This document is an excerpt from the EUR-Lex website
Flexicurity — a crucial element in modernising the EU’s labour market
- Date of last review:
- 28/10/2015
- Initial creation date:
- 29/08/2011
- Summary code:
-
- 17.15.00.00 European employment strategy
- EUROVOC descriptor:
- Directory code:
- Summarised document(s):
- Author:
- Publications Office of the European Union
- Responsible entity(ies):
- Publications Office of the European Union
Flexicurity — a crucial element in modernising the EU’s labour market
SUMMARY OF:
WHAT DOES THIS COMMUNICATION DO?
It points to 4 particular policy areas where both employers and employees could benefit from flexicurity1. For the former, it means a flexible workforce. For the latter, it provides some security from long-term unemployment.
The communication presents guidelines on how these 2 aims can be achieved.
KEY POINTS
- Flexicurity policies can be applied by:
- reliable and flexible contracts using modernised labour legislation and collective agreements;
- lifelong learning opportunities for employees to enable them to retrain and qualify for the new jobs that become available;
- national policies to help people temporarily out of work move into new jobs;
- modern social security systems that provide adequate income support and encourage labour mobility.
- Flexicurity should:
- balance the rights and responsibilities of employers, workers, jobseekers and public authorities;
- adapt to national circumstances, especially labour markets and industrial relations;
- reduce the divide between labour market insiders and outsiders;
- apply to recruitment and dismissal within a company and help moves from one job to another;
- promote equal access to employment for both men and women;
- encourage trust and cooperation between public authorities and social partners;
- ensure the financial costs and benefits involved are shared fairly between businesses, individuals and public budgets.
BACKGROUND
Flexicurity is seen as a key ingredient in the implementation of the EU’s strategy for growth and jobs by helping businesses and employees adapt to the challenges and opportunities of globalisation.
KEY TERM
- Flexicurity: an integrated strategy to combine labour market flexibility and security. It aims to take into account the needs of both employers and employees.
ACT
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions — Towards common principles of flexicurity: more and better jobs through flexibility and security (COM(2007) 359 final, )
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