Mechanical Engineering
Because it penetrates all of the European productive activities, the European mechanical engineering industries are sectors of strategic importance for European manufacturing and services.
The mechanical engineering industries are divided into very different sub-sectors which include a number of major companies as in lift, agriculture or printing machinery industries, but, in general, are composed by a wide range of small and medium-sized Enterprises.
With about 24,500 companies employing directly more than 2,6 million workers, the engineering sector is by far the biggest industry sector and is on the other hand the main productivity and innovation driving sector in Europe. It is also the main contributor to export and added-value within the EU.
While productivity has been rising and growth has been steady in recent years, the sector has witnessed a reduction in employment. Outsourcing and use of contract work has become widespread in the sector, thus contributing to a deterioration of working conditions in some enterprises and to a lesser attractiveness of a sector which has more and more difficulties hiring new recruits and skilled engineers.
The EMF contributes to feeding EU policy initiative in the field of social affairs, industrial policy and other policy areas having a link to the mechanical engineering sectors (environment, education and training, research and development, etc.).
