—

having regard to the Commission communication of 21 November 2018 entitled ‘Annual Growth Survey 2019: For a stronger Europe in the face of global uncertainty’ (COM(2018)0770),

—

having regard to the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by world leaders in September 2015 and endorsed by the Council, which voiced its commitment to their implementation,

—

having regard to the European Pillar of Social Rights proclaimed by the European Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission in November 2017,

—

having regard to the draft Joint Employment Report from the Commission and the Council of 21 November 2018 accompanying the Commission communication on the Annual Growth Survey 2019 (COM(2018)0761),

—

having regard to the Commission recommendation of 21 November 2018 for a Council recommendation on the economic policy of the euro area (COM(2018)0759),

—

having regard to the Commission report of 21 November 2018 entitled ‘Alert Mechanism Report 2019’ (COM(2018)0758),

—

having regard to the Commission communication of 21 November 2018 entitled ‘2019 Draft Budgetary Plans: Overall Assessment’ (COM(2018)0807),

—

having regard to its resolution of 29 November 2018 on the situation of women with disabilities (1);

—

having regard to its resolution of 15 November 2018 on care services in the EU for improved gender equality (2),

—

having regard to its resolution of 25 October 2018 on the employment and social policies of the euro area (3),

—

having regard to its resolution of 14 March 2018 on the European Semester for economic policy coordination: employment and social aspects in the Annual Growth Survey 2018 (4),

—

having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the digital gender gap,

—

having regard to the debate with representatives of national parliaments on the priorities of the 2018 European Semester,

—

having regard to Rule 52 of its Rules of Procedure,

—

having regard to the report of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and the opinion of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (A8-0162/2019),

A.

whereas the employment rate for those aged between 20 and 64 stood at 73,2 % in 2017, indicating that the EU is well on track to reach the 75 % employment rate target specified in the Europe 2020 strategy;

B.

whereas decent jobs with employment security are an important factor in the fight against social exclusion and should be promoted to help tackle unemployment across the EU, as well as to boost domestic demand and stimulate growth; whereas the proportion of part-time workers increased from 16,8 % to 18,7 % of the total in employment from 2008 to 2017, with higher levels and a greater increase for younger people;

C.

whereas there are substantial disparities in employment rates across the EU between Member States but also within them, as well as disparities in the quality of employment;

D.

whereas while long-term unemployment and youth unemployment rates are declining at EU level, they remain high in a number of Member States;

E.

whereas the youth unemployment rate at EU level stands at 18,6 % and remains higher than it was in 2008; whereas according to the European Foundation for the Improvement of Working and Living Conditions (Eurofound), young people not in employment education or training (NEETs) are estimated to cost the EU EUR 153 billion per year while the total estimated cost of establishing the Youth Guarantee is EUR 21 billion per year; whereas an amount of EUR 2 billion is currently allocated to the Youth Guarantee for the period 2017-2020;

F.

whereas as new forms of work emerge and expand, including platform and own-account work, social protection traditionally geared to covering workers in full-time open-ended contracts will need to be modernised and adapted;

G.

whereas the increase in the employment rate in Member States has been accompanied by an increase in atypical, precarious and non-formal forms of employment, zero-hours contracts included, the weakening of social dialogue, and, in some Member States, a decentralisation of collective bargaining impacting negatively on workers’ rights;

H.

whereas the most precarious jobs are those where individuals are unable to enforce their rights, where social insurance protection is absent, where health and safety is put at risk and where work does not provide sufficient income to enable people to live decently; whereas insecurity is another key element of precariousness and encompasses work uncertainty, income insufficiency, lack of protection against dismissal, unknown duration of employment and uncertainty about future employment;

I.

whereas although income inequality in the EU decreased slightly in 2017, in-work poverty remains unacceptably high, standing at 9,6 % of the working population, and mainly affects women;

J.

whereas the total number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE) stands at 22,5 % and, while this is below pre-crisis levels, the Europe 2020 headline target of reducing AROPE numbers by 20 million remains far from being reached; whereas the AROPE rate for children continues to decline but is still unacceptably high; whereas the AROPE rate for children from single-parent households is twice the average for children overall; whereas high levels of inequality reduce the output of the economy and the potential for sustainable growth;

K.

whereas globalisation has helped to drive economic growth but its benefits are unequally shared both between and within Member States; whereas the inclusiveness of Europe’s growth model should be re-examined and needs to be reinforced, particularly in terms of social and environmental sustainability;

L.

whereas the report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stresses the urgency of actions to fight climate change, which may become irreversible within three years; whereas budgets should be made available at all levels of governance (both public and private investment) to modernise and decarbonise industry, transport and energy;

M.

whereas the EU economy is now entering its sixth year of continuous growth, recovery in investment, rising consumer demand and increased job creation, and while the dispersion of growth rates across the euro area is the smallest in the history of the EMU; whereas it is nonetheless regrettable that the benefits of growth are not equally shared;

N.

whereas household incomes have grown more slowly than GDP and this raises questions about the inclusiveness of recent growth;

O.

whereas demographic change and increasing life expectancy present the pension, healthcare and long-term care systems with very significant challenges relating to sustainability and adequacy;

P.

whereas a well-functioning social dialogue is a key element of the European social market economy which strengthens social cohesion and reduces conflicts in society, to the mutual benefit of workers, employers and governments;

Q.

whereas the inclusion of the European Pillar of Social Rights in the European Semester as from 2018 has helped to foster inclusive growth and employment and reduce macroeconomic imbalances;

R.

whereas the European Semester should contribute to the completion of the European Pillar of Social Rights in order to ensure equal treatment and equal opportunities for women and men, as well as to uphold the right to equal pay for equal work for women and men and the right of access to good-quality, affordable healthcare;

S.

whereas the 80 million Europeans with disabilities, as well as a number of specific groups including marginalised young people and communities, those with chronic diseases and those from minority communities face specific barriers to accessing employment and are at greater risk of poverty and social exclusion; whereas civil society organisations make an essential contribution in providing services for inclusion as well as ensuring representation in policymaking;

T.

whereas persisting health inequalities and an increasing burden of chronic diseases are leading to high levels of premature mortality across the EU while affecting the workforce, productivity and welfare systems;

U.

whereas the principle of gender equality is a core value of the EU and is enshrined in Articles 8 and 19 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which lay down the obligation to eliminate inequalities, promote gender equality and combat discrimination on grounds of sex, as well as to ensure gender mainstreaming in all EU policies and activities;

V.

whereas the employment rate of women in 2017 was 66,5 %, yet the gender employment gap remains substantial at 12 %, as do the gender pay gap and, consequently, the gender pension gap; whereas more women than men suffer poverty and women are at greater risk of social exclusion in old age, standing to earn almost 40 % less in pension income due to the accumulation of gender inequalities over their lifespan, and this poses a challenge to many women and to society; whereas equal participation in the labour market for both men and women can be facilitated by access to affordable and good-quality care services;

W.

whereas the presence of more women in decision-making positions would enhance gender equality;

X.

whereas informal or family carers are at greater risk of experiencing poverty, both during their period of caring and when accessing pension entitlements; whereas family carers are predominantly women; whereas 80 % of care in the EU is provided by unpaid informal carers, of whom 75 % are women;

Y.

whereas the quality of care services varies widely within and among Member States, private and public facilities, rural and urban areas and different age groups; whereas women are affected by cuts to public services, including healthcare, education and housing, both directly as service users and employees, and indirectly through their support for family members who rely on core public services;

Z.

whereas women are more likely to take career breaks owing to their role within the family, and whereas it is more often women who stop work to care for a child or sick relative; whereas this role that women play can impede their careers; whereas there are ongoing discussions on work-life balance;

AA.

whereas significant progress has been made towards reaching the 2020 headline target of an early school leaving rate of 10 % and on reaching the target of 40 % for tertiary education attainment, but large disparities still persist between Member States; whereas Member States should be encouraged to increase the accessibility and public acceptance of vocational training while ensuring that the quality of tertiary education remains a priority in achieving the 2020 headline targets;

AB.

whereas in the digital era, digital skills are essential for all personal or professional tasks and yet more than 40 % of adults in the EU do not have basic digital skills; whereas 60 million adults lack basic literacy and numeracy skills; whereas the gender gap when measuring digital skills above the basic level stands at 12,9 %;

AC.

whereas low-skilled and older workers are significantly less likely to participate in reskilling and training programmes; whereas micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) often lack resources to organise training and reskilling for their employees;

AD.

whereas housing exclusion, homelessness and housing affordability represent a significant challenge in many Member States, with no fewer than ten recording overcrowding rates above the European average; whereas housing is the highest expenditure item for Europeans, and housing prices are rising faster than incomes in most Member States; whereas inequality and housing exclusion are mutually reinforcing, with women, children and people with a migrant background being particularly vulnerable to housing exclusion and homelessness;

AE.

whereas long-term challenges, such as population ageing, digitalisation and its impacts on work, climate change and unsustainable use of natural resources, remain pressing;

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

32.

33.

34.

35.

36.

37.

38.

39.

40.

41.

42.

43.

44.

45.

46.

47.