A new research paper titled "Navigating Labour-Market Transitions: An Eco-Social Policy Toolbox for Public Employment Services", co-authored by Halliki Kreinin from the Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, has been officially published. This study, published as part of a 2022 project SELMA (Social-Ecological Labor Market Activities), offers critical insights into how labour market policies can support a social-ecological transformation, with a focus on Austria.
The paper presents a set of 15 policy measures designed to help public employment services (PES) address both social and environmental challenges. These measures fall into six key categories: information and consultancy, eco-social retraining, sustainable mobility, working time distribution, livelihood provisioning, and ecological criteria for unemployment benefits. The research highlights how PES can play a pivotal role in guiding the shift towards sustainable labour markets.
Though the paper focuses on Austria, the proposed toolbox can be adapted to other European countries to integrate ecological goals into labour-market policies.
Neier, T., Kreinin, H., Gerold, S., Heyne, S., Laa, E., & Bohnenberger, K. (2024). Navigating labor-market transitions: An eco-social policy toolbox for public employment services. Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy, 20(1), 2386799. DOI: 10.1080/15487733.2024.2386799.
RIFS Potsdam