IER News & blogs

IER was formally invited by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to organise, facilitate and escort a delegation of Careers Centre Managers from Egyptian universities as part of a formal Study Tour in England.

The transition towards greener and more sustainable economies will have a significant impact on the EU labour market and skill needs will change. In order to understand the potential future outcomes, and anticipate their potential policy implications, a foresight Deep Dive has been carried out.

Over the past decades, public procurement has gained importance as a policy tool, also in the context of labour market and employment policies. Among others, public procurement is used as a lever to shape wages and working conditions, foster equality, and create jobs and training opportunities.

Buying decent work has attracted increased political and academic attention in Denmark, where especially trade unions and centre-left political parties have pushed the agenda for applying labour clauses in public procurement as well as ensure their enforcement. All Danish regional authorities and nine out of ten Danish municipalities apply labour clauses in some of their publicly procured work.

The Nordic countries are known for their comprehensive welfare states with universal high-quality services and an industrial relations model that fosters competitiveness, high wages and good working conditions. This explains why Nordic solutions are often highlighted as examples for European Union countries, especially in terms of social and labour market policy.