ADOPTION OF THE REPORT ABOUT REFORMS OF LABOR MARKETS IN EUROPE

USPA NEWS - The Policy Board for Employment adopted a report on the reform of the labor market in Europe since the crisis.
This report is to date the only document analysing comprehensively reform movement that accelerated with the crisis in European countries.

This particular based on a thorough analysis of the reforms carried out in ten countries: Austria, Denmark, Spain, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, United Kingdom and Sweden.------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For this report, the Council has chosen to audition priority national experts of the countries under review and ensured, as far as possible, to hear for each country, a lawyer and an economist to ensure a variety of analyses. He chose to audition famous people, more for the rigour of their analysis for their bias.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It also relied on representatives of different countries, both in economic and social services of foreign embassies in Paris qu'auprès sometimes national administrations. He also benefited from the illumination and analysis of social and economic services advisors within ten French embassies in the countries concerned, who have responded to a questionnaire sent by the Council. "Today, our economies are interconnected, and all the more so in an integrated monetary area where the exchange rate does not correct for differences in competitiveness. It is imperative to look at what is done in other countries, taking into account the specificity of each, "explains Marie-Claire Carrere-Gee, Chairperson of the WCC. The report first identifies common directions of reforms implemented in Europe in recent years: easing labor law contract marked for permanent jobs, less clear for temporary or atypical jobs; decentralisation of collective bargaining and easing of internal flexibility mechanisms; Research wage moderation and lower cost of labor, installation or the recent overhaul of the national minimum wage in some countries; reform of the rules of the unemployment insurance schemes and assistance to make them more incentives to return to work and often accessible to a greater number; focus on efficiency gains in public employment services and stimulation of active labor market policies. The report also seeks to assess the initial effects of the reforms. "Having greater flexibility, lower costs: these changes are not new to the crisis. Countries that had reformed before the crisis were less affected and are doing much better. "" In the South, the reforms were deep but are still very recent: it is difficult to isolate their own impact. In these countries, the unemployment rate improves, first because of the growth, but remains very high. By acting on wages, these countries have improved their competitiveness, "says Marie-Claire Carrere-Gee------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The report also examines other potential consequences of reforms. "Poverty in the very short labor and poverty have increased in Europe. If this natural result of the crisis, we can also see the impact of certain reforms. Countries like Germany or the UK, who have solved their employment problem, begin to raise wages. "------------------------------------------------------- The report includes a first volume, dedicated to the comprehensive analysis of the reforms, and Volume 2 monographs on involving ten countries studied.