200 000 take part in EU Job Days

The EU Job Days, which took place simultaneously in 230 towns and cities around Europe from 24 September for 10 days, have attracted more than 200,000 participants. Jobseekers and employers have come into direct contact at 500 diverse events, ranging from recruitment fairs to seminars and lectures on job mobility. The Brussels event, which took place at the European Commission's headquarters, attracted 10,000 jobseekers. Meanwhile, EURES • the EU's Job Mobility Portal • now hosts 1.4 million vacancies, an increase of 40% over last year.

"The Job Days are a perfect example of how the EU can bring real benefits to people's lives on the issues that matter," said Employment Commissioner Vladimír Špidla. "Although it's too early to say how many people have been recruited across the 500 events, feedback so far has been very positive. At the flagship Brussels Job Day, 90% of employers were entirely satisfied with the quality of candidates they saw and most will be calling back an average of 40% of candidates for second interviews."

Liza Ghaliounghi, a Human Capital Manager at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, was one of 50 employers present at the Brussels event: "Our offices in Switzerland and Luxembourg are looking for qualified French speakers. This Job Days event in Brussels has proven to be a great opportunity to meet and hire new staff on the spot."

Łukasz, 28, found a new job when the EURES Denmark Infobus stopped in Gdańsk, Poland: "I am a bus driver by profession, but couldn´t find employment in my home country. A EURES Adviser told me that a Scandinavian company was hiring drivers so I came to the info bus and got lucky. I´ll start in Denmark in a few weeks time."

Meanwhile, Julia, 26, a visitor to Vienna's Mobility Fair, was able to find out more about social security when working in another European country: "I came here to find out if and how I could take my social security entitlements abroad. With the information provided I am now ready to move and join my boyfriend in Germany."

As part of the Job Days events, Commissioner Å pidla also announced a new EU initiative to give 50 Europeans a first taste of living and working in another country. Successful candidates in the initiative • called 'Your First Job Abroad' • will be offered a job contract of at least four months with employers taking part in the EURES job mobility network.
Job Days events are continuing in some cities for a further two weeks. For a full list, see:

http://eures.europa.eu