Employment

The legacy of the economic crisis in Europe are high unemployment rates. Above all, the largest devastation was caused in groups with low educational attainment, also in the Roma minorities. Low educational attainment directly impacts their low competitiveness in the labour market. Besides, they are faced with employment discrimination, which is especially true for women who must settle for low-paid work in grey economy and consequently for worse social and pension insurance.  

 

Unemployment and inability to create their own income pushes the Roma people to the brink of poverty. The report of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, where the Roma people in 11 European countries were studied in 2011, says that approximately 90% of the Roma earn an income below the national poverty line. Approximately 40% of the Roma children are malnourished or they live in starvation; more than a half of the studied Roma people live in living conditions far below the minimal standards. Only a third of interviewees have a paid job – however, it is often insecure and informal. 58% of young Roma people are unemployed and they are not in the education process (the non-Roma youth has a share of around 13%).

 

In the Europe 2020 strategy, the European Commission wrote that individual countries will not be able to reach their goals (one of the five important goals is achieving a 75% employability of active population between 20–64 years old), if they do not tackle the issues of the unemployment of the Roma people and their poverty. The aim is their employment, since only employment ensures their social inclusion, the improvement of living conditions and the possibility to successfully go about poverty. Besides, the employment of the Roma people contributes to social cohesion by increasing diversity and supporting democratic stability, which is a precondition for the effective protection of human rights. 

 

References: 

• European Agency for Fundamental Rights, 2011, Poverty and employment: the situation of Roma in 11 EU Member StatesRoma survey – Data in focus ) [online], available at:http://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra-2014-roma-survey-employment_en.pdf
• European Commission, 2010, Europe 2020 strategy [online] available at: http://ec.europa.eu/eu2020/pdf/COMPLET%20EN%20BARROSO%20%20%20007%20-%20Europe%202020%20-%20EN%20version.pdf