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Vocational education and training (VET) prepares people for work by developing their specific practical skills as well as transversal competences, for both personal advancement and to meet the needs of the economy. The EU labour market, reflecting industrial and societal developments, in particular the digitalisation of production processes and service provision, faces growing shortages of workers with adapted skills. During the February session, MEPs will debate with the Commission and Council how ...

During its February plenary session, Parliament is due to debate a Commission statement on the need to address urgent labour shortages and ensure quality jobs in the EU healthcare sector. The EU faces critical shortages in healthcare workers, driven by an ageing population, increasing demand and difficult working conditions.

The EU's population is ageing and set to decline. The shrinking working-age population poses risks in terms of greater labour shortages, increased pressure on public budgets, worsened territorial disparities and depopulation. These can negatively impact EU competitiveness, slow down the green and digital transitions and undermine social cohesion. While managing the demographic transition is the responsibility of Member States, it has also become one of the biggest challenges the EU is facing today ...

Austria's national recovery and resilience plan (NRRP) was updated on 9 November 2023 with the introduction of a REPowerEU chapter. The plan now totals €4 187 million, of which €3 961million are financed through Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) grants. The difference is financed through national resources. To implement the plan, Austria is leveraging further amounts beyond EU support from the national budget. Austria has requested the maximum amount of grants available (non-repayable support ...

The present study aims to provide an overview of available data at the national and European levels and pinpoint any limitations. The study finds that in different areas available national data are not comparable and makes recommendations to increase their comparability. In other fields, there is a lack of data, and the study proposes methods to collect statistics which help policymakers to design relevant policies in favour of persons with disabilities. This document was provided by the Policy ...

The integration of migrants and refugees into the labour market remains a critical challenge for EU countries. This study reviews recent academic research on effective policies to remove the barriers that hinder migrant integration in host countries. The study identifies nine key integration challenges, discusses existing evidence and provides policy implications. This document was provided by the Policy Department for Economic, Scientific and Quality of Life Policies at the request of the Committee ...

The right to independent living and community inclusion for the EU's 101 million citizens with disabilities is enshrined in Article 19 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and is further supported by the EU Disability Strategy 2021–2030. This analysis provides a comprehensive overview of the current landscape, ongoing challenges, key stakeholder recommendations, and future political perspectives regarding independent living and deinstitutionalisation ...

European Works Councils (EWCs) are bodies that should guarantee employees the right to be consulted on important issues in large multinational companies active in multiple EU countries. However, EWCs have been criticised for being ineffective, on account of unclear definitions, non-dissuasive sanctions and ineffective access to justice. In February 2023, the European Parliament called for legislative action to address the shortcomings identified and strengthen the functioning of EWCs. In response ...

This is the third edition of a study on the European Commission's follow-up to European Parliament requests as expressed in non-legislative resolutions based either on ordinary own-initiative reports (INIs) or on Article 225 TFEU legislative-initiative reports (INLs). Analysing the Commission's replies in formal follow-up documents (for INIs) and in letters in reply to legislative-initiative reports (INL), this joint DG PRES and DG EPRS project seeks to support the European Parliament's scrutiny ...

This study provides details of the current situation and future trends in the EU concerning aspects related to skills demands, skills shortages, and skills mismatches. It takes into consideration the transformative role of the digital and green transitions and the labour market shifts determined by demographic changes. The analysis comprises a presentation of the various EU skills initiatives, assessing their impact, complementarity and gaps. And formulates a set of recommendations to address gaps ...