Published on 12th February 2025
The publication of the European Commission’s annual work programme is always eagerly awaited by the community of European stakeholders as it indicates which topics will dominate the EU agenda during the year. In 2025, it has even more significance as this Work Programme is the first adopted by the new Commission sworn in December 2024.
Under the banner of “Moving forward together: A Bolder, Simpler, Faster Union”, the European Commission intends with this Work Programme to respond to citizens and businesses who called for “a simpler EU that delivers prosperity”. In the words of Ursula von der Leyen, the Commission’s President, the Work Programme 2025 “charts our course to a more competitive, resilient, and growth-oriented Europe.”
Investing in Skills to Uphold Competitiveness
From the perspective of the private employment services, the focus on skills and employability is welcomed. One key initiative in this respect is the “Union of Skills”, expected on 5 March 2025. The Union of Skills aims to address skills and labor shortages, ensuring that European companies have access to the workforce they need to remain competitive. It will also aim to ensure that education and training systems in Europe prepare citizens of all ages for a rapidly changing future.
“Investing in skills and addressing the missing workforce as a consequence of demographic change are crucial steps in strengthening Europe’s competitiveness and resilience,” reacts Sonja van Lieshout, President of the World Employment Confederation-Europe. “The employment and recruitment industry has decades of experience in developing innovative solutions for re- and upskilling workers with a special focus on young people and workers in career transitions. As an essential contributor to better functioning of labour markets, we hope to see our sector’s role being recognised and valued in building a prosperous and socially fair Europe.”
Offering Quality Jobs to Strengthen our Social Model
The European Semester process, the EU Employment Guidelines, the Roadmap on Quality Jobs and the new action plan on the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights are other key initiatives on the Commission’s 2025 Work Programme that will both enhance Europe’s competitiveness and support its people, strengthening our societies and social model. While the World Employment Confederation-Europe supports those goals, we also call upon the European Commission to first and foremost focus on the transposition and implementation of existing EU instruments, such as those adopted at the end of the last mandate like the Directive on Platform Work and the Artificial Intelligence Act.
Also essential to the employment and recruitment sector is the Commission’s intention to implement this agenda jointly with the European social partners at cross-industry and sectoral levels. The agency work sector is for long involved in an EU Sectoral Social Dialogue with trade unions and these well-established industrial relations have helped advance workers’ rights across Europe. The Pact for Social Dialogue will be a welcomed instrument at cross-industry level.
Europe’s Chance to Shape “The Work We Want”
Adjusting our regulatory frameworks is necessary to respond to the trends reshaping the world of work. Whether it is about the digital revolution, labour shortages or evolving expectations, one thing is clear: flexibility is a non-negotiable. The research conducted in 2024 by our global confederation, “The Work We Want”, demonstrates that workers and businesses alike can benefit from the flexibility offered by diverse forms of work. Yet, it also says that we still fall short of appropriate and balanced legal frameworks to keep pace with this shift in labour markets and embed flexibility in a sustainable way. The European Commission’s 2025 Work Programme certainly presents a pivotal opportunity to shape policies that will deliver “The Work We Want” in Europe.
