Towards age-friendly work in Europe: a life-course perspective on work and ageing from EU Agencies

The EU’s population and workforce are ageing. This has implications for employment, working conditions, living standards and welfare.

A new report shows how information from four agencies, including Cedefop, can support policy-making that is both complementary and greater than the sum of its parts.

The report draws on the agencies’ expertise in each of their areas and covers the different challenges associated with the ageing workforce and considers innovative solutions.

• Cedefop explores how vocational education and training can be used to support active ageing at work.
• EU-OSHA presents policy examples of integrated approaches to occupational safety and health for an ageing workforce.
• Eurofound examines working conditions for workers of all ages, related work sustainability outcomes and how the right policies can foster longer working lives.
• EIGE provides a gender perspective on the issue of the ageing workforce and discusses the different challenges that men and women face.

Full report Towards Age-friendly Work in Europe(PDF 90pp)

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Youth Unemployment: A Crisis in Our Midst

The role of lifelong guidance policies in addressing labour supply and demand

an ELGPN Concept Note Number 2 by Deirdre Hughes and Tibor Bors Borbély-Pecze published by European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network

Introduction

This concept note addresses five key questions:

1. What are the current trends and challenges facing young people and policy-makers across Europe?
2. What policies, including good and interesting practices, are emerging in differing European Union (EU) Member-States in response to youth unemployment?
3. What more can be done to address youth unemployment, drawing on lifelong guidance policies and practices?
4. How can policies for responsive lifelong guidance services make a positive contribution to new and emerging government delivery plans within and across Member-States?
5. What are the key questions to inform the EU’s and Member-States’ education, training, employment and social inclusion priorities?

Full text (PDF 20pp)

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EU Social Agenda: policies, initiatives and sources

an article by Grace Hudson (Head of Library Services, University of Bradford) published in Aliss Quarterly Volume 5 Number 2 (January 2010)

The article is based on a presentation Grace made, the slides from which are at http://slideshare.net/heatherdawson/eu-social-agenda, which provides a really useful summary of the history of EU social policy agendas.

Reading through the article I was pleased to agree with the comment "The Europa website, though not an intuitive site to use, has a wealth of information giving the official perspective on EU social policy together with legislation and statistical data but this needs to be balanced by comment and analysis, and critical peer reviewed academic studies." The Europa site is one of those that you can quickly get lost in – assuming you ever get past the first page.

Some of the other sources mentioned are available only to academic institutions via the Athens login.

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