COVID-19 crisis — recommendations on effective active support to employment

SUMMARY OF:

Recommendation (EU) 2021/402 on an effective active support to employment following the COVID-19 crisis (EASE)

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE RECOMMENDATION?

It sets out guidelines for EU Member States to provide effective active support to employment (EASE) in order to:

promote a job-rich recovery;
encourage skills development;
support people in their transition to new quality jobs.

KEY POINTS

Member States should:

develop coherent policy packages with temporary and permanent measures to address the pandemic and prepare the green and digital transitions, consisting of the following EASE measures:
- hiring and transition incentives and entrepreneurship support,
- upskilling and reskilling opportunities and support measures,
- enhanced support by employment services for job transition;
accompany these measures with:
- implementation of the country-specific recommendations in the European semester,
- mapping of skills needed in economic sectors and regions taking account of the new industrial strategy for Europe and the European Green Deal,
- specific focus on green and digital transition, disadvantaged and under-represented groups and national energy and climate plans;
encourage employers and employees’ representatives to anticipate human capital needs, in line with the EU quality framework for anticipation of change and restructuring;
involve social partners* in designing, implementing and evaluating the various policies.

Hiring and transition incentives and entrepreneurship support include:

targeted and temporary schemes, with a strong training component and appropriate safeguards, to ensure newly created jobs are viable after phasing out incentives;
support schemes for apprenticeships and paid traineeships — especially for small and medium-sized enterprises and sectors with skill shortages — that are linked to job-quality measures, such as the European Framework for Quality and Effective Apprenticeships and the Quality Framework for Traineeships;
start-up grants, loans and equity with financial and non-financial support to promote entrepreneurship and better social protection for the self-employed.

Upskilling and reskilling opportunities and support measures focus on:

comprehensive skills strategies for different economic sectors and ecosystems, involving companies, social partners, education, training and employment services, in line with the pact for skills;
up-to-date labour market and skills intelligence accessible to individuals and stakeholders;
education and training support to meet labour market needs by offering a mix of vocational skills and competences, shorter courses and a focus on young people;
quality training and career guidance to cater for adults’ future professional needs;
validation of learning and experience gained outside formal education and training so individuals can communicate their skills to prospective employers.

Enhanced support by employment services for job transition emphasises that:

individualised support, such as counselling, guidance and practical assistance, should be provided to jobseekers, especially the young;
help should be given to employees hit by company restructuring to move to other jobs inside or outside the business;
public employment services should have the necessary resources to do their work.

Financing possibilities, monitoring and reporting call on Member States to:

provide adequate resources to EASE measures and ensure these comply with State aid rules;
make full use, while avoiding double funding, of finance from the many EU funds available;
include eligible EASE measures in their recovery and resilience plans (see summary);
monitor and evaluate EASE measures to increase their efficiency through more evidence-based policies.

BACKGROUND

Adopted on 4 March 2021 by the European Commission, EASE sets out in concrete terms how to implement the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights.
EASE outlines a strategy to move gradually from emergency measures to protect jobs during the pandemic to new measures needed for a job-rich recovery.
It is a key element of the wider objective of a fair, inclusive and resilient socioeconomic recovery.
For more details, see:
- The European Pillar of Social Rights: turning principles into actions — press release (European Commission).

KEY TERMS

Social partners: an individual or organisation — employer, trade union, employee — cooperating for mutual benefit.

MAIN DOCUMENT

Commission Recommendation (EU) 2021/402 of 4 March 2021 on an effective active support to employment following the COVID-19 crisis (EASE) (OJ L 80, 8.3.2021, pp. 1-8)