Labour market policy expenditure and the structure of unemployment

This article analyses recent statistics on labour market policy expenditure in the European Union (EU). Labour market policy (LMP) interventions cover the range of financial and practical supports offered by governments to people who are unemployed or otherwise disadvantaged in the labour market. The economic and financial crisis resulted in a significant increase in the number of people who are unemployed and therefore eligible for assistance from LMP interventions. As a result, expenditure on LMP rose. Although the number of unemployed has yet to decrease, expenditure on LMP has fallen, but the change varies between different types of LMP intervention.