Europe: is it ready for free movement of its workforce?

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine what could be achieved through workforce mobility in Europe.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach taken is a literature and case review.

Findings

Findings indicate that full mobility of a European workforce is largely permitted and tolerated though a complex web of legal policy and constraints which need to be reviewed if full mobility is to be achieved within the European Union (EU).

Practical implications

The paper draws on integration and trade theory to highlight the issues of mobility within the EU. The paper may prove useful to policy makers and researchers.

Originality/value

This paper allows researchers to gain an understanding of the issues in workforce mobility within the EU and build a conceptual portrait of the challenges faced by policy makers.

Citation

Floyd, D. and McManus, J. (2009), "Europe: is it ready for free movement of its workforce?", International Journal of Social Economics, Vol. 36 No. 11, pp. 1082-1085. https://doi.org/10.1108/03068290910992633