FRANCE: new Commission analysis of labour market
Transcription
FRANCE: new Commission analysis of labour market
0(02 Brussels, 12 November 2002 )5$1&( QHZ &RPPLVVLRQ DQDO\VLV RI ODERXU PDUNHWSHUIRUPDQFH Europe has committed itself to the objective of restoring full employment: to give everybody the chance to get a job, and a good quality one. Over the past five years, marked progress has been made in Europe’s overall employment performance, with more than 10 million new jobs created and 4 million fewer unemployed, while at the same time the active population has continued to grow by 5 million people. The European Employment Strategy (EES) has contributed to this achievement since 1997, when the EU leaders agreed to pool their efforts for more and better jobs at their special Jobs Summit in Luxembourg. Under it, Member States agreed on common employment objectives and policies to raise workers’ employability, promote entrepreneurship, increase firms’ adaptability and ensure equal opportunities between genders. These are laid down in annual employment guidelines and translated into National Action Plans for employment, which are examined yearly at EU level. While the common EU priorities for employment were initially focused on the reduction of unemployment, they have increasingly reflected the wider and ambitious objective of full employment and job quality in an inclusive society agreed at the Lisbon Summit of 2000. The Commission has just released its analysis of progress achieved in the fifth year of implementation of the EES based on the National Action Plans for employment submitted by the Member States in the Spring. There is no doubt that this annual assessment ensures a steady increase in quality and ambition of national and European employment policies. The economic climate has become less favorable since 2001. However, it is encouraging to see that employment is showing a certain resilience to the slowdown as demonstrated by continuing, though slower, improvements in performances in 2001: an employment rate up by 0.6 % (reaching 64 %) and unemployment down by 0.6 % (to 7.4 %). However, serious structural weaknesses still characterize the EU labour markets: the level of unemployment and in particular long-term unemployment is too high to qualify the European labour markets as inclusive. Many Member States have still unacceptable regional differences. A further 15 million people have to find a job between now and 2010 if the full employment objective agreed at Lisbon (in the form of an employment rate of 70% of the working age population by then) are to be reached. There is also still a significant productivity gap between the US and the EU. Consequently continued and strengthened labour market reforms will be needed. In particular the employment rate of older workers remains, at only 38.5 %, far below the target of 50 %, and to reach it, special efforts will be required in many Member States. The current economic slackness should thus not serve as a pretext to slow down the pace of reforms. Indeed, the report shows continued overall strengthening of employment policies. Over the last few years, most Member States have reformed their labour market institutions (in particular their employment services) in order to better prevent long term unemployment and to actively promote the reintegration of the unemployed into a job. Their employment policies also reflect a better balanced approach, with increased attention for job creation through a better climate for entrepreneurship, as well as for equal opportunities. Steady progress has been noted in the development of lifelong learning concepts and their implementation, and Member States are increasingly committed to seek, together with the social partners, a better balance between flexibility and security. Nevertheless there are still weak spots in national policies: the issue of quality in work is still dealt with in a partial way; active ageing strategies are largely lacking ; the results of activation policies for the unemployed need to be better demonstrated, in particular for people at a disadvantage in the labour market; and gender gaps, in particular the pay gap, need to be more effectively addressed. Governments are also too reluctant to clearly and ambitiously commit themselves e.g. by setting clear, ambitious and measurable national targets. The Commission, like the European Parliament, is also concerned that not enough has been done to involve other stakeholders in the development and implementation of national policies; the Employment Strategy is still too often treated as an internal affair of ministerial departments. We would like, for example, to see a closer involvement of national parliaments in the annual preparation and follow up of the national Action Plans for Employment. $VIDUDV)UDQFHLVFRQFHUQHGWKHUHSRUWKLJKOLJKWVVRPHLQWHUHVWLQJIDFWV / pFRQRPLH IUDQoDLVH D VXEL XQ UDOHQWLVVHPHQW JpQpUDO GqV OH SULQWHPSV OLPLWDQW OD FURLVVDQFH GX 3,% j &HWWH VLWXDWLRQ D HX SHX G HIIHW VXU OD FURLVVDQFH GH O HPSORL TXL D DWWHLQW PDLV D SURYRTXp XQH UHPRQWpH GX FK{PDJH HQ ILQ G DQQpH 2Q UHOqYH HQ RXWUH XQ WDX[ GH SDVVDJH DX FK{PDJH GH ORQJXHGXUpHKLVWRULTXHPHQWEDVSRXUO DQQpH$OHWDX[ G HPSORL HVW HQ QHWWH SURJUHVVLRQ GHSXLV FLQT DQV ,O HVW OpJqUHPHQW LQIpULHXU WRXWHIRLV j OD PR\HQQHFRPPXQDXWDLUHFRQWUDLUHPHQWDXWDX[G HPSORLGHVIHPPHV2QFRQVWDWH HQUHYDQFKHXQHVWDJQDWLRQGXWDX[G HPSORLGHVSHUVRQQHVkJpHVHQ 3DUDLOOHXUVODFURLVVDQFHGHODSURGXFWLYLWpGXWUDYDLOHVWGHYHQXHQpJDWLYH HW O DXJPHQWDWLRQ GX FRW XQLWDLUH GX WUDYDLO HVW QHWWHPHQW VXSpULHXUH j OD PR\HQQHFRPPXQDXWDLUH /DSROLWLTXHGHO HPSORLHWGHOXWWHFRQWUHOHFK{PDJHHVWGpVRUPDLVSDUWLFXOLqUHPHQW VRXFLHXVHGHSUpYHQWLRQ/ DFFHQWVXUO DSSURFKHSUpYHQWLYHV HVWQRWDPPHQWWUDGXLW SDUODJpQpUDOLVDWLRQGXGLVSRVLWLIGXQRXYHDXGpSDUWLQWHUYHQWLRQLQGLYLGXDOLVpHHQ IDYHXUGHVFK{PHXUVMHXQHVHWDGXOWHV/HVGLIIpUHQWHVPHVXUHVG DFWLYDWLRQRQWHX GHVHIIHWVEpQpILTXHVVXUO HPSORLDYHFXQHEDLVVHVHQVLEOHGXFRWVDODULDOSRXUOHV HPSORLV SHX TXDOLILpV RX GH GpEXWDQWV HW OD UpGXFWLRQ GHV WUDSSHV j O LQDFWLYLWp 6 DJLVVDQW GH OD TXDOLWp GH O HPSORL OD )UDQFH V HVW VLQJXODULVpH DYHF OD PLVH HQ SODFHGHODUpGXFWLRQOpJDOHGXWHPSVGHWUDYDLOjKHXUHVPLOOLRQVGHVDODULpV GXVHFWHXUSULYpILQVRLWSOXVGH2QREVHUYHpJDOHPHQWXQHSURJUHVVLRQ GXGLDORJXHVRFLDO&HSHQGDQWELHQTXHVWLPXOpQRWDPPHQWSDUOHVDFFRUGVVXUOHV KHXUHVOHGLDORJXHVRFLDOUHVWHHQFRUHHQUHWUDLWHQ)UDQFH(WDWPHPEUHD\DQW ODSOXVIDLEOHGHQVLWpV\QGLFDOHHQGpSLWGHVRQLQWpUrWGDQVGHQRPEUHX[FKDPSV G LQWHUYHQWLRQ SRWHQWLHOV TX LO V DJLVVH GH SROLWLTXH GH UpPXQpUDWLRQ GH TXDOLWp GX WUDYDLORXGHODIRUPDWLRQSURIHVVLRQQHOOHWRXWDXORQJGHODYLH /D SRXUVXLWH GH OD UpGXFWLRQ GHV FKDUJHV SHVDQW VXU OH WUDYDLO VDQV FUpHU GH GLVWRUVLRQVVXUOHPDUFKpGXWUDYDLOVHORQOHVFDWpJRULHVGHVDODULpVUHVWHG DFWXDOLWp GH PrPH TXH OH SUREOqPH GH OD VRUWLH GX V\VWqPH pGXFDWLI GH MHXQHV VDQV TXDOLILFDWLRQFHOXLGXUHFUXWHPHQWDLJXSRXUFHUWDLQVPpWLHUVRXHQFRUHODQpFHVVLWp 2 GHUpGXLUHOHVSRFKHVSHUVLVWDQWHVGHFK{PDJHDJJUDYpGLVVpPLQpHVVXUOHWHUULWRLUH QDWLRQDO (Q GpSLW GH UpVXOWDWV SRVLWLIV OD GpILQLWLRQ G XQH VWUDWpJLH FRKpUHQWH SRXU XQHIRUPDWLRQWRXWDXORQJGHODYLHHVWGRQFLQGLVSHQVDEOH(QRXWUHFRPSWHWHQX GX IDLEOH WDX[ G HPSORL GHV WUDYDLOOHXUV kJpV DYHF XQ kJH PR\HQ GH GpSDUW GHV VDODULpVHQUHWUDLWHGHDQVODPLVHHQSODFHG XQHSROLWLTXHGHYLHLOOLVVHPHQWDFWLI FRQIRUPpPHQWDX[REMHFWLIVFRPPXQVFRQVWLWXHWRXMRXUVXQHQMHXVSpFLILTXH After five years, the EES is now at a crossroads and there is a consensus that it should be reviewed next year in the light of experience and of the new challenges ahead. These include the ageing and declining working age population, the context of globalization with its rapid pace of economic and social restructuring, the issue of quality in work, and the emergence of bottlenecks in certain sectors and regions. Candidate countries, due to join the EU shortly, are still undergoing major economic restructuring and face acute challenges in terms of employment and the functioning of their labour markets. Reflecting the ambitious agenda set in Lisbon in 2000 aimed at full employment, the strategy should adopt a medium-term approach with a consolidated set of guidelines focused on implementation. The Commission sees three major and mutually reinforcing objectives for the next generation of the Guidelines: increasing employment and participation rates, raising quality and productivity at work and promoting an inclusive labour market. With these objectives, new opportunities for active involvement of other stakeholders should be provided, particularly for social partners, regional and local authorities, civil society and parliamentary bodies. They are all called upon to become part of the ongoing discussion leading to a reformed EES. The Commission will present an outline of its proposals for the reform of the EES in January 2003. The current economic climate makes it all the more essential for all Member States to maintain their commitment to labour market reform under the EES. By focussing on clear common priorities and by learning from each other, Member States can make a decisive contribution towards more and better jobs in an inclusive labour market. 3