Jobs, Skills and Restructuring:Outsourcing and Relocation in the European Union

Does outsourcing and relocation prevent advanced industrialized countries from creating well-paid manufacturing and services jobs for unskilled and skilled workers? In the last decade outsourcing of jobs from high-wage countries have moved to lower-wage countries such as China and India. However, in recent years jobs from Denmark, Belgium and France have increasingly moved to Germany – traditionally known as a high-wage economy.  The main driver of this new trend of moving production to Germany is the Single European Market. Can countries maintain their traditional labor market models in the face of European Union requirements? What is the role of the welfare state for growth and employment?  We aim to explore these questions by conducting in-depth interviews with policy-makers in Denmark, Germany, France and the EU; with labor unions officials in the meat production industry, care sector and construction in Denmark, Germany, France and at the EU-level; and with managers, shop stewards/employee representatives in selected companies in the meat production industry, care sector and construction in Denmark, Germany and France.