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The Joint Employment Report (JER) is a key input to EU economic governance, providing an annual overview of key employment and social developments in Europe as well as Member States' reform actions in line with the Guidelines for the Employment Policies of the Member States and Annual Growth Survey (AGS) priorities. Key indications are that: (1) the economic expansion, which now has reached all Member States, is accompanied by steady improvements in the labour market and social situation supported by the reform efforts made by Member States; (2) job creation has picked up and employment continues to expand at a firm pace; (3) the main labour market indicators have strengthened across the board; (4) while all Member States show improvements, very substantial differences can be observed; (5) underutilisation of the labour force is falling but remains sizeable even in countries where unemployment is low; (6) despite the improvements in the labour market, wage growth remains subdued in most countries; (7) several Member States have taken steps to enhance the predictability of the wage setting system, with the involvement of social partners; (8) in line with the labour market upturn there is a general improvement in the financial situation of households; (9) increasing labour market participation, employment rates, and productivity is an imperative in view of demographic change; (10) recent gains in employment have not been evenly distributed among different population groups; (11) while the employment rate of women reached another record high, they continue to be underrepresented in the labour market and face a significant pay differential; (12) in addition, more part-time work combined with shorter and more discontinuous careers often translates into lower pensions for women.

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The comprehensive mid-term stocktaking of the strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020) carried out in 2014, involving Member States and key stakeholders, and providing the basis for this report, led to three main policy conclusions: (1) The great value of an integrated framework covering education and training at all levels was confirmed. Today's need for flexibility and permeability between learning experiences requires policy coherence from early childhood education and schools through to higher education, vocational education and training and adult learning; (2) The ET 2020's four strategic objectives (and current European Union (EU) benchmarks) remain valid as they were formulated in a comprehensive and forward-looking manner in the ET 2020 Council conclusions of 2009, providing a solid basis for ET 2020 activities up to 2020. However, the policy focus needs to be re-calibrated to include both the pressing economic and employment challenges and the role of education in promoting equity and non-discrimination and in imparting fundamental values, intercultural competences and active citizenship; and (3) The role of ET 2020 as contributor to the overall EU agenda for jobs, growth and investment, including the European Semester, needs to be further deepened. This implies strengthening evidence building and mutual learning around reform challenges as well as increasing the country specific relevance of the framework.

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This report responds to the challenges associated with the provision of language skills for the European labour market. It calls for a sharpened focus on employment-related aspects of language learning. The aim is to provide input for the current discussions at national and European levels on modernising education systems and quality assurance built on learning outcomes. The main challenge is for language teaching to become learner-focused, and better geared to professional contexts and the needs of the jobs market. This, in turn, will improve learner motivation and the successful taking up and use of available opportunities. This will benefit not only learners but those seeking to employ people who are well-trained and properly qualified to assume their professional responsibilities.

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The Commission Communication on the draft 2012 Joint Report of the Council and the Commission on the implementation of the strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020) is accompanied by two Staff Working Documents (SWDs). While the other SWD examines the progress made in the implementation of ET2020 from a thematic, cross-country perspective, the present SWD examines the progress made at national level towards the ET 2020 objectives on a country-by-country basis.

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Based on an assessment of progress made in key policy areas in the last three years, this draft Joint Report proposes new working priorities for the period 2012-2014 geared to mobilise education and training to support Europe 2020. The draft Joint Report also sets out a number of options to adjust the governance of ET 2020 to ensure that it contributes to Europe 2020. The Communication is underpinned by two Staff Working Documents. They take stock of the situation in individual countries and key thematic areas and draw on National Reports provided by Member States as well as other information and data.

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This Staff Working Document accompanies the Commission Communication proposing the draft 2012 Joint Report of the Council and the Commission on the implementation of the Strategic Framework for European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020). ET 2020 The Strategic Framework for European cooperation in education and training adopted by the Council in May 2009 sets out four long-term strategic objectives that should guide European cooperation in the period up to 2020: (1) making lifelong learning and mobility a reality; (2) improving the quality and efficiency of education and training; (3) promoting equity, social cohesion and active citizenship; (4) enhancing creativity and innovation, including entrepreneurship, at all levels of education and training. In order to focus the work under ET 2020 on the most relevant key issues, the Council also identified, for each of the four strategic objectives, a number of mid-term priority areas, the first ones covering the years 2009 - 2011. The 2012 Joint Report will report on the progress made during this first ET 2020 cycle.

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This report presents an overview of the higher education system in Syria. It covers: major characteristics of tertiary education in the country; types of tertiary education programmes and qualifications; distribution of responsibilities; governing bodies of the higher education institutions; financing; students' contributions and financial support; licensing, quality assurance and accreditation of institutions and/or programmes; organisation of the academic year; curriculum content; assessment, progression, certification and degree; academic staff; research activities; and university-enterprise cooperation. It also presents information about current challenges and needs and Syria's higher education system in relation to the Bologna Process and participation in European Union programmes (Tempus and Erasmus Mundus).

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As Europe goes through its green and digital transformations, high-quality vocational education and training (VET) is key to ensuring people have the right skills for the jobs of today and tomorrow. The Council Recommendation on VET for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience, adopted in November 2020, sets out the EU's comprehensive vision and strategic objectives for the future of VET. This publication outlines this vision and the importance of VET reforms at national level, including key principles and actions to support these reforms. It also looks at the EU initiatives leading the way and the assistance available to Member States in this area.

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This document provides the analytical basis for the draft 2015 joint report of the Council and the Commission on the implementation of the strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020). It offers insight into the developments recorded over the period 2012-2014 and aims to: review progress made at national level towards the ET 2020 objectives and take stock of the developments at European level within the ET 2020 strategic framework implementing the open method of coordination in the field of education and training.

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The Joint Employment Report series provides an annual overview of key employment and social developments in Europe as well as Member States' reform actions, in line with the Guidelines for the Employment Policies of the Member States. Key findings in this report include: (1) Europe is making progress regarding the social scoreboard accompanying the European Pillar of Social Rights; (2) Strong job creation continues, with employment reaching a record level in the EU; (3) Unemployment has returned to its pre-crisis level, but remains high in a number of Member States; (4) Employment gains continue to be more prominent in terms of employed persons than of hours worked; (5) Overall, household incomes continue to rise in almost all Member States; (6) On the back of robust economic and labour market recovery, the share of people at-risk-of poverty or social exclusion decreased markedly in 2017; (7) Real wage growth slowed down in 2017, but has picked up in 2018; (8) Wage setting frameworks (including minimum wages) are starting to react to the improvement in labour market conditions; (9) In a context of sustained job creation, some groups still face difficulties in reaping the benefits of the recovery; (10) Participation of women in the labour market continues to grow at a fast pace; (11) The employment rate of older workers increased substantially over the last decade; (12) The labour market situation of young people continues to improve, but youth unemployment remains high in a number of Member States; (13) Ensuring access to quality and inclusive education and training enables younger generations to become engaged and active citizens, helping them integrate into the labour market and society; (14) Technological changes and related transformations in labour markets crucially require upskilling and reskilling of the working age population; (15) Member States are adapting their skills development systems and are developing strategies to improve labour market relevance of training, with a view to facilitating learners' transitions into and within the labour market; (16) The incidence of non-standard forms of work is roughly stable at EU level, but high labour market segmentation remains an issue for a number of Member States; (17) Unemployment benefits of adequate amount, reasonable duration, accessible to all workers and accompanied by effective activation measures are key to support jobseekers during transitions; and (18) Effective active labour market policies and Public Employment Services are crucial to ensure well-functioning and inclusive labour markets.

The report is structured as follows: an introductory chapter (Chapter 1) reports on main labour market and social trends in the European Union, to set the scene; Chapter 2 presents the main results from the analysis of the social scoreboard associated to the European Pillar of Social Rights; Chapter 3 provides a detailed cross-country description of key indicators (including from the social scoreboard) and policies implemented by Member States to address the Guidelines for Employment Policies.

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