ACTIVE EMPLOYMENT POLICIES IN
EUROPEAN UNION AND GREECE
Dr. Miltiadis Staboulis
Labor Economics, PhD
staboulis@gnosianaptixiaki.gr tel. (+30) 2310 403371
Active Employment Policies

Active employment policies:
 attracting

and retaining more people in employment
Passive/traditional employment policies
 cash
benefits for the unemployed
Active employment policies
Objectives:
 Increasing
employment and reducing unemployment
 Conservation
of the quantitative size of the workforce
and increase its working skills
 Strengthen
mechanisms for matching of labor supply and
demand
 Management
of insurance for the unemployed
Active employment policies
Basic prerequisites for effective implementation:
 Accurate and
clear targeting of active intervention
programs
 Combination
with:
 General employment
 Needs
policy
of companies
 Overall framework
of objectives for growth and employment
Active employment policies in EU
Amsterdam Treaty (1997):
Objectives:




Employability: combating long-term unemployment and youth
unemployment
Entrepreneurship: establishing clear, stable and predictable rules
concerning the start-up and running of businesses and the
simplification of administrative burdens on small and medium size
enterprises (SMEs)
Adaptability: modernizing work organization and flexibility of
working arrangements and putting in place of a framework for
more adaptable forms of contracts
Equal opportunities: combating the gender gap and supporting the
increased employment of women
Active employment policies in EU
Lisbon Strategy (2000)
Objectives by 2010:

EU: “to become the most dynamic and competitive
knowledge-based economy in the world by 2010 capable of
sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and
greater social cohesion and respect for the environment”

Increasing the employment rate from 62.2% (1999) to 70%
and 60% less for women (2010)
Active employment policies in EU
Revision of Lisbon Strategy (2005)

Active and preventive measures for the unemployed
and inactive people focus on training and career
guidance and job creation

Developing National Reform Programs by each
Member State
Active employment policies in EU
Revision of Lisbon Strategy (2005)
Two cycles:

2005-2007

2008-2010: Implementation of employment policies
Active employment policies in EU
Financing
 “Progress” Program (2006)
Areas:
 Employment
 Social
inclusion and protection
 Working conditions
 Non-discrimination
 Gender equality
Active employment policies in EU
“European Union 2020”
Priorities:
 Growth based on knowledge and innovation

An inclusive high-employment society

Green growth: a competitive and sustainable
economy
Active employment policies in Greece
Objectives:

Wage subsidy

Temporary reductions in social security contributions

Creating jobs in areas like the environment through
specific incentives

Local employment initiatives

Education and training
Active employment policies in Greece
Implementation of active employment policies
Initiative co-financed by structural funds and programs
managed by the European Commission:

Local Employment Pacts

Local Development Initiatives

Projects funded under Article 6 of the ESF
Active employment policies in Greece
Period 2000-2006
The creation of local employment was mostly horizontal objective
of the ESF measures.
Interventions :
 Local Initiatives for Employment

Integrated Actions Intervention in Local Small Scale Urban Areas

Integrated Projects for Rural Development

Operational Program: “Employment and vocational training 20002006” : Improvement of the access and participation of women
into the labor market
Active employment policies in Greece
Greek National Employment Agency (OAED)
through funding the Account for Employment and
Vocational Training (LAEK):

Integrated interventions for areas in crisis or
deindustrialization with redundancies
Active employment policies in Greece
NSRF 2007-2013
 Operational Program: “Human resources development 2007-2013”
Objectives:
 Utilization of all human resources as a moving force for the country’s
growth
 Reinforcement of social cohesion
Priority axes:




Supporting Adaptability of Human Resources and Enterprises
Facilitating Access to Employment
Complete Integration of all Human Resources into a Society of Equal
Opportunities
Establishment of Reform in the Mental Health Sector -Development of Primary
Healthcare and Promotion of Public Health
Conclusions


The active employment policies:

were not the only tool for tackling unemployment, but also a
means to achieve a sustainable, competitive and dynamic EU
economy

have not brought the desired results
The new strategy “EU 2020” aims to create potential for
growth and employment growth with actions at local /
national and Community level, based on the achievements of
Lisbon Strategy and new guidelines (innovation, green
economy)
Conclusions
The Greek active employment policies:



Applied with considerable delay
Did not have the desired effects as the youth and woman
unemployment rate remained at high levels
Include in the period 2007-2013:

National scale and local employment actions

New jobs to exploit new sources of growth based on:
•
Knowledge and innovation
•
Green growth
•
The modernization and sustainability of the productive sectors of the
Greek Economy