The Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) strand of the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) has a budget of € 762 million. The EaSI strand builds on the former EaSI programme 2014-2020, maintaining the focus on evidence-based policy-making and social experimentation, support to job mobility and the non-financial instrument activities related to the former Microfinance and Social Entrepreneurship axis.
As part of ESF+ it follows the same policy objectives as ESF+ with the European Pillar of Social Rights as main framework.
EaSI is centred on the following main policy priorities:
1) employment and skills,
2) labour markets and labour mobility,
3) social protection and active inclusion and
4) working conditions
EaSI is to support analytical activities (surveys, studies, statistical data, methodologies, classifications, micro-simulations, indicators, support to European-level observatories and benchmarks) to promote evidence-based policy making in the areas of employment and social policy.
Under EaSI, stakeholders can benefit from networking and capacity-building activities.
To counter labour market shortcomings and develop an integrated EU labour market, it finances cross-border partnerships, and services in cross-border regions as well as EU-wide targeted labour- mobility schemes with a view to filling vacancies where labour markets ‘imbalances have been identified.
Communication and dissemination activities are a crucial part of the programme as well, notably mutual learning through exchange of practices, innovative approaches, peer reviews, and benchmarking, but also events guides, reports, informative material and media coverage.
