01 December 2005 - Jobs and growth must be Europe’s top priority - Plaskitt
Europe must focus on making jobs and growth a top priority to help people into work and lift more out of poverty Work and Pensions Minister James Plaskitt said today.
Mr Plaskitt said inactivity, not unemployment, was increasingly recognised as one of the most serious challenges across Europe. To address the issue the EU must recognise the importance of partnership building between its countries, between government and social partners, and between public employment services and employers.
The ‘Modernising Public Employment Services’ conference in Birmingham is the last employment event in the UK’s Presidency calendar. It is examining how best the EU public employment services (PES) can build effective working practices to meet the employment and social objectives agreed in the Lisbon Strategy.
Mr Plaskitt said:
“Public employment services, such as Jobcentre Plus, can act as an effective driving force and a dynamic broker in partnerships to extend job opportunities to people who have become excluded from the labour market. This includes working with employers and partners.
“The EU faces big and inescapable challenges from our own demographic trends and from globalisation. Reform is essential if Europe is to thrive in the new economy and if our people are to share in greater prosperity. The key task is to get policies in place which bring down trends of unemployment and inactivity.
“We have to break down barriers to help people into jobs. That means promoting a diverse workforce underpinned by equality, opportunity and choice.”
The conference brings together around 300 delegates from around Europe including employment chiefs, major EU and British employers, and partner organisations who work together to help people into employment.
As part of the conference delegates will visit Jobcentre Plus sites which showcase innovative examples of best working practice, including proven partnerships within the local community.
Notes for editors:
- James Plaskitt addressed the conference at 9.15am.
- Keynote speakers today include Jobcentre Plus Chief Executive Lesley Strathie and Frank Jurgen Weise, Chief Executive of German’s public employment service discussing the UK and German experience at 11am.
- In March 2000, at the Spring European Council held in Lisbon, European Heads of Government and State committed themselves to a ten-year strategy of reform for Europe’s labour, capital and product markets. This set of actions and targets has come to be known as the Lisbon Agenda, cutting across a spectrum of issues, including entrepreneurship, social enterprise, employment, sustainable development, innovation, and corporate governance.
- Jobcentre Plus, part of the Department for Work and Pensions, brings together employment and benefit services for people of working age. It provides a professional and modern service to meet the diverse needs of employers and those seeking work, including:
- Personal advisers to provide practical support and advice to help those in need find and keep work, including training provision and benefits guidance;
- A dedicated service to support employers in filling their vacancies quickly and successfully;
- Ability to place and search for jobs both online and over the phone (via Jobpoints and through Jobseeker Direct and Employer Direct);
- Swift, secure and professional access to benefits for those entitled to them.
For further information on the services that Jobcentre Plus provides employers and people of working age visit www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk.
For further information contact Helen Boseley on (020) 7238 0750
Out of hours: 07659 108 883
Textphone: 020 7238 0788
Public enquiries: 020 7712 2171