Ritzen, J. and Zimmermann, K., (2013), “A Vibrant European Labor Market with Full Employment”, IZA – Institute for the Study of Labor, IZA Policy Paper No.73, December.
We sketch a visionary strategy for Europe in which full employment is quickly regained by 2020, where income inequality is reduced and the economies are more sustainable. We name this scenario “vibrant.” It is contrasted with what would happen if present policies continue within the European Union (EU) and its member states. In the vibrant scenario, full employment is regained by more policy attention toward innovation and its underlying research and development (R&D), accompanied by more labor mobility within and between EU countries, in combination with a selective immigration policy based on labor market shortages. The road to full employment is embedded in a landscape with less income inequality and more “greening” of EU member states’ economies. We translate the vibrant scenario into policy proposals distinguishing between the role for the EU and that of the member states. We hope these proposals will be included in the election programs for the upcoming 2014 European Parliament elections and in developing the mandate for the new European Commission in December 2014.
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Relevant Posts
- Bernstein, J., (2013), “Paths to full employment”, The New York Times, Economix Blog, 02 December.
- Lizoain, D., (2013), “The Jobs Recovery Is Always Two Years Away”, Social Europe Journal, 18 November.
- Thompson, S., (2013), “States of uncertainty: Youth unemployment in Europe”, Institute for Public Policy Research, November.
- Blanchard, Ο., Jaumotte, F. and Loungani, P., (2013), “Unemployment, labour-market flexibility and IMF advice: Moving beyond mantras”, VoxEU, 18 October.
- Tyson, L., (2013), “The quality of jobs: The new normal and the old normal”, The New York Times, Economix Blog, 20 September.
- Rodrigues, M.J., (2013), “Youth unemployment, socio-economic divergences and fiscal capacity in the euro area”, Notre Europe – Jacques Delors Institute, Policy Paper No.101, November.