The role of agency work in the EU Employment Strategy

Europe 2020 Strategy:

 

Recognising the contribution of athe agency work industry

In June 2010, the European Union has adopted the Europe 2020 Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.
 

Eurociett Position on the Europe 2020 Strategy: The agency work industry contributes to better functioning labour markets and the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy.
 

On 23 of June 2010, Eurociett published the Manifesto "Europe 2020 from Strategy to Action - Ensuring inclusive growth" - including 10 Recommendations to unlock the contribution of the agency work industry to reach the Europe 2020 Employment Targets.  

New Skills and Jobs:

 

The contribution of agency work

In November 2011, the European Commission issued the "New Skills and Jobs Flagship Initiative", which forms part of the "Europe 2020 Strategy". The iniative focuses on four key priorities, namely better functioning labour markets, developing a more skilled workforce, ensuring better job quality and strengthening drivers of job creation.
 

Eurociett Position: A comprehensive Eurociett Position Paper has been issued in February 2011, welcoming the main priorities of the initiative and advocating the contribution of the agency work industry to reach the identified policy objectives.

Flexicurity:

 

Balancing security and flexiblity through agency work

Within the EU Flexicurity debate, it has been agreed that Flexicurity policies should be based on four key components:

  • Flexible and reliable contractual arrangements;
  • Comprehensive life-long learning strategies
  • Effective active labour market policies
  • Modern social security systems

Eurociett Position: Agency work is at the heart of a Flexicurity approach, as it combines flexibility and security for both companies and workers and as it can provide a contribution of each of the four components. Eurociett and Uni-Europa have contributed to the Flexicurity debate through a Joint Declaration agreed in 2007.

Developing cooperation between public and private employment services

As part of the Flexicurity debate and in the context of the New Skills and Jobs, it has been explicitly recognised that there is a need to develop cooperation between public and private employment services to reach better functioning labour markets. In 2011 the European Commission launched the PARES Initiative to promote partnerships between employment services.

Eurociett Position: Eurociett actively promotes the setting-up and strengthening of public-private partnerships of employment services. Cooperation between public and private employment services in EU Member States focuses on a better matching of demand and supply, on sharing information and improving labour market transparency and on facilitating labour market access to unemployed people. The EU PARES Initiative to promote partnerships between employment services is explicitly welcomed and supported by Eurociett.

Eurociett Manifesto

 

The EU Employment Strategy aims at supporting EU Member States in reforming their national labour markets to bost economic growth and job creation. Agency work is an important player in the EU Employment Strategy, as it contributes to better functioning labour markets.