www.socialserviceseurope.eu
Media Advisory
25 March 2015
Social Services Europe: Non-profit Service Providers’
Contribution to Economic Growth & Job Creation
Brussels – tomorrow from 8:00 to 9:00 AM, Social Services Europe will hold the breakfast
session “Job creation and Economic Growth in the Health and Social Sector; The
Contribution of Non-profit Service Providers” at the European Economic and Social
Committee (Jacques Delors Building, 1st floor, 99 rue Belliard – 1040 Brussels).
The session will be hosted by Ariane Rodert, Member of the European Economic and Social
Committee, and chaired by Heinz Becker, Jutta Steinruck and Jean Lambert, Members of the
European Parliament. It will provide a valuable opportunity for policy makers and service
providers to discuss the best ways to bring social investment back on to the European policy
agenda.
Social Service Europe represents 100,000 not-for-profit social and healthcare services that
are active in promoting social inclusion and cohesion across Europe. They make a strong
contribution to achieving the Europe 2020 targets and are heavily engaged in implementing
EU structural and investment funds. Not-for-profit service providers in health and the social
sector are important partners for ensuring a social dimension in European policy making. But
the sector’s true potential for economic growth and job creation is not sufficiently taken into
account by policy-makers.
Health and social services have a crucial role for jobs in Europe. With over 22 million workers
in 2011, the sector represents 10% of the total EU workforce. It also generated more than 5
million jobs between 2000 and 2011 – one third of all the jobs created in the EU during this
period. Investing in health and social care provision is evidently worthwhile. However, the
social dimension is clearly missing in the most recent EU initiatives such as the Juncker
Investment Plan or the European Commission Work Programme for 2015.
While recent research into recruitment and retention in the health sector provides valuable
evidence for policy-makers, much less attention is being paid to the social sector. As the gap
between demand and supply of care services widens, ensuring a sufficient workforce with a
long-term perspective is vital. Policy-makers need to recognise the essential role social
service providers play in contributing to social cohesion, sustainable and inclusive growth
and job creation in Europe.
“We need to bring social investment back on the EU agenda. EU policy-makers and social
service providers must join forces to formulate smart plans for social inclusion that also
create new and attractive jobs”, says Leon Prop, President of Social Services Europe.
Follow the conversation on Twitter from 8.00 AM on 26 March using #socialservicesEU.
For more information, please contact: