Radical labour market reforms were implemented in Germany between 2002 and 2005, reforms that overturned the received idea that Germany was suffering from "reform paralysis". However, the part of these reforms that specifically concerned labour law was very small; their main purpose was to...

This study provides an overview of the situation of immigrants in the European Union, by focusing on the process of their integration and its impact on the labour market. Section 1 provides information on the scale of the migration phenomenon, focusing on the origin patterns of immigrants to the...

This case study focuses on the measures used by ArcelorMittal to cut costs and avoid involuntary redundancies during the crisis in its largest Romanian subsidiary. The study aims to assess the effectiveness of the various measures applied to keep staff in employment and to ensure the company’s...

This case study looks at the way in which the Plansee Group in Austria has sought to ensure a ‘soft landing’ for employees affected by the global economic downturn. Having seen a collapse in demand in 2008, primarily in the parts of its business supplying metal products to the ailing vehicle...

During the summer and autumn of 1998 the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions carried out a major survey on Employment Options of the Future across the 15 EU Member States and Norway. Who wants to work? When? Why? These were the major questions examined in the...

This study has been produced under the European Community Action Programme to combat discrimination (2001-2006). This programme was established by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Employment and Social Affairs as a pragmatic support to ensuring effective implementation of the...

The current study reviews and clarifies how the various provisions of the Framework Employment Directive, advance the anti-discrimination idea in the context of employment and disability. Morover, it surveys the main features of anti-discrimination law in the Member States as it relates to the...

Italy continues to record low employment rates, in particular among youth, older people and women. With an overall unemployment rate that has been reduced to below the EU average over the past decade, the employment gap vis-à-vis most other EU countries reflects low participation. After a brief...

This report presents comprehensive analysis and policy-relevant findings on the quality of life in three EU candidate countries: Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey (the CC3). Findings are based on Eurofound’s second European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS 2007)....