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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(80)186final
Brussels.28thApril1980
GUIDELINES FORACOMMUNITY LABOURMARKETING POLICY
(Communication fromtheCommission totheCouncil)
I-*1
v' ■
'"'V••
COM(80)186final

GUIDELINES FORACOMMUNITY
LABOUR MARKET POLICY
TABLE OFCONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
DESCRIPTION ANDASSESSMENT OFRESULTS OBTAINED
A.Community Labour Market Policy asdefined bytheTreaties
-Freedom ofmovements forworkers ■
-Vocational training
-European Social Fund
B.The1974 Social Action Programme andtheCommunity s
reaction totheemployment crisis
-Action onbehalf ofcategories
-Sectoral action
-Coordination ofnational policies
C.Overall review
GUIDELINES FORTHE FUTURE
A.Theeconomic andsocial environment ofthe1980' sand
itsimplications forLabour Market Policies
-Growth inadequate topromote employment
-Theinevitable structural adaptations
-Continuing enlargement ^
-implications forlabour market policy inthe80s
B.Action undertaken bytheCommunity until nowmust
bereinforced ^
-importance ofthelabour market
-Free movement
-Sectoral adjustments
-Regions
-Categories
C.Thecomplementary ofnewtasks that must bedeveloped
-Recent fors ofemployment
-jhedevelopment ofanactive prospection -
placement structure • \
-jhestrengthening ofvocational training structures
-Forward-looking approach tothelabour market
.CONCLUSIONS
ANNEX I :European Social Fund :Breakdown byMember States
andSectors ofamounts agreed for1979
ANNEX II :Main features ofpublic employment services
.il ■ .■–
ANNEX III :Apprenticeship systems intheCommunity

GUIDELINES PCJR ACOMMUNITY LABOUR
MARKET POLICY
I.INTRODUCTION
1. Atitsmeeting on28October 1977 and atthetime ofthereview
oftheEuropean Social Fund ,theCouncil instructed the Commission to
undertake astudy ontheneed forestablishing guidelines foraCommunity
labour market policy which could ,inter –alia ,serve asabasis foraction
bytheEuropean Social Fund .
Theaccomplishment ofthis task hasbeen broadly prepared bythe
discussions inthe Standing Committee onEmployment on22May and 9October
1979 onthemismatch between the supply ofanddemand for labour andby
the conclusions ofthePresidency ,which ,although recognising theunde­
niable butlimited role ofmismatch incurrent unemployment ,emphasised
the importance ofanactive labour market policy and the interest in
strengthening theCommunity dimension .
2. Thepurpose ofthepresent paper istomeet therequests ofthe
Council andtheStanding Committee onEmployment .Theguidelines putforward
inrespect of"Community labour market policy "incorporate thelessons
learned from thepast .They also take account oftheprincipal data that
will probably characterise theeconomic andsocial climate intheCommunity
incoming years :poor growth ofemployment ,inevitable structural adaptation
andthe enlargement oftheCommunity .
3. This report deals solely with "labour market policy "namely ,the
policy designed essentially tofacilitate adjustments ,both intime and
space ,onthelabour market .
Four functions aretraditionally attributed toit.Thecentral functio ?
isthat ofplacement ,that istheactive mediation between joboffers by
firms ,andjobdemands byworkers .Toaccomplish this task ,three other
functions arenecessary :knowledge ofthelabour market (statistics ,studies
andforecasts ),aids togeographic mobility ,promotion ofvocational
mobility byvocational guidance andtraining .Exceptionally ,andinthe
event ofparticularly serious regional sectoral orcategorial difficulties ,
employment subsidies andaids todirect jobcreation also constitute part
ofitsattributes .Allthese actions maybeincorporated inmeasures of
general application ,andalso measures aimed atcertain regions ,sectors
orcategories .

Theimportance oftherole oflabour market policy wasalready
stressed intheCommission document submitted on22May 1979 and
9October 1979 totheStanding Committee onEmployment (SEC(79 )634final ).
Inthefirst place ,itisclear that theeffectiveness of
policies torevive theeconomy hasbeen inthepast andstill is,in
most Member States ,restricted bythequalitative mismatch between the
characteristics ofjobseekers andthenature oftheposts offered by
undertakings andbytheweaknesses that still encumber certain public
placement andvocational training systems .
Second ,thequestion ofworksharing does not involve thecontrol
ofproduction costs alone ,butalso thetaking^-into -account ofdelicate
adjustment problems that will certainly affect thelabour market ,parti­
cularly inrelation toqualifications .
Lastly ,anactive labour market policy isanecessary ,butnot
sufficient condition forareturn tofull andbetter employment .
The achievement ofthis objective through employment policy requires a
better connection than inthepast between labour market policy and
the other policies affecting employment ,inparticular the general
economic ,industrial andregional policies .
4. TheCommunity dimension ofalabour market policy wasintroduced
inthe Treaties ofParis and ofRome .Freedom ofmovement between Member
States ofworkers with suitable training isdesigned ,with thefinancial
backing oftheEuropean Social Fund ,tofacilitate adjustments between
thesupply ofanddemand ,forlabour with theCommunity .
..Inaddition tothe 1974 Social Action Programme which was an
integrated answer totheproblems common toallMember States (youth
andwomen 's .unemployment inparticular ),theCommunity labour market
policy wasstrengthened byjoint legislation (directives onwomen 's
employment )andanincrease inthefinancial means available totheEuro­
pean Social Fun4 »Thepurpose ofthis policy ,which supplements that defined
bytheTreaties ,istoaccompany orsupport Member countries' ownefforts ,
todirect them where necessary tocommon objectives whilst taking due
account ofthe differences ofnational realities *
5. This Communication ispart ofanoverall action embracing other
elements briefly described below .

-3-
Firstly ,mresponse totherequest bytheEuropean Council
meeting held inDublin on30November ,theCommission isstudying the
most appropriate methods ofworking outamore coordinated approach
toemployment problems andspecific measures that could bedeveloped
topromote firmer Community action tocope with theproblem ofunem­
ployment .Inthis connection ,theCommission recalls that economic
policy hasaprimordial responsibility with respect toemployment and
iscontinuing itsconsultations with aview todeveloping appropriate
measures .
Inaddition ,inaccordance with the terms ofreference outlined
attheCouncil meeting of22November 1979f theCommission isconti­
nuing itswork with aview toobtaining concrete results with respect
tothe adaptation ofworking time .Itsinitial communications on
temporary worK ,part-time work andflexible retirement will soon be
forwarded totheStanding Committee onEmployment .Atthe same time
discussions arecontinuing with thetwo sides ofindustry onthe
reduction ofannual working time andrestrictions onthesystematic
use ofovertime .
Inview ofthenature ofthepaper ,theprecedents onwhich
itisbased ,andinagreement with thetwo sides ofindustry ,the
Commission didnotbelieve anypurpose would beserved byincluding
theanalyses ofthesituation andonthelabour market trends onwhich
theguidelines advocated arebased (l)®
6. This Communication isintwoparts .Thefirst contains abrief
survey ofcurrent Community labour market policy asitresults directly
from theTreaties andfrom thenew elements introduced bythe Social
Action Programme .Itthen defines theguidelines advocated :Community
action already under wayshould bereinforced andsupplemented bya
number ofnew measures .
./•
(1)SeeAnnual Economic Report 1979-1980 (European Economy ,Commission
oftheEuropean Communities )No.4»November 1979 •
SeeDoc.SEC(79 )634final oftheCommission oftheEuropean Communities ,
11April 1979 ,"Reduction ofthequalitative mismatch between thesupply
ofanddemand for labours Guidelines forlabour market policy andworking
conditions policy ". - ,
SeeDoc.C0M(80 )16final ,"Employment andthenewmicro-electronio
technology "*

-4-
11•INSCRIPTION iil-rj ASSSSSSHgEC 0?RESULTS OBTA JTSD .
7„ Theresults obtained byanylabour market policy .^renecteps ;-.-
rily difficult toassess .
On .theerehand ,theobservable *changes intheoperation of
thelabour market ar-enot only theresult ofchanges inlabour Ta^&et
policy asother factors ,forexample thepolicies oxsocial protection
orimprovement ofworking conditions also affect the x*oiIcing ofthe
labour market (seedocument SSC (79)634final ).
Ontheother hand ,theeffectiveness ofanylabour markot
policy isalso dependent ontheimplementing ofother ,suppJ er.sntary
policies .Thus ,forexample ttraining measures ina .region v"th und^r -
employment vath aview toattracting capital investment osnbeeffective
only ifother back-up measures promoting investment are irspl«^en*t3d »
S. Thebrief picture given above istherefore inherently Incoru -
plete asthepresent contribution concerns thelabour market alone .
Despite this imperfection ,itisnevertheless anessential stage ir.
thedefinition oftheguidelines tobefollowed inthenext fewyears .,
A« 'CCf-TMUxTITY LABOUR MAliKET POLICY AS BYTHETREATIES
9. Bytheadoption in1968 ofRegulation (EEC)No1612/53on
free movement andDirective 68/360onentry andstay ofCosaxunity workers
animportant step towards theelimination ofobstacles tothe inte­
gration oflabour markets wastaken with a'view toattaining abalance
between thesupply ofanddemand forlabour atCommunity level and
togiving priority totheCommunity workforce onrecruitment .*
Community regulations supply thebasic instruments which are
essential toaCoEatunity-wide labour policy .Thegradual setting-up
ofthemachinery fortheclearing ofvacancies andapplications for
employment intheConaaunity (SEDOC )*isalso capable ofiisprcving
thetransparency oftheEuropean labour market .
Lastly ,^hecurrent action aimed atthemutual recognition of
diplomat ,certificates andother titles byMember States should give
increasing access bynationals ofother States tolabour markets where
thepossession ofnaiionai diplomas isrepaired .
♦European system fortheinternational olearing ofvaoancies and
applications foremployment . ~

-5-
10. Theobjectives oftheTreaty inrespeot ofa"balanced
Community labour market andCommunity clearance have not ,however ,
been fully attained .Thus acertain failure torecognise theobli­
gations arising outofCommunity lawoccasionally leads toadministra­
tive practices andprocedures that arenotcompatible with theprin­
ciple ofnon-discrimination ,theessential legal basis tothecorrect
operation oftheEuropean labour market .Forexample ,thepractice of
applying toCommunity workers thenational rules applicable toforeigners
talcing upresidence ,instead ofderogating them from such rules ,creates an
element ofinsecurity forworkers .-"Independently oftheaction which
itmiqht take under theTreaty inrelation tothecorrect application
ofCommunity law,theCommission considers that there should be
increased cooperation with theMember States inorder tocorrect these
anomalies .
Furthermore andabove all ,theoriginal concept ofatrue
common labour market ,which should have ledtoabetter balance of
employment intheCommunity through large movements oflabour ,hasin
practice encountered major difficulties .Thevariety oflanguages ,
cultures ,training systems andsocial structures means that substantial
movements cannot becounted ontocompensate forgeographical employment
imbalances .Nonetheless ,thestrengthening oftheaction taken hitherto
with SEDOC could provide apartial solution totheproblem .
11. With regard tovocational training ,asearly as1963 the
Council adopted ,within theframework oftheEECTreaty (Article 128),
aDecision establishing thegeneral principles forthe "implementation
ofacommon vocational training policy "tobedeveloped with theaid
oftheAdvisory Committee onVocational Training created atthat time
toassist the Commission .Notable results were obtained inthe field
ofthetransition from school toworking life ,thanks tothepriority
allocated totheproblem ofyouth employment since 1974 (seepart II.B
below )•
12. Onthewhole ,however ,thefollow-up tothe1963 Decision is
still relatively limited ,inparticular asregards thegradual harmo­
nization oftraining levels .Thefirst attempt toharmonize training
inorder tofacilitate the free movement ofskilled machine-tool workers
wasembodied intheCouncil Recommendation of29September 1970 *
TheRecommendation wasimplemented byacertain number oftraining
centres inseveral Member States .Itwasnot ,however ,extended to
other types oftraining inview ofthecomplexity andlength ofthe
necessary preparatory work .
./•

-6-
TheCommission therefore employed amore flexible andrapid
approach with the close cooperation oftheEuropean Centre for the
Development ofVocational Training (CEDEFQP ).Theapproach isbasedonthe direct analysis oftheminimum requirements toagiven occu­
pation ,apart from thesystem ofvocational training followed .Apreli­
minary report onthework carried outinthe last fewyears will be
available shortly .
13. Aidfrom theEuropean Social Fund ,theprincipal financial
instrument ofCommunity 'labour market' policy ,hasgreatly helped
infacilitating theretraining operations made necessary bysetting-up
oftheCommon Market but ,from i960 to1973 »aids from theFund were
ofgreater benefit toMember States with themost productive training
andplacement structures than tothe countries with serious structural
problems .
With thereforms ofFebruary 197 ^-andDecember 1977 tFund inter­
vention wasredistributed infavour ofthe less-developed Community
regions and efforts were concentrated onthe most acute problems
(youth unemployment )particularly inregions with thesmallest financial
means .In1979 »7^%ofappropriations were allocated toexpenditure
onthebudgetary items "young persons "and"regions "(seeAnnex I).
14. Nevertheless ,the degree ofsuccess ofprojects undertaken
can still bequestioned .
Itwould ,however beinadvisable toreturn totherigid rules
ofthefirst Fund which only granted retroactive appropriations ,
subject tothe express condition that theworkers hadbeen employed
for atleast sixmonths after having been retrained .The lessons learnt
from /thatperiod should not ,however ,beforgotten ?the success of
European Social Fund action isclosely linked tothe dynamism and
efficacy ofthevocational training andplacement services .Action along these
Lines istherefore nscessary toenable theEuropean Social
•Fund ,whilst preserving theflexibility ofoperation obtained in197l »
to ensure the effectiveness ofthe aids itgrants .
B.THE 1974 SOCIAL ACTION PROGRAMME AND THE COMMUNITY 'SREACTION "TOTHE
EMPLOYMENT CRISIS
15. Towards theend oftheSixties ,itbecame clear that unemploy­
ment wasparticularly affecting certain specific social categories
(young persons ,women ),certain regions andeven ,since 1974 »certain
sectors (iron andsteel ,shipbuilding ,some textile industries ).
National andCommunity labour market policies were therefore swiftly
faced with aserious situation urgently requiring theimplementa­
tion ofselective andcoordinated policies .
•A

TheSocialActionProgrammeadoptedin1974alreadyclearlydefined
suchpolicies.Itisthusabletosupplement andstrengthenthe
CommunitylabourmarketpolicyasdefinedintheTreaties.
(a)Actiononbehalfofcategories
16.Itbecamegenerallyevidentthatmenandwomenwerenotbeing
givenequalopportunities toexercisetheirrighttoworkandso,
in1975?"theCommissionsubmittedamemorandumtotheCounciltogether
withaproposalforadirectiveonequaltreatmentformenandwomen
asregardsaccesstoemployment,vocationaltrainingandproduction ,
andworkingconditions.TheDirectivewasadoptedbytheCouncilon
12February1976andenteredintoforceon12August1978*
ThisDirectiveandtheDirective ontheharmonization of
lawsonmassdismissalsconstitutedthebeginningofaseriesof
CommunitylawsthatcomplementtheprovisionsofArticle118,which
referredonlytostudiesandopinions.Thislegislativeactionwas
strengthened bytheCouncilDecisionof20December1977actionby
theEuropeanSocialFundforwomenoforover25yearsofagewhose
entryorre-entryintoworkinglifeprovesparticularly difficult.
TheCommissioniscurrentlycompilingapreliminary reportonthese
recentmeasures.Thereport,whichcouldbepresentedinearlyI98O,
willenableanycorrectiveactiontobedefined.
17»YoungpersonsinallthecountriesoftheCommunitypaya
heavytributetounemployment .AsearlyasJuly1975»"theCouncil
decidedthattrainingforyoungfirst–jobseekerswouldbenefitfrom
aidfromtheSocialFundand,inNovember197&t"thescopeoftheFund
wasextendedtoaidtonationalschemesgrantingpremiumsforthe
recruitment andemploymentofyoungpersons.Theserapiddevelopments
underCommunitylabourmarketpolicyonlyconfirmedatrendalready
startedbytheMemberStateswhere"recruitment premiums"ortemporary
aidshadalreadybeenintroduced.Theproblemsofcompetition which
aroseasaresultwereforthemostpartsettledinconformitywith
theTreaties.
Lastly,theCommissionRecommendation of6July1977onvoca­
tionalpreparationforyoungpersons,theCouncilResolutionof
22November1979onlinkedworkandtrainingforyoungpersonsand
thepilotprojectsoftheEducationCommitteeandoftheEuropean
SocialFundprovidedtheCommunitywiththemeansofguidingtheactions
bothoftheMemberStatesandoftheEuropeanSocialFund.
Themeasurestakenonbehalfofyoungpersonsandwomenoverthelast
threeyearsthusgavetheCommunityanumberofinstruments which
contributedtothesolutionoftwoproblemsthatwillbecomeof
increasingimportanceinthenextfewyears.

-8-
(b)Seetoralaction
18.WhenanapplicationissubmittedtotheEuropean
SocialFund,restructuring orconversionoperations maybeeligible
fortheusualCommunityaidforthetrainingorgeographical mobility
oftheworkersconcerned.Toprovidethistypeofsupportisoneof
themaintasksoftheEuropeanSocialFund(Article123oftheEECTreaty).
MostCommunitysectoralaidhasbeengrantedundertheECSC
Treaty.Article$6providesthatwhereemploymentproblemsarecreated
bytheintroduction ofnewtechnicalprocessesorequipment,thefinan­
cingofjob-creation programmes andthepaymentofallowancesforresettle
mentandvocationalretrainingforworkershavingtochangetheiremploy­
mentmaybefacilitated.Accordingly ,between1954and1975»265million
unitsofaccountweredisbursedtoassistnearly600,000workers}
for1975-1979thesefiguresare178millionEUAand120,000workers
respectively .
(c)Coordination ofnationalpolicies
*'·1Ρ·Π·ΙΙΙΙΙ><ι |Ι'·Ι·ΙίI»IΚΙ|ΙΙ«·IIIII>■I»/,11111»01υ»ΙΙ>«ιιΜΜΐυ·ΙΙΙ··ι^Ι·ΙΙ ·'|Μ·ΙΙΗ·|Ίιι IIι·IIΙΙιιιιιιΙIIIιΐιιτκηιι·
19.Cooperation betweennationalemploymentserviceswhich,since
1967/haddevelopedmainlyattheoperationallevel(SEDOC)wasgiven
freshimpetusbytheintroduction ofcooperationatpolicy-making levels
thesetting-upin1974ofthegroupofDirectors-General forEmployment
andthecreationin197$ofthegroupof'DirectorsofEmploymentAgencies.
Thecooperation madeitpossibletoimprovetheCommission'sinformation
base.Italsofacilitated thepreparation ofmeetingsoftheStanding
CommitteeonEmployment.Lastly,itresultedinsomeopeningupofnatio­
nalstructuresandmeasures.Thus,MemberStatesconfrontedwithreforms
oftheirplacementagencies,(FranceandItalyinparticular)wereablev
tobenefitfromtheexperienceofMemberStateswithproven,productive
structures.CommunitysupportgivenintheformofaSocialFundpilot
schemeenabledatrainingoperationtobecarriedoutin1978forthe
staffrequiredtosetupanewplacementstructureinItaly.
20.Thesepreliminaryresultswereobtainedinspiteofthedif­
ferencesinnationalstructures andconcepts.Ontheonehand,the
structureresponsibleforthemanagementofthelabourmarketandthe
distribution ofresponsibilities varyconsiderably fromoneMemberState
toanother(seeTableinAnnexII).Ontheotherhand,conceptsoflabour
marketpolicyarenotalwayshomogeneous.Inparticular ,therolethat
apublicemploymentserviceshouldplayinrelationtoundertakingsis
viewedverydifferently.Themostlimitedconceptseesapublicemployment
serviceasdealingsolelywiththeunemployed.Thisistheoldconcept
of"labourpolicy".Inalessrestrictedsense,thescopealsoincludes
•/.

-9-
thepayment ofrecruitment premiums toundertakings .Lastly ,inthe
broadest ,andmost symetrical concept ,apublic employment service
should beconcerned with both workers andundertakings inorder
tofavour thematching ofvacancies andapplications for jobs .
Intervention inundertakings ,whilst respecting therelations between
thetwo sides ofindustry ,isbased onthe observation that under­
takings 'recruitment requirements arenot always subject tostrict
technical requirements .Onthe contrary ,empirical studies andthe
experiences ofcertain employment agencies show that there isconsi­
derable potential forflexibility intheundertaking andthat this
potential canbeputtogood use ,inappropriate cases with the
employment agency asmediator .)
Exchanges ofexperience between theMember States showed
that itwasnecessary tostrengthen public employment services andto
improve their standing with enterprises not only toimprove their
performance incollecting jobvacancies but also todevelop their
counselling activities with enterprises intheway already practised
incertain Member States .
C.OVERALL REVIEW
21. Onbalance ,theCommunity labour market policy hasproduced
todate successful results ,within the limits ofitsattributions
(a)Thefree movement ofworkers intheMember States istoday a
tangible fact which in1978 »guaranteed equal treatment to
1,600,000 workers (*). Itrepresents afundamental right ofall
Community workers .
(b)Theintervention resources oftheEuropean Social Fund were
„increased andin1979 »some 775million •units ofaccount were
allocated forapproximately 1,000,000 workers .TheESF isnow
afinancial instrument ,which isboth operational andflexible ,
atthedisposal oftheMember States whose task itistosubmit
viable projects andensure that they areimplemented efficiently .
(*)With respect totheformer Community ofSix ,forwhich figures
areavailable since i960 ,thenumber ofworkers concerned doubled
between i960and1973 (from635*000 to1,150,000 ^.Aslight drophasoccurred since 1973 (940,000 workers in197&)•

(c)The range ofinstruments available tothe Community was extended
over thepast three years with theaddition ofthemeasures on
young persons andwomen /Directives onequal treatement inwomen 's
employment and theopening oftheEuropean Social Fund toyouth
recruitment premiums and jobs fulfilling apublic need .The Commu­
nity isnow better equipped than inthe past todeal with )these
categories which will continue topose aproblem inthe next decade .
(d)Lastly /the setting-up ofstructures forthe coordination ofnatio­
nal labour market policies wasaccompanied byageneral awareness
oftheneed tostrengthen national placement andtraining struc­
tures and improve their efficacy and credibility .Itwill bethe -
Commission 'stask toencourage such concerted action and theMember
States' responsibi lity toimplement thenecessary reforms -the
sole guarantees oftheeffectiveness ofnational andCommunity
measures .

III.GUIDELINES FORTHEFUTURE
22.Community Labourmarketpolicyisnowafact.Guidelines for
thefuturemustinitially beviewedinthelightoftheeconomicand
socialenvironment ofthe8Q's.Thedifferentaspectsshouldthenbe
defined.
A.THEECONOMIC ANDSOCIALENVIRONMENT OFTHE1980'$ANDITSIMPLICATIONS
FORLABOURMARKETPOLICIES
23.Withgrowthprospectsthatarenotfavourable toemployment,
withtheurgentneedforastructural adaptation oftheEuropeaneconomy
andwiththeenlargement oftheCommunitytoincludethecountriesof
southernEurope,Communitylabourmarketpolicyisfacedwiththree
majorchallenges .
(a)Growthinadequate topromoteemployment
24.ForseveralyearstocometheCommunitywillprobablyhaveto
dealwiththeeffectsofslowgrowth,particularly inviewoftheneed
tomaintainstablepricesandofbalanceofpaymentsrestraints .Inthe
absenceofappropriate measuresthemostlikelyprospectforthenext
fewyearsisthereforethatunderemployment willpersistswithaselec­
tiveeffectontheless-favoured categories ,onthelabourmarket,in
particularcertainyoungpeople,women,handicapped persons,migrant
workersandolderworkers.
Undertheseconditions,Communitycountrieswillbefacedwith
agravedangerthatthequalityofthelabourforcewilldeteriorate,
whichwillbeallthemoredifficulttoaccommodate inviewofthefact
thatthedemographic trendisexpectedtoreverseafter1985.
Besides,intheabsenceofcorrectivepolicies,thegrowthof
underemployment willalsoaggravateregionaldifferences .
/
(b)Theinevitable structural adaptations
25.Facedwiththenewinternational divisionoflabour,Community
undertakings willbeforcedtoturntoactivitiesthatusehightechno­
logyandofferhighproductivity .Theintroduction ofnewtechnology,
suchasmicroprocessors ,isboundtoraiseseveralproblemsofadjustment
onthelabourmarket.Allthoseinvolved-workers,undertakings ,public

employmentservices-willthereforeneedtodisplayaconsiderable
degreeofflexibility andadaptability (*).
(c)Continuingenlargement
26.Thecharacteristics oftheeconomiesandlabourmarketsof
Greeceoroftheapplicantcountries,SpainandPortugal,arevery
differentfromthoseofthepresentCommunity.
Asanexample,theactivityratesforwomenarerelatively
lowinthesouthEuropeancountries.In1975,theyamountedtoabout
30%ineachofthethreecountries,comparedtoabout45%inthe
countriesofthepresentCommunity (rangingfrom26%intheNether­
landsto56%inDenmark).Inthefutureitisprobablethatalarge
proportionofthepotentialworkforcewillbemobilised,whichis
likelytoincreasetheneedtoemigratefromsuchcountries.
Inaddition,thelabourmarketmanagementstructures (training
andplacement)inthesecountrieswillprobablyhavetobeimproved
inordertocopewithaccelerated development.
Communitylabourmarketpolicywillthereforebeconfronted
withthedelicateproblemofcoordinating contactsbetweenmarkets
withdifferentstructures andcharacteristics .Gradualinterpenetration
shouldthereforebeinitiated,aswasdoneinGreece.Suchtimingwill,
however,beineffectualiftheCommunitytabourmarketpolicytobe
setupisnotaccompanied byadditionalpolicies.Anactivepolicyon
theadaptationofjobsandtheimprovement ofworkingconditionsin
thesectorsofthepresentCommunitythathavealwaysemployedimmigrant
labourshouldbeimplemented.Communityactionshouldalsobetakento
promoteinvestmentintheapplicantcountriessoastoreducetheneed
toemigratefromthem.Inthismatte,reffectivecoordination with
regionalpolicymattersisimportant.
Implications forlabourmarketpolicyinthe80's
27.ThefuturetrendofpoliciesatbothnationalandCommunity
levelsmustbeguidedbytwoconcerns.^ .
(*)Theimpactoftechnological changesonemploymentisalsodealtwith
inthefollowingdocuments:'" '
"Europeansocietyfacedwithnewinformation,techniques :aCommunity
answer"(C0M(79)650final)
and
"Employmentpolicyandthenewtechnologyofmicroelectronics
(COM(80)16final).

28.Ontheonehand,greaterattentionmustbepaidtotheadjust­
mentmechanismsoftheLabourmarket.Therequisiteflexibility mustbe
obtainednotonlybyrequestinggreatergeographical andoccupational
mobilityofworkers,butalsobyrequiringundertakings tomakea
greaterefforttoadapttothelaboursupplyavailable andtoplanahead
particularly bymeansofforwardmanpowerplanning.Thecontribution of
thepublicauthorities shouldnotsomuchtaketheformoffurther
legislation butrathertheprovisionofoperational supportforneces­
sarychangesandadjustments .
29.Ontheotherhand,inanumberofMemberStates,theeffecti­
venessofnationalandCommunityactioninfavouroftargetgroupsor
sectorsisoftenlimitedbyinadequate development,inqualityand
volume,ofplacement,guidanceandtrainingservicesi Aconsiderable
effortthusremainstobemadeinthisfield.Thisisallthemoretrue
ofaccedingcountries.
30.Communitylabourmarketpolicymustconformtocertainrequi­
rements.Ontheonehand,Communityactionisnotasubstitutefornatio
nalorregionalaction:ratheritmustcomplement andsupportit.On
theotherhand,itmusttakeaccountofthespecificity ofnational
situations andservetheirneedsascoherently aspossible.

B.ACTIONTOTEERTAKEHr BYTHECOMMUNITY UNTILNOWMUSTEEREINFORCED
31.Atitsmeetingof9October1979»theStandingCommitteeon
Employmentemphasizedtheimportanceofactiontoimproveinformationontheoperationofthelabourmarket(statisticsandstudies)at
Communitylevel.Thefollowingareasshouldbegivenpriorityformore
intensivecooperation asregardsstatistics andspecificstudies:
–workingtimeandformsofemployment(part–timework,temporarywork,shiftwork);
–flowsinunemployment ,withaviewtoobtainingmoreprecise
information ontheintroduction andwithdrawalofjoboffersand
applications ,durationofunemployment ,recurrenceofunemployment ,
mobilityoftheunemployed ;
–thestructureofemploymentandunemployment ,basedinparticular
ontheCommunitylabourforcesurvey,theprimaryandmostwidely-
usedbasisfor-comparativestudiesandCommunitymeasures;
–thetransition fromeducationtoworkinglife}
/
–vocationaltrainingforyoung.peopleoutsideschool;
-thecontentof,andtrendsin,qualifications required.
workhasbeenbegunmalltheseareasbyCommunityand
nationaldepartments ;theSOEC'sessentialroleinimprovingandharmo­
nizingstatisticsshouldbestrengthened .Largelythankstothelabour
marketresearchandactionprogrammeandthenetworkofemployment
agencies,theCommissionhasalsobeenabletocarryoutcomparative
studieswhichwereusedasabasisfortherecentcontributions tothe
StandingCommittee ,onEmployment.
TheCommissioni's,nevertheless ,concernedaboutthegapbetween
theincreasingly variedinformation neededinrespectofthelabour
marketandtheactualdataavailable.Accordingly ,waysshouldbefound
ofmeetingthestatistical requirements withoutcomplicating thecollec­tionofprimarydata.Inthecaseofstudies,actionbegununderthe
labourmarketresearchandactionprogrammeshouldbereinforced,and
comparativestudiesshouldbefacilitated bystepstodisseminatenatio­
nalstudiesofgeneralinterestmorewidelythroughouttheCommunity.

-15-
32. Asregards free movement .Community action should "be
"based onthe following measures !
-preventing future development from tampering with the appli­
cation oftheprinciples onwhich freedom ofmovement isbased ,
asthey areessential totheEuropean labour market }
–making allcircles and all levels aware oftheneed tobring
into full operation the system for theinternational clearing
ofvacancies andapplications foremployment (SEDOC ),parti­
cularly inincreasing thefrequency ofexchange ofinformation
onoffers anddemand (presently monthly );
-combating illegal ,immigration andemployment oflabour from
non-Member States inthespirit oftheproposal from theCommission
totheCouncil dated 5April 1978®
–organizing thecoordination ofthird country migration policies
inaccordance with the conclusions ofthe Council ofMinisters
which met on22November 1979 •Apriority inthis field should
begiven totheproblems ofsocial andoccupational integration
ofmigrant workers inthehost country andtheir preparation
inthe event ofareturn tothe home country#
The above-mentioned measures take account ofthe extension
oftheCommunity tothree countries ofwhich atleast twohave
relatively large labour resources andwhose nationals will be .
entitled ,once accession hastaken place ,topriority ofemploy­
ment inallcases where theMember States ofthepresent Community
usenon-Community labour .
33. Sectoral ad.justrr.ents (restructuring orconversion )must be
continued inthenext fewyears .Everything must bedone tofaci­
litate theretraining ofworkers orreduce the effects ofrationa -
lisation .TheCommission advocates apolicy ofsupport foraffected
workers .But itdoes not intend tolend Community support inevery
case ofadaptation .Itisnecessary ,infact ,tomake adistinction
between two separate levels .
34. First ,most restructuring andreconversion operations are
carried outeither atthe level oftheundertaking atregional or
even national level .One ofthefactors determining their success
isthepresence oflocal employment services and their efficiency
inlocating andmobilising alternative employment .Therefore itis
important toimprove thequality andcredibility ofthese services
visavistheemployers .Inthis context ,theCommission also

-16-
attachesconsiderable importancetothespiritoftheDirectiveon
massdismissals whoseimplementation bytheMember,Stateswill
constitutethesubjectofaforthcoming report.
35•AtCommunitylevel,measuresundertakencanbegranted
assistance fromtheEuropeanSocialFundwithoutrequiringanew
CouncilDecision,ortheycouldbethesubjectofspecificplans
afteradoptionbytheCouncil.Forexample,theCommissionhas
alreadymadeproposalstotheCouncilrela^ngtothesocialaspectsoftherestructuring ofthesteelindustry.Twotypesoffinancial
measuresfortheseworkersareproposed:appropriations forearly
retirement schemesandforthereorganization ofworkandworking
time.
36.TheCommissionconsidersthatinsuchcases,thesocial
andindustrialpolicymeasuresshouldbeestablished simultaneously .
Althoughitisnotintendedthatallsuchmeasuresshouldbe
financed,itseemsnaturalthatsomeofthemshouldreceiveCommu­nityassistance,tobedetermined onacasebycafebasis.
37.Attheleveloftheregions.Communitylabourmarketpolicy
mainlyoperatesthroughtheexistingFunds.Anyactiontakenmustbe
situatedbetweentwoextremes.Thefirstwouldconsistinasimple
accountingexercise,byfinancialtransfersthatdonotgivethe,
righttocheckontheiractualutilization .Thesecondwouldcon­
sistkincheckingtheeffectsofsuchtransfersindetailandlaying
downrulesthatareincompatible withthesituationinsuchregions.
* TheCommissionconsidersthatitisnecessarytodevelop -
aCommunitypolicylyingbetweenthesetwoextremes,basedonthe
followingpoints.
Firstlyaseachregionisdifferent,itisimportanttoplace
thefinancialassistanceprovidedbytheEuropeanRegionalDevelop­
mentFundandtheEuropeanSocialFundwithinthecontextofacohe-.
rantregionaldevelopment programme.TheCommissionattachesgreat
importancetotheseprogrammeswhichareprovidedforintheRegu­
lationsgoverningthetwoFunds.Thedevelopment ofintegrated mea­
suresthatcoordinatethecontributions fromthevariousCommunity
Fundsshouldconstituteastartingpointofmajorimportance.
(*)DocumentsCGM(79)199finalandCOM(79)436final.
./•

-17-
SecondlytheMemberStatesandtheCommunitymustpromotethecapacityoftheregionstodevelopeorrestructurethemselves#
Thi3dependsbothonthesizeofthephysicalinfrastructures
(communications _andtransport,educationalandhoepitalfacilities)andonthequalityofthehumaninfrastructures (localtraining,
managementandanalyticalresources).Thepossibilities ofjob
creationatthelevelofsmall–andmedium–sizedundertakingsin
thenextfewyearsmustgiveprioritytothisaspectbyusing
themostappropriate meansand,asregardsthelabourmarket
policy,byimprovingthequalityofthejobprospection,placement
andvocationaltrainingandguidanceapparatus®
Communityactioninrespectofregionsandthefreemove­
mentofworkersshouldnotdisregardthespecificproblemsof
frontierzoneswhereconsiderable movementsofmanpowertakeplace*
Asolutionshouldbefoundtothemanyadministrative ,
economic,occupational andculturalproblemswithaviewtofaci­litatingtwo–wayflowsontheseregionallabourmarketswhileensuringfullsocialprotectionfortheworkersconcerned.
38.'Thedevelopmentofspecificpoliciesbasedonindividualcategoriesofjob-seekers mustremainattheforefront'o?"TRe
socialaspectsoflabourmarketpolicy,atbothnationaland
Communitylevel.ThetJommonobjectiveistopromoteequalemploy­mentopportunitiesforallthesecategories^Particularly young
people,women,migrants,handicapped andolderworkers).WithspeciticregardtoCommunityactionwomenandyoungpeoplewill
remaintheprioritycategoriesintheyearstocome.
» •/
ItisafactthatthereisintheCommunityacontinued
increaseintheparticipation ofwomeninactivelifeeEveninthose
MemberStateswheretheparticipation ofwomeninactivelifeis
relatively low,therehasbeenanincreaseinthefemaleactivity
ratesforcertainagegroups,particularly thoseforyoungmarried
women.Thistrendreflectsafundamental andprobablyirreversible
changeinbehaviour.Onlyanactivepolicyofafairerdivision
betweenmenandwomenofavailableworkcanpreventthisnewdemand
bywomenforworkfrombeingdirected,asinthepast,towardthe
least-qualified jobs.
39*Withinthisspirit,theCommissionwillpresent,beforethe
endof1980,itsreportontheapplicationofdirective76/207and
willdrawtheconclusions onwhichfutureaction'willbebased.
Thisactionwillbesupplemented byspecificmeasurestoestablish
trueequalityonthelabourmarket,inparticularbyencouraging women's
accesstojobsandtypesoftrainingconsideredtobereservedformen.Itwill
baseitsactiononspecificassistancefromtheEuropeanSocialFund
andonworkcarriedoutbyCEDEFOPbasedonexperimentswithin
MemberStatesinthefieldofinnovatorytrainingofwomenandgirls.
Inaddition,inMay1980,theCommissionwillholdaconferenceon
equalityforwomen;itspurposewillbetoformulateguidelinesfor
medium-term Communityaction,withparticularaccountbeingtaken
oftheimpactoftheintroduction ofnewtechnology onwomen'semploy­
ment.
./•

-18-
40. Youth employment xsanother matter asinfact itcovers
all theproblems connected with thetransition from school to
working life .The decisions adopted bytheCouncil over the laot
three years have provided theCommunity with aset ofinstruments
which must beused tothe full .Itshould beensured that equal
employment opportunities areopen toyoung untrained persons
whose employability should beincreased ,that national policies
onthetransition toworking life are strengthened andthat
labour market imbalances arereduced .Lastly ,allyoung persons
must beable tohave access ,ifthey wish ,tovocational training .
Itshould benoted ,however ,that Community action runs
into twoobstacles .First ,there isthepersistent shortage of
jobs .Secondly ,thesuccess ofCommunity action –ofasubsidiary
nature -rests onthe desire andability ofMember States to
develop this strategy andtake firm steps todirect changes .
Failing this ,thepriorities laid down bytheCouncil areliable
toresult inaseries ofpalliatives .
41• Community measures infavour ofother social categories
(migrant workers andthehandicapped)' must also be'strengthened ,
ifthey aretoavoid transferring theburden ofunemployment from
young persons andwomen tothese other categories .
The social ,occupational andcultural integration inthe
host country ofmigrants must beimproved ,particularly asregards
the "second generation ".Itisalso necessary tosetuptheassis­
tance schemes that migrant workers areentitled toexpect from the
Member States when they return totheir owncountries (aids to
reintegration into thelabour market andinto the society ofthe
country oforigin ).
Measures concerning migrants from non-Community countries
will ofcourse form part ofthecoordination ofMember States *
migratory policies vis-a-visthird countries .
42. Inregard tothehandicapped ,theCommission hasalready
emphasised initsreport totheCouncil attheendofOctober 1979
theneed topromote their employment inanormal environment .
Itisalso advisable nottolimit actions exclusively tothemost
serious cases and toextend the field ofaction tostimulation mea­
sures ,aimed atcomplementing thecompulsory legislation inopera­
tion ,inallenterprises especially asregards small enterprises
who inmany regions account forthenear totality ofsalaried
employment .

-19-
C.THE COMPLEMENTARY ORNEW TASKS THAT MUST BEDEVELOPED
43• Inthelight ofexperience gained inthepast tenyears ,itis
clear that national andCommunity measures aimed solely atsectors ,
categories andregions and atsolving problems once they have arisen ,
run into several obstacles .
Their immediate effectiveness ofmeasures depends onthe
quality ofthe local structures that implement them .Itwill be
necessary toencourage the development ofnational placement and
training structures ,both qualitatively andquantitatively *
Themeasures taken inrecent years cancure but often not
prevent imbalances that have arisen .Itistherefore necessary to
plan aforward-looking approach tolabour market problems which ,
whilst taking account ofeconomic uncertainties ,would enable risks
tobereduced andavoid taking those responsible bysurprise .
Furthermore thedevelopment ofnewforms ofemployment (parti­
cularly temporary work andpart–time work )concerns labour market
policy aswell .
Finally ,the success ofnational andCommunity labour market
policy ,toalarge extent ,depends onabetter link with other policies
that affect employment (particularly economic policy ,industrial policy
andregional policy ).TheCommission hadalready brought home this
important point totheStanding Committee onEmployment (document
SEC(79)634final )atitsmeetings of22May1979 and9October 1979 *
Itwill therefore not bereiterated inthis Communication .
44. Recent forms ofemployment .Employment difficulties mmost
Member countries were accompanied bythedevelopment oftemporary forms
ofemployment (particularly agency work andlimited-duration contracts ).
Such instability particularly affects thetarget groups referred to
above ,more especially young persons andwomen .Thedevelopment of
temporary work isintheinterest ofcertain undertakings .Inmany
cases ,however ,itisasign ofweak planning andmanagement ofhuman
resources insuch undertakings .Thedevelopment ofsuch unstable
forms ofemployment must therefore becontrolled ,intheinterests
notonly oftheworkers butalso oftheundertakings themselves andthe
community forwhom theneed tokeep aresource ofskilled labour is
essential tocope with thenewinternational division oflabour .

-20-
45• These problems concern labour law ,labour market policy
andtheCommunity plan onworkshaxing .These problems should be
approached with clarity inreconciling theinterests ofthe
workers with theneed for aflexible economy .
Twothemes have been given priority :the development of
non-compulsory part-time work innon-discrimatory conditions and
aneffective control oftemporary work .Therequests made bythe
European Trade Union Confederation atthemeeting oftheStanding
Committee onEmployment on9October 1979 are atpresent being
discussed with the Social Partners .Preliminary guidelines on
these subjects will besubmitted tothe Standing Committee on
>Employment .
46. The Commission considers that the needs ofworkers faced
with the current changes would justify special attention being paid
tomeasures aimed atencouraging training-leave schemes for adults .
h
This field merits examination bythetwo sides ofindustry
atCommunity level with aview tosetting upstudies ,reports and
• exchanges ofexperience .
47. The development ofanactive prospection-placement structure . .
Thematching ofjobvacancies and applications isdone through a
number ofdifferent channels involving private enterprise (adver­
tisements ,private agencies ,etc.),andpublic action (employmentagencies }.Thelatter tend toconcentrate onthemost difficult
placements jwhereas theformer tend toskim thetopoffthemarket .Theresulting imbalance partly explains the difficulties public
employment agencies have inappearing credible toundertakings .
Theimbalance should becorrected byenabling public agencies •
tocompete with theprivate sector and ,ifnecessary ,toimprove the
market ,andtoplay thepredominant role which should betheirs ,
according tothe Recommendations ofthe International Labour Orga­
nisation .Inthis case incentives will bemore effective than compul -
s-jor),butsuch measures require true cooperation from both sides
ofindustry ,andgreater public effort .Inthis matter ,annex II
shows thegreat diversity ofthefunctions undertaken bythepublic
agencies and oftheir means .
Inthis connection ,particular attention needs tobegiven
tothe development ofvocational guidance and itsadaptation toan
employment system that isundergoing fundamental change .Within their
labour market policy ,theMember States should apply themselves
tothe development ofguidance activities ,not only tomake easier
thetransition ofyoung people into working life but also topromote
vocational counselling ofadults -inclose liaison with labour market
forecasts .
48.. TheCommission refers inthis respect totheconsiderations
itpresented totheStanding Committee onEmployment on22Mayand
9October 1979 (doc.ref.SEC (79)634final ),which maybesummarized
asfollows :.
(a)public employment agencies must becapable ofacquiring credibility
intheeyes ofundertakings andworkers byimproving their quali­
tative capacity .This requires a.sound balance ofeconomic and
social criteria :
/.

-21-
(b)theoperational functions ofprospection andplacement should
"beclearly distinguished from themanagement ofunemployment ,
either into two Beparate institutions orwith separate services
andstaff within asingle institution ;
(c)placement must "beviewed interms ofmediation between under­
takings and jobseekers .Itmust "be "based onother linked fac­
tors (training ,guidance ,counselling forjobseekers andunder­
takings ).Agency staff must bequalified andtrained tocarry
outtherole ofmediator .The agencies should belocated in
each region ,close totheusers }
(d)theactive participation ofemployers' andworkers *representa­
tives inpublic placement must besought inorder toprovide it
with solid foundations inthe labour market j
(e)methods ofimproving thecollection ofvacancies inundertakings
should bedeveloped ,for example within ,theframework ofcollec­
tive agreements .TheCommission isaware ofthe importance which
theEuropean Trade Union Confederation attaches tothis problem
and ofitswish tohave compulsory notification ofvacancies .
Thematter ofcompulsory notification should beexamined with a
view toestablishing whether ithelps themarket penetration of
public agencies anddoes notlead tobureaucratisation instead .
49* National institutions have onthewholestill tomakeabigeffort
along these lines ,with theassistance ofgovernments and thetwo sides
ofindustry .Community assistance should bedirected tothe development
ofcooperation onconcrete matters such asstaff training ordata
processing ,orthe development ofvocational and occupational guidance
inagencies .Such cooperation is,however ,limited bytheinadequate
number ofpersonnel allocated totasks ofsupport .Itwould never­
theless bedesirable toexamine whether animpetus from theCouncil to
Member States would beappropriate .
The strengthening ofvocational training structures
50. The weaknesses ofthese structures inanumber ofMember
States ,inrelation totherequirements ofthepresent and ,more
importantly ,thefuture ,isamatter forconcern .Itisessential that
Community action should notbelimited tothe sectoral andcategory
objectives described above jitshould also enable thevocational
training apparatus tocope better with neweconomic demands (e.g.
introduction ofmicroprocessors )andsocial needs (refresher training
forlong term unemployed andaidforreinsertion into working life ).
Onemust not ,however ,underestimate thedifficulties ofsuch
action ,which isrelated tothedecentralization ofnational systems ,
their institutional differences andthedanger ofremaining ata
level too general tobeofuse .

-22
Inaddition tocontinuing itsactivities onlinked training and
employment ,theCommission intends todevelop itsactivities inthe
following directions :
-specific assistance tocertain Member countries (including the
future newmembers )when they reform certain elements oftheir
vocational training andapprenticeship systems .Onthis last point
Annex III recalls that the countries with the most developed appren­
ticeship system arealso those whohave been themost successful in
the struggle against youth unemployment ;
–reactivating themove towards themutual recognition ofdiplomas and
certificates bypromoting cooperation between those responsible for
training incertain sectors wherever such aneed isrecognized ;-
-enfcouraging theestablishment infrontier zones oftraining centres
offering courses which lead toqualifications recognized inseveral
Member States ;
–developing aCommunity response toproblems inthefield oftraining
resulting from the introduction ofnew technologies ,inaccordance
with theconclusions oftheStanding Committee onEmployment of
26February 1980 .
Aforward-looking approach tothe labour market
51. The ability ofnational andcommunity policies tomove onfrom
curative measures topreventive intervention depends greatly ontheir
power toestablish forecasts .Past experience ,however (even inthe
years ofconstant growth ),hasshown thelimitations ofmeasures based
onquantitative forecasts .
Theuncertainties that have always weighed onthedevelopment
oflabour demand andthat inthepresent economic climate have only
increased ,have meant that forecasting has become anessential tool .
There should beaclear distinction between quantified general
orsectoral employment forecasts based oneconomic analysis andmodels
andforecasts that axeboth more specific and qualitative relating to
requirements inskills ,based ondirect surveys ofinformed circles .
Experience has shown that theformer aredifficult toapply tothe
needs ofvocational training andguidance policy .The latter ,which
should provide important solutions topresent concerns ,for instance as
regards thedevelopment ofnewtechnology ,areworthy ofspecial atten­
tion both bythepublic services andbyundertakings .
52. Inthefirst place ,thesuccess ofaforward-looking approach
depends primarily ,within placement services ,ontheexpertise
oftheplacement official andtotheexperience hecanacquire through
hiscontacts with industry .Thebest basis foraforward-looking policy
lies inthequality oftheplacement services ,inthedevelopment of
its outside contacts and inthe efficient circulation ofthe forecasts
infull knowledge oftheir disadvantages .

-23-
Inthe second place ,current Commission studies ontelematics
clearly show thelimitations ofaquantitative analysis ofeffects on
employment but' }atthe sama time ,demonstrate thepossibility of
identifying acertain number ofqualitative problems .Considerable
progress would already beachieved ifthetraining services ,forexample ,
could gradually incorporate theimplications ofthese problems ,in
particular interms ofthe content oftraining and thedirection it
should take .Theidea ofmedium-term flexible programming oftraining
merits development byplacing theemphasis onqualitative changes
rather than onquantitative needs ,which can beonly assessed inbroad
figures andwith caution . Much remains tobedone inallthese
areas inthemajority orMember countries .
TheCommunity should investigate theadvisability ofprovi­
ding operational assistance tofacilitate progress inthese fields .
53. Finally itisintheinterest ofeach undertaking tosetup
forward-looking manpower planning .Thus ,inthepast ,certain mass
redundancies could have been avoided ifsuch aforward-looking approach
had been adopted .
Inthis matter ,undertakings must have attheir disposal infor­
mation andforecasts onthelabour supply intheir area .The local
public employment agency has ,therefore ,acrucial role ininforming
undertakings ,particularly small andmedium-sized firms who donot
always have thenecessary staff .Inreturn ,itisimportant that
undertakings strive tospecify their need forworkers ,taking into
account their growth plans and their policies for developing and
adapting jobs .This information should besent tothe regional and
national offices .The public employment agencies will naturally be
ofgreat help inthe collection and transmission ofthis information .
This question must besettled atlocal level ,oreven regional
ornational level .However theCommunity could provide acontribution
tothe success ofthis action inhelping theexchange ofexperience
between undertakings within theCommunity .
/

IV.CONCLUSIONS
54. Reducing thenumber ofjobless andre-establishing ahigh level
ofemployment mainly depend ontherevival ofnon-inflationary growth ,
the success ofthenecessary structural adaptations andanappropriate
policy onthere-organization ofworking time .
Inthis connection ,labour market policy isanimportant aspect
oftheoverall strategy tobeevolved .Although itcannot increase
thevolume ofemployment ,agood labour market policy isnevertheless an
essential means ofensuring thereciprocal adjustment ofsupply and
demand andmaking structural adaptations more effective .These tasks will
beeven more important inthe light oftheproblems raised bythede­
velopment ofnewtechnologies . -
55* Within thelimits ofitsscope ,theoverall result ofthe
Community labour market policy sofar ispositive :
-Freedom ofmovement forworkers inrecognized asafundamental right „
ofallCommunity workers ;
-TheEuropean Social Fund isnow anoperational andflexible financial ,
instrument available to.theMember States ,whose task istosubmit
worthwhile projects andmake sure they areproperly implemented ;
-TheCommunity isnowbetter prepared than before tocope with the
employment problems ofyoung people andwomen ,thanks totheDirectives
onequal treatment intheemployment ofwomen and Social Fund assistance
foryoung peoples' recruitment premiums ,including those for jobs
serving thepublic interest .
56. TheCommission feels that themeasures which theCommunity has
taken sofarshould bestepped upinthefuture .First andforemost ,the
financial potential oftheEuropean Social Fund should beused aswisely
aspossible and the legal instruments which theCommunity has setup
inrecent years should beeffectively implemented (particularly as
regards migrant workers ,young people andwomen ).
Ifthese measures aretosucceed ,theexisting structures will
have tobestrengthened .Thenumber andquality ofpublic placement ,
guidance andtraining services should beincreased ,asmeasures adopted
atnational andCommunity level have tobechannelled through them .
Finally ,theCommission also feels that Community action taken
uptonow hould befurther developed intwodirections .Inthefirst
place ,aclose watch should bekept ondevelopments inrecent forms of

-25-
employment :temporary work (which should beproperly supervised
with social protection fortheworkers involved )andpart-time
work (which should bedeveloped while avoiding discrimination ).
Secondly ,there should b§aeeerdinated ,forward -looking approach
tothemanagement ofthelabour market both atundertaking level
and onthepart ofthepublic employment services .
5?. TheCommission suggests that
discussions should becentered
onthree basic questions :
(a.)improvement ofinformation onthelabour market ,
lb)strengthening public placement andtraining services ,
(cjintroduction of,concerted andforward-looking labour market
management .
Policies forCommunity action with regard totemporary and
part-time work will notbeexamined until thesecond half of1980 ,
inagreement with thetwo sides ofindustry .Theconsultations
already underway will beover bythemiddle oftheyear .
A.IMPROVEMENT OFINFORMATION OSTHE LABOUR MARKET
58. Themain aimofCommunity action inthis field istothrow
more light onthepolicies tobeimplemented both atnational and
Community level .
Sixpriority areas were mentioned in§31Jworking time and
forms ofemployment (temporary andpart-time work inparticular ),
duration andfeatures ofunemployment ,structure ofemployment and
unemployment ,transition from school toworking life ,vocational
training ofyoung people outofschool and skill requirements .
The Commission feels that efforts should bemade inthree
different butcomplementary areas :improvement andharmonization
ofstatistics under theaegis ofthe Statistical Office oftheEuro­
pean Communities ;stepping upqualitative andquantitative data compi­
lation ,andmaking comparative studies under the labour market action
andresearch programme }coordination ofresearch carried outinthe
various member countries andpublication atCommunity level of
national studies ofcommon interest .
TheCommission ispursuing thework ithasalready started .
Itpoints out ,however ,that ifthere istobeanimprovement inthe
present situation asregards information onthelabour market ,ade­
quate resources will have tobeprovided atboth national andCommunity
level •
/

-26-
B.STRENGTHENING OFPUBLIC PLACEMENT AND TRAINING SERVICES
59• Theparties consulted during thepreparation ofthis document
were inbroad agreement with itsmain lines ,except asregards theproblem
ofthenotification ofvacancies ,onwhich opinions differed .
Regarding theimplementation ofthepolicies advocated in
paragraph III Cofthis document ,theCommission suggests setting up
anaction programme tostrengthen public employment services and .
encourage cooperation between them .This programme could concern the
training ofpersonnel ,theintroduction ofdata processing systems ,
thedevelopment ofadult guidance andcounselling services andthe
application oftheSEDOC system .Itwould bedrawn upwith thehelp
ofsenior employment officials .TheCommission also suggests .conside­
ring whether anactoftheCouncil would bedesirable togive thenecessary political backing totheefforts ofthese services .
Furthermore ,theCommission notes that informal cooperation
between senior employment officials andalso between directors of
employment exchanges hasbeen working successfully for three years .
Itfeels that these meetings should beinstitutionalized bysetting
upaLabour Market Committee tobring these officials together .
This Committee ,forwhich there areprecedents ,would enable their
formal opinion tobeobtained oncertain points where this proved
necessary andwould make iteasier toLink thelabour market policy
with other Community policies .After consulting thetwogroups
involved ,theCommission will make proposals totheCouncil along
these lines .
60. Ascertain vocational training systems have fallen alarmingly
behind ,Community action should betaken tosupplement theSocial
Fund existing intervention ,itshould take theform ofmeasures to
help national systems tomeet neweconomic and social Requirements .
Hence theCommission intends tofollow uptherecent Council Deci­
sions with regard tovocational preparation axtdlinked work and
training byadopting thefollowing priorities *
-specific support measures forcertain Member countries , •
-development ofCommunity cooperation incertain sectors where the
need isfelt ,
-promotion ofthemutual recognition ofqualifications ,
-concerted response tothetraining problems -raised bythe
new technology .
Itwill examine these priorities with theAdvisory Committee
onVocational Training .
./

-27-
C.IMPLEMENTATION OFCOORDINATED ANDFORWARD-LOOKING MANPOWER
POLICIES
61^ Thara araeaveral aap«ot«i tothaimplementation ofcoordinated
andforward -looking manpower policies . ,j-tmust start atunder­
taking level ,where transparency must "beimproved anddiscussions
held inanappropriate form ondecisions concerning personnel manage­
ment andquestions likely tohave amarked effect onthe level and
conditions ofemployment .Itshould "bedeveloped atregional and
national level ,with thetwo sides ofindustry taking anactive part
inlabour market institutions (placement andtraining )asthese
play adecisive role inkeeping theemployment situation balanced
atlocal level .
62. TheCommission asks thetwosides ofindustry atEuropean
level todiscuss between themselves ,andwith theCommission ,which
practical measures would help tomake coordinated manpower policy
more effective .Itsuggests that they should look particularly
atproblems connected with manpower planning within
undertakings andways ofmaking adjustments totheemployment situa­
tion within specific areas .Comparative studies andexchanges of
information should beundertaken assoon aspossible .
TheCommission hopes that theCouncil will wish toconfirm
itspriorities inthe light ofthedebates and theconclusions of
theStanding Employment Committee .TheCommission will prepare on
these bases theforms ofactions tobedeveloped .

FONDSSOCIALEUROPEEN:MONTANTS AGREESE%1979... >ANNEXEI.
Réoartitionparfut-VbreetparSecteur Unité:HUlionsd.,j.c.E.
Nomenclature
BudgétaireBELGIQUEDANEMARK ALLEI^AGNE.FRAS;
:E^IRLANDEITALIE |LUXEM-
9CURGPAYS-BASROYAUME
'UNI
[wucej1
|rr.ucejM[ruce%muce «-jce\%nuceXl~ucoI|X"ucepnn^71~n
5000SecteurAGRICOLE L0,816,fc8,6:**ΤιV,w,6,81,69U,111,9;100
!5001SecteurTEXTILE 0,97.,9 2,3816,91,0S 3,5625,2*2,6118,:3I
3,51
«l
24,9
I14,11
15010JEUNES , 3,641,62,841,213,185'735,44I15'318,648,153,8923,30,510,26,312,!96,5^M,*j230,9'J
I5020HANDICAPES mI «!A m m ----
15030MIGRANTS 1,07V0,381/25,6917,810,823,0,040,112,1938,2 0,7c2,'0,971W31,9-1
ISC50%FEMMES0,01I6,1|[0,39Z'112,10165,52,3S|l
12,7I•'
[0,23V2,2912,4 0,452,'I
0,6618,45
I505,691/93,611,234,1611/158,35:
!'9,019,716,473,6223,90,510,210,153>:un
133,C
III–
!307,t£
l100
I5100REGIONS4,121/36,652,111,783,740,7612,6!26,46
i8,2150,2146,6 5,891/i76,42i
23,7I
t522,3J
I
15101GROUP.ENTREPRISES ,«0,6660,àm.l0,43p9,4 1/09100I
15102PROGRESTECHNIQUE 1/5215,2 0,686,8!2/2422,4«4,10i0,9 1,4714,; 10,01
15110HANDICAPES4/116,82,864,85,469,18/23'3,7I
j9/C315,111,97PO^O0,49M1/442,<16,3427,2I59,9j
I5120RECONV.INDUSTR.I
«κ
II­I\
I"'9,752/510,172/617,924,6I |
51,23M
'-»*35,499,0166,71*2/4!0,4Ç0,18,802,;92,771
I
v593,3i
f200EXPERIENCES PILOTE[
S0,5016,20,144,60,3712,0!0,41'J/3!C/175/50;7,25,0 0,278,î0,4514,(\3,OS
p300AIDAL'EfiPLQIL-0,78I
1/10,430,6!24,83k:l !3,940,1:56,9M|0,100/I1/532,170,5:
j50-53TOTAL15,94■ I»|
2,l!14,7C1/952,8S6,8i?4,si :hl;;tJ.«#•7,5281,2:-;î>/31/000,'*9
17S--2/!:96,r4525,•774,4!

HAIN FEATURES OFPUBLIC EMILOYHENT SERVICES
I" F^ATL'r'ES BELGIUM DENKARK F.R.G. FRANCE IRELAND ITALY LUXEMBOURG NETHERLANDS
hami :Office National
del'Emploi
(ONEM ).I
Arbejds -
-diretoratet
iBundesanc talt
für Arbeit
LAgence Nationa
-lepour 1'em­
ploi (AN^E ) jNational Man­
power Service
(NKS )Ufficio del
LavoroAdministration
de l'emploi•Directoraat
Genertal voor
deAroeido -
voorzieningMar .:ower Servi­
ce Jor-i:;sion
(f.SC )
STA-'.'a
lart ofMinistry ofLabour
Independent agency
Tripartite «»r.*geaentNo
lea
YesYea
No
Regular
ConsultationsNo
Yea
lesNo
Yea
YesYea
No
NoYea
No
NoYes
No
Begular
ConsultationsYes
Mo
Rejalar
ConsultationsNo
Tea
Tea
Le^al monopoly of
placementNo No Yea Tes No Y«s YeaYes
(full-time only )No
R^KrsrHiLrriKS
Haceaent
Vocational guidance
Vocational training
Ksoility aide
Jobcreation aids •les
Tas
Taa
!«alea
Yes
No
Yes
YaaTe»
Tas
Tas
lasTea
Tea ,Inpart
Generally no
No
NoYea
Yes
No
Yea
Tes ,inpartYea
No
No
No
NoTea
Tes
Ko
No
NoYea
Yes
Tea
No
NoTea
Tes
Tes
Tas
Tas
Uaewf loyraent fceneftt
•supervision
-fayLiantTaa
TasTas
KoTas
TasTes
NoTea
NoNo
NoTea
TeaTea
NoNo
No
BASIC STATISTICS'
INuaber ofoffiees 120 287
It887 625 28 8.515 k 96 1018 I
Number ofemployees 3000 1620 53000 9.000 78 10128 60 I3211
j15570
Sources :LAVAL Report oa"Coordination ofnational employment policy instruments ".Economic andSocial Committee (CES278/76finnp),1976.
National reports onoperation sndduties ofnational employment services(1977-1978).

APPRENTICESHIP SYSTEMS INTHE COMMUNITY AND YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT
Obligatory
apprenticeship
forentry to
specific jobsDetai Led
official
curri culumNumber of
apprentices as%of
working populationXofunemployed
who are under 25
(end Sept .1979 )X–– \
oftotal labour force
aged 1Ato25
1973 1977Zchange between
1973 and 1977
BELGIQUE /BELGIE no yes in1976 :0.9 X 42.7 % 18.3 %
j18.0 %"0.3 %
DANMARK yes yes in1976 :2.2 X 31.4 % 15.8 X* 16.6 X +0.8 X
B.R. DEUTSCHLAND yes yes - in1977 :5.2 X 26.1 X 18.2 % 17.6 %
j-0.6%
FRANCE no ! ' 'yes '
iin1978 :0.9 % 45.0 % 17.7 X 16.6 X -1.1 X
IRELAND no!noin1977 :1.6 % 27.9X*| 25.8 X -2.1 X
ITALIA no no in1976 :3.6 % 16.4 % 15.3 X -1.!X
LUXEMBOURG no yes 57.8 X 20.7 % 20.9 X +0.2 X
NEDERLAND no yes in1974 :1.5 X, ' 1
48.7 % 22.5 % 19.7%j -2.8 X
UNITED KINGDOM no no in1974 :2.1 X 38.2 X** 17.9 %i
17.9 X 0
-:figures notavailable
Sources :National andEurostat reports (Labour Force Surveys )
*AsDenmark andIreland didnottake part inthe1979 survey ,thefigure relates to1975
'**October 1979