Manpower Employment Outlook Survey

ManpowerGroup | Manpower Employment Outlook Survey:
This survey presents a very good outllok of how the employment will change the coming year.

iAgora

iAgora is a fisrt job and internship and a university search engine.
iAgora provides first jobs and internships all over Europe, university reviews and ratings by international graduates, Erasmus and exchange students, and language course deals and reviews.

There is also the iAgora Blog which provides updates of job/internship offers and university information.

Sweden – New tariff for 60,000 agency workers raises pay

Sweden – New tariff for 60,000 agency workers raises pay / Daily News / Research & Publications / Home - Staffing Industry Analysts: "A new collective bargaining agreement will make “major improvements” for up to 60,000 agency workers in Sweden by raising their pay entitlements. This follows seven months of negotiations between employers of the staffing industry and the LO union.

Union representative and negotiator Kent Ackholt told Staffing Industry Analysts that the agreement will mainly affect blue collar workers.

It will make changes to the so-called guaranteed wage income, which pays agency staff a certain monthly or hourly wage. This applies in cases when a temporary worker has not been placed but is working or engaged in training activities.

The new tariff now includes a guaranteed hourly wage, which pays skilled workers SEK 108 (approximately €12.56 per hour) and unskilled workers SEK 100 per hour (approximately €11.63 per hour). "

'via Blog this'

Netherlands – Staffing code of conduct against labour exploitation

Netherlands – Staffing code of conduct against labour exploitation / Daily News / Research & Publications / Home - Staffing Industry Analysts: "A new report today has found that 21,000 people in the Netherlands are victims of labour exploitation in the Netherlands – and to tackle this issue in the staffing market, an industry code of conduct will be introduced.
The Dutch government is determined to abolish rogue agencies in the country. A package of measures launched by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment earlier this year aims to abolish the number of staffing firms involved in cases of exploitation and human trafficking by 2014 "

European Skills Shortages

European Skills Shortages: "Economies in Europe are struggling, yet the demand for highly qualified people is projected to rise by almost 16m throughout Europe by 2020. If Europe is to compete with emerging economies, high skills levels are essential. Europe also needs to harness the power of apprenticeships, which are proving so successful in Germany. The UK needs to embrace apprenticeships as well as continue to address the basic skills needed for employment – around a fifth of UK adults do not have basic numeracy skills.

Coupled with this is the “talent drain” where a proportion of the the very best people opt out of their home country and ply their trade or profession elsewhere leading to a downward spiral of available talent. We are seeing this in Southern Europe and Ireland at present.

Globally, skilled trades such as electricians and plumbers, along with engineers, teachers, healthcare professionals and chefs , tend to be in shortest supply."

Most new jobs go to immigrants : Views and News from Norway

Most new jobs go to immigrants : Views and News from Norway: "Nearly 50,000 new jobs have been created in Norway during the past year and more than 35,000 of them have been filled by immigrants. The numbers, revealed when the government proposed its new state budget this week, show how much Norway now relies on what Finance Minster Sigbjørn Johnsen calls the “arbeidsinnvandrere” (literally, job immigrants) to keep the economy rolling."

“There is a very strong need for labour in the Norwegian economy,” Johnsen said when presenting the new budget on Monday. “It wouldn’t have been possible to get all the work done and have the growth we’ve seen without the labour immigration.”

‘Competence’ in demand
Newspaper Dagens Næringsliv (DN) reported how 316,000 more persons are now employed in Norway than in 2005, when the left-center government coalition of which Johnsen is a part took power. Of that, according to budget documents, 200,000 of the new jobs have gone to immigrants.

In 2011 alone, employment rose by around 47,000. Of those taking on the new jobs, around 35,000 (70 percent) were immigrants.

“Those coming to Norway (many from crisis-hit European countries) have high competence what we will need in the years head,” Johnsen said. He worries, though, that the stream of job-seekers coming to Norway, and the relatively easy access that gives employers to labour, means companies may not need to fight so hard for talent or create possibilities for those still struggling to join the workforce. “We need to mobilize our own labour force as well,” he said.

Plans to stick around
Johnsen thinks the employment growth will continue and that Norway will continue to attract highly qualified workers. Among them, for example, is Romas Stakauskas, age 28, who came to Norway in 2009 after losing his job as an engineer in a construction firm in Lithuania. His wife moved to Norway a year later and now he’s working as a production operator for a company in Hedmark. The couple have an infant, bought and fixed up a home in Skarnes and now Stakauskas’ wife Doville, age 27, is looking for work as well.

“Now we’re beginning to live our own lives,” Stakauskas told DN. “You should never say ‘never’ (regarding a move back to Lithuania), but the way things are now, I think we’ll keep living here.”

Far from all immigrants are as lucky as Stakauskas, and former Labour Minister Hanne Bjurstrøm actually told many of the new arrivals from Spain and other troubled countries to “go home” earlier this year if they didn’t quickly find work. Language barriers remain a problem and not all companies make concessions for employees who haven’t yet learned Norwegian. Unemployment nonetheless is expected to remain at less than 3 percent nationwide and the job market for skilled workers is expected to remain strong, especially for engineers and construction workers. Immigrants otherwise often wind up with jobs Norwegians don’t want to take, in a variety of relatively low-paying fields.

Engineering related jobs at High Tech Campus, Eindhoven, Netherlands

For those looking for an engineering related job have a look at the link below!
Here is the website.

Good luck!

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."

Nine Things Never to Say in a Job Interview | Monster.com

This is a re-post of Monster.com original post.

When you're searching for a job, landing an interview can feel like a huge success -- and it is, but for most open positions, the interview is only one step in a long hiring process. For some jobs, dozens of people may be interviewed, and the competition will be fierce. Don't take yourself out of the competition by saying one of these job-interview killers:

1. What sort of perks do you offer? 
Save talk about benefits and perks for the negotiation stage -- that is, after you've gotten a job offer -- or until the interviewer raises the issue. (A recruiter for a large computer manufacturer relates that many interviewees ask about "how many free products" they’ll get after they’re hired. But if you ask this question, you'll never get hired.)

2. What does your company do? 
Believe it or not, recruiters and hiring managers say they get asked this question all the time. Before you go into your job interview, research what the company does, and come up with some specific ways you can help it do whatever it does better.

3. My last boss was a real %$#*!
Complaining about your last job only reflects badly on you. Even if you're telling the truth, it makes you look like a complainer and poor sport (exactly the type of person no one wants to work with). It's great to talk about challenges you faced, but the focus should be on the positive results you achieved.

4. I love your glasses.
Never compliment interviewers on their physical appearance -- doing so can come off as inappropriate or just plain creepy. Paying compliments is fine, but they should be related to the professional realm. For instance, you might want to praise a recent success the company or interviewer has had.

5. My feet are killing me!
Complaining about physical discomfort will be perceived as negativity -- or as you making excuses for not performing well in the interview. (An HR manager in Silicon Valley tells of a candidate who complained of a headache caused by "partying too hard last night." Needless to say, this candidate didn't get the job.)

6. I got fired from my last position. 
You never want to lie in a job interview -- but there are more graceful ways to explain that you were fired. "My boss and I had very different ideas about what our department should be focusing on, and it soon became clear that I'd be happier in a new role -- like this one." Keep the focus on what you learned from the past, and bring the focus back to why the job you're interviewing for is the right one for you.

7. I just want a job -- any job! 
This may very well be true, but desperation is not appealing. The interviewer needs to know that you want the particular job you're interviewing for -- and that you're a great fit for it.

8. I don't know.
If you really don't know the answer to an interview question about you or your background, try "I'll find out and get back to you by the end of the day." But if the question is about what you'd do in a hypothetical workplace situation -- or is an off-the-wall or brainteaser question such as "How many golf balls would it take to fill this room?" -- your response should show your thought process. Go ahead and think aloud: "First, I'd have to determine the volume of the room. Then I'd have to subtract the volume of the furniture.…" And so on.

9. My biggest weakness is that I work too hard.
Your interviewer knows this answer is a bunch of malarkey. So how do you answer the "what's your biggest weakness" question? Choose something not directly related to the role you're applying for that you've made positive efforts to improve. For example, you could say, "I can be nervous about speaking in front of large groups -- so I enrolled in Toastmasters and then volunteered to present some seminars at my former employer. So that's becoming less and less of a problem for me."

Engineers Barometer: 10,000 open jobs for engineers

The shortage of engineers continues, evidenced by the barometer. Even more: in 2011 increased the demand for engineers by 30% to almost 10,000 vacancies."Despite the crisis, the need for technical profiles, and more specifically to engineers", said Saskia Kinds, CEO of USG Innotiv. «83% percent of companies surveyed would even expand its engineering teams. Still, expect only half of the companies that they are within six months will find a suitable candidate.

Read the article (in Dutch) here

Germany 'best EU state for migrant job hunters' - The Local

Germany 'best EU state for migrant job hunters' - The Local: "More than 7,000 foreign workers living in 15 cities across seven EU counties were asked by the not-for-profit organisation, Migration Policy Group, about the problems they encountered when seeking work in their resident city.

Those asked in Germany were living in Berlin and Stuttgart – in both cities, just one in four said a language gap had been a major problem. In the giant French metropolises of Lyon and Paris, language proved much trickier, with nearly half saying their inability to speak French had hindered their hunt for work.

German government-funded language courses would seem to be working – with less than 10 percent immigrants asked saying they did not receive enough information about learning German, or had too little time."

German Job Opportunities for Immigrants Rate High in Survey - SPIEGEL ONLINE

German Job Opportunities for Immigrants Rate High in Survey - SPIEGEL ONLINE: "Germany's efforts to improve immigration policies have so far received a mixed reception, however. More than half of the German communities surveyed by a study released Tuesday by the country's migration and integration commissioner said that they were working on initiatives including language courses and continuing education classes to help integrate immigrants into the labor market. But the SVR's 2012 evaluation, also released Tuesday, criticizes the lack of coordination between national, regional and local integration efforts.

In April the German parliament, the Bundestag, approved a bill to implement an "EU Blue Card" directive designed to ease work requirements so that skilled non-EU workers could stay long term, more than three years after the EU approved the concept. Even though some countries have yet to put the directive in place, the timing is "embarrassing," says Sievert from the Institute for Population and Development. "The German government should have done that a year ago.""

Commission presents new measures and identifies key opportunities for EU job-rich recovery

With EU unemployment hitting record levels and forecasts of a grim economic outlook for the months ahead, the Commission has come forward today with a set of concrete measures to boost jobs.

The proposal focuses on the demand-side of job creation, setting out ways for Member States to encourage hiring by reducing taxes on labour or supporting business start-ups more. It also identifies the areas with the biggest job potential for the future: the green economy, health services and ICT. The policy communication underlines the need for a stronger employment and social dimension to EU governance and lays down ways to involve employers' and workers' representatives more in setting EU priorities.

Read the rest here

Few Opportunities: Young Greeks Struggle to Gain Foothold in Berlin - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Few Opportunities: Young Greeks Struggle to Gain Foothold in Berlin - SPIEGEL ONLINE:
Faced with high unemployment at home, educated young Greeks are fleeing to Germany, among other european countries, in the hope of finding work. But many struggle to find jobs, especially if they don't speak German. Some people in the established Greek community even resent the newcomers.

Crisis-hit southern Europeans rush to learn German - Boston.com

Crisis-hit southern Europeans rush to learn German - Boston.com:

Spaniards, Portuguese and others from countries hit hard by the debt crisis are flocking to learn German in hopes of getting jobs in Europe’s biggest and strongest economy, according to data obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Figures from Germany’s culture and language promotion agency, the Goethe Institute, show that people in southern Europe — where unemployment is high, particularly among the young — are clamoring to learn German. Other official data show immigration to Germany from Spain, Greece and Portugal is up sharply.

Using Google Alerts for finding a Job

Lately I start using Google Alerts for getting the employment trend in Europe.
But the same tool, can be used for finding a job...
How?

- Go at http://www.google.com/alerts (It might be needed to have a Google account...)
- Type in your Search Query
- Select the Result Type (since you are looking for a job on the web, it should be set to 'Everything')
- How Often? Well, 'As-it-Happens' or 'One a Day' if you want to have it fast... Be aware that choosing 'As-it-Happens' might create a huge email traffic, so it would be wise to make a filter at your email account and transfer the emails in a special folder.
- How Many? I suggest to use all results... so that you won't miss anything.

What are Google Alerts? from GoogleHelp

New job searching engines
All three have country and profession selecting options

http://www.eurosciencejobs.com
http://www.euroengineerjobs.com/
http://www.xpatjobs.com/
http://www.eurojobs.com/

EU calls for immediate action to drive down youth unemployment

EU calls for immediate action to drive down youth unemployment - Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion - European Commission:

The main actions financed directly by the Commission in the new 'Youth Opportunities initiative' are:

• using €4m to help Member States set up 'youth guarantee' schemes to ensure young people are either in employment, education or training within four months of leaving school;
• dedicating € 1.3 million to support the setting up of apprenticeships through the European Social Fund. An increase of 10% by the end of 2013 would add a total of 370,000 new apprenticeships;
• using €3m of the European Social Fund Technical Assistance to support Member States in the setting up of support schemes for young business starters and social entrepreneurs;
• gearing funds as much as possible towards placements in enterprises and targeting at least 130,000 placements in 2012 under ERASMUS and Leonardo da Vinci,
• providing financial assistance in 2012-2013 to 5,000 young people to find a job in another Member State through the 'Your first EURES job' initiative
• reinforcing the budget allocation for the European Voluntary Service in order to provide at least 10,000 volunteering opportunities in 2012
• presenting in 2012 a framework for high quality traineeships in the EU
• ensuring around 600 further exchanges under Erasmus for entrepreneurs in 2012.

4 International Careers & Jobs

4 International Careers & Jobs is an international employment directory selecting and reviewing worldwide top job sites. It includes more than 2,200 career resources in 200 countries and is a free starting point to find overseas jobs and work abroad.

Here you can find the explanation of the sections within 4icj.com

Here is the link to 4icj.com

Monster Employment: December 2011 Index Highlights

European Online Recruitment Registers Annual Growth of
11%, According to the Monster Employment  Index


The detailed report (.pdf) can be found here

December 2011 Index Highlights:
• The Monster Employment Index Europe demonstrates a year-over-year growth of 11 percent in December,
the slowest rate of growth seen in the Index since mid- 2010
• Germany continues to report the strongest growth trend of 32 percent, followed by 6 percent growth in UK
and 4 percent in Sweden
• Belgium, France, Italy and Netherlands weigh down the Index with negative annual growth
• Engineering, up 28 percent, continues to register the largest rate of annual growth of all industries and
leads for the fourth consecutive month despite a slightly eased pace from the 32 percent annual growth
recorded in November
• Telecommunications, Production and Environment, architecture and urbanism record positive growth in
December
• Public sector, down 14 percent, continues to remain among the slowest growth industries. Legal and
Management and consulting also track annual rates of decline

For Country specific visit this link