A Vibrant European Labor Market with Full Employment

Jo Ritzen () and Klaus Zimmermann ()
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Jo Ritzen: affiliation not available

No 73, IZA Policy Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: employment; labor mobility; innovation; income inequality; competition; labor markets; greening; happiness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D31 D33 F55 I23 I24 I25 I28 J11 J18 J21 J31 J64 J83 O31 O38 O52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 66 pages
Date: 2013-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eec, nep-hap, nep-ino and nep-ltv
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

Published - published in: IZA Journal of European Labor Studies, 2014, 3:10, [Open Access]

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Journal Article: A vibrant European labor market with full employment (2014)
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