“LABREF provides a comprehensive set of data on the measures adopted by the EU Member States in policy fields likely to have a direct impact on labour market performance. It contains valuable information on the number, type and design of measures, which can easily be compared across countries.

The measures reported in LABREF refer to enacted legislation, as well as other public acts of general scope, including measures entailing changes in the implementation framework of a previously adopted measure. In addition, they also encompass relevant collective agreements and tripartite agreements. The database does not record information on planned reforms or draft bills.

The LABREF database is a joint project managed by the European Commission DG ECFIN and the Economic Policy Committee (EPC). The aim of the project, started in December 2005, is to support the work carried out in the framework of the Europe 2020 Strategy and to improve the understanding of labour market institutions as part of the general economic policy surveillance of Member States.

The LABREF database is organised around nine broad policy areas: labour taxation, unemployment benefits, other welfare-related benefits, active labour market policies, job protection legislation, disability and early retirement schemes, wage bargaining, working time organisation, immigration and mobility.”

via LABREF – LABour market REForm database – European Commission.

An example of results of the database (source: http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/db_indicators/labref/index_en.htm):