Brussels, 23/11/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 23 November, the European Commission adopted the 21st annual Employment in Europe report, one of the main tools the European Union has to support the action of the member states in this area. The Employment in Europe report constitutes the basis for the analysis of the Joint Report on Employment, which will be the subject of a Commission proposal of 9 December. This joint report is the analysis and information tool for the EU's strategy for growth and employment (Lisbon Strategy), Chantal Hughes, spokesperson to Commissioner Vladimir Špidla, told the press. The 2009 edition of Employment in Europe shows the overall situation of employment in the EU and covers the latest states in this field. It goes into depth on the two crucial issues for the future of the European employment policy: movement on the employment market (incoming, outgoing, transitions) and the impact of climate change on the development of these markets.
On the first theme, the dynamics of the employment market in Europe, the report notes that some 22% of European workers change jobs each year in the EU. This observation is not limited solely to countries traditionally seen as flexible (United Kingdom, Denmark) but relates to all member states, with the rotation of the labour force varying from 14% (Greece) and 16% (Sweden) to more than 25% (United Kingdom, Finland, Spain, Denmark). In addition, recent years have shown that nearly 45% of all unemployed persons in the EU remain unemployed for more than 12 months, compared to 10% in the United States.
On the second theme, which concerns the impact of climate change on the employment market, the report stresses that although the new skills required by the low-carbon economy will favour the highest-qualified workers, at least initially, greater market deployment of these new technologies will eventually mean that less qualified workers should also be able to fill these new jobs, as long as they receive adequate training. For this reason, the spokesperson explained, the measures taken lay emphasis on skills needed to facilitate the transition to new jobs and limit the emergence of skills gaps and shortages, together with adequate social dialogue. These two points are seen as the main ingredients needed to promote the move to a low-carbon economy. The report Employment in Europe in 2009 is available at http: //ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catld=119&langld=fr (G. B./transl.fl)