Ποιειν Και Πραττειν - create and do

Navigation

• Home
• Philosophy
• Europe
  • European Union
    • EU governance
    • European Council
    • European Parliament
    • European Commission
      • Reform of the Commission 2000
      • European Agenda for Citizens
      • EU Structural Fund
      • EU 2020 Vision
        • Vision 2020: strategy and need to create value
        • 1. Employment
        • 2. R&D / Innovation
        • 3. Climate Change
        • 4. Education
        • 5. Poverty / social exclusion
        • Economic governance
        • Sustainable Development
        • Implementation process - Culture and Horizon 2020
        • Appraisal of the EU 2020 vision
      • EU Research & Innovation
    • EU Economy
    • EU Cultural Policy
    • European Foreign Relations
    • Eurobarometer 2010 - 2020
  • EU Member States
  • European Capitals of Culture
  • European Projects of Poiein kai Prattein
  • European debate
• International
• Peace efforts
• Poets
• Artists beyond Images
• Culture
• Conferences
• Newsletter
• Links
• Imprint

1. Employment

one of 5 targets for the EU in 2020

1. Employment 75% of the 20-64 year-olds to be employed

 

How realistic is this target of 75%?

Does it mean 25% shall be unemployed? There are different ways of understanding this target. At risk in any kind of numerical measure is that all kinds of omissions are not named. For instance, what about those no longer seeking a job? And in different countries employment figures are established by alternate methods even if the Commission has tried in combination with Euro-Stat to bring about some uniformity and consensus.

There is a crucial debate needed about those who have disqualified themselves or else were disqualified (by way of bad experiences) by the system. This includes the early drop outs from school and universities but not only. Those who end up serving, for example, training courses under the Hartz IV measure applied in Germany end up doing mainly senseless things. Instead of being retrained, they become demotivated. A great deal of humiliation can affect also their 'psyche' and disposition to do anything out of a self value.

Also people without a proper job fall ever more behind those who have learned to adapt to changes in the system. They see the ones who are 'successful' and attempt to imitate their methods of adaptation but sometimes small differences make all the differences in the final outcome. Someone having a father to support a business venture requiring a lot of money as initial investment is not the general rule, but it happens. Moreover the success models advocated via the media are also not helpful as simple messages are repeated to emphasis the need to take the risk as if own initiatives leading to a successful business enterprise could be generalized for the masses of people literally passing their times in any kind of low paying job e.g. cashiers in super markets.

The level of employment has also to do with some cultural qualitative differences. While expectations in a better or greatly improved life have risen, so has the level of a good education. Yet this means entering into such highly competitive fields that those about to enter ask themselves if they will really risk a character change for the benefit of staying atop the researchers? With such choices go clearly sacrifices that many are not willing to take. The dilemma is then the growing gap between those who end up going to Harvard for further research work and those who drop out of any research orientated learning process.

Research as ongoing learning is generally not supported. The reforms of the universities has meant limiting the time of studies to what has been all along the American model of Bachelor, Master and PhD with prime orientation being high specialization from an early stage onwards. The generally educated absolvent is no longer considered as desirable outcome.

In a social and cultural sense, the real interaction between people has declined and therefore the quality of language suffers. It is well known that group related behaviour goes according to a set norm by the group, so that under and over achievers are equally punished in most of the cases. It is sometimes the very skilled and highly motivated ones who end up sitting an an Employment office bench and waiting to be called into the office for a next round of consultation. The prospects of finding a job after completion of education has also diminished greatly.

For society to be affected in order to be concerned about the future of the younger generations, there has to be a transfer of both knowledge and experience to allow for both qualification and social innovation. This contrasts greatly with how football clubs organise their young recruits with the Barcelona team being cited as running a most successful home grown talent camp from the early ages on. But such organisations are exceptions to the rule and cannot replace the need for an entire society to participate in the socialisation process of the young so that they can gain from an early age insights into different types of work processes and decision making procedures.

2. Predictions

2013 starts with a very negative prognosis. According to Ernst & Young, by the end of 2013 there shall be up to 20 million people unemployed in the Euro-zone. Greece will be the hardest hit insofar as there will be a negative economic growth rate of minus 4,5%. Only in 2015 things are expected to improve.

 

^ Top

« Vision 2020: strategy and need to create value | 2. R&D / Innovation »

---