EU en Japan bespreken de effecten van globalisering op werkgelegenheid en werknemers (en)

Meeting the challenges globalisation presents to jobs and workers topped the agenda at an EU-Japan meeting today.

Representatives from the European Commission, the Japanese government and social partners (trade unions and employer representatives) discussed how EU and Japanese employment policies and industrial relations can adapt to deal with globalisation's effect on labour markets, restructuring trends and workers' employability.

EU Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Commissioner, Vladimír Spidla i, representing the European Commission at the 'Promoting employability in the context of globalisation in the EU and Japan' conference today and tomorrow, highlighted the work already underway. He emphasised the EU's 'flexicurity' approach, designed to promote greater flexibility for employers, while guaranteeing security for workers. He also underlined that globalisation must be met with more investment in workers' skills, such as through lifelong learning, as well as focusing on quality jobs.

To help workers made redundant due to changing globalised trade patterns, the Commission recently proposed a new €500 million European Globalisation adjustment Fund, designed to assist them in finding new jobs.

Commissioner Vladimír Spidla said: 'Globalisation has a rapid and profound impact on our businesses and our society. New powerful players are emerging, particularly in Asia. To face the new challenges, it imperative to find a balance between labour market flexibility and employment security. This is the way forward for the EU and we will discuss this with Japan.'

Mr Togari, Vice Minister for Health, Labour and Welfare, underlined Japan's promotion of labour market reforms addressing increased jobs/skills mismatches in the labour market. Its employment policies have moved from supporting employment security within companies to supporting worker mobility.

`Japan has promoted labour market reforms in response to major market changes, such as less job opportunities in some regions and new working arrangements caused mainly by changing company and employee strategies and attitudes. It is very useful for the EU and Japan to discuss together how to deal with employment security and skills development in response to rapid globalisation,' Mr Togari stated.

The seminar discussed two main themes: 'the balance between labour market flexibility and employment security' and 'structural change and regional socio-economic disparities'. These focused on issues such as worker adaptability, job mobility, lifelong learning and the role of labour market policies.

Commissioner Spidla and Vice-Minister Togari emphasised the vital role social partners have in forming a response to globalisation's challenges. The meeting brought together social partners from all sides in both the EU and Japan.

This is the 11th meeting between the EU and Japan since the first one in 1991. It follows on the heels of 'EU-Japan year of people-to-people' in 2005.