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Unleashing EURES’ Potential: Insights from the European Commission’s Biennial Report

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Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, EURES encountered unparalleled challenges. In response, it swiftly embraced digitalisation, expanded its EOJDs, and automated its matching processes. However, the Commission’s report on EURES activity highlights that despite these developments, EURES has yet to realise its full potential.

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The recent edition of the biennial report by the European Commission on EURES activity, covering the period from July 2020 to June 2022, was published on 28 November 2023. This comprehensive report provides an overview of EURES activities and assesses the application of the EURES Regulation (EU) 2016/589. 

Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, EURES remained active, processing 445,206 job applications, managing 718,168 job vacancies, and organising 18,935 events. At a regulatory level, several significant advancements in the implementation of the EURES Regulation were reported by EURES countries:

  • Admission System: Most EURES countries have successfully implemented an admission system for new Members and Partners.
  • Vacancy Transfer: All EURES countries are now connected to transfer job vacancies to the EURES portal.
  • Skills Classification: Almost all EURES countries have adopted the European classification of skills, qualifications, and occupations.

The pandemic necessitated widespread adoption of remote working, which in turn accelerated the digitalisation of EURES operations. Additionally, the Single Digital Gateway Regulation facilitated rapid changes to national websites across EURES countries. This swift digitalisation was crucial as the pandemic fundamentally transformed how jobseekers and employers search for jobs and employees.

The report highlights that EURES has more potential in working more targeted in addressing the significant labour and skill shortages faced by EURES countries. It recommends that EURES countries improve their efforts in admitting new Members and Partners. Furthermore, it suggests that EURES countries evaluate and refine their internal governance and coordination mechanisms, while continuing to grow the automation of transferring job vacancies and CVs to the portal. NCO’s must map their respective national classification systems to ESCO to ensure effective progress, as automated matching relies on this mapping

The report contains key recommendations to EURES countries, the European Coordination Office, and the Commission which you can find in the report here.            

In March 2023 ELA in published its most recent report on labour shortages and surpluses.