Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The Council of the European Union adopted a new law to improve the collection of labor market statistics related to companies at the EU level. The new rules will, in particular, ensure that these statistics are more up-to-date and comparable across countries. They also provide better coverage of the economy and ensure the collection of data on the gender pay gap. According to a European statement issued in Brussels, a copy of which we received, "EU legislators need timely, reliable, and comparable access to enterprise-related labor market statistics (EMP statistics) to effectively design, implement, evaluate, and coordinate a wide range of EU policies, for example in areas such as the coordination of economic and employment policies, social policy, and equal pay for men and women. EMP statistics are used to monitor the Sustainable Development Goals, the European Employment Strategy, the European Pillar of Social Rights, and the European Semester.
The new rules adopted today update existing legislation to improve the comparability of EMP statistics and increase their coverage of the economy. The regulation also ensures the collection of data on the annual unadjusted gender pay gap, in line with new wage transparency rules."
According to the European statement, the text adopted today requires adoption by the European Parliament. It will be signed by representatives of the Parliament and the Council and will become law upon publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
The term "EMP statistics" refers to official statistics relating to the performance of companies in labor markets, particularly with regard to costs. Employment, profits (including the gender pay gap), and job vacancy statistics.
The Commission's proposal on a regulation on labor market statistics for companies in the EU was adopted on 28 July 2023. The regulation covered statistics on profits, labor costs, the gender pay gap, and job vacancies in the EU, which are regularly published by the European Statistical System (Eurostat). An agreement was reached between Parliament and the Council on 12 December 2024.