Brussels to observe EU Job Day in October

BRUSSELS, Sept. 25 -- The Belgian capital of Brussels, seat of European Union headquarters, will observe EU Job Day on Oct. 3.

The European Commission said in a statement Friday that the event will be held for the third straight year at Berlaymont, the EC building, with an emphasis on matching job skills with the needs of the labor market.

More than 80 employers and thousands of Europeans will attend the event, the statement said.

More than 200 cities across Europe will observe EU Job Day between mid-September and mid-October.

Vladimir Spidla, European commissioner for employment, social affairs and equal opportunities, said "social Europe begins with jobs."

"The effects of the economic crisis have been felt especially by young people," Spida said. "It is unacceptable that they leave school or university straight into unemployment. We cannot watch and do nothing."

Spida said that while many areas of Europe have been hit by unemployment, shortages of certain skills persist in some regions.

"We encourage young people to broaden their horizons and look for work across the EU," he said.

The months of September and October will see more than 500 events such as job fairs, seminars, lectures, workshops and cultural activities around Europe.

The gatherings are designed to explain the benefits of job mobility within the EU and give employers and job seekers the opportunity to meet with one another.

Due to the global economic crisis, the job market appears quite gloomy within the EU. According to recent figures released by Eurostat, employment within the 27 EU countries fell 0.6 percent in the second quarter compared with the previous three months and by 1.9 percent compared with the same period last year.