Employment Policy in the EU

Latest news on employment policy in the European Union.

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Euro unemployment hits 'unacceptable' high — 08 January 2013, 16:02 CET

European unemployment has hit an unacceptable high, as one national leader put it, with dire figures in Spain highlighting a growing north-south divide that experts warn will only get worse.

Youth Employment Package — 05 December 2012, 18:35 CET

The European Commission has proposed measures to help EU Member States tackle unacceptable levels of youth unemployment and social exclusion by giving young people offers of jobs, education and training.

Iran committee to probe rights lawyer's situation — 04 December 2012, 12:55 CET

An Iranian parliamentary committee will probe the situation of jailed rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, who has been held in solitary confinement and is reportedly on a hunger strike, Iranian media reported Tuesday quoting a lawmaker.

Eurozone's youth hit as jobless rate climbs to record — 02 December 2012, 18:48 CET

Almost one in four young Europeans was out of work in October as unemployment in the eurozone hit a new record high, with more than 170,000 jobs lost as the economy slumped into recession.

Proposal on increasing Gender Equality in the Boardrooms of Listed Companies — 14 November 2012, 17:57 CET

The European Commission has taken action to break the glass ceiling that continues to bar female talent from top positions in Europe’s biggest companies. The Commission proposes legislation with the aim of attaining a 40% objective of the under-represented sex in non-executive board-member positions in publicly listed companies, with the exception of small and medium enterprises. Currently, boards are dominated by one gender: 85% of non-executive board members and 91.1% of executive board members are men, while women make up 15% and 8.9% respectively. Despite an intense public debate and some voluntary initiatives at national and European level, the situation has not changed significantly in recent years: an incremental average increase of the number of women on boards of just 0.6 percentage points per year has been recorded since 2003. For this reason the Commission is proposing EU legislation to accelerate progress towards a better gender balance on the corporate boards of European companies.

Database: women & men in decision making — 14 November 2012, 17:23 CET

The European Commission established a database monitoring the numbers of men and women in key decision-making positions in order to provide reliable statistics that can be used to monitor the current situation and trends through time. The database covers positions of power and influence in politics, public administration, the judiciary, and various other key areas of the economy. Data on political decision-making at European and national level are updated quarterly Choose translations of the previous link, whilst all other data are updated annually, though updates to political data at regional level are included in quarterly updates in case of elections. Figures are available for decision-makers at European, national and regional level (politics only) and currently cover 34 countries – the 27 EU Member States, one acceding country (Croatia), three candidate countries (Iceland, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Turkey), one of the potential candidate countries (Serbia) and the remaining EEA countries (Liechtenstein and Norway).

General strike hits transport in Portugal — 14 November 2012, 10:43 CET

A general strike against the centre-right government's austerity programme hit air and rail transport across Portugal Wednesday, part of a wave of protests across several European countries.

Thalys cancels Belgium-Germany trains due to protests — 13 November 2012, 14:41 CET

All high-speed Thalys rail services between Belgium and Germany will be cancelled Wednesday due to Europe-wide anti-austerity protests, with other connections to France and the Netherlands also disrupted.

Footballers, film makers call to save EU Erasmus grants — 09 November 2012, 14:16 CET

Famous Europeans ranging from footballers to philosophers have called on the European Union to save the Erasmus student exchange programme in an open letter ahead of a key EU budget meeting.

General strike hits Greece ahead of austerity vote — 06 November 2012, 16:36 CET

Tens of thousands of Greeks poured into the streets on Tuesday as mass strikes paralysed Athens in the latest show of anger over a new austerity bill aimed at securing international aid.

Entrepreneurial women needed to create growth and jobs — 05 November 2012, 11:52 CET

When it comes to adopting an entrepreneurial spirit, it's the men who have the edge. Despite European women accounting for over half of the population, they only make up a third of the EU's entrepreneurs, which is why the European Commission is focusing on enterprise initiatives, specifically targeted at women.

Eurozone jobless rate hits record 11.6% — 31 October 2012, 22:56 CET

Unemployment in the eurozone hit a record high in September with nearly 150,000 more jobs lost as the bloc's debt crisis further undermines an economy slumping into recession, EU data shows.

Romania's NGOs face closure as EU funds are cut off — 24 October 2012, 16:07 CET

Hundreds of Romanian organisations working for the integration of Roma, the disabled and the vulnerable are facing shutdown because failings by the government have led to European Union funds being withheld.

Clashes at Greek protest ahead of EU summit in Brussels — 18 October 2012, 16:52 CET

Greek riot police fired tear gas at protesters on the sidelines of a large anti-austerity rally in Athens during a national general strike as EU leaders prepared to tackle the eurozone crisis at a summit in Brussels.

Clashes at Greek protest ahead of EU summit in Brussels — 18 October 2012, 14:12 CET

Greek riot police on Thursday fired tear gas to disperse protesters at an anti-austerity rally in Athens held during a national general strike as EU leaders were to tackle the eurozone crisis at a summit in Brussels.

Poland's PM unveils EUR 42bn stimulus plan to boost growth, jobs — 13 October 2012, 23:08 CET

Poland's centrist Prime Minister Donald Tusk won a confidence vote Friday after unveiling 42 billion euros ($55 billion) in short-term stimulus to sustain growth and jobs.

Hundreds of truck drivers protest poor wages, conditions — 09 October 2012, 15:57 CET

Some 750 truck-drivers, flanked by lorries, snarled traffic in Brussels Tuesday in a protest over declining wages and conditions as transport companies hire east Europeans on rock-bottom pay.

Grim record as eurozone jobless soars to 18.2m — 01 October 2012, 13:39 CET

Jobless numbers hit a grim record of 18.2 million across the eurozone in August, showing an annual rise of well over two million for the recession-stricken single currency area.

Employment and Social Situation Quarterly Review - Q2 2012 — 28 September 2012, 17:59 CET

The employment and social situation in the European Union remained very serious in the second quarter of 2012 with unemployment rising overall but also displaying significant differences between EU Member States, households' financial situation deteriorating and child poverty increasing. The EU has been in recession or on the verge of it since late 2011 and the overall economic sentiment is at its lowest level in three years. In this context, job-finding prospects remain poor compared to pre-crisis years. Greece and Austria recorded the highest number of hours worked by full-time employed persons in the first quarter of 2012, while Finland, Italy and Ireland recorded the lowest number. These are amongst the main findings of the latest Employment and Social Situation Quarterly Review.

Police clash with hooded youths during Greek general strike — 26 September 2012, 21:15 CET

Police and masked youths clashed in Athens on Wednesday during a nationwide strike in protest at a new round of austerity cuts introduced in return for crucial EU-IMF loans.

Brussels looks to culture to boost jobs — 26 September 2012, 21:43 CET

The European Commission has called for a huge increase in investment in the cultural and creative industries, which account for up to 8.5 million jobs, saying they are a key motor for Europe's growth.

Police clash with masked youths during Athens demonstration — 26 September 2012, 15:42 CET

Police in Athens on Wednesday clashed with masked youths during a nationwide strike in protest at a new round of austerity cuts introduced in return for vital EU-IMF loans.

Greece hit by general strike against austerity plan — 26 September 2012, 10:32 CET

Greece faced a paralysing general strike Wednesday as unions take to the streets to protest at a new round of sweeping austerity cuts to be brought in next month to unlock vital EU-IMF loans.

Greece heads for strike standstill after IMF warning — 26 September 2012, 00:04 CET

Greek unions prepared to bring the country to a strike standstill Wednesday as IMF chief Christine Lagarde warned that delays in reforming the economy were creating a growing financial shortfall.

EU aid boosts Bulgaria growth, employment: minister — 18 September 2012, 17:30 CET

EU aid money has helped Bulgaria boost economic growth, lower unemployment and increase salaries, the government said Tuesday, forecasting further benefits to the economy by 2015.