# Council Decision (EU) 2015/1848 of 5 October 2015 on guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States for 2015, Division: Guideline 7: Enhancing the functioning of labour markets

Extent: E+W+S+N.I.

Member States should take into account the flexibility and security principles (‘flexicurity principles’). They should reduce and prevent segmentation within labour markets and fight undeclared work. Employment protection rules, labour law and institutions should all provide a suitable environment for recruitment, while offering adequate levels of protection to all those in employment and those seeking employment. Quality employment should be ensured in terms of socioeconomic security, work organisation, education and training opportunities, working conditions (including health and safety) and work-life balance.
In line with national practices, and in order to improve the functioning and effectiveness of social dialogue at national level, Member States should closely involve national parliaments and social partners in the design and implementation of relevant reforms and policies.
Member States should strengthen active labour-market policies by increasing their effectiveness, targeting, outreach, coverage and interplay with passive measures, accompanied by rights and responsibilities for the unemployed to actively seek work. These policies should aim to improve labour-market matching and support sustainable transitions.
Member States should aim for better, more effective public employment services to reduce and shorten unemployment by providing tailored services to support jobseekers, supporting labour-market demand and implementing performance-measurement systems. Member States should effectively activate and enable those who can participate in the labour market to do so, while protecting those unable to participate. Member States should promote inclusive labour markets open to all women and men, putting in place effective anti-discrimination measures, and increase employability by investing in human capital.
The mobility of workers should be promoted with the aim of exploiting the full potential of the European labour market. Mobility barriers in occupational pensions and in the recognition of qualifications should be removed. Member States should at the same time prevent abuses of the existing rules and recognise potential ‘brain drain’ from certain regions.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudn/2015/1848/annex/division/GUIDELINES/division/3 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/eu-decision-2015-1848/annex/division-GUIDELINES/division-3
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.