EURES - job mobility in Europe
EURES is a cooperation network designed to facilitate the free movement of workers within the EU 27 countries plus Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
The European Union’s principle of free movement of workers is considered one of the most important rights of EU citizens. It means that you can move to any EU Member State, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland to look for and take up a job.
The purpose of EURES is precisely to help and support jobseekers and employers with that.
This involves the provision of a broad range of services, available on the EURES portal or through the vast human network of more than a thousand advisers working in the EURES Member and Partner organisations.
EURES services to jobseekers and employers include:
- Matching of job vacancies and CVs on the EURES portal
- Information and guidance and other support services for workers and employers
- Access to information on living and working conditions in the EU member states, such as taxation, pensions, health insurance and social security
- Specific support services for frontier workers and employers in cross-border regions
- Support to specific groups in the context of EURES Targeted Mobility Scheme
- Support to dynamic recruitment events through the European (Online) Job Days platform
- Information on and access to post-recruitment assistance, such as language training and support with integration in the destination country
Read more about EURES and its services:
Finding a job in Europe - a guide for jobseekers
Recruiting in Europe - a guide for employers
The network is composed of: the European Coordination Office (ECO), the National Coordination Offices (NCOs), EURES Partners and the Associated EURES Partners.
European Coordination Office (ECO) - the network is coordinated at European level by the European Coordination Office, established within the European Labour Authority (ELA). ECO manages the EURES portal and the European (Online) Job Days (EOJD) web platform.
National Coordination Offices (NCO) - each country has appointed a National Coordination Office for EURES, responsible for coordinating the national network of Members and Partners.
EURES Members and Partners - the services to jobseekers and employers are provided by EURES Members and Partners.
How to become a EURES Partner/Member?
EURES was launched in 1994 as a network between the Public Employment Services in the EU/EEA countries coordinated by the European Commission. Other organisations, such as trade unions and employer organisations, have also taken part, in particular as participants in specific partnerships in regions with high levels of cross-border commuting.
In order to make EURES stronger and more efficient as an instrument to facilitate free movement and improve the functioning of the European labour market it has undergone a reform enshrined in the EURES Regulation (EU) 2016/589.
One of the main objectives of the EURES Regulation is to expand and broaden the network to have more organisations participating, offering more information, guidance and recruitment services to an even wider audience of jobseekers and employers all over Europe.
To that end, all EU/EEA Member States must put in place national systems to admit organisations in their respective countries to become EURES Members and Partners. Any organisation providing employments services is welcome to join the network if it meets the common criteria laid down in the EURES Regulation as well as the requirements and procedures of the relevant national admission system.
To become a EURES Member an organisation must provide all the following three services:
- Contribute to the pool of job vacancies by transmitting data to the EURES portal
- Contribute to the pool of job applications and CVs by transmitting data to the EURES portal
- Provide support services directly to jobseekers and employers (information, guidance, post-recruitment support)
A EURES Partner must provide at least one of the three services mentioned above and justify that it cannot deliver all services of a Member e.g. because of its size, limited resources or the character of the other services it normally provides.
All EURES Members and Partners must meet certain minimum criteria listed in the EURES Regulation in terms of service delivery (e.g. compliance with labour standards and laws, capacity to offer services, free of charge services to workers) and participation in the EURES network (e.g. delivery of data according to standards and formats, programming and reporting, allocation and training of staff).