• Overview
• Research Platforms
• Thematic Area A: Language, Identity and Culture
• Thematic Area B: Language Policy and Planning
• Thematic Area C: Multilingualism and Education
• Thematic Area D: Language and Economy
• European Level
• National Level
• European Level
• Communication, Management, Infrastructure, Training and Gender

Labour markets, the Knowledge Economy, language and mobility in Europe

(WP10, 2006–2008)

Summary Results

Between Protection of the Market, Consumer and Language

LINEE researchers looked into language related problems that eventually lead to lawsuits before a European court. They concentrated on cases where one party suspected certain language requirements to be a pretext to protect national markets.

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Rationale

The single European labour market is finding it difficult to be operationalised as an open labour market. This is largely due to the relationship between language competence and geographical mobility. The most dynamic segments appear to involve movement from the new Member States, to take up low level employment in the industrial age remnants of the economies of the older Member States, most notably the UK, where English is the language of the state labour market. Beyond this there is also some more limited mobility at the higher occupational levels of the New Economy, with the speakers of the main lingua francas – English, German, Spanish, and French being mobile. Nor is the transformation from industrial age economy to the Knowledge Economy an even process, but characterised by coreperiphery distinctions. The relationship between the New Economy and space in Europe involves a hardware concentration that focuses primarily upon Helsinki and Stockholm, and a belt of software production that extends from Dublin to Milan. Other regions are obliged to enter the new economy primarily through path dependency – transforming pre-existing industrial age economic activities into knowledge economy activities. With exceptions, the core of the industrial age economy remains the core of the New Economy. This may lead to the emergence of a digital divide, with the culture-rich and technology poor locations of Europe being at risk of exclusion.

Objectives

This WP aims to explore the overall relationship between the single European labour market, state and regional labour markets as they relate to the emerging Knowledge Economy. It will also investigate the level of geographic mobility within and across these labour markets, and relate this mobility toknowledge of languages.