New plan can generate 2.1 million jobs in Europe by mid—2018 – UN labour agency

New plan can generate 2.1 million jobs in Europe by mid-2018 – UN labour agency

聯合國勞工機構表示新的計劃有望于2018年年中在歐洲增加210萬個就業機會

A new plan put forth by the European Commission could generate over 2.1 million new jobs in Europe by mid-2018， a much-needed boost for the region， where employment remains fragile and uneven， the United Nations labour agency said today as it stressed the need to fast-track the proposal’s implementation to see results as soon as this year.

But in order to make a significant dent on unemployment， the plan must first include a significant portion of private investment， especially among job-rich small enterprises. It should also address the wide disparities in unemployment that exist across the EU， so that economies with greater need can benefit from the fund. In the absence of these two conditions， the plan will make little or no difference to the EU employment outlook， the ILO warned.

The challenge now is to ensure that policy-makers at the EU level avoid a “business as usual” scenario that would result in funds being diverted away from countries and sectors that are most in need. In addition， it is crucial for the plan to be accompanied by a longer-term employment strategy that focuses on quality jobs and balanced reforms.

Throughout Europe， the average unemployment rate stands at around 10 per cent， close to 3 percentage points above the rate reached before the start of the global crisis in 2008. Moreover， half of those unemployed have been without a job for more than a year， with women and youth disproportionately affected

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