As one of their ‘100 days in office’ initiatives, the new European Commission intends to propose an initiative for an EU minimum wage. The aim is that by 2024 every worker in the EU should earn a fair and adequate wage, no matter where they live. And despite the Commission’s assurance that this would not alter national traditions of wage-setting, emotions are already running high
The latest Annual Review of minimum wages in Europe gives a detailed analysis of minimum wage rates across Europe, and not only looks at the nominal and real terms increased in minimum wages - but also levels of taxation and net pay.
The latest Annual Review of minimum wages in Europe shows that there have been increases to the minimum wage across almost all Member States, in both nominal and real terms. The report also highlights that women are over-represented among minimum and low-wage earners.
La última revisión anual de los salarios mínimos en Europa muestra que se han producido aumentos significativos en los salarios mínimos de varios Estados miembros de la UE, tanto en términos nominales como reales.
La plupart des États membres de l'UE ont enregistré des hausses de salaires pour les bénéficiaires de salaire minimum et les bas salaires, les salaires minimums et les bas salaires ont en effet progressé dans la plupart d'entre eux, du fait de l’augmentation des salaires minima légaux qui ont augmenté dans presque tous les pays depuis janvier 2018.
There have been wage increases for minimum and low-wage earners in most EU Member States, with rises in statutory minimum wages in almost all countries since January 2018. While these increases are welcomed as good news for minimum wage workers, Eurofound’s research shows workers may not automatically feel the positive impacts of these changes.
Seniority entitlements have largely been on the decline since the 1990s, and have been gradually phased-out from legislation in Europe, as well as in collective agreements. However, it would be premature to dismiss seniority-based entitlements as a thing of the past, as they remain in force across Europe, even if the more expansive term of ‘relevant experience’ is preferred.
Implementing a living wage could play a significant role in offsetting the rise of in-work poverty across the European Union, according to a new report from Eurofound on the Concept and practice of a living wage in the EU.
Over the last decade, European labour markets have seen a surge in the number of older workers in work and a continuous decline in their unemployment rates. A lot of young and middle-aged workers lost their jobs in the Great Recession, but not so the older age group. This means they receive less policy attention, which is unfortunate for older workers who suddenly find themselves without a job.
The equal treatment of women and men has been a fundamental principle of the European Union since its inception, but women in Europe still earn on average 16.2% less than men. Tomorrow, Saturday 3 November, marks the moment in the year when women symbolically stop getting paid compared to their male colleagues.
Employment in the EU has returned to the same level as before the global financial crisis: the recovery that began in 2013 has resulted in the net creation of eight million new jobs, with most of this new employment being created in services, as well as a significant increase in the manufacturing sector.
The growth in average (nominal) pay of employees has accelerated in recent years in EU countries after a slump following the economic crisis (AMECO data). Similar developments show up in data on collectively agreed wages. However, higher wage growth figures do not automatically mean that all employees benefit equally
In the following blog piece, originally posted in Social Europe Journal, Eurofound Research Manager Hans Dubois looks at the potential of partial-retirement to extend working lives in Europe, and improve the sustainability of pension schemes.
There are limits to the effectiveness of member states’ pension reforms…
Europe, it’s often said, is experiencing a worsening ageing crisis. European
Performance-related pay and employee reward systems in Europe are often unevenly distributed among different groups of workers; particularly benefitting men, highly-skilled and highly ranked workers. Without robust monitoring and transparency, supplementary employee reward systems could potentially exacerbate pre-existing pay inequalities. This is according to Eurofound's new report Changes in rem
The following article, originally written by Brian Sheehan from IRN Publishing for Eurofound's European Observatory of Working Life (EurWork), gives an overview of the reasons behind the decision to raise Ireland's National Minimum Wage (NMW) to above the 2007 level for the first time. The new rate was implemented on 1 January 2016, and followed on from a recommendation in the Low Pay Commission’s
