Reactivate: Employment Opportunities for Economically Inactive People

Abstract

[Excerpt] To achieve the Europe 2020 targets on employment and poverty, it is important that policies focus not only on those who are unemployed but also on those who are economically inactive. People are economically inactive, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO) definition, if they are not working, not seeking work and/or not available for work. While unemployed people are relatively well-studied and the principal target of many employment strategies, this is less the case for the inactive population. Recent efforts in some Member States, however, show that groups within this population have labour market potential as well. The objectives of this report are: to examine the groups within the inactive population that are finding it difficult to enter or re-enter the labour market and why; to investigate the strategies that Member States are implementing to promote the inclusion of those outside the labour market.