HR Services

Tax Tools (en - fr - nl)

	home > news > 2006 - European Year of Workers' Mobility	print page

	Managing Mobility Matters 2006

The mobility of workers in order to develop a business globally and remain competitive is an essential part of an organisation's people strategy. The European Union (EU) stated in the Lisbon Agenda of 2000 that they wanted the EU to become the most dynamic and competitive market in the world by 2010. In this world, employers would be able to plug professional skills gaps at competitive costs due to the increased mobility of skilled workers and professionals.

A report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) which was co-funded by the EU as part of the Year of Workers' Mobility 2006 (see earlier announcement), reveals that with the exception of the Nordic countries, Ireland and the UK, mobility remains disappointingly low.

Managing mobility matters 2006 is a re-run of a PwC report launched in 2001 in the wake of the Lisbon Agenda. In 2001 businesses were optimistic and enthusiastic about using mobile workers, with over 70% of companies interviewed saying that worker mobility would increase and be a key factor in plugging skills gaps.

Download Managing mobility
matters 2006 ( 2.55mb )

Five years later our survey reveals that mobility levels are far lower than expected and that individuals are not really motivated to work in a foreign country. Only a third of the 445 employers surveyed across 14 countries received applications for senior management, professional and skilled manual positions from other EU countries in 2006, amounting to just 5% of all applications.

For further information, please contact Marianne Dewandeleer, Marketing & Communication,
tél.: +32 2 710 93 57

Link: EU Commission - European Year of Worker's Mobility website