EU: Commission suggests "single employment contract"

The European Commission will launch discussions in 2011 on the idea of a new form of "single employment contract", aimed at bridging the gap between open-ended and fixed-term contracts.

The European Commission launched on 23 November 2010 an "agenda for new skills and jobs", setting out a range of measures aimed at helping to meet the target - set out in the EU's Europe 2020 growth and jobs strategy - of an employment rate of 75% for people aged between 20 and 64.