LinkAge was an action research project developed to examine age in terms of enabling and constraining activities advanced by trade unions and employers’ representatives in Europe.
Adopting a ‘rights-based’ rather than ‘needs-based’ approach, LinkAge provided research to identify actions aimed at representation, engagement and active inclusion in relation to ‘active ageing’ and youth employment, specifically framed within the context of recent economic changes, developments in industrial relations and social dialogue.
Assuming a qualitative methodology and a multidimensional approach, the project promoted social dialogue in terms of discourse and exchange of practice for investigating the current reality in tandem with the breadth of alternative strategies. This facilitated the creation of informed policy recommendations for improvement of working conditions for vulnerable age collectives based on common features of integration and equality.
LinkAge highlighted good practice examples on labour market integration of vulnerable age groups from the study’s six countries and at the European comparative level. In addition to the knowledge gained from the LinkAge research, a key added value of the project was contributed by the participation of trade unions working alongside selected research institutions from Austria, Belgium, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the UK.
Preliminary project results:
Jubany (coord.) (2013): LinkAge. Labour market integration of vulnerable age groups through social dialogue. Barcelona: University of Barcelona. (also available as an e-book)
