This
year's report notes some further improvements in the Union's jobs climate, brought about by the favourable economic developments and the labour market reforms undertaken in 2000 and first half of 2001. In fact, the EU's performance is the best for many years, with 9.9 million new jobs created since 1995 (2.8 million of them in 2000 alone). Similarly, we can all welcome the news that the number of jobless fell by 1.5 million to 8.2 %, the largest absolute fall for more than a decade. Similar headway was ma
de on long-standing problems like ...[+++] long-term and youth joblessness although absolute levels are still unacceptably high. The report concludes that the EES has created a process of improved Member State policies by, amongst other things, ensuring personalised approaches towards the unemployed, promoting lifelong learning and modernised work organisation, some decreases in labour taxation and improving access of women to the labour market.