The LABREF database is managed by the European Commission in cooperation with the Employment Committee (EMCO). The aim of the project, started in December 2005, is to support the work carried out in the framework of the Europe 2020 Strategy and to improve the understanding of labour market institutions as part of the general economic policy surveillance of Member States.
The measures reported in LABREF refer to enacted legislation, as well as other public acts of general scope, including measures entailing changes in the implementation framework of a previously adopted measure. In addition, they also encompass relevant collective agreements and tripartite agreements. The database does not record information on planned reforms or draft bills. The database allows for cross-country analysis on the pace and type of measures enacted in a particular year, as well as for tracking measures over time.
The main topics discussed are:
- labour taxation;
- unemployment benefits;
- other welfare-related benefits;
- active labour market policies;
- job protection legislation;
- early withdrawal;
- wage bargaining;
- working time organisation;
- immigration and mobility.
