Foundation seminar series 2013 - Promoting diversity at the workplace: a strategy for inclusion and competitiveness

2nd session: 3 - 4 October 2013, Vienna, Austria

Venue: Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA), Schwarzenbergplatz 11, 1040 Vienna

Background

The Europe 2020 strategy is the EU’s growth strategy for the coming decade. As well as overcoming the crisis, Europe 2020 is about addressing shortcomings in Europe’s growth model and creating the right conditions for smarter, more sustainable and more inclusive growth.

To do this, five ambitious targets have been set by EU leaders to achieve by the end of the decade. These cover employment; education; research and innovation; social inclusion and poverty reduction; and climate/energy. There are three specific targets for inclusive growth:

1. Achieving 75% employment rate for women and men aged 20-64 by 2020, through integrating more people into the workplace, especially women, the young, older and low-skilled people, legal migrants

2. Reducing school drop-out rates below 10% and bringing at least 40% of 30-34-year-olds completing third level education in view of developing a better educational attainment

3. Reducing, by at least 20 million, the people at risk of poverty and social exclusion.

Research indicates that diversity (differences related to age, ability, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion) can be an asset for companies, resulting in higher productivity and competitiveness. However, proper management practices need to be developed at the workplace level to put inclusive infrastructure into place.

Objectives of the seminar

The 2013 sessions aim to contribute to the Europe 2020 strategy by putting forward arguments and case studies that show the importance of diversity management practices as a way to promote an inclusive growth. The Foundation Seminar Series is also an opportunity to exchange views and current practices designed to introduce diversity management practices at company level between the different actors (governments, government body, trade unions, employers’ associations and individual companies).

The first session in May 2013 has prepared the ground by monitoring demographic trends and the labour market situation of specific groups of workers, and looked at the different types of practices for diversity management. The second session in October, within the framework provided by the first session, will ask participants to present and discuss initiatives adopted at national, sectoral and company level that are aimed at promoting inclusion through the introduction of diversity management practices at company level. Each country group will produce a document on their respective countries including:

• Presentation of a significant, recent piece of research/survey data on diversity management in the country

• Presentation of diversity management actions and measures at company level

• An assessment of the national situation regarding diversity management.

See programme and presentations.