Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Identity and Culture
- 3 Demographics
- 4 Education
- 5 Employment
- 6 Industry and Occupation
- 7 Health
- 8 Politics
- 9 Economics
- 10 Environment
- 11 Social Cohesion
- 12 Policy
- 13 Conclusion
- References
- Appendix: Sources of Data
5 - Employment
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 April 2023
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Identity and Culture
- 3 Demographics
- 4 Education
- 5 Employment
- 6 Industry and Occupation
- 7 Health
- 8 Politics
- 9 Economics
- 10 Environment
- 11 Social Cohesion
- 12 Policy
- 13 Conclusion
- References
- Appendix: Sources of Data
Summary
The participation of women in the labour market in the European Union has been growing steadily in recent years, and their increasing participation is seen as a key factor in achieving the goals of the European Employment Strategy and the Europe 2020 Strategy. At policy level, it is recognised that the economic success of Member States depends on women being able to reach their full potential. The Commission’s focus in this area is on ensuring that women have the opportunity to work when they want and that they can balance work with other family responsibilities.
Eurofound, 2012
This map shows the spatial distribution of the economically active female population – that is, women who are in work or who are looking for work – across Europe in 2010. The highest absolute number is in Germany, followed by the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Spain. However, in relative terms Estonia and Lithuania have the largest proportions of economically active females as a share of the total economically active population (49.4% and 49.3% respectively), followed by Latvia (48.8%), Finland (47.8%) and France (47.5%). It is interesting to note that in the former USSR, the active female population was typically very high. In contrast, the lowest percentages are observed in Turkey (26.6%) and Malta (33.5%).
This map is based on the most recent data from Eurostat and the World Bank. It shows the total numbers of unemployed people as they were distributed across Europe in 2012. The estimated total number for the whole of Europe at that time was 29,817,744, and it has risen since then. Nearly one fifth of this number live in Spain, which is the country with the highest absolute number of unemployed residents in Europe. In relative terms, the highest percentage is observed in Kosovo, a very poor country, where an estimated 45% of the economically active population are unemployed. The second highest estimated unemployment rate is in FYR Macedonia (31%), followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina (27%), Spain (25%) and Greece (24%). The countries with the lowest unemployment rates (all below 5%) are Austria, Switzerland, Norway, San Marino, Monaco, Liechtenstein and Andorra, which are among the richest countries in Europe. It is interesting to note that most of Europe’s people are not as free to move and settle in some of these high employment countries as they are to move to other parts of Europe.
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- Chapter
- Information
- The Social Atlas of Europe , pp. 59 - 70Publisher: Bristol University PressPrint publication year: 2014