Wednesday, June 25, 2014

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."

Thursday, June 19, 2014

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.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

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.""

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

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."

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

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).