Informal meeting of EPSCO Ministers

Informal meeting of EPSCO Ministers Dublin 7/8 th February, 2013 DRAFT CONCLUSIONS Youth Guarantee Reaching an agreement at the EPSCO Council on 28 February on a Council Recommendation for a Youth Guarantee is a major priority for the Irish Presidency. The informal meeting gave Ms Joan Burton T.D., Minister for social Protection, the opportunity to listen to the issues raised and concerns expressed by the Member States with a view to finding an agreed solution that will be acceptable to all parties and most importantly support the young people of Europe. Ministers also agreed that it was crucial for Member States to work with all actors to ensure that those young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEETS) have access to the services available to put them on a pathway to work. Public Employment Services The second plenary session of the Council was chaired by Minister Burton and consisted of a discussion on a proposal for an integrated European public employment services benchlearning initiative. It was a first opportunity for Ministers to discuss this proposal which had been prepared by the European Network of Heads of PES network (HoPES). Ministers acknowledged that the public employment services (PES) were at the forefront of the fight against unemployment across Europe. It was agreed that greater and more focused cooperation between the PES would lead to an improved sharing of best practice across Member States and that the European Network of Heads of PES (HoPES) should continue, with the support of the EU Commission, to develop a more detailed proposal on the bench learning initiative. Workshop on active inclusion for jobless households with a focus on youth initiatives At a workshop hosted by Minister Burton, ministers discussed appropriate policy responses to the labour market and poverty difficulties faced by jobless households, which account for 10 per cent of the European population, in the context of the Europe 2020 Strategy. In particular, the ministers emphasised the importance of active inclusion strategies, combining income support, activation and services, in providing an integrated response to

the multi faceted needs of jobless households, all of which are core elements of the Europe 2020 Strategy. The ministers noted the specific difficulties faced by those furthest from the labour market and discussed how activation services can effectively respond through direct and indirect measures. Ministers also considered the potential of the proposed EU Social Investment Package, details of which are expected shortly, in addressing the situation of jobless households, including the needs of vulnerable children in these households. Workshop on Job rich recovery: key actions on future skills needs and employment in ICT At a workshop on Job rich recovery: key actions on future skills needs and employment in ICT for Employment Ministers, chaired by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD, Ministers focused, in particular, on the employment opportunity presented by the ICT sector and on ensuring Europe mobilises to fill the 700,000 unfilled ICT vacancies by 2015 that are currently projected. Reflecting the Irish Presidency theme of stability, jobs and growth, ministers agreed that alongside austerity there must be an equal focus on growth opportunities and on ensuring job rich recovery in Europe. Ensuring that the European workforce is equipped with the skills required to take advantage of employment opportunities in the ICT and other growth sectors will be crucial. Ministers were informed that the number of ICT practitioners has continued to grow at 3% per annum, even throughout the economic crisis and ICT vacancies cannot be filled despite the high levels of unemployment in Europe. The projections are that there could be up to 700,000 unfilled vacancies in the EU by 2015. They considered that if European skill sets are properly aligned with the skills needs of the ICT sector this could generate significant employment opportunities for young people. It would also create opportunities for existing ICT workers to upskill and advance their careers and for workers who have been displaced from declining sectors or unemployed mid career workers from related fields to convert to take up jobs in the ICT sector Ministers noted that a Grand Coalition for digital jobs will be launched by the four Commissioners responsible for Employment, the Digital Agenda, Education, and Enterprise at a Conference scheduled for 4 5 March 2013. This Grand Coalition is a multi stakeholder partnership seeking to reduce the gap between supply and demand for ICT practitioners in Europe. Ministers agreed it was important that the views of employment ministers be presented at the launch of that event. They were happy to note that Minister Richard Bruton had accepted an invitation to deliver a key note address at this launch. This ensures the conclusions of this workshop have a very immediate audience and path forward for action.

Ministers heard presentations from experts and were provided with the real world experience of a large ICT multinational (IBM) and a small Irish ICT company (Version 1), both selected because of their recent experience of transformation or growth and their experience of seeking the ICT skills their businesses needed to grow and prosper. The debate was also stimulated by two case studies, one from Germany and one from Ireland. Workshop on Older Women and Europe s Labour Market working together for the Needs of All Kathleen Lynch, T.D., Minister of State for Disability, Equality, Mental Health and Older People, joined employment and social protection Ministers in an exploration of the issues which cause the detachment of older women from the labour market and the impact this has on the their pension and risk of poverty in older age. The Minister noted that there was still a lack of in depth research on the retention of older women in the workforce. She noted that the women of Europe are particularly well educated and while women needed the security of an income in older life, Europe also needs to derive full benefit form their capacity to contribute to growth and competitiveness a win win situation for all. The European Commission made insightful presentations, based on research which confirmed that, while older women have a higher participation in life long learning and have higher skills than their male peers, there is a gender gap of over 15 percentage points in their economic activity rate. EU policy focuses on economic independence for women, the importance of harnessing their skills to achieve the Europe 2020 employment targets and the need to cope with future skills shortages. Director General for Employment, Mr. Koos Richelle told the meeting that at present 1 million people reach retirement age each year but this will increase to 2 million in the foreseeable future. This represents a significant demographic challenge and Mr Aurel Ciobanu Dordea, Director for Equality in DG Justice told the Ministers that, across the EU, almost 23 per cent of women aged 50 to 64 are at risk of poverty and social exclusion compared to only 16 per cent of men. Ministers from across Europe shared their experiences, noting that attitudinal changes are important this encompassed career choices for girls, perceptions that only women can provide caring in the family setting and attitudes to older persons within the labour force. A number of countries outlined positive steps taken through, for example, the use of European Social Funds to support actions, the use of tax incentives to encourage employers to hire older workers and through the sharing of family leaves, particularly parental leave, which is provided in a number of Scandinavian countries on a share it or lose it basis to encourage its use by both partners. Minister Lynch outlined the positive use which had been made of ERDF/ESF funds in Ireland to support tourism development in the 1990s and childcare development in the 2000s. Both of these sectors offered a high level of employment opportunity for women, in Ireland, including for significant numbers of older women, who found employment in both of these services sectors which are also of significant economic importance, again re emphasising the win win outcome.

Summing up the discussion, the Ministers agreed that there is a need for considerable future research on this topic, exploring the causal factors behind the data. It was agreed that the very successful approaches being adopted in relation to youth unemployment might also be explored for those outside the labour market at the other end of the work life cycle. All Ministers were in agreement that the benefits for the women personally were also benefits for economic growth and competitiveness. Meeting with Social Platform The Irish Presidency invited the EU Social Platform to meet with the trio of Presidency Ministers (Ireland, Lithuania and Greece), the European Commissioner Lazlo Andor representatives of the EU Employment Committee and the Economic and Social Committee and the chair of the Social Protection Committee. The theme of the meeting was what the EU can do to improve access to jobs for those furthest away from the labour market. With an unemployment rate of almost 11% representing close to 26 million people across the EU and 4.5% of the population long term unemployed it was agreed that all sectors need to work closely together to ensure that inclusive growth is at the heart of the EU recovery agenda. It was recognised that for people that are furthest from the labour market an integrated approach including income support, activation and social services is necessary. Delegates looked forward to the publication by the Commission of the Social Investment Package due later this month. The importance of social services was also highlighted both for their role in assisting people to enter or stay in employment and also as a potential growth area for better quality jobs. Meeting with Social Partners The Irish Presidency invited the EU Social Partners to meet with the trio of Presidency Ministers (Ireland, Lithuania and Greece), the European Commissioner Lazlo Andor and representatives of the EU Employment Committee and the Economic and Social Committee to present the views of their respective organisations on the contribution of skills development to finding and remaining in employment. The meeting was chaired by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD,and discussed current challenges to promoting skills development with the EU Social Partners, especially as regards the adaptation of education and training systems to reflect labour market needs. Over the last 12 months, the number of unemployed people has increased by 2 million and there are now more than 25 million people without a job. Long term unemployment has

reached alarming highs and the situation of young people has dramatically deteriorated in many countries. Against this worrying background, the meeting discussed how best to combine vocational education with practical work experience, the difficulties that small businesses face in developing their human resources and the contribution that training networks can make to pooling resources on the part of small businesses, and the contribution that proposed new tools of reinforced economic governance can make to advancing a reform agenda in areas such as the development of quality traineeships and better skills policies. The EU Social Partners composed of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), BUSINESSEUROPE, CEEP (public enterprise employers) and UEAPME (small and medium sized businesses) confirmed their shared interest in enhancing the responsiveness of education and training to labour market demands. Employer and trade union organisations also called for improvements in the accessibility to lifelong learning opportunities and the attractiveness of vocational education systems and apprenticeships schemes. They also agreed on the importance of promoting real hands on experience in the workplace through apprenticeships, traineeships and higher education internships. The EU Social Partners jointly acknowledged the importance of skills development as a contribution to competitiveness and growth. The European Employment Strategy provided the means for effective exchange of experience amongst Member States on measures to bridge the gap between the worlds of education and work. It was noted that 16 out of 27 EU Member States had received country specific recommendations on the need to improve their vocational education and training systems. It was observed that what is now needed is a common language for employers, education and training providers, those in work and potential learners/trainees looking progression prospects to employment. It was also acknowledged that there is a need to improve access to lifelong learning systems throughout working life, including for older workers, by strengthening partnerships of public and private institutions involved in the provision, application and updating of specific skills. The EU Social partners welcomed the forthcoming launch of by the European Commission of a tripartite European Alliance for Apprenticeships to boost the quality and the supply of apprenticeships in the EU. The EU Social Partners, Ministers and other expert contributors acknowledged the enhanced governance of employment policy at the European level