The latest monitoring report of the Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) strand of the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) is now available. It provides a detailed overview of EaSI’s performance between 2021 and 2023.

Strong results

During this period, EaSI achieved targets in four out of six key performance indicators and contributed to EU policy development in areas such as platform work, social protection and cross-border employment. The gradual expansion of EaSI activities each year suggests that the remaining indicators will also improve in the next reporting cycle.

Measuring reach through citation analysis

A new feature of this report is the use of citation analysis, which tracks how often EaSI-funded studies are referenced in external publications, including policy papers, scientific journals and news articles. The findings confirm that EaSI outputs are widely recognised: they inform debates and legislation in Member States and attract attention as far afield as Australia, the United States and Canada.

Focus on social innovation

The report also showcases examples of projects from both the former EaSI programme (2014–2020) and the current ESF+/EaSI strand that have potential for scaling up. These include initiatives such as ALMA, supporting disadvantaged young people, and the EURES Targeted Mobility Scheme. 

EaSI has strengthened its role in promoting social innovation and experimentation, with new tools and platforms launched under ESF+, including the Social Innovation Plus Initiative. While progress is evident, challenges remain in raising awareness and scaling successful innovations.