How Far Away Is a Single European Labor Market?

Annabelle Krause-Pilatus, Ulf Rinne and Klaus Zimmermann ()

No 8383, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: A Single European Labor Market, particularly involving the free movement of workers within Europe, has been a goal of the European community since the 1950s. Whereas it may entail opportunities and drawbacks alike, the benefits – such as greater economic welfare for most citizens – are supposed to outweigh the losses. However, over fifty years after the aim was first established, a Single European Labor Market has not yet been achieved. This paper gives an overview of current European macroeconomic trends, with a particular focus on the Great Recession, and also explores the drivers of and obstacles to labor mobility. Complementarily, it analyzes the results of a unique opinion survey among labor market experts, as well as formulates policy recommendations to enhance mobility. The development of a Single European Labor Market is also discussed in relation to the German model.

Keywords: European labor market integration; worker mobility; economic crisis; economic migration; German model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J40 J61 J68 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 32 pages
Date: 2014-08
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eur, nep-lab, nep-lma, nep-ltv and nep-mig
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (18)

Published - revised version published as 'European Labor Market Integration: What the Experts Think' in: International Journal of Manpower , 2017, 38 (7), 954-974

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Working Paper: How far away is a Single European Labor Market? (2014)
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