Mainstreaming employment and social indicators into macroeconomic surveillance

The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs of the European Parliament commissioned this study to obtain an up-to-date assessment of how employment and social issues are addressed in the European Semester governance mechanisms and of the contribution of the employment and social indicators applied in the macro surveillance exercises since 2013, as well as the role and perceptions of the main stakeholders in this respect. The study findings show a European Semester currently undergoing important developments under the pressure of changing economic and social conditions, with the increasing visibility of the structural employment and social effects of the crisis. These developments underline the need for revising the EU governance and coordination system in order to address the social and employment imbalances besides the macroeconomic ones to support greater and more inclusive growth prospects in the long run and to develop a more comprehensive assessment of social and employment conditions at the country level. The ultimate goals of the EU2020 strategy should be taken as the basis of the Semester coordination efforts.