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  • Housing crisis strikes further blow to Europe's deepening wealth inequality

    The new episode of Eurofound Talks, published on International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, looks in-depth at Europe’s wealth divide. Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound researchers Carlos Vacas and Eszter Sandor about how wealth inequality remains as intractable as ever – despite positive developments in recent years on wages and improvements in general working conditions.

  • 30 million jobs added to EU labour market over past 30 years

    Eurofound’s new report Structural change in EU labour markets: A generation of employment shifts details a dramatic rebalancing of employment away from traditional industries towards a burgeoning service economy.

  • Housing policy is key to bridging Europe’s persistent wealth divide

    Housing policy has emerged as a critical factor in shaping household prosperity in a new report from Eurofound which confirms persistent wealth inequality across the EU. Based on data from 2010 to 2021, the fresh analysis reveals that wealth distribution is more unevenly distributed than income, highlighting the disproportionate control of assets by a small portion of the population.

  • Is Europe’s mental health still in crisis?

    In the latest episode of Eurofound Talks, published today for World Suicide Prevention Day, Mary McCaughey speaks with Senior Research Manager Hans Dubois about concerning trends highlighted in Eurofound’s new report, Mental health: Risk groups, trends, services and policies.

  • New pan-European survey reveals stark inequalities in working conditions

    Results from Eurofound’s pan-European flagship survey reveal significant improvements in job quality over the past decade but highlight stark inequalities between women and men, as well as radically different situations for workers in different parts of Europe.

  • New study finds suicide is now the leading cause of death for young people in Europe

    The long-term decline in suicide death rates across the EU has stalled, marking an alarming reflection of poor mental health in Europe. Suicide accounted for 18.9% of deaths among 15–29-year-olds in 2021, ahead of traffic collisions (16.5%). Eurofound analysis also reveals that in 2021, poor mental health resulted in 11.1 million years of life lost or lived with disability.

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#EuropeanGenderEqualityWeek 🔍 What does gender equality look like in today’s workplace? Insights from our latest European Working Conditions Survey reveal that while progress has been made, notable differences remain in how men and women experience job quality and working conditions. 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 Work intensity is measured by high exposure to quantitative and emotional demands, as well as multiple pace determinants (e.g. working at high speed or to tight deadlines). 🙍‍♂️🙍‍♀️ A similar number of men and women report working often under high speed or tight deadlines (~34% and ~35%, respectively). 🙍‍♀️ However, women are more likely to encounter emotional demands in the workplace, such as suppressing emotions, managing angry clients, handling emotionally distressing situations, and dealing with frequent, disruptive interruptions.

💬 "AI should augment and not just automate worker's tasks." Eurofound Research Officer Dragoș Adăscăliței gives his three recommendations for improving the deployment of AI in the EU during the latest #EurofoundTalks episode with the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA). 🎧 The full episode, looking at whether AI is making work safer in Europe, will be available next week. It is essential listening for those interested in, or working on, AI at the workplace. Subscribe now where you get your podcasts.

#EuropeanGenderEqualityWeek 🔍 What does gender equality look like in today’s workplace? Insights from our latest European Working Conditions Survey reveal that while progress has been made, notable differences remain in how men and women experience job quality and working conditions. 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 Working time quality is a measure of the extent to which working time arrangements support workers’ health, well-being, and work-life balance. Factors contributing to the assessment of working time quality are the duration, scheduling, predictability, and flexibility of working hours, as well as the presence of atypical hours like night or weekend work. Overall, both men and women report satisfactory levels of working time quality, with some small but key differences. 👨‍✈️ Men tend to work longer hours, with an average of 2.3 long workdays per month, but they're also more likely to have some control over their work schedule (50%). 👩‍🏫 Women tend to work fewer long days per month (1.3), but a smaller share of them has at least some control over their work schedule (43%). Learn more: https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/en/publications/all/european-working-conditions-survey-2024-first-findings

#EuropeanGenderEqualityWeek 🔍 What does gender equality look like in today’s workplace? Insights from our latest European Working Conditions Survey reveal that while progress has been made, notable differences remain in how men and women experience job quality and working conditions. 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 Despite receiving comparable levels of support from colleagues and managers, women consistently report poorer social environment conditions in the workplace. This disparity may be attributable to women's overrepresentation in public-facing and frontline roles (particularly in sectors like health, education, and social care) where exposure to adverse social behaviours such as bullying, harassment, unwanted sexual attention, and verbal abuse is more common. Learn more: https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/en/publications/all/european-working-conditions-survey-2024-first-findings

#EuropeanGenderEqualityWeek 🔍 What does gender equality look like in today’s workplace? Insights from our latest European Working Conditions Survey reveal that while progress has been made, notable differences remain in how men and women experience job quality and working conditions. 𝗣𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 Men and women often encounter distinct physical risks and demands on the job. 👩‍⚕️ On average, women report more favourable physical workplace conditions. However, their overrepresentation in sectors such as health and social care means they are disproportionately exposed to physical risks such as lifting patients, handling potentially infectious materials, and extended periods of sitting. 👷‍♂️ Men, on the other hand, are more frequently exposed to physical hazards such as heavy lifting, smoke, fumes, dust, extreme temperatures, loud noise, and vibrations from tools or machinery, reflecting their overrepresentation in sectors like manufacturing and construction. Learn more: https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/en/publications/all/european-working-conditions-survey-2024-first-findings

⏳ Just 20 days until Eurofound #FoundationForum2025! We’re honoured to welcome a distinguished line-up of speakers to celebrate #Eurofound50 Anniversary Forum: 🔹Daniel Susskind, writer and economist 🔹Roxana Mînzatu, European Commission Executive Vice-President 🔹Li Andersson, Member of the European Parliament 🔹Micheál Martin, Taoiseach of Ireland 📅 19–20 November 📍 IMMA Venues, Dublin Attendance is by invitation only. The sessions on 20 November will be streamed live for all to join online.

🎧 Have you heard our latest episode of #EurofoundTalks on wealth inequality in Europe? 💬 In it Mary McCaughey, Carlos Vacas and Eszter Sandor discuss why Europe's wealth divide is so intractable, how the struggle for home ownership among young people is accelerating the problem, and which policies could help create a fairer and more equitable Europe. 💻 Listen now, for free, on our website. 🍎 You can also get it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all the usual places. 🖱️While you're there, subscribe, share and support our work in this area. #HousingCrisis #WealthInequality

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