Recruiting in Europe. a guide for employers. European Commission

Transcription

1 Recruiting in Europe a guide for employers European Commission

2 Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission may be held responsible for the use that may be made of the information contained in this publication. photos: istockphoto.com (cover, pp. 1, 7), European Commission (p. 2), Brand Support (pp. 3, 6, 9) Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union Freephone number (*): (*) Certain mobile telephone operators do not allow access to numbers or these calls may be billed. A great deal of additional information on the European Union is available on the Internet. It can be accessed through the Europa server ( European Communities, 2008 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2007 ISBN Printed in Belgium PRINTED ON WHITE CHLORINE-FREE PAPER

3 Recruiting across Europe can take your business further You want your business to be prepared for today s challenges of globalisation and rapid technical innovation. But can you find the right personnel for jobs in your country? You may also consider recruiting beyond the border in Europe. The European Union s Principle of Free Movement of Workers allows you to recruit staff from all EU Member States as well as from Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein (also known as the EEA countries) and Switzerland. Recruiting from abroad has, amongst others, the following advantages: Find the right person for the right job. Looking abroad offers you the attractive possibility of finding the skilled staff you are looking for. Discover the motivation of mobile workers. They are ready to start working for you, often on short notice, are very flexible and willing to adapt to a new work environment. Increase innovation and competitiveness of your business. Mobile workers bring along a solid background of educational and professional experience that can help your business grow. Furthermore they can help you to establish new business contacts in their country of origin. This guide will introduce you to the necessary steps for recruiting abroad. 1

4 Who can help you to recruit abroad? Once you have decided to recruit abroad, there are various helpful sources for information, advice and support: EURES, the European Jobs Network covering all EU/EEA countries and Switzerland, facilitates your job search and puts some efficient recruitment tools at your disposal that are free of charge: The EURES website, allows you to search for jobseekers in 31 European countries. Efficient human network. More than 700 EURES Advisers are in daily contact with thousands of jobseekers and employers across Europe. Our advisers are specialised in practical, legal and administrative matters related to mobility at national and cross-border levels. Trustworthy partners. Public employment services provide you with comprehensive and detailed information on a jobseeker s profile and related matters of interest. They also offer a wide range of comprehensive services to meet the particular needs of each employer. Access to them is only a few web clicks away. Professional recruitment agencies can offer a wide range of information about hiring staff from abroad. They will guide you through the registration procedure, provide you with their database of jobseekers and help you understand the legal requirements connected to relocating staff. Job search engines and related websites are useful tools for your independent recruitment process. You can check the CVs of available jobseekers and post your job ad online. 2

5 Denmark s low unemployment rate of only 3.3% has created an acute labour shortage in key sectors. Arriva Skandinavien, one of Europe s largest transport service companies, decided to look for drivers and mobile plant operators abroad. In the autumn of 2007, Arriva s Danish headquarters were looking for more than 400 bus drivers and expected to need up to 1,600 during the following two years. To overcome the language barrier, Arriva proposed a four-month language induction period for its foreign employees. While still attending intensive Danish courses, the newly arrived workers had already begun their job as drivers wearing badges saying Sorry, I do not speak Danish. The company contacted EURES Denmark - just one week before the employment service launched an Info Bus Tour through Poland and Germany. On short notice, Arriva received more than 500 applications during and just after the start of the tour, and selected around 40 candidates for interviews. 3

6 The EURES job portal Key sections: 1 Recruiting abroad provides a checklist of steps to consider before, during and after hiring from abroad. You can also read about the experience of employers who have already employed mobile workers. 2 Advertise a job explains how you can post a job on the EURES portal. 3 Create a MY EURES account enables you to receive CVs by , and to select and organise them automatically. 4 5 Statistics provides up-to-date information on the number of CVs of jobseekers (per home country and per sector) and of vacancies registered on the EURES portal. Living & Working contains practical, legal and administrative information. The Labour Market Information sub-section informs about current trends in the European labour market by country, region and sector. Upcoming events for employers in the country or region selected can be found in the Events Calendar

7 6 Contact a EURES Adviser to guide you by country or cross-border partnership. 5 7 Related links connects you with the Public Employment Services, EURES members and partner offices in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. 6 7 Take notes 5

8 How to recruit with EURES help? There are several aspects you need to take into account before recruiting staff from abroad. Your EURES Adviser will provide comprehensive information on the following details. Steps to take before the recruitment process Counselling and planning. Your local public employment service will discuss your recruitment needs, prepare a candidate profile and produce a recruitment plan, which clearly outlines the objectives, benefits, risks and costs of recruiting abroad. Practical arrangements. It is important to consider the practical steps for a new foreign employee to settle and to find accommodation, etc. Steps to take during the recruitment process Vacancy notification. To advertise your vacancy on the EURES portal you need to place it with your local employment service. Refer to the link How to advertise a vacancy on the EURES portal. EURES CV search. EURES has a database of 300,000 jobseekers looking for jobs abroad. Register today for the CV Online tool on the EURES portal. It is quick and easy to use. EURES Events Calendar. Find details of recruitment events throughout Europe and participate in EURES job fairs abroad. Linguistic, academic and cultural requirements. Consider the level of language skills requested from your candidates to be sure you can communicate with them. In the case of regulated professions, employers should check if they need to register foreign workers with the appropriate authority to ensure their qualifications are recognised. You can consult for more details. Bear in mind that cultural differences could explain why applicants may be different to what you are used to. 6

9 Company presentation. Consider preparing a presentation for candidates to promote the company and outline available relocation support. Case studies can bring your job opportunities to life. It helps to involve successfully integrated migrant workers. Evaluation. Collecting feedback from your recruitment partner and candidates will help you assess the strengths and weaknesses of the project and improve future recruitment activity abroad. We also recommend giving feedback to your candidates and recruitment partners. Steps to take after the recruitment process Integration of workers. A welcome pack, including information on the local area such as transport links, directions to the workplace, a map and details of nearby facilities, is a useful addition to your formal induction procedure. Legal and administrative formalities. Workers who need to register with the authorities may require time-out from their jobs. Make allowances for the time it will take to apply for a social security number, registration document or other required bureaucratic formalities. Family and accomodation issues. Do consider your employees circumstances and the time they may need to look for housing, visit schools or support their family. Preparing resident workers. Involve your current staff as much as possible in the recruitment process. Explain to them what you are doing and why. A social event will help your workers get to know each other. Want to know more? Go to the subsection Employers on the EURES website, where you can find a practical checklist for recruiting from abroad. 7

10 Where can you find EURES across Europe? EU countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom. EEA countries: EU-27 + Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein Switzerland Go to 8

11 Endorsements Employer What we appreciate about EURES, compared with other employment services, is the human aspect, the chance to have direct contact with the local EURES Advisers. Frank Thomsen, factory director, Broby Staal ApS, Denmark Employee I would like to thank everyone working at the EURES service in Sicily, who gave me a chance. It helped start my journey across Europe, which is not over yet. I do believe that this kind of experience gives you the opportunity to grow. The only advice I can give to anyone who is considering moving abroad is...go for it! Luca Lazzara, commercial airline pilot, Italy EURES Free counselling and placement abroad is what makes EURES stand out from other networks facilitating work mobility. Gabriela Drobota, EURES Adviser, Romania Want to know more? Click European Commission Recruiting in Europe - a guide for employers Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities pp. - 14,8 x 21 cm ISBN

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