The aim of this paper is to determine the prospects for the development of employment programmes in the labour market and the directions for their transformation in the EU countries. The author uses general scientific methods, methods of statistical processing of information, graphical methods, and comparative analysis. The information base of the study includes statistical data and materials of international organizations (UN, ILO, Eurostat, European Commission). The research results: the article presents an analysis of labour market policy measures in the EU countries during periods of sustainable development and economic crises; considers the structure and dynamics of expenditures on various programmes and the number of their participants; identifies the government labour market policy trends and the features of its implementation in countries with developed market economies and in post-socialist countries; presents assessments of the prospects for labour market policies in the EU countries in the face of new challenges. The author concludes about the prospects for labour market policy in the EU countries in the face of new challenges and about the possibilities of using the EU experience in developing active labour market policy measures in Russia. The scope of application: the research results can be used by Russian federal and regional executive authorities in the development of active labour market policy measures.