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There are three categories of unemployed common to all which give rise to particular concern: yout, the long-term unemployed and older workers
Resource persons:
Dr. H.M. Stindt, Chairman of UNIAPAC's Taskforce 2 on "Work and Employment"
Mr. J.M. Mertes, General Secretary of UNIAPAC, Germany and other senior UNIAPAC business representatives
Summary of proceedings:
UNIAPAC - the International Christian Union of Business Executives - is an international non-governmental organization with headquarters in Brussels representing 30 national associations in 28 countries, essentially in Europe and Latin America. The study which led to the UNIAPAC publication on the above topic is based on research conducted in nine European countries and covers 100 case studies. The outcome is the work of a task force composed of representatives from eight countries.
The starting point for the task force was the recognition that the present unemployment situation in Europe cannot be compared with past periods of unemployment of a largely cyclical nature. Today, the uncertainty surrounding future economic growth rules out the possibility of relying solely on the latter to eliminate unemployment altogether or reduce it to acceptable levels. This realization implies a radical appraisal of existing measures and mechanisms .
UNIAPAC guidelines have been designed not only to assist management and others in dealing with the challenge of employment promotion but also to stimulate fresh thinking leading to the development of new approaches. The present global situation requires an active position as opposed to the reactive one of yesterday. The watchword is prevention rather than curative action. Approaches must entail all facets of the problem in a long-term perspective.
Prevailing employment relationships have to be reconsidered to provide for greater flexibility. Similarly, new forms of work organization have to be developed in line with changing inter-enterprise relationships. The accelerating rate of knowledge obsolescence and changing skill demand reinforce the need for life-long training. The respective roles of institutions and undertakings in this area also require review.
The modus operandi of traditional employment agencies is no longer up to the new requirements. New and more effective partnerships with undertakings have to be developed. The job centre concept as experienced in Germany shows promising perspectives.
While the magnitude of unemployment can vary considerably from country to country, there are three categories of unemployed common to all which give rise to particular concern: youth, the long-term unemployed, and older workers. The task force of UNIAPAC, in partnership with other interested bodies, has initiated studies to find possible solutions to the problem.
In the area of youth unemployment the differences can be quite considerable; in Germany, the relevance and effectiveness of the training system is seen as a positive factor. Other countries like the Netherlands have successfully experimented with new measures to combat long-term unemployment.
These and other examples clearly show the need for more research in the area of employment promotion and the usefulness of the dissemination of successful sectoral and national experiences. The UNIAPAC study is a contribution to this effort.