People fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine can seek jobs in Europe but not knowing the host country’s language and temporary job placements are just some of practical barriers identified in a new research paper from Eurofound and the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA).
The growth of platform work has highlighted its potential for those that require more flexible work arrangements but has also raised concerns about working conditions and exposing the vulnerability of platform workers with respect to access to safe working environments and social protection.
Europe Day is a celebration of unity, solidarity and harmony. While we may not have had much to celebrate this past year, one thing we can be proud of is how Europe has come together in the face of large-scale challenges and threats, showing that solidarity is the key to resilience and resolve.
Eurofound's Living and working in Europe Yearbook 2022 looks at the major trends in employment, social dialogue, working conditions, living conditions and quality of life in an important year for Europe, which saw the beginning of Russia's brutal war of aggression against Ukraine, and the fallout for Europe and its citizens, including a cost-of-living crisis felt throughout the continent.
Eurofound, in partnership with the European Training Foundation (ETF), has launched a new online survey which aims to document living and working conditions in Europe and the evolving concerns of citizens amidst the cost-of-living crisis, the war in Ukraine, and the broader post-COVID-19 context.
While an initiative such as the European Year of Skills is welcome, and improving skills can certainly go some way to help to address labour shortages, it is not a silver bullet. To address these challenges effectively, what is needed is a clear grasp of the drivers behind shortages in specific sectors and occupations and the policy context.
Eurofound’s new report looks at measures implemented at national level to tackle labour shortages in the health, care, and information and communication technology sectors, as well as those arising from the twin green and digital transition, to assesses what works and the contextual factors supporting or hindering effective policy implementation and outcomes.
Women in the EU are 3.6 times more likely to suffer from unwanted sexual attention than men, with the likelihood of a young woman (18–34 years) reporting unwanted sexual attention three times higher than men of the same age, and 10 times higher than the oldest group of men (50+ years). This problem is even more acute for frontline workers, according to the most recent data.
The new episode of Eurofound Talks looks at the issue of job quality in the modern workplace. Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound Head of Unit for Working Life Barbara Gerstenberger about what the EWCTS reveals about job quality, the implications of poor-quality jobs on well-being and broader society, and what policymakers can do to improve the working lives of people in Europe.
With inflation expected to persist, a further depreciation of minimum wages in real terms can be expected in most Member States, as only a few foresee additional increases in 2023.
Despite nominal increases in statutory minimum wages reaching an all-time high between January 2022 and January 2023, minimum wage workers in most EU countries are seeing their purchasing power decline or just about compensated, based on preliminary inflation figures.
41.7 million people teleworked across the EU in 2021, double the number of 2019, as COVID-19 restrictions and changes in work culture significantly impacted work organisation.
The new factsheet on Living, working and COVID-19 in the European Union and 10 EU neighbouring countries presents a selection of results from the fifth round of Eurofound’s e-survey which extended to 10 neighbouring countries for the first time.
Oscar Vargas and Mary McCaughey use results from the Living, working and COVID-19 online surveys, the European Working Conditions Telephone Survey, and other analyses from Eurofound to investigate what the future holds for telework in Europe, and whether the mass rollout of telework has been to the benefit of workers and businesses.
Working experiences varied dramatically during the pandemic with those working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic faring better than other groups over a range of employment and working conditions indicators, even though many worked comparatively long hours and often with high levels of work intensity.
Stefania Rossi has been elected Chair of Eurofound’s Management Board at the Agency’s annual Management Board meeting in Dublin on 18 November. The annual gathering of representatives from governments, employer organisations and trade unions in all EU 27 Member States, and the European Commission and the European Parliament, also approved Eurofound’s work programme for 2023.
The new episode of Eurofound Talks looks in-depth at care: care for children, care for older people, care for those who are frail or with disabilities, access to care, the quality of care, and the working conditions of care workers.
The recovery in employment levels was faster for women than for men in the EU following the COVID-19 pandemic: in the last quarter of 2021 there were just over 2 million more women in employment and 1 million more men compared with the same period in 2020.
The impact of the COVID-19 crisis has deepened the traditional gender divides across many areas including the labour market, working conditions, work-life conflict and overall working time, according to findings from Eurofound’s latest research report; COVID-19 pandemic and the gender divide at work and home.
Guy Ryder, Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and Ivailo Kalfin, Executive Director of Eurofound, have signed a framework agreement for cooperation between the two organisations for the 2022-2025 period. The renewed framework agreement covers joint research projects, seminars, training and sharing of expertise, and visits.
