The objective of the symposium will be to analyse the challenges of globalisation for employment policy and industrial relations in the EU and Japan, as well as possible responses from Governments and social partners. Globalisation brings important changes on the labour market, work organisation and workers' employability. What are the issues at stake? How can policies best respond to opportunities and new challenges? Which new social rights and risks can emerge from the labour market changes?
The complexity of the processes and the differentiated impacts of globalisation will be considered, including in relation to labour market transitions and to the implications of structural adjustments, restructuring and de-localisations. The symposium will focus on current policy responses trying to strike a balance between labour market flexibility and employment security. The symposium will also address the regional and local dimensions and the role of local actors in managing transitions.
The discussion will focus on collective approaches and workers behaviours, in particular with regard to adaptability, job mobility, lifelong learning and the various ways in which active and passive labour market policies can support the efforts of government bodies, employers and trade unions to counter possible employability devaluation.