As shown in Table 1, higher education graduates have higher rates of employment than those with lower levels of qualification in all EU Member States (data for quarter 4 of 2010).

In contrast, 30% of the low-paid are no longer working after seven years, a probability of moving out of employment almost 13 percentage points higher than for those that were initially highly paid.

On the other hand, ten Member States experienced positive employment growth in excess of 1%.

In fact, despite employment growth above the average for EU-15, the labour market in Luxembourg is still suffering from a number of problems, principally the low rate of employment among older workers and the fact that a large number of people of working age leave the labour market early to receive invalidity benefits or take early retirement.

Only Hungary and Slovenia had higher employment levels in 2000 than in 1999.

This general objective will be sought through a number of operational objectives: 1. improved prospects for employment and living conditions for the labour force in the region by facilitating an annual rate of growth in employment 3 percentage points higher than in the Netherlands as a whole; 2. stimulating the competitiveness of firms in the region by promoting existing local potential and attracting investment; 1 Advisory Committee on the Development and Conversion of Regions, Committee under Article 124 of the Treaty, Management Committee on Agricultural Structures and Rural Development, Standing Committee on Fisheries Structures. 3 ...[+++]. strengthening economic and social cohesion within the region by reducing differences in unemployment rates between its component parts; 4. improving the fit of supply to demand on the labour market; 5. protecting and improving the environment to improve the image of Flevoland and attract more investors and potential settlers.