In June 2025, the European Commission launched a consultation to shape its new Action Plan on the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights.
The European Pillar of Social Rights consists of twenty principles and rights to support well-functioning and fair labour markets and welfare systems. To implement these principles, the corresponding Action Plan sets out a number of EU actions and three EU headline targets to be achieved by the end of 2030 in the areas of employment, skills, and social protection.
The new Action Plan on the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights offers an opportunity to set new priorities and intensify efforts towards a more inclusive labour market. One of the goals of the PATHS2INCLUDE project is to enhance public knowledge and facilitate policy learning about the factors that foster or hamper labour market inclusion of groups in vulnerable situations. Therefore, we have contributed our research insights to the consultation, with the aim of informing the new Action Plan and promoting more inclusive labour markets.
These are some of the key messages in our response to the consultation:
- Education and skills development, especially tertiary education, can mitigate the impact of existing disadvantages on labour market attachment. The new Action Plan should invest in skills and training programmes tailored to the needs of populations in a vulnerable position.
- Gender gaps in labour market outcomes persist across Europe, including in recruitment, career advancement and retirement. The new action plan must ensure the implementation and compliance with Directive 2000/78/EC on equal treatment in employment.
- At-risk groups, the discrimination they may face, and their poor labour market integration are difficult to measure through existing EU and national surveys, due to several factors such as limited sample sizes or lack of specific questions. The new action plan should prioritise comprehensive data collection to capture their employment dynamics and experiences.
- Disadvantages are not experienced in isolation, instead, they operate in intersectional ways. Policies designed to strengthen labour market attachment must target overlapping vulnerabilities stemming from individual characteristics, including age, health limitations, gender and caregiving responsibilities.
- Gender and ethnic discrimination in recruitment remains prevalent across Europe, although it is less prevalent in companies with diversity policy measures and flexible work arrangements. The new action plan should encourage organisations to adopt concrete, actionable diversity policy measures and expand flexible work arrangements to prevent discrimination in recruitment.
- Encouraging older workers to postpone retirement may increase inequalities, especially for older workers with health limitations. The new action plan should establish health-promoting workplaces enabling older workers to remain in employment longer (should they choose to remain) and reduce their economic vulnerability.
- The economic context in which individuals live can impact their labour market participation and retirement decisions. The new action plan should ensure adequate minimum wages to protect against (in-work) poverty and inequalities.
- Care responsibilities present a significant challenge to activation, hiring, employment, and extended working lives, especially for women. The new action plan should promote adequately paid leave for workers with caregiving responsibilities.
Read the full contribution here.