A key benefit of EU citizenship is the EU’s principle of free movement of workers. EU rules make it easy for you to work in another EU country and protect your social security rights once you’re there. You don’t need to worry about seeking a work permit in any EU country, whether you live in the country you work in or not.
Whether you work locally or in another EU country, you enjoy the right to equal treatment with nationals in access to jobs, working conditions and all other social and tax advantages. EU law also protects you in your job by making it illegal to be discriminated against on the grounds of your gender, ethnicity, religious beliefs or disability.
In practical terms, the EU can help you launch yourself on the job market, by creating the perfect CV. Thanks to the free online Europass platform, you can draw up customised CVs and cover letters which allow you to communicate your qualifications and skills to employers around Europe in one of 31 languages.
You can then enter your CV in the European jobseeker database, EURES, to access the job market both at home and across the rest of the EU. EURES helps match jobseekers and employers in Europe and offers information on living and working conditions in your chosen country as well as language training, integration courses and other post-recruitment support.
If you are a professional worker (i.e. medical doctor, lawyer, teacher, nurse, pharmacist), it’s important to check whether you first need to get your professional qualifications recognised in the EU country you intend to move to. Consult the EU professional qualifications database which will help you find the right national authority to guide you through the necessary administrative formalities to get your qualifications recognised. A European Professional Card also exists for a limited number of professions that can get your qualifications recognised in another EU country online.
Once you’re set up in a new job, it is reassuring to know that your social security benefits are protected under EU law. Although each EU country has its own social security system, overarching EU rules mean that you will only pay contributions in one country; have the same rights and obligations as the nationals where you are covered and when you claim a benefit, your previous periods of insurance, work or residence in other countries will be considered. It’s worth checking in advance what the terms are for claiming benefits in the country where you are working. The time you must wait before you can claim unemployment benefit varies from country to country, for example.
And what if you need to re-skill? Under its European Skills Agenda, the EU is making a concerted effort to ensure that as many individuals and businesses as possible can access opportunities to re-skill or up-skill. Among several other initiatives, it has, for example, launched the Pact for Skills, which has 1,000 members and 14 large-scale partnerships in strategic sectors and pledges to help upskill up to 6 million people. The European Digital Skills and Jobs Platform offers information and resources on digital skills, such as a self-assessment tool. And more recently, the EU has rolled out an EU Talent Pool and Talent Partnerships with selected third partners to help match the skills of candidates to work in Europe with labour market needs.
For more information
Social security systems in the EU
Regulated professions database
