Why STILE?Updated: 03/05/2004

Participation in the labour market is a key asset for social inclusion. As a consequence, an adequate statistical monitoring of the labour market is of strategic importance. It will enable us to know who is working where and under what conditions, and how working patterns are evolving. Such close monitoring of the labour market to provide accurate and timely information will contribute to a more efficient allocation of labour in the production process and to a more effective policy aimed at maximising the work opportunities for all. 

However, the data and information that are available on the labour market, in particular, are still too dispersed because of differences in sources (surveys versus administrative databases, differences in concepts, definitions and measurements, etc.), and in levels (regional, national, European, global). Furthermore, the rapid technological and organisational changes in recent years that are associated with the emergence of the Information Society have not always been reflected in the classification systems used to categorise industries and occupations.

STILE will tackle a range of existing conceptual, methodological and practical problems associated with measuring various parameters of the new Information Society and the labour market in the eEconomy. The current shortage of such measurements constitutes a growing problem both for the scientific community and for national and European policymakers.