Research Development in Europe on Active Labour Market Policies for Labour Demand Side

: Shift in Focus on ‘Employer Engagement’ and ‘Triggers’ that Change Labour Demand

Abstract

Since the 2010s onward after the Great Recession in Europe, strong awareness that the active labour market policies focusing on supply side do not function in recessions has led to a lot of interest in developing policy instruments for labour demand side. What policy instruments are the ‘triggers’ for ‘employer engagement,’ that is, what triggers employers to be involved actively in addressing the societal challenge of promoting the labour market participation of vulnerable groups ? Based on this question research has been accumulating.

Many of research on ‘employer engagement’ are exploratory ones, using typology and description of employers’ motivation for and commitment on active labour market policies. Meanwhile, one important framework has been becoming common : it sees employers as human agent, who perceives, interprets the institutional environments and the particular situations and reacts to them : it considers labour demand as plastic construct mediated by employer’s perception. The concepts and framework developed so far will give useful suggestions to similar research in Japan.