EU50: Working in the EU
News
07 February 2022On the last leg of the interview with Fergal, Emer, Susan and Rebecca, they are talking about how being EU-citizens has made it easier to get permission to live and work in another EU country.
Here you can read some of the ways Ireland's EU membership has changed the job market for Irish citizens:
- Single Market access helps create jobs as Irish exporters can sell more easily into global markets like Canada, Japan, South Korea and Singapore thanks to EU free trade agreements.
- As EU citizens, Irish people can live and work freely in any Member State, and that means more opportunities and job choices for Irish workers.
- Irish citizens working in other EU countries enjoy equal treatment in accessing employment, working conditions and all other social and tax advantages.
- Workers’ rights have been improved in Ireland through EU regulations including measures that bring better working hours, conditions and contracts.
- Irish jobseekers and students can upload a CV to Europass, which makes skills and qualifications easily understood in Europe for enrolling in education or training programmes or getting work in another Member State.
- European legislation on gender equality in the workplace has ensured that Irish men and women are entitled to equal pay for doing the same job. They also have legal protection when it comes to equal, fair treatment at work and both parents are entitled to maternity and paternity leave.
- EU legislation supported labour market access and led to the abolition of an out-dated marriage bar for women in public service jobs in 1973.
See the video below to hear about the experiences of living and working in a different EU country from Feargal, Susan, Emer and Rebecca.