EUROPA – Work and retirement in the EU

This is Europe's website from which we can find many information.

EUROPA – Work and retirement in the EU

Aging Europe needs the migrants it doesn't want | Reuters

Aging Europe needs the migrants it doesn't want | Reuters: " Europe is aging faster than any other region of the world. It badly needs immigrants. But many Europeans don't want them.

The "old continent" may be able to offset the impact of a graying workforce until around 2020 by bringing more women and elderly people into work, encouraging mobility within Europe and making better use of existing migrants, EU and OECD experts say.

But in the medium to long term, the European Union will need to attract significant numbers of skilled workers from beyond its borders - and overcome growing public opposition highlighted by the rise of populist anti-immigration parties."

BBC News - David Cameron urges EU support for migration plans

BBC News - David Cameron urges EU support for migration plans: "Britain's prime minister said lower EU migration would be a priority in future negotiations over the UK's membership and he would "rule nothing out" if he did not get the changes he wanted.

Under his plans, migrants would have to wait four years for certain benefits.

Brussels said the ideas were "part of the debate" to be "calmly considered".

Mr Cameron said he was confident he could change the basis of EU migration into the UK and therefore campaign for the UK to stay in the EU in a future referendum planned for 2017.

But he warned that if the UK's demands fell on "deaf ears" he would "rule nothing out" - the strongest hint to date he could countenance the UK leaving the EU."

Who's been going to Britain? Immigration explained - Telegraph

Who's been coming to Britain? Immigration explained - Telegraph: "David Cameron intends to woo back disaffected UK Independence Party voters before the general election campaign but cracking down on in work benefits for European migrants.
His speech is against a background of the Government spectacularly failing to meet its own target of getting net migration down to the tens of thousands. Currently standing at 260,000 it is now higher than it was when the Conservatives came to power in 2010."

Europe's cycling economy has created 650,000 jobs | theguardian.com

Europe's cycling economy has created 650,000 jobs | Environment | theguardian.com: "Europe’s cycling industry now employs more people than mining and quarrying and almost twice as many as the steel industry, according to the first comprehensive study of the jobs created by the sector.

Some 655,000 people work in the cycling economy – which includes bicycle production, tourism, retail, infrastructure and services – compared to 615,000 people in mining and quarrying, and just 350,000 workers directly employed in the steel sector.

The study, which the Guardian has seen, finds that cycling has a higher employment intensity than any other transport sub-sector.
Growth in the cycling economy should thus have a higher job creation potential than in the automotive industry for example, which employs three times less people per million euros of turnover.
Surprisingly, the lion’s share of jobs in the new free-wheeling economy are in bicycle tourism – including accommodation and restaurants – which employs 524,000 people, compared to 80,000 in retail, the next highest sub-sector.

New innovations such as e-bikes, as well as road safety campaigns, and infrastructure projects could boost the cycling economy further according to the ECF, which wants 10% of Europe’s transport budget to be set aside for cycling."

Avoiding traps-scams from agencies which promise jobs abroad

Recently I found few articles referring to fake agencies which promised jobs abroad with many benefits, while they were asking payments from the future employees.

How to detect such traps?
Giving money to an agency for finding you a job is most probably a scam because the agencies do not work that way... Either you are dealing with armatures or with a scam agency.  Be aware that the agencies are usually paid (getting a fee) by the companies which are looking for new employees.
Do not believe everything they tell you. Unless you are a specialist in what you do and the job description is very specific, not many companies will pay an apartment for you, give you a car and pay you a lot of money. Be realistic. Scams are based on desperate people who are very focused on a way out.

Internet can be your friend. Use free job finding services like Monster.com and LinkedIn.com for finding a job.

Good luck!

DutchNews.nl - Dutch unemployment rate drops for second month in a row

DutchNews.nl - Dutch unemployment rate drops for second month in a row: "The Dutch unemployment rate fell for the second month in a row in June as more people found paid employment, the national statistics office CBS said on Thursday.

The removal of 16,000 people from the jobless register took the unemployment rate down to 8.4%, the CBS said. The number of people claiming unemployment benefit (ww) also fell by 5,000 to 431,000.

In May the jobless total fell by 14,000.

Employment minister Lodewijk Asscher said in a reaction that finding work for those still claiming benefits is ‘an absolute top priority’ for the cabinet."

Recession hit low-skilled workers hardest, data shows | EurActiv

Recession hit low-skilled workers hardest, data shows | EurActiv: "Employment and recruitment activity in the European Union significantly decreased during the economic crisis (2008-2012), leaving low-skilled workers overtaken by medium-skilled ones, while flexible job contracts mushroomed, a fresh report from the European Commission showed."

CV settings in Monster.com - Location and Visibility settings

Besides uploading or deleting your CV, Monster.com gives you also the possibility to set its visibility status (if set to not visible then employers cannot see you), change the locations you are looking for a job, set the industries and positions you are looking for, indicating your salary range or the date from which you are available.

How can you do all these?

Start by managing your CV. You can find a drop down menu at the left top corner of Monster's site, once you have logged in. Click on Manage to access the CV managing menu.

If you haven't uploaded your CV you can easily do it or you can create your resume using Monster. Both options are available.

Once your CV is uploaded you can manage its settings. Just scroll down and fill in whatever you think is necessary.

Once your CV is uploaded, some settings are filled in automatically, like the location you are looking for a job. Other working locations can be selected once you have chosen that you are interested in other locations.

You can use the boxes for selecting the country you are willing to work. Remember that you'll be asked whether you are allowed to work in this country. Make sure you have found out about this in advance.

Be aware that you can upload several CVs. This is wise for uploading the same CV in different languages and making them available in different countries. For example, it is most probable that a France employer will ignore a CV written in Greek.

Work permits for Switzerland are handed out based on nationality, skills and quotas. - swissinfo.ch

Work permits for Switzerland are handed out based on nationality, skills and quotas. - swissinfo.ch: Obtaining a permit to work in Switzerland depends on many factors, including where you are from, the skills you have and quotas. Switzerland has a dual system for allowing foreigners to work while in the country.

The first concerns citizens from the European Union and/or the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), who are generally allowed to come to Switzerland for three months while they look for work. The period can be extended to six months during an active job hunt.
The second is for citizens of all other countries (so-called Third States). Citizens from these countries must have a guaranteed work contract from an employer as well as the appropriate work visa before entering the country. Having a job offer alone is not enough to guarantee a permit.
Family members of a permit holder are allowed to stay and reside in Switzerland as well, regardless of nationality. Family members include a spouse, descendants under age 21 or dependents over whom custody or care is granted, regardless of age.


EU/EFTA citizens can benefit from agreements on the free movement of persons that were put into force in 2002 and updated several times since. The agreements, in general, allow those citizens the right to enter, reside and to look for work or to establish themselves as self employed. Special interim provisions governing access to the labour market by nationals from Bulgaria and Romania apply until 2016.

For specific information regarding your particular EU/EFTA country, visit the Federal Migration Office. 
 
Work permits for EU/EFTA nationals can be broken down into several categories and are defined by letters. Here’s what they mean:

L: Short-term
The length of the employment contract determines how long this permit is valid but it typically ranges from three to 12 months and is given to people who will work in the country for less than one year. EU/EFTA nationals looking for a job also receive this permit after being in the country for three months. You are allowed to change where you live (cantons) and jobs.

If you plan to work in Switzerland for less than three months per calendar year, you may not need a permit at all. Under certain conditions, EU/EFTA citizens with a job in Switzerland, those who are providing services in the country, and workers of other nationalities posted briefly to Switzerland by EU/EFTA companies can take advantage of an online registration procedure. It only applies to employment in Switzerland lasting up to three months per calendar year and must be done before a person actually starts to work for the Swiss employer.

The exact preconditions for this procedure depend upon the nationality of the worker and/or the location of the company dispatching the worker. The Federal Migration Office has specific information on this.

B: Initial residence permit
This residence permit is granted to persons who have an unlimited employment relationship or one lasting for at least 12 months. It has a period of validity of five years and will be automatically extended for five years as long as the employment relationship continues. That said, the extension may be limited to one year if the person is unemployed for longer than 12 consecutive months. Persons who settle in the country without gainful employment (provided they have enough financial backing) also receive a B permit.
Persons wishing to be self-employed can get a B permit valid for five years provided they can prove they can make ends meet being self-employed.

C: permanent residence permit
Nationals from the 15 old EU countries and EFTA can get a C permit, valid for an indefinite length, after a regular and uninterrupted stay of five years in Switzerland. This permit allows holders to freely change where they live (cantons) and employers.

G: cross-border commuter
Foreigners who live in a border zone and work in another border zone in Switzerland, can get a G permit, though they are no longer necessary for most EU/EFTA nationals. (Border zones are established by treaty with neighbouring countries). All cross-border commuters must return to their main place of residence abroad at least once a week.

European Hospitality Skills Passport Launched

European Hospitality Skills Passport Launched: "The European Commission on Tuesday launched the European Hospitality Skills Passport, a tool developed to facilitate contact between jobseekers and employers in the hospitality and tourism sector in Europe.

The Skills Passport allows workers and employers to overcome language barriers and to compare hospitality workers' skills in order to facilitate recruitment in the sector. Hosted on the European Job Mobility Portal EURES, the skills passport is available in all EU official languages. The passport will be extended to other sectors in the future, the Commission said in a press release.

EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion László Andor said: "The European Hospitality Skills Passport is an important practical tool to promote mobility of European workers, especially young people, in a sector that has high growth potential. This initiative is also a good example of the outcome of social dialogue between employee and employer organisations at European level, and we look forward to seeing this cooperation expand into other sectors of the labour market.""

U.S. and European Job Markets Take Different Paths - NYTimes.com

U.S. and European Job Markets Take Different Paths - NYTimes.com: "The United States has almost recovered — at least as measured by the number of unemployed people. But in most of Europe, the number of jobless workers remains substantially higher than it was then.

Over all, the number of unemployed workers in the United States was 3 percent higher in May than it was in September 2008. In Germany, where employment fell less than in the United States during the crisis and then rose faster in the recovery, the number of unemployed workers is down by 25 percent.

But in every other country in the euro zone, unemployment remains higher, often by large amounts, than it was then. The number of people looking for work in Spain is now double the level of September 2008, and the figure is Italy in nearly as bad. In France, unemployment is 40 percent higher than it was then. But Spanish unemployment has declined a little since it peaked in 2011, while in both Italy and France the number of people out of work is at or near a record high."

EUROSTAT: Unemployment rates Q12014

Among the Member States, the lowest unemployment rates were recorded in Austria (4.9%), Germany (5.2%) and Luxembourg (6.1%), and the highest in Greece (26.5% in February 2014) and Spain (25.1%).

Compared with a year ago, the unemployment rate fell in eighteen Member States, remained stable in two and increased in eight. The largest decreases were registered in Hungary (10.6% to 7.8% between March 2013 and March 2014), Portugal (17.3% to 14.6%) and Ireland (13.7% to 11.9%), and the highest increases in Cyprus (15.6% to 16.4%) and the Netherlands (6.5% to 7.2%).
In April 2014, the unemployment rate in the United States was 6.3%, down from 6.7% in March 2014, and from 7.5% in April 2013.

Youth unemployment
In April 2014, 5.259 million young persons (under 25) were unemployed in the EU28, of whom 3.381 million were in the euro area. Compared with April 2013, youth unemployment decreased by 415 000 in the EU28 and by 202 000 in the euro area. In April 2014, the youth unemployment rate5 was 22.5% in the EU28 and 23.5% in the euro area, compared with 23.6% and 23.9% respectively in April 2013. In April 2014, the lowest rates were observed in Germany (7.9%), Austria (9.5%) and the Netherlands (11.0%), and the highest in Greece (56.9% in February 2014), Spain (53.5%) and Croatia (49.0% in the first quarter of 2014).

LinkedIn - Open for new Opportunities - How to guide

LinkedIn can be used for finding a job, by doing an active job search or by letting other people now that you are open to new career opportunities. This is how you can do it with few simple steps.

Log in your LinkedIn account and guide you mouse pointer at you picture, which is located at upper right corner. Once your mouse pointer is there a small window will appear.

At the drop down window select Privacy & Settings
Then you'll be guided in the Privacy & Settings page of your account.
Click on the  Communications tab and then click on the 'Select the types of messages you're willing to receive'.
A small window will open and then you can select in which cases other people can contact you but also which state is visible to other people. Select 'Career opportunities' and more if you want. Adjust the message in the text box and then save your changes.

Checking your Market Value and Keeping yourself sharp!

Recently I read an article over the way that one should use should ask for a raise.
The biggest problem is that we do not know our worth.
It is an essential element needed for your negotiation.

A good way to check your worth is via Internet tools which show statistical information from people who entered their salary, experience, sector in which they are working on and education level.
Another way, the one which I suggest to you since I think it keeps people sharp, is to quietly look for open jobs, similar to yours and have interviews. It shall give you a better idea of what you worth, it will increase your negotiation skills, it will expand your network and it will create 'open doors' in case things go wrong during your raise negotiations..

Also, you must be able to present the situation in case you would not be there.. In other words, what is the added value of having you at the position you are now and how do you make profit or add value to the department/company? Why should you get a raise? Why you and not somebody else?

German panel lays down restrictions on EU immigrants | EurActiv

German panel lays down restrictions on EU immigrants | EurActiv: "Although immigrants contribute to prosperity and development in Germany, Maizière said, "on the other hand, we should not turn a blind eye to the fact that there are also problems related to immigration."
In many municipalities, the trend has intensified social problems and placed a growing burden on community service systems. 
Areas like schooling, housing, sheltering the homeless and healthcare are particularly affected.
Information from the German Federal Statistical Office shows that most immigrants come from Poland. Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria follow by a significant margin in second, in third and fourth place respectively. Immigration from Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal has also increased.

Nevertheless, immigrants from Bulgaria and Romania have been the subject of public debate, ever since the EU extended freedom of labour movement to these two member states.

"From a national perspective, the number of immigrants from Bulgaria and Romania is reasonable and manageable, but regionally it is alarming," the internal affairs minister said, adding: "It is right for us to confront this now, so the Federal Republic does not sustain significant damage."

The committee also proposed providing communities with €200 million in financial assistance over four years to help them deal with migration. The committee dealt primarily with the situation in municipalities hosting a disproportionately high number of immigrants from EU countries. Such municipalities lack apartments and sufficient housing facilities for the homeless.

But shortages in education for immigrants are also a significant problem. In this case, it is difficult to integrate them through training programmes and employment. Children do not attend school because they lack sufficient German language skills. Many immigrants do not have health insurance, but require urgent medical care.

The state secretarial committee proposed various measures to tackle the misuse of free movement rights. Re-entry restrictions are planned."

Exclusive: MBA Jobs In Europe, With ManpowerGroup Executive

Exclusive: MBA Jobs In Europe, With ManpowerGroup Executive | BusinessBecause: "Hans Leentjes shuffles his stack of notes and cuts to the conclusion. “I want to underline one more time,” he asserts, “having an MBA is something that will really give you an advantage. [But] it must be combined with the right skill-set.”"

This is what in US call 'Techno-MBA'. It's a Bachelor in Engineergin with a MBA degree. That gives a boost in your career when you want to be a Project Leader because you'll be able to understand better what is said in the projects..

McDonald’s warns of Europe jobs crisis | Americas | BDlive

McDonald’s warns of Europe jobs crisis | Americas | BDlive: "DAVID Fairhurst, chief people officer at McDonald’s Europe, said the fast-food chain, which employs 425,000 people in 38 European markets, was already feeling the effects of what he called the "workforce cliff".

"The workforce is shrinking at both ends of the spectrum. There aren’t enough young people coming into the labour market and too many older people are leaving it."

Mr Fairhurst said the shortage of workers would soon have an impact on economic growth, despite the European Union’s (EU’s) unemployment rate of 10.8% of the workforce and a youth jobless rate above 23%."

EUROPA - Commission publishes guide on application of ‘Habitual Residence Test’ for social security

EUROPA - PRESS RELEASES - Press release - Free movement: Commission publishes guide on application of ‘Habitual Residence Test’ for social security: "A practical guide on the 'Habitual Residence Test' to help Member States apply EU rules on the coordination of social security for EU citizens that have moved to another Member State has just been published by the European Commission. The new guide gives more clarity about the EU 'Habitual Residence Test' and will facilitate its application in practice by Member States' authorities."

The guide is available for downloading in all european langauges.

EUobserver.com / Young Europeans lack job skills, US consultancy says

EUobserver.com / Headline News / Young Europeans lack job skills, US consultancy says: "Mckinsey surveyed more than 5,000 young people, 2,600 employers, and 700 higher education teachers across eight EU countries.
The list includes Germany and Sweden, which have some of the lowest jobless rates in the EU, as well as crisis countries Greece, Portugal and Spain.
Youth unemployment rates in Greece and Spain have tipped 50 percent. Overall, 24 percent of 16-24 year olds across the EU are not in work, training or education.
However, the report found that businesses in crisis countries reported the biggest problems, with 47 percent and 45 percent of Italian and Greek firms saying that a lack of skills is harming their interests.
The report argues that students are put off studying by the cost of living and a perceived bias against vocational courses. It also says that they struggle to make the transition from studying to work."

EU citizens | Immigration in the Netherlands

EU citizens | Immigration and Naturalisation Service:
Citizens of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland fall under the laws and regulations of the EU, EEA and the treaty between the EU and Switzerland. These regulations are different from Dutch national law.

Lawful residence
As an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen you do not need a residence permit to stay in the Netherlands if your stay is based on the EC Treaty. Your passport (or ID document) of the country, of which you hold the nationality, is evidence enough that you are permitted to stay in the Netherlands. You are not required to register with the IND.
Please note! If a family member who is not an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen, intends to stay with you in the Netherlands, you do have to register with the IND.

To stay in the Netherlands as an EU/EEA of Swiss citizen, you:
are a citizen from an EU or EEA member state or Switzerland (citizens of Croatia excepted).
are not a risk to public order or national security.
have a valid travel document (for example a passport).

Stay longer than 4 months
Are you planning to stay for longer than 4 months in the Netherlands? You will need to register with the personal records database (BRP) at your local municipality. You will then be issued a Citizen Service Number. For further information please check the website of the municipality where you live or go towww.burgerservicenummer.nl.

Right to work
All EU/EEA or Swiss citizens, with the exception of Croatians, are entitled to work without restriction in all sectors and industries.

If an organisation or company asks you for proof of lawful stay in the Netherlands by the IND, you can print and download this letter from the IND (only available in Dutch) for employees and other organisations explaining the current procedure for EU/EEA or Swiss citizens staying in the Netherlands.

German 2013 employment reached record high

German employment reached another record high in 2013, but the rise in employment was only about half of the average of 2011 and 2012, a report published by Destatis.

In the past year, an average of 41.78 million German residents were employed, either self-employed or by employers, 0.6 percent higher than the statistics in 2012 and an increase for seven consecutive years, German Federal Statistical Office said.

According to provisional estimates of the office, the number of unemployed people in Germany by an average of 36,000 to just under 2.3 million in 2013, one of the lowest in the European Union.

The jobless rate fell to 5.2 percent in 2013, which was lower than in almost all other EMU member countries. In the service branches, the number of persons in employment increased by a total of 227,000 or 0.7 percent in 2013.

A survey by the German Association for Small and Medium-sized Businesses in December found that about 53 percent of small and medium-sized companies expected a good business situation in the new year, and 32 percent planned to make more investment.

As for employment, 35 percent of SMEs had a plan to hire additional staff in 2014, while 58 percent would keep the number of their employees unchanged, according to the survey

The producing branches, too, recorded employment gains in 2013, which were, however, less pronounced than in the previous year. Employment rose by 17,000 in industry, and by 20,000 in construction.
Meanwhile, in agriculture, forestry and fishing, the average number of persons in employment dropped by 31,000.

Economists expected the German economy to expand 1.7 percent in the new year, compared with the 2013 projection of 0.5 percent, thanks to a recovery of the global economy, strong private consumption and a rebound of investment.

Source : http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com & MINA

Bulgarians and Romanians gain EU work access

Bulgarians and Romanians became eligible to work anywhere within the European Union, with the lifting of labour market restrictions. The move, seven years after the two countries joined EU, comes amid heated debate over the impact of opening doors to the poorest of its 28 members. The lifting of restrictions on Romanians and Bulgarians working in several European Union countries has not seen plane loads of them heading west and the leaders of Bulgaria and Romania have dismissed invasion fears.

The EU has rebuffed attempts to curtail their movement and downplayed suggestions of a flood of people seeking social welfare benefits rather than work. "In hard times, mobile EU citizens are all too often an easy target," said Laszlo Andor, EU employment commissioner said.

Some right-wing British politicians are particularly alarmed but Damian Draghici, an adviser to Romania's prime minister, said that is nonsense: "I believe that this is more of a political game... or a way to blow things out of proportion. I don't think Romanians are going to invade England."
Tjobs, a leading employment recruitment agency in Romania, revealed that recently fewer people there have been asking about jobs in Britain.

"The commission does recognize that there can be local problems created by a large, sudden influx of people from other EU countries into a particular city or region," he said.
"They can put a strain on education, housing and social services. The solution is to address these specific problems - not to put up barriers against these workers."

Britain tightened access to social benefits for EU migrants, with the introduction of measures that include a waiting period of three months for newcomers wanting to claim unemployment benefits.
"Accelerating the start of these new restrictions will make the UK a less attractive place for EU migrants who want to come here and try to live off the state," said British Prime Minister David Cameron said in mid-December.
Debate and public concern has also centred around Bulgaria and Romania‘s Roma communities. Their integration has been a long-standing problem within the EU.

Nineteen EU members had already opened their doors to workers from Bulgaria and Romania by last month. Some of the leading economies - Germany, Britain, France, Spain and the Netherlands - were not among them however.