DutchNews.nl - Dutch unemployment rate is second lowest in Europe

DutchNews.nl - Dutch unemployment rate is second lowest in Europe: "Calculated according to international definitions, the CBS said 5.3% of the Dutch working population was officially unemployed in July. Austria has the lowest unemployment rate at 4.5% and Luxembourg, Germany and Malta also have jobless rates which are well below 6%."

The Federation of European Employers believes immigration and linguistic rules are restricting the employment market

The Federation of European Employers believes immigration and linguistic rules are hampering the employment market. | A Federation View | The Global Recruiter Magazine: "The biggest barrier to mobility within the EU remains its many linguistic divides and it has normally taken the courts to remove the impractical and often unjust nature of  linguistic restrictions imposed on companies.

In France all employment contracts and employment policy documents must be made available in French, even if the lingua franca of a company is not French. Until recently employers in the Flemish Region of Belgium were also required to use Dutch when writing the employment contracts of foreign nationals. It has taken a ruling from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to challenge this Flemish decree. Advocate-General Jaaskinen advised the Court that there is no pan-EU rule harmonising the use of languages in employment contracts. Further to this, the ECJ decided that a law such as the one is question might well discourage applications from job candidates residing outside Flanders or the Netherlands (C-202/11).

The French Supreme Court has also intervened to remove the automatic obligation on international employers under French law to offer redundant employees vacant positions in another country, even if the employee concerned could not speak the native language of the country where they would be redeployed.
In spite of these interventions EU governments continue to introduce laws that discriminate against foreigners and linguistic minorities and in favour of their own mainstream country nationals."

Ireland lifts transitional employment permit restrictions for Bulgarian and Romanian workers

Ireland lifts transitional employment permit restrictions for Bulgarian and Romanian workers: "Ireland's Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (DJEI) has issued a new regulation that grants immediate unrestricted work authorisation to Bulgarian and Romanian nationals.

According to the European Commission of Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, member states of the European Union can implement measures to integrate the newest member-state nationals of Bulgaria and Romania (also known as accession-country nationals).

However, under transitional measures, all EU member states must grant full freedom of movement and access to labour markets to Bulgarians and Romanians no later than 1 January 2014.

On 20 July, the DJEI officially announced its decision to move forward the mandated transition date and abolish immediately all employment permit requirements for Bulgarian and Romanian national workers."

What is going on in Europe?

I am not an expert, and maybe this is a good thing, but I am able to make a small prediction for the things to come.

Lately, many small businesses are closing in economically strong countries .. Why is that?

I believe that is has to do with fear. People see what is going on in South Europe and they prefer to save their money (or invest them or spend them wisely) than to spend and consume. Economical problems tend to spread and they might move from South to North sooner than we think.. 

Everything is a chain..

Unemployment is growing in all countries, with different rate, that causes uncertainty for the financial status of the consumers which is causing fear and that fear decreases their buying force.

Cash is made to flow!

Germany in seek of skilled engineers

Over-employed-enfreude! Germany is uber-short on labor | GlobalPost: "According to the German Chamber of Commerce (DIHK) this is among companies’ biggest concerns at the moment. “Every third company we surveyed said that they saw the skills shortage as one of the biggest risks to the development of their business over the next 12 months,” Stefan Hardege, head of the DIHK’s labor market unit, told GlobalPost.
Many sectors are hit, he explained, but companies that rely on engineering and other technical skills — the core of Germany’s powerful export economy — are particularly affected.
The problem is already costing a fortune. About 92,000 engineering jobs were not filled last year, leading to an estimated loss of about 8 billion euros, according to a study published in April by the German Engineering Association (VDI) and the Cologne Institute for Economic Research (IW).
The VDI says in March, 2012 there were 110,400 unfilled engineering jobs in Germany, an increase of 26 percent on the same month last year. The states of Bavaria, Baden-Wuerttemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia were particularly badly hit. Meanwhile, there are currently 38,000 open positions in telecoms and IT, according to industry association BITKOM."

Pilot EU project on Youth Unemployment

Pilot EU project on Youth Unemployment: "This scheme, which is only being run by the government employment services of Germany, Spain, Denmark and Italy, is open to job-seekers from all member states. EU citizens aged between 18 and 30 who would like to work in another member state will now be able to obtain all the necessary assistance and information to be able to take the plunge. Job-seekers need not have any particular qualification or work experience to benefit from the scheme. Traineeships and apprenticeships are, however, excluded since there are other EU and national programs covering such activities.

Job applicants will be given financial support in the form of a fixed amount of money ranging between €200 and €300 in order to be able to attend an interview abroad. The amount of around €900 would then be given to assist in the actual reallocation in order to take up the new job."