Europe: is it ready for free movement of its workforce?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine what could be achieved through workforce mobility in Europe. Design/methodology/approach – The approach taken is a literature and case review. Findings – Findings indicate that full mobility of a European workforce is largely permitted and tolerated though a complex web of legal policy and constraints which need to be reviewed if full mobility is to be achieved within the European Union (EU). Practical implications – The paper draws on integration and trade theory to highlight the issues of mobility within the EU. The paper may prove useful to policy makers and researchers. Originality/value – This paper allows researchers to gain an understanding of the issues in workforce mobility within the EU and build a conceptual portrait of the challenges faced by policy makers.