The Joint Employment Report (JER) was adopted on Monday 9 March by the EU's Council of Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs. The report is part of the Annual Growth Survey (AGS) package to launch the 2015 European Semester.

According to the report, there is slow growth and high but relatively stable unemployment (24.6 million people). Divergences across countries, particularly in the euro zone, remain high. Even in economies which perform comparatively well unemployment is becoming structural as is made evident by the increasing number of long-term unemployed. Levels of those at risk of poverty or social exclusion and inequality increased in many Member States, with growing divergences among countries. For example Children have been experiencing an increasing risk of poverty or social exclusion in the last years as the situation of working-age parents grew more difficult.

The report therefore recommends:

• The continuation of reforms that stimulate growth and create a positive environment for the creation of quality jobs and balance between flexibility and security.
• An increase in the implementation of the Youth Guarantee Scheme, with specific attention for public employment services, improving labour market matching / generating employer engagement, improving outreach, promoting tailored active labour market interventions and vocational education and training.
• The investment in measures aimed at improving skills supply and promoting adult learning.
• The strengthening of labour market reintegration of long term unemployed by the linkage of benefits schemes to activation and support measures.
• The improvement of tax benefits systems to support job creation.
• To address gender gaps which also includes access to affordable and quality childcare services and out-of-school care, flexible working arrangements and adequate leave policies, and supportive long-term care services.
• To modernise social protection systems in order to provide effective protection for all. This also includes the improvement of coverage and take up of minimum income schemes and access to health services.

The report's analysis is based upon:

• Employment and social developments in Europe.
• The implementation of the employment guidelines.
• The examination of the National Reform Programmes that led to the Country Specific Recommendations.

The European Commission recently launched a public consultation on tackling long-term unemployment, to which ESN will respond in the next month. Moreover, ESN will organise a workshop on youth employment and education and their participation in society, and analyse services for children in line with the EC Recommendation ‘Investing in Children’. ESN is also identifying and assessing a number of practices on integrated services from the perspective of local authorities.