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A MODEST RESURGENCE OF SOCIAL POLICY IN A EUROPE THREATENED BY PERSISTENT POVERTY AND INEQUALITY
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sion than at the 2012 post-crisis peak of these
problems, many EU citizens continue to be
trapped in low-paying jobs – a clear indication
that a greater focus must be made on the qual-
ity of employment being created. Another issue
addressed in this document is the transforma-
tion of the employment market and society in
general brought on by the emergence of new
technologies, which have simultaneously creat-
ed new opportunities and new challenges.
Along these lines, Commissioner Thyssen un-
derlined the need to link the European Pillar of
Social Rights to programmes previously intro-
duced as part of the Commission’s New Skills
Agenda.
Statistics show that 232 million Europeans
are now gainfully employed – the highest num-
ber on record. Nevertheless, as of October
2016, 8.3 % (more than twenty million) remain
unemployed, more than half of whom have
been out of work for over a year. The crisis has
generated wide disparities between the unem-
ployment levels throughout the EU. During the
post-crisis period (2008–2013) only one in eight
unemployed workers managed to find perma-
nent full-time employment within three years.
Youth unemployment across Europe has de-
clined to slightly over 20 %, although it remains
much higher in countries such as Spain, where
it currently stands at 46.5 %. The recent influx
of more than two million refugees, many of
whom lack the skills and language qualifications
necessary to compete in the European labour
market, has aggravated this problem.
The percentage of the EU population in risk
of poverty or social exclusion is at its lowest
point in the last five years (23.7 %). The best
protection against poverty is full-time employ-
ment. However, according to 2015 statistics,
approximately 119 million in Europe remain at
risk of poverty or social exclusion.
The Commission is aware that the future of
employment is irrevocably linked to the digitali-
sation of the economy. It is expected that the
development of digital platforms in the context
of the collaborative economy, for example, will
generate many new opportunities for self-em-
ployment. Although a third of EU’s economic
growth during the period of 2005–2010 was in
some way related to information and communi-
cations technology, progress towards the fulfil-
ment of Europe 2020 targets for ICT investment
and similar previously established objectives
continues to be slow. Meanwhile, surveys indi-
cate that European companies are finding it dif-
ficult to fill vacancies for jobs requiring ICT skills.
It is clear that in order to reap the full benefits
of the digital revolution, Europe must invest
more in ICT training and do more to foster the
greater implementation of ICT in business and
industry.
Social partners and social dialogue must
adapt to this changing environment and as-
sume a greater role in meeting the challenges of
today’s employment situation. To this end, the
European Pillar of Social Rights must help boost
citizen’s prospects of securing gainful employ-
ment, make labour markets and societies in
general more inclusive, drive convergence with-
in the eurozone and improve performance for
indicators related to
s
table employment, wages,
social protection.
Although Europe has 1.6 million fewer un-
employed young people and 900,000 fewer
NEETS (young people between the ages of 15
and 24 not employed or pursuing an education
or training) than it did in 2013, much more
needs to done to assist this particular demo-
graphic segment of European society, begin-
ning with additional support for the recently
refunded Youth Guarantee programme, the
related Youth Employment Initiative and all