The focus of Eurofound’s 2014 work programme will be on providing knowledge that will help to address Europe’s employment and social crisis. In relation to employment, the Agency will continue to provide information on ongoing changes in the employment structure. To support policies aimed at combating unemployment, the focus will be on job creation in SMEs and on initiatives for young people. For those in employment, sustainable working conditions throughout working life, as well as company practices that improve both working conditions and company performance, will be central research interests. The social crisis experienced in many Member States is closely related to the tightening of public budgets. Public services will receive special attention, with research examining how access, quality and effectiveness are impacted by the crisis and aiming to identify where and how they have successfully adapted to the dual challenge of increased demand for services and declining resources. These questions will guide research on a number of specific services and on social benefits.
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20 November 2012
As Eurofound embarks on a new four-year work programme, Europe faces some of its greatest challenges yet. Prospects for economic and social development in Europe and in other parts of the world are increasingly unclear. Drafted against this social and economic background and with these key imperatives to the fore, the priorities of this programme reflect clearly both the immediate challenge of coping with the crisis and the mid-term ambition to achieve progress towards a competitive and fair Europe – and this, of course, with the overall ambition of seeing Europe get ‘back on track’. Building on over 30 years of research and expertise serving Europe’s decision-makers – EU institutions, national governments and social partners – this programme presents the strategic framework for the work of the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions for the period 2013 to 2016.
