EU lawmakers call for employment rate target of 75 percent by 2020

European Union (EU) lawmakers said on Thursday that they want the employment rate in the EU to be increased to 75 percent by 2020, with a particular focus on vulnerable groups.

"Member states should create more and better jobs and increase the employment rate to 75 percent of the active population by 2020, " the European Parliament said in a resolution on the EU employment guidelines.

Meanwhile, the employment rate for vulnerable groups, including young people aged 15-25, older workers aged 50-64, unskilled women workers, people with disabilities and people with migrant backgrounds, should be increased by 10 percent by 2014.

The employment guidelines are an instrument of the Europe 2020 strategy for growth and jobs, which was adopted by EU leaders in June to guide EU economic development during the next decade.

The strategy provided targets to be achieved by member states in the field of employment and social inclusion, under which employment rate for Europeans aged 20-64 should be raised from currently less than 70 percent to 75 percent by 2020.

EU lawmakers also called on member states to reduce the school drop-out rate to below 10 percent by 2020 and ensure that 90 percent of 15-24-year-olds in the EU should be either in education, training or employment.

Turning to poverty reduction, EU lawmakers proposed that EU governments set national targets to reduce by 25 percent the number of people living below national poverty lines, lifting over 20 million people out of poverty.

"They should pay special attention to the growing group of working poor and to child poverty," the resolution said.

Source:Xinhua