On 29 and 30 September, over 450 events are taking place simultaneously in nearly 300 European towns and cities as part of the first-ever European-wide job fair. The event, which is being organised under the banner of the EU's European Year of Workers' Mobility (EYWM), will highlight new opportunities for citizens, encouraging them to live and work in other European countries and professions. There will be job fairs in all 25 EU countries, as well as Romania, Bulgaria, Iceland and Norway. Activities include meetings with employers and recruiters, workshops on moving abroad, information points on mobility and access to EURES – the European Job Mobility Portal – and its advisers.
"Job mobility is above all a decision for the individual worker. However, it is also necessary for public authorities, business, trade unions and universities to work together if mobility is to become a reality." said Vladimír Špidla, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities. "The European-wide job fair is an excellent example of different political, social and economic actors joining forces to spread the word about the advantages of a free labour market to workers".
The European Job Fair is one of the centre-pieces of the 2006 EYWM. Designed to help Europeans learn more about working abroad and changing careers, the fair's activities will include large scale job fairs in cities such as in Leipzig, Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Brussels, Poznan, Marseille, major 'Job Tours' in the UK and a series of 'Job Days' in the Czech Republic, Italy and the Netherlands. As well as job opportunities across Europe, visitors will be able to find out practical information about how to move to another country or region. People who have already changed careers and worked in another country will also be on hand to give advice.
The European Mobility Bus Roadshow, which left Paris on September 22nd, will be in Helsinki on 29-30 September, offering visitors the chance to check out job opportunities through the EURES internet portal. Its next stops are Riga (3 October); Warsaw (6 October); Prague (9 October); Pecs, Hungary (12 October); Milan (16 October) and Brussels in front of the Berlaymont Building (19 October).
The EYWM hopes to help promote more worker mobility, towards new sectors, skills and countries, throughout the EU. Just 2% of Europeans currently live in an EU country other than their country of origin - a situation largely unchanged over the last 30 years. Average job duration is 10.6 years in the EU – in the US, it is 6.7. See accompanying Memo for list of events.
For information on the Job Fairs see the EYWM website: http://europa.eu.int/workersmobility2006
For information about EURES:
http://eures.europa.eu
For information about the European mobility bus:
http://www.emploi-international.org
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