Service economies in Europe - challenges for employment policy and trade union activities

This contribution discusses how service-employment growth can be promoted. After considering some methodological issues in the comparison of service societies, the EU countries are compared in respect of the degree of tertiarisation of their economies, on the basis of which a typology of European service societies is developed. The authors then identify, with reference to empirical data, the driving forces behind the growth of service employment in the EU countries. A central result of the analysis is that service employment does not automatically increase with continued economic growth, but is more closely tied to social innovations than is commonly thought. The authors argue for an orientation model of service employment in the future that both meets employees’ interests in high-quality employment, adequate earned income and social protection, and is economically feasible and socially acceptable. European service societies differ clearly from the US model, and the European model is closely linked to strong trade unions and forms of social dialogue.