Cross-industry and sectoral social dialogue - Footwear

Social partners

Workers' organisations	Employers' organisations
industri All European Trade Union	European Confederation of the Footwear Industry (CEC)

Social dialogue in the EU footwear sector covers activities defined by NACE (Rev. 2), code 15.2.0 (footwear manufacture).

Employment in this sector varies between 343 000 (Eurostat, 2014 Labour Force Survey) and 290 000 people, depending on how the sector is demarcated. They are employed in about 20 000 companies (Eurostat, 2013 Business Statistics).

Micro and small businesses (under 250 people) account for almost 95% of the sector.

The EU's competitive advantages lie in the high quality of production in technical, design and fashion-related terms and the development of sought-after brands with a strong image.

The footwear sector is being restructured due to the globalisation of markets, deregulation, trade liberalisation and technological change. Company numbers fell rapidly in 2008 and 2009 and less rapidly between 2010 and 2013. Job numbers have not changed substantially between 2011 and 2013, despite Europe's high unemployment rates.

Key areas

The Committee is currently focusing on:

re-launch of the social dialogue at EU level
skills & qualifications
making the sector attractive to the young
opening of strategic international markets on a level playing field and other trade developments
action plan for fashion & high-end industries
EU Flagship initiative on responsible management of the supply chain of the garment sector.