European Commission recognises spouse employment difficulties as a mobility obstacle
06 October 2005The European Commission has recognised that the difficulty of finding employment for spouses of mobile workers is one of the major obstacles for occupational and geographic mobility in Europe. As a result, the European Commission’s Directorate for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunity is preparing to launch initiatives to understand and tackle the issue. Results will contribute to the implementation of the Commission’s proposals on the Single European Labour Market. The study will include a survey and mutual learning process through the dissemination of good practice in seminars, including the Public Employment Services, European companies and other organisations with spouse employment or related training schemes.
Further background in a report on Community Measures in the field of Employment / Work Programme 2005 (updated May 2005) published on the Commission’s web site: Work Programme 2005
The same report states that geographical and occupational mobility continues to remain limited, largely as a result of a lack of awareness of rights to free movement between member states or the existing services to support such mobility. The Commission plans 2006 as the “European Year of Workers’ Mobility” to be launched in February 2006.
Permits Foundation plans to contribute to both these European initiatives.
