Flexicurity is an integrated strategy for enhancing, at the same time, flexibility and security in the labour market. It attempts to reconcile employers' need for a flexible workforce with workers' need for security – confidence that they will not face long periods of unemployment.
Working with national governments, social partners and academics the EU has identified a set of common flexicurity principles and is exploring how countries can implement them through four components:
- flexible and reliable contractual arrangements
- comprehensive lifelong learning strategies
- effective active labour market policies
- modern social security systems
The main outputs of the EU for flexicurity include the Communication of the Commission on the common principles of flexicurity and the Council conclusions on the common principles of flexicurity.
Additionally, the EU has launched initiatives such as the European Pillar for Social Rights and A new Skills Agenda for Europe to support flexicurity.
The EU also monitors flexicurity at the national level through the Employment Committee (EMCO) and the annual Joint Employment Report on employment developments in the EU.
Monitoring of flexicurity principles is done using a set of indicators agreed upon by the Employment Committee in 2012. This monitoring helps assess progress made in implementing flexicurity principles across EU countries.