27 NOV 2009
News

Council Conclusions on Flexicurity in times of crisis

The Council adopted the Conclusions on flexicurity on times of Crisis on 8 June 2009 and indicates a set of measures which, as a balanced policy mix, can help Member States, and the social partners when and where relevant, to manage the impact of the global crisis through the application of flexicurity principles;

These could include:

  • Maintaining employment, where at all possible, for example through helping companies operate alternatives to redundancy such as flexible working patterns and the temporary adjustment of working time, where applicable, and other forms of internal flexibility measures within the companies
  • Creation of a better entrepreneurial environment through a labour market which ensures at the same time the necessary flexibility and security;
  • Enhancing and improving activation measures;
  • Increased investment in human capital, especially retraining, skills upgrading and labour market needs-matching, including for persons working part-time or other flexible forms of employment and low-skilled workers
  • Improving the effectiveness of the Public Employment Services;
  • Adhering to the principle of gender mainstreaming in all responses to implementing flexicurity principles in order to tackle the crisis;
  • Facilitating the free movement of workers, in accordance with the Treaties and the Community acquis, and promoting mobility within the EU single market can contribute to tackling the persisting mismatch between existing skills and labour market needs, also during the economic downturn;
  • Implementing adequate responses with a view to adapting, if relevant, employment and labour market provisions in the framework of the flexicurity approach;
  • Integrating all flexicurity elements and pillars should focus on reducing segmentation and improving the functioning of the labour market;
  • Further attention needs to be paid to enhancing the quality of working life and to increasing productivity.

 

Reference: Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs, 8 June 2009