Employment effects of public innovation support measures

Government-backed initiatives to support innovation in business are widespread across the EU. These support measures, if designed and implemented correctly, have the potential to also create jobs – better-quality jobs – to upskill the labour force, to improve job quality and to boost the employment of disadvantaged groups. However, this potential is often not recognised by policymakers and tends to be overlooked in policy development. This brief highlights the employment-related impacts of 15 initiatives in 10 EU Member States implemented by governments to stimulate innovation. The findings offer lessons for effective public interventions aimed at supporting innovation and employment simultaneously.