Labour Archives

Companies are doing a disservice to themselves by increasing requirements for entry-level tech positions, the CEO of an education and skilling NGO told Euractiv in an interview.

With countries and companies lamenting ongoing skills and labour shortages, experts argue that part of the problem is not a lack of workers - but an unwillingness on the part of employers to provide better working conditions.

As the European economy goes through profound changes, industry and society will need employees to gain new skills.

Skills shortages across the EU can be explained by technological changes so rapid that workers and companies alike are struggling to keep up, labour economics scholar and Nobel prize winner Christopher Pissarides told Euractiv in an interview on Friday (1 December).

I grew up with the idea that a career was linear, progressive, just like the ladder it is often associated with. My father worked all his life in the same company, as did most of the people I looked up to when I was younger. Read more in Euractiv's Economy Brief.

The European Commission put forward a series of voluntary measures to facilitate the employment of third-country nationals in the EU in a bid to boost legal migration pathways and help member states address widespread skills and labour shortages.

The radical transformation of the economy towards a more decarbonised and digital industry will change the skills that are in demand. But how can these skills be acquired in sufficient quantity and speed, and who is responsible for making this …

As European employers complain about skills shortages, a study shows that European workers feel financially stressed, that they are more unlikely to upskill than US workers and that they feel less confident that their employers will help pay for their further education.

Despite efforts by the EU to make public authorities consider work conditions when choosing contractors for public orders, most public contracts are still awarded to the lowest bidders, a study by the European Parliament shows.

The French government convened trade unions and business organisation leaders for a high-level ‘social conference’ that focuses on wage increases on Monday (16 October), months after a much-decried pension reform brought government-union dialogue to a standstill.

The EU’s action to improve the lives of people with disabilities has made little difference in recent years, as getting a job and fighting poverty remain a struggle, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) has found. 

The EU Commission called on member states to adapt all their policies to the longer life expectancies of citizens, but it did not make any concrete proposals and shied away from tackling controversial topics such as an increase in retirement ages.

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has called on the European Commission to come up with a reviewed directive that would strengthen the power of European Works' Councils multinational corporations.

The European Parliament on Tuesday (3 October) approved a directive stepping up protections of workers from health risks related to asbestos and improving the early detection of asbestos fibres.

Experts have welcomed the proposed EU law to hold companies accountable for adverse impacts along their entire value chain, but have also raised concerns about the negative impacts the new due diligence rules could have on economies of the Global South.

EU lawmakers adopted a report urging member states to decriminalise people in prostitution, and 'punish' - but not criminalise - buyers, in a debate that sparked confrontation between sex workers and MEPs on how to regulate the sector.

Sex workers and human rights organisations called on EU lawmakers to reject a report that argues for the criminalisation of sex buyers, illustrating a deep divide among activists and sex workers over how to regulate sex work.

The European Commission has proposed the European Disability Card as an EU-wide cross-border proof of disability. While welcomed, the proposal was also criticised as insufficient by disability organisations, which now urge co-legislators to take action, particularly on work and study matters.

The Italian government is phasing out its minimum income scheme for citizens in favour of a new system aimed at boosting employment, a move that is being monitored by the European Commission and criticised by advocates of welfare benefits.

Artificial Intelligence and related fields like cybersecurity will further fuel the growing need for highly qualified talents and basic digital skills in the European Union, European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, told EURACTIV in an interview.

Companies with a history of alleged union-busting behaviour have received millions of euros in Commission grants over the last decade, according to a report by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), raising questions over the need to link social conditions …

To close the skills gap, businesses and policymakers have recently backed a 'skills-first' hiring approach, which evaluates job applicants based on their abilities instead of traditional education or certification.

In a move highly criticised by the European Sex Workers Alliance, the European Parliament committee on women's rights voted in favour of a report calling on member states to decriminalise women in prostitution, while criminalising their clients.

As the number of elderly people and the demand for care increases, the European care sector is at risk due to underpaid, overworked, and unprotected carers, and the EU should do more, according to a report issued by Caritas Europa on Monday (27 June)