participation, better retention in employment and longer working lives.
Labour market statistics are at the heart of many European Union policies, prompted by the introduction of an employment chapter into the Amsterdam Treaty in 1997. The extraordinary Luxembourg European Council in November 1997 endorsed an ambitious European employment strategy (EES) aimed at reducing unemployment and the gender gap, while promoting sustainable increases in employment rates. The Lisbon summit in the spring of 2000 put full employment with more and better jobs on the European agenda, setting ambitious EU targets for the year 2010, namely:
- 70 % for the total employment rate;
- 60 % for the female employment rate.
The Stockholm Council in the spring of 2001 subsequently added an employment rate target for people aged between 55 and 64 of 50 % in the EU by 2010.
In its mid-term review of the EES in 2005, the European Commission made a set of new proposals concerning employment guidelines for the period 2005-2008, reflecting a switch of emphasis in favour of growth and employment, with the aim of:
- attracting and retaining more people in employment, increasing labour supply and modernizing social protection systems;
- improving the adaptability of the labour force and the business sector;
- increasing investment in human capital through better education and skills.
A Council Decision of 7 July 2008 on guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States introduced a follow-on set of integrated guidelines for the period 2008-2010. These are based on three policy pillars:
- macroeconomic policies;
- microeconomic reforms;
- employment policies.
The Decision introduces a range of guidelines and benchmarks designed to set priorities for the Member States' employment policies, such that these reflect the revised Lisbon Strategy and take account of common social objectives, including the goals of full employment, improving quality and productivity at work and strengthening economic, social and territorial cohesion.
Labour market statistics measure the involvement of individuals, households and businesses in the labour market. Eurostat collects data on short-term and structural aspects of the labour market in monetary and non-monetary terms. The focus is on both the supply side (actual labour market participation in its various dimensions, unemployment, etc.) and the demand side (employment, job vacancies, etc.).
Further Eurostat information
Dedicated section
Other information
- Council Decision of 7 July 2008 on guidelines for the employment policies