Almost 10 million Europeans found a job thanks to the European Social Fund

A European Commission i's report shows that the European Social Fund i has helped at least 9.4 million Europeans to find a job between 2007 and 2014. 8.7 million gained a qualification or certificate, while many more improved their skills.

Today, the European Commission has published an evaluation report of investments under the European Social Fund (ESF) during the 2007-2013 period. To ensure independence, the evaluation was carried out by external evaluation experts.

The report shows that the ESF makes a real difference in the lives of Europeans. By the end of 2014, at least 9.4 million European residents found a job with support from the Fund. 8.7 million gained a qualification or certificate. Other positive results, such as increased skills levels, were reported by 13.7 million participants.

The European Social Fund (ESF) is the first EU funding instrument created by the Treaty of Rome in 1957. It is Europe's main instrument to invest in human capital. Priorities are helping people to get a job or allow them to keep their job, integrating disadvantaged people into society and ensuring fairer life opportunities for all.

The total allocation for ESF 2007-2013 was €115.6 billion, of which €76.8 billion came from the EU budget, €35.1 billion from national public contributions and €3.7 billion from private funds.