Employment in the candidate countries :
Commission reports on data and challenges.
The European Commission has adopted a report on
the labour market situation in twelve candidate countries (report on Turkey in
preparation) and the employment policy challenges which they face in the run-up
to enlargement starting in 2004. The report states that candidate countries have
made progress in transforming their labour markets and in adjusting policy
design towards the objectives of the European Employment Strategy and the Lisbon
process. However, the report makes clear that there are significant differences
between the candidate countries' performances and that there is, in general, an
urgent need to increase employment rates, to increase employment in services, to
reduce reliance on agriculture and traditional industrial sectors and to
increase skill levels. The most recently available data show that, if
enlargement happened today, the employment rate of EU25 would be 62.6%, and of
EU27 62.4%. The employment rate of EU15 is 63.8%. The Lisbon strategy sets an
intermediate target for the EU employment rate of 67% in 2005. Average GDP per
head in the EU would, on present data, fall by 13% in EU25 or by 18% in EU27.
This report will guide candidate countries in shaping their 'national
development plans' setting out employment and human resource policies, including
use of the European Social Fund, which are to be submitted to the Commission in
the first half of this year. The Commission will present a further progress
report on candidate countries' labour markets in autumn 2003.
Anna Diamantopoulou said :'"progress has been made by the candidate countries
towards the objectives of more and better jobs but there are large performance
gaps between individual countries and, in general, reforms need to be
accelerated now. Not all current EU Member States are good examples for the
candidate countries to follow, but this should not stop them from speeding up
the necessary reforms. The contribution of the candidate countries does matter
in our struggle to reach the Lisbon goals."
Against the background of rapid economic restructuring which is driving economic
growth and which will continue after accession, the report identifies four main
strategic priorities for the labour markets of candidate countries:
* Increasing labour supply and bringing back major parts of the working-age
population into the labour market is a precondition for economic and social
development.
* increasing employment rates which, together with high productivity growth, are
a key condition for strong economic growth, for real convergence of incomes and
for the achievement of the Lisbon and Stockholm employment targets.
* the functioning of the labour market needs to support the restructuring of the
economy and the labour market must enable people to manage economic change and
to move from declining to modern industries.
* increasing skill levels against the background of an ageing labour force, of
restructuring and of future pressures linked to adjustment to the single market
and increasing productivity to the levels required to be competitive in an
enlarged EU.
