Activities of the European Union - Employment and Social Affairs

Keeping up with the pace of change

To do well in the face of competition from new emerging economies, Europe must create the jobs needed by a dynamic, knowledge-based society. This requires investments in education and in science, as well as in employment policies geared to keep up with the pace of change and see the EU through the economic crisis.

Responsibility for policy in the field of employment, social affairs and inclusion is shared between the EU and its member countries. The EU:

coordinates and monitors national policies

promotes the sharing of best practices in fields like employment, poverty and social exclusion and pensions

makes laws and monitors their implementation in areas like rights at work and coordination of social security schemes.

Overview
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Overview

More and better jobs

If globalisation hits their jobs, the EU can help them to retrain.

The European Employment Strategy encourages action to:

make labour markets function better
equip people with the right skills for employment
improve job quality and working conditions
create jobs.

The EU is seeking to meet the following targets by 2020:

75% of people aged 20-64 in work
school drop-out rates below 10%, and at least 40% of 30-34–year-olds completing higher education
at least 20 million fewer people at risk of poverty and social exclusion.

The following initiatives – part of the Europe 2020 strategy – are intended to meet these targets:

Youth on the Move (for young people to study and work abroad)
Agenda for new skills and jobs (addressing structural challenges in Europe's labour markets)
European platform against poverty and social exclusion (helping EU countries to fight poverty and social exclusion).

Rights at work

The EU has made a real impact in the field of workers' rights. For example, there are now EU laws limiting working hours, making working conditions safer and ensuring compensation for work injuries.

The EU works with a wide range of partners, including employers and trade unions, to make sure that these laws effectively address the most important issues.

Social protection and inclusion

The EU promotes social protection and inclusion by coordinating, promoting and providing funding to support member countries' efforts to combat social exclusion and poverty and reform their social protection systems.

An example of how the EU promotes active inclusion is the 2012 European year for active ageing and solidarity between generations that aims to create more opportunities for older people to carry on working, stay healthy and keep contributing to society.

Living and working abroad

According to a recent Eurobarometer survey , one in ten Europeans envisage moving to another EU country in the future. The EU and its member countries are collaborating to make it easier for people to live and work abroad, by coordinating social security schemes across EU countries and enabling workers to receive their pensions and social security benefits even when they change jobs and work in different EU countries.

EU funding programmes

The main programmes for employment and social policy are:

the European Social Fund (ESF)
the PROGRESS programme
the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF)
the European Progress Microfinance Facility

EU countries are primarily responsible for employment and social policy. EU funding in this field only aims to support and complement national efforts.