European labor market integration: what the experts think

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current state of the single European labor market (SELM), its related risks and opportunities, and identify useful measures for reaching the goal of increased European labor mobility. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted an online survey among European labor market experts (IZA research and policy fellows) on the current state of the SELM, its determinants, and the role of the Great Recession. The authors evaluate the data using descriptive and regression-based methods. Findings The experts agree on the SELM’s importance, especially for larger economic welfare, but are not convinced that it has been achieved. To enhance labor mobility across Europe, the respondents identify key factors such as recognizing professional qualifications more efficiently, harmonizing social security systems, and knowing several languages. Moreover, at least 50 percent of the respondents consider positive attitudes – by policy makers and citizens alike – toward free mobility to be important to enhance labor mobility. Originality/value The IZA Expert Opinion Survey presents a unique opportunity to learn how numerous experts think about the important issue of European labor market integration and moreover constitutes a valuable extension to public opinion surveys on related topics. This survey’s findings provide a sophisticated basis for a discussion about policy options regarding the SELM.

Bridging the gaps: linking research to public debates and policy-making on migration and integration

“…The Maastricht Treaty (1992) later imposed free labour markets for all EU member countries as a pillar of existence, although the European labour markets were, de facto, not only far from being integrated, but they are also still not fully integrated (Constant and Zimmermann 2017;Krause et al 2017). With the creation of the euro in 2002, the need for rising internal labour mobility became transparent.…”

Are bank capital requirements optimally set? Evidence from researchers’ views

“…periodically conduct short email surveys of experts in finance with an average response rate of 9% Krause et al (2017). is a recent survey of European experts on labor market integration in Europe.…”

“…Our survey is closest to theirs in terms of methodology in that both were conducted online with several email reminders. Possibly due to the closer association between the survey implementers and respondents,Krause et al (2017) had a relatively high response rate of 42% (299 respondents from 708 invitations). A related but more policy-oriented regular survey of banks themselves on the impact of Basel reforms is conducted by the Research Task Force of the Basel Committee for Banking Supervision (see BCBS 2019b for results on the latest round).18…”

Are Bank Capital Requirements Optimally Set? Evidence from Researchers’ Views

“…Fernandez et al (2019) periodically conduct short email surveys of experts in finance with an average response rate of 9% Krause et al (2017). is a recent survey of European experts on labor market integration in Europe.…”