Employment: Eurobarometer Survey, Brussels - Main contents
| date | July 17, 2009 |
|---|---|
| city | Brussels, Belgium |
| organisation | European Agenda (EA) |
European Commission - Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities DG
Rue de la Loi 200
1049 Brussels
Phone: +32 (0)2 299 44 34
Fax: +32 (0)2 296 36 60
Email: empl-info@cec.eu.int
Conference / Convention
Type of Event
Employment and Social Affairs
Policy Field of Event
Registration required
Limitation
Brussels
Brussels
Location of event
Over the past few years, the importance of employment and social policy has increased considerably in the eyes of EU citizens. In fact, when asked about the areas in which the European Union should act, these issues are frequently cited as a
top priority.
But what do Europeans think about the actual policies the EU is promoting in this
field? How much do they know about the EU's role in employment and social affairs?
And how do these policies relate to the concrete experiences and expectations people
have when it comes to their own jobs and training opportunities?
Many policies in the area of employment and social affairs are primarily a matter for the individual Member States. So they cater to national political traditions and economic conditions and can differ considerably from one country to another.
However, alongside economic integration, Europe has been developing an
increasingly solid EU policy framework to complement national actions tackling employment and social challenges. EU social policy touches on issues that concern
everyone such as poverty and social exclusion, anti-discrimination, equality between
women and men, job mobility and the effects of company restructuring.
In February 2005, the European Commission published a new Social Agenda. The agenda serves as a guideline on how to modernise European social policy to make it better equipped for a world of increasing international competition, technological
advances and changing population patterns. It had two main priorities: employment(and the modernisation of the European labour market) and the fight against poverty
and promotion of equal opportunities.
The publication of the Social Agenda coincided with the revision of the EU 'Lisbon'
Strategy for Growth and Jobs. This strategy coordinates the Member States' policies in the areas of economic, employment, social protection and social inclusion.
It includes a set of employment guidelines which focus on achieving full employment, improved quality in work and productivity, as well as greater social and territorial cohesion.
But European social policy is not just about strategies and guidelines. The EU invests a considerable amount of money in boosting employment and improving social conditions. The European Social Fund (ESF) is the main financial instrument of the EU for developing employability and human resources. It helps people improve their
skills and, consequently, their job prospects.
In order to get a better idea of how much people know about EU employment and
social policy and what they think of it, the European Commission's Directorate-
General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities commissioned this Eurobarometer study, which was carried out by TNS Opinion & Social using a
representative sample of 24,815 people aged 15 or older in the 25 Member States, two pre-accession countries (Bulgaria and Romania) and two candidate countries (Croatia and Turkey).
The study assessed how European citizens perceive the European Union's role in
employment and social affairs, and how aware they are of EU instruments such as the European Social Fund. It also looked at the level of public approval for measures promoting the concept of 'flexicurity' - a policy approach which combines more
flexible labour markets with high levels of employment security and social protection.
This approach is currently a key issue in EU policy debates.
The survey also looked at the employment situation of European citizens and their
own vision of the future - in other words, their personal expectations of finding a job, or keeping the one they have, in the near future.
Infos