Inclusive Europe: EU programmes supporting equality and diversity

The European Union has been promoting the values of inclusiveness, equality and diversity for years, supporting them through concrete programmes and initiatives. We look at a few of them that have a real impact on the labor market and society.

For years, the European Union has consistently implemented numerous campaigns and programmes in support of inclusiveness. Some of them focus on the labour market, others support the third sector and still others aim to improve the situation of people with disabilities. A brief overview of selected initiatives will help to better understand what opportunities EU membership offers us to build a more open and diverse labour market.

One of the main EU financial instruments aimed at supporting employment, education and social inclusion is European Social Fund Plus (ESF+). Under this fund, various programs are implemented, such as: European Fund for Social Development (FERS), which operates in the areas of work, education, health and accessibility. Its advantage is the organization of training for employees and entrepreneurs in the field of work-life balance and diversity & inclusion. Another interesting course taught under this program is Healthy worker, which aims to support the adaptation of workers, enterprises and entrepreneurs to change, to promote active and healthy ageing and a healthy and well-adapted working environment that takes into account health risks.

A bridge to youth employment

In October 2020, the EU Council adopted a Recommendation on strengthening the Youth Guarantee, entitled A bridge to employment. The objective of this recommendation was to adapt the programme to changing labour market conditions and to provide better support for young people. One of the main sources of EU funding for the Youth Guarantee is the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI), which targets regions where the unemployment rate of 15-24 year-olds exceeds 25%. In Poland, YEI funds are used by ten voivodships: Lower Silesia, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Lublin, Lubuskie, Łódź, Małopolskie, Podkarpackie, Świętokrzyskie, Warmińsko-Mazurskie and West Pomerania.

This initiative of the European Union aimed at providing young people under the age of 25 with an offer of employment, further education, vocational training or traineeship within four months of completing formal education or losing their job. This programme has been implemented since 2014 and is aimed at people who do not participate in education, employment or training (the so-called NEET youth).

It is worth mentioning that in October 2024 the unemployment rate in Poland among people under the age of 25 was 10,8%, while EU average amounted 15,2% .

Young people struggle with problems on the labour market such as lack of work experience with simultaneous market pressure to have long working experience, lack of adaptation of the educational offer to real challenges on the labour market, market segmentation (division into stable full-time employment and less secure forms of employment, such as temporary contracts or orders, which makes it difficult for young people to stabilize their job), generational differences or mental problems.

Inclu (vi) sion Congress

An interesting initiative is Inclu (vi) sion Congress event organized by the Aktivizacja Foundation, aimed at promoting an open labor market for people with disabilities. It is an initiative to promote an inclusive labour market for people with disabilities. During the congress, topics related to the role of ESG and the CSRD Directive in creating an inclusive workplace and the importance of managerial staff in the process of integrating people with disabilities into work teams are discussed.

During the last edition, it was possible to formulate 11 postulates of the Inclu (vi) sion Partnership, which aim to create good conditions for the employment of people with disabilities, which can be shortened to the slogans:

Supporting the employment of people with disabilities Equal treatment, inclusive work environment, equal pay. Target: 40% employment of people with disabilities by 2030
Increasing employment in our entities.
Promoting good practices in the employment of people with disabilities.
Development of competencies of HR, CSR and managers in the field of Diversity & Inclusion.
Integration of employment of people with disabilities with ESG.
Support in the acquisition of deficit competences, including technological ones.
Connecting students and graduates with disabilities with business.
Research on barriers and opportunities in professional activation.
Recommendations for public policies on the employment of persons with disabilities.
Promoting architectural, digital and communication accessibility.
Creation of collaborative platforms for the implementation of projects and research.

As we can read on the website dedicated to the event:

1.5 million projected employment gap by 2025
66% Employers facing recruitment problems
~ 1 million — persons with disabilities of working age outside the labour market in Poland.
32% employment rate of persons with disabilities in Poland, much lower than in the European Union.

Campaign Every Talent at a Weight of Gold, Inclusive in Hiring

The aim of this social campaign conducted by the Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers is to activate the professional activity of people from disadvantaged groups, such as people over 50 years of age, people on long-term parental leave and people with chronic diseases.

There are currently four generations of employees on the labor market, each of whom brings unique experiences and competencies, influencing the development of companies. According to GUS, in the years 2024-2035 the number of people of working age in Poland will decrease by about 4 million, of which the largest decrease will occur in the coming years. The number of people aged 24-26 will decrease by almost 1/3, and in the 25-34 age group - by about 1/5.

In the first quarter of 2024, the economically active accounted for 58.5% of the population aged 15-89, a decrease compared to the end of 2023 (by 0.4 percentage points) and the beginning of 2023 (by 0.3 points). The labour force participation rate was 65.8% among men and 51.7% among women.

Active support for people over 50, the chronically ill, with disabilities and those with parental responsibilities can increase diversity in the workplace in a short time. Exploiting their potential will contribute to increased productivity, which in turn can translate into higher profits and financial stability. In times of uncertainty and dynamic economic change at both the global and local levels, such actions become crucial for companies. This campaign seeks to take action and implement good practices to improve the situation on the labour market.

Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme of the European Union (2021-2027)

Another, slightly broader EU agenda for inclusivity is Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme, which provides more than €1.5 billion to support positive change in an inclusive Europe. The aim of this programme is to protect and promote the rights and values enshrined in the EU Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, in particular by supporting civil society organisations operating at local, regional, national and transnational levels.

An example of activities in Poland within the framework of this program is Stefan Batory Foundation , which launched a competition for institutional grants aimed at strengthening civil society organisations. These grants support awareness-raising activities about the rights and values enshrined in the EU Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights. Institutional grants are targeted at medium-sized organisations that work locally or regionally to benefit people exposed to discrimination, unequal treatment, hate speech and hate crime. Support is given to entities actively cooperating with other social organizations, participating in networks and coalitions, and conducting advocacy, surveillance and monitoring activities in the area of protection of the rule of law.

summary

The European Union has consistently supported inclusivity in the labour market through a variety of programmes and initiatives, such as the European Social Fund Plus, the Youth Guarantee and the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme. These activities promote equal opportunities, the integration of people with disabilities and the activation of groups at risk of exclusion, which contributes to the construction of a more open and dynamic labour market.

Sources:

Inclusive Europe: EU programmes supporting equality and diversity

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