Abstract
Highlighting the conflict between economic and social rationales, dismissal on economic grounds lies at the heart of the debate on ensuring security in people's working lives because it exposes the most vulnerable workers to the risk of long-term unemployment and, hence, social exclusion. This comparative study of redundancy in Europe shows how legal provisions, business practices and government action can all contribute towards countering that risk. In spelling out the responsibilities of each of the actors in the redundancy process, the authors underscore the need for complementarity between employment protection within enterprises and job-search support in the labour market.