The European Commission Employment and Social situation quarterly review released its March 2014 edition to paint once again a worrying (and yet in line with Eurodiaconia members’ experience) picture of the social situation in Europe. Amongst other things, it describes:
- a continuous increase in households financial distress as more and more of the population reports the need to draw on their savings and, more recently, even to run into debt to pay for everyday living costs.
- clear decrease in job stability as unemployment concerns 26 million people in the EU. The employment rate for permanent and full-time jobs has seen only slight improvement, and it is the increasing use of temporary and part-time work which has driven the rising overall employment figures.
- poverty and social exclusion in the EU has deteriorated during the crisis and show little signs of improvement. It expects an increase in poverty levels between 2011 and 2013 as the at-risk of poverty is estimated to rise in a number of countries and further in Greece. Moreover, the report explains that in a number of countries, the poverty threshold actually declined, reflecting a general deterioration of living conditions.
Further information and links:
Employment and Social situation quarterly review March 2014:
Full document
Supplement on trends in poverty and social exclusion
EU Employment and Social Situation – Quarterly Review – March 2014 – Supplement on trends in social expenditure
10 key facts and figures: EU Employment and Social Situation