The European Social and Economic Committee stresses that in the near future, Europe will be faced with an extremely strained employment situation. Studies suggest that it may take a whole decade to recover the more than 10 million jobs that have been lost during the couple of years of crisis.

-It is important that the current economic crisis management should not be restrictedto austerity plans and deficit cuts, but extended to preserving social capital which generates Europe’s wealth, said President of The Section for Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship, European Economic and Social Committee EESC, Ms Leila Kurki.

The Europe 2020 target of increasing the employment rate to 75% is an extremely ambitious goal.

- Combating unemployment must therefore be a top policy priority in the EU and the Member States and the Committee believes that this should be reflected more prominently in the Employment guidelines, said Ms Kurki.

In order to avoid a further increase in the number of job-seekers and to prevent employment from becoming structurally embedded, there is a need for a balanced macroeconomic mix of approaches that combines supply-oriented and demand-oriented economic policies.

- The policy recommendations for the job market are overemphasasing on supply (improving employability). This must be offset by giving more consideration to developing an intelligent supply policy that promotes growth and innovation and helps to create more jobs, said Ms Kurki.

Although the Committee very much welcomes the mention of job quality, it is surprising to find no relevant details. The Committee would have expected promotion of job quality to be given greater priority in connection with the flexicurity strategy.

- It is precisely flexible internal job markets and training that have weathered the crisis extremely well. Therefore a separate guideline promoting job quality should be added, said Ms Kurki.

The Committee explicitly welcomes the guideline "Promoting social inclusion and combating poverty". This vindicates the point that growing social inequality in Europe calls for joint measures to combat poverty and social exclusion.

- It must be stressed that social questions should not in any way be subordinated to questions of economic governance. Social protection is an important tool for social cohesion and solidarity and should always be at the heart of the European project, said Ms Kurki.

A whole package of targeted measures is required here.

-The Committee would like to see more specific emphasis placed on reducing the risk of poverty among children and young people, with actual targets being set, said Ms Kurki.

The EESC has been strongly involved in the European Year 2010 for combating poverty and social exclusion, and strongly supports the "European Platform against Poverty" flagship initiative in the Europe 2020 strategy.

Ms Kurki spoke at the Informal meeting of the Ministers of Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumers Affairs (EPSCO) 7.7.2010, Brussels

For more information, please contact Leila Kurki
President of The Section for Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship
European Economic and Social Committee EESC