Eurofound - events

AskTheExpert webinar: Navigating a new era of psychosocial risk in Europe

Eurofound — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Time: Feb 03, 14:00 – 15:00 UTC
Location: Online

Eurofound is organising a joint webinar with the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) on 3 February 2026 at 14:00-15:00 Irish time (15:00-16:00 CET) looking at latest research on psychosocial risk in workplaces across Europe, with a live Q&A.

Click here for more details and registration.

'Eurofound at 50' Exhibition opening reception

Eurofound — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Time: Jan 20, 18:00 – 19:00 UTC
Location: dlr Lexicon, Dún Laoghaire, Dublin A96 H283

As the New year begins, Eurofound is delighted to invite you to the opening reception of its exhibition Eurofound at 50, marking the agency’s 50th anniversary as the only EU agency based in Ireland.

The opening reception will take place from 18.00 to 19.30 at the dlr Lexicon, Dún Laoghaire and will be officially opened by Cllr Jim Gildea, Cathaoirleach at Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and Ivailo Kalfin Eurofound’s Executive Director, with partners from the European Parliament, the European Commission and national and local organisations also invited to attend. It will bring together local representatives, partners and colleagues to celebrate Eurofound’s long-standing links with the Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown community and its European role.

Eurofound at 50 will run from 20 to 30 January 2026 at the dlr Lexicon and is open to the public throughout. The exhibition highlights how Eurofound’s research has shaped social and employment policy in Ireland and across Europe over the past five decades. Admission is free, and all are welcome.

We very much hope you can join us for the opening reception on 20 January and visit the exhibition.

Please RSVP to dlrlexiconlib@dlrcoco.ie.

Watch Foundation Forum 2025 LIVE from Dublin

Eurofound — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 09:00:00 +0000

Time: Nov 20, 09:00 – 13:30 UTC
Location: IMMA Venues Dublin and Online

Five decades on from Ireland’s first EU Presidency, and the founding of Eurofound - the only EU agency based in Ireland - this week Dublin once again hosts a European-level debate on how to reconcile social progress with competitive growth.

This year's Foundation Forum comes as Europe faces accelerated technological, demographic and climate change amid growing geopolitical uncertainty.

Among those leading the discussions will be Taoiseach Micheál Martin, European Commission Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu, economist and best-selling author Daniel Susskind, and Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence Thomas Byrne. They will be joined by senior policymakers, social partners, academics, and civil society leaders.

Beyond marking five decades of research supporting better policies for a stronger Europe, the event will look forward, exploring how Europe can maintain its social model and remain competitive in a world defined by AI, the green transition and rising geopolitical tensions.

Join us LIVE! The plenary sessions of Forum 2025 will be livestreamed on Eurofound’s website, YouTube channel and on LinkedIn on Thursday 20 November.

Skills and jobs: How SMEs go digital

Eurofound — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 09:00:00 +0000

Time: Dec 02, 13:00 – 14:30 UTC
Location: Online

The 25 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the European Union drive growth, innovation and employment and play a key role in digitalisation. By leveraging digital technology, SMEs can improve operations, expand their market reach and contribute to innovative solutions to pressing challenges such as fighting climate change and increasing social cohesion.

In this virtual get together, Cedefop and Eurofound, EU agencies which both celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2025, team up to present new joint work on digitalisation policies and to explore how digital SMEs in Europe are today. Live from Dublin and Thessaloniki, the two EU agencies present the key challenges and barriers SMEs face in becoming more digital and review digitalisation and digital skills support measures. The links between digitalisation and job quality in SMEs will be assessed by looking at how digital tools and algorithmic management practices affect work organisations and working conditions.

This virtual get-together is open to policy makers, social partners and sectoral representatives, SME representation organisations, VET providers and institutions, representatives from national, regional, and local authorities, and labour market, education and training, and skills experts, as well as the media.

Registration to the event is now open!

Register here
Full programme and background reading available here

Eurofound’s Annual Lecture 2025

Eurofound — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 14:00:00 +0000

Time: Jun 19, 11:30 – 13:30 UTC
Location: Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, Frederick House, 19 Frederick St S, Dublin 2, D02 X266, Ireland

Eurofound’s will hold its third Annual Lecture on 19 June in Dublin. Entitled 'Living and working in Europe - Rethinking progress for a sustainable and equitable future', the lecture will be given by guest speaker Enrico Giovannini, professor of Economic statistics and of Sustainable development at the University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’.

This lunchtime event will be opened by Thomas Byrne TD, Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence, and Ivailo Kalfin, Executive Director of Eurofound, to celebrate Eurofound’s 50th anniversary – five decades of supporting better policies for a strong social Europe. Minister Byrne will also reflect on Ireland’s preparations for its upcoming 2026 EU Council Presidency.

Prof. Giovannini will explore the crucial challenge of balancing economic transition with sustained growth and societal prosperity. The address will delve into current EU policies, reflecting on their overall effectiveness in these areas. Looking at relevant national examples, Prof Giovannini will outline how legal frameworks can be adapted to integrate vital long-term thinking into policy-making.

The lecture takes place in the context of increasing emphasis on the need to boost European competitiveness on the global stage, and how this drive aligns with the core values and principles of the European social model.

Speaker background:

Enrico Giovannini is professor of Economic statistics and of Sustainable development at the University of Rome 'Tor Vergata' and professor and the National School of Administration (SNA). He was Italian Minister of Sustainable Infrastructures and Mobility in the Draghi government (2021–2022) and Minister of Labour and Social Policies in the Letta government (2013–2014). He is also co-founder and Scientific Director of the Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development (ASviS), a coalition of more than 300 organisations established to implement the UN 2030 Agenda in Italy. He was Director of Statistics and Chief Statistician of the OECD (2001-2009), President of the Italian Statistical Institute (2009-2013) and visiting fellow at the European Political Strategy Centre of the European Commission (2014-2015). In October 2014, the President of the Italian Republic made him ‘Cavaliere di Gran Croce al Merito della Repubblica’, the highest honour of the Italian Republic. He is the author of more than 130 articles published on national and international journals and author of eight books on statistical and economic topics.

This event is by invitation only. For more information please contact Cristina Arigho.

Open Day to mark Eurofound’s 50th anniversary

Eurofound — Thu, 29 May 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Time: Jun 13, 09:00 – 12:00 UTC
Location: Eurofound, Wyattville Road, Loughlinstown, Co. Dublin, D18 KP65, Ireland

On Friday 13 June 2025 from 10.00-13.00, Eurofound opens its doors to its neighbours and the local community with an opening address delivered by Regina Doherty, Member of the European Parliament.

This event is an opportunity to discover work on living and working in Europe, tour our premises, and meet and talk to the team, as well as mark Eurofound’s 50^th anniversary of supporting better policies for a strong social Europe.

Open Day collaboration & partnerships

A key part of this event is collaboration and partnerships with EU institutions and organisations based in Ireland, including the European Commission Liaison Office, the European Parliament Liaison Office, European Commission Directorate F – Health and Food Safety, European Movement Ireland, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Institute of International and European Affairs, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and the Institute of Art, Design and Technology, (IADT).

Sign up to attend if you are interested in:

learning more about our work
exploring the grounds of our 17th century Loughlinstown House
talking to the team and staff from 21 Member States of the European Union
having coffee and cake, and free BBQ lunch
visiting the exhibitions of our partners and collaborators

Feel free to recommend this event to a friend, neighbour or colleague. But please note, places are limited!

Watch a video of last year's Open Day here.

#EurofoundLive: How is AI changing the world of work in Europe?

Eurofound — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 09:00:00 +0000

Time: Feb 11, 11:00 – 12:00 UTC
Location: Online

This year, Eurofound and European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) both mark their fiftieth anniversary. The longevity of the agencies, and the impact of their work, is a testament to the importance of evidence-based research for adapting to labour market change and driving economic development.

That specialism and evidence-based approach is needed now more than ever to deal with current rapid changes to the labour market and the world of work. New technologies are having a profound impact across various aspects of our working lives. They have the potential to drive efficiency, reduce risks, and improve job quality. Europe must harness them to improve working life, as well as maintain its competitive edge.

Artificial intelligence is at the forefront of this change. Alongside its tremendous potential for profit and progress, it has presented challenges, including concerns of job destruction for medium and low-skilled workers. AI transforms tasks and skills needs across the board and more must be done to close the gap between the new knowledge and skills needs associated with AI and the low share of workers training for it. There are also significant business implications, and SMEs may lose out to larger businesses that can invest more in AI development and deployment.

In this special #Eurofound50 webinar, Mary McCaughey, Head of Information and Communication at Eurofound, speaks with Dragoș Adăscăliței, Eurofound Research Officer, and Jasper Van Loo, Cedefop Department Coordinator, about how AI is already changing working life in Europe, and what needs to be done to harness its tremendous potential while also protecting those that risk being left behind.

Registrations are now open.

#AskTheExpert: Are robots revolutionising work in Europe?

Eurofound — Fri, 22 Nov 2024 13:30:37 +0000

Time: Nov 25, 13:00 – 14:00 UTC
Location: Online

Eurofound is organising an interactive webinar looking at the human-robot interaction in the workplace, with a live Q&A.

As advanced robots become more complex and prevalent in modern work environments, understanding how workers and robots interact and the implications for work organisation and working conditions is crucial for robots’ successful integration into the workplace.

The extent of interaction between workers and robots is expected to increase in modern workplaces due to rapid advancements in robotic technologies. Advanced robotics often leverages progress in artificial intelligence, machine learning and sensor technologies to achieve higher levels of sophistication and versatility.

The enhanced capabilities of new-generation robots facilitate increased collaboration between humans and robots, partly by ensuring safety when humans and robots are working in proximity. This marks a move away from traditional robots, often confined to cages on the shop floor to isolate them from human operators.

Despite the many benefits, there are lingering concerns around the requirement for workers to continually adapt to new or changing tasks and roles, the possibility of monitoring workers’ activities at an unprecedented level of granularity, diminished autonomy and control over the pace of work, and the emergence of new health and safety risks, including of a psychosocial nature.

In this Eurofound #AskTheExpert webinar, Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound researchers Sara Riso and Dragoș Adăscăliței about the opportunities and challenges that come with closer human–robot interaction, and whether automation can bring in a productivity boost which could revolutionise the economy and labour market in Europe.

Media alert: Skills for Jobs discussion

Eurofound — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 13:00:04 +0000

Time: Nov 22, 10:00 – 12:30 UTC
Location: Europe House, 12-14 Mount Street Lower, Dublin 2, D02 W710

On Wednesday, 22 November, the European Commission Representation in Ireland and Eurofound will host a seminar to discuss the challenges that Ireland and other EU countries currently face in matching the needs of the their economies for skilled professionals with the talents pool of their citizens.

Based around Eurofound’s research findings and with input from EU policymakers and Irish stakeholders, it will be an opportunity to explore current skills/labour shortages and trends across public and private sectors.

According to a Eurobarometer survey published last week, “difficulties in finding employees with the right skills” is by far the biggest problem for SMEs both in Ireland and in the EU. 50% of Irish SMEs and 54% of EU SMEs cite this is the most serious problem they encounter, far ahead of issues like “regulatory obstacles” or “access to finance”. Over half of Irish SMEs have found it difficult to find and hire staff with the right skills over the past 24 months.

The event will be opened by Barbara Nolan, Head of the European Commission Representation in Ireland. Simon Harris T.D., Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science will deliver the opening address followed by remarks from Ivailo Kalfin, Eurofound Executive Director

Other speakers include:

Franz Eiffe, Research manager, Eurofound
Paul Healy, CEO, Skillnet Ireland
Emma Kinsella, Head of Skills Policy and Enterprise Engagement Unit, Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
Meadhbh Costello, Policy Executive, IBEC
Tony Fitzpatrick, INMO.

The event will be moderated by Mary McCaughey, Head of Information and Communication in Eurofound.

A panel discussion will be followed by a Q&A session with participants.

Journalist are welcome to the event, but please note that the capacity of the room is limited and to secure you place please register in advance here: https://forms.office.com/e/rjZabd2YN0

Programme of the event

09: 30 Registration and Coffee

10:00 Welcome & Introduction to the European Year of Skills

Barbara Nolan, Head of the European Commission Representation in Ireland

10:10 Opening address

Simon Harris T.D., Minister for Further & Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science

10:25 Introductory remarks

Ivailo Kalfin, Executive Director, Eurofound

10:40 Scene setter

Franz Eiffe, Research manager, Eurofound: Overview of Eurofound’s latest research findings on skills

10:55 Panel Discussion

Paul Healy, Chief Executive, Skillnet Ireland
Emma Kinsella, Head of Skills Policy & Enterprise Engagement, Dept. Of Further & Higher Education (DFHERIS)
Meadhbh Costello, Policy Executive, Ibec
Tony Fitzpatrick, Director of Professional Services, Irish Nurses & Midwives Organisation
Moderated by Mary McCaughey, Head of Communication at Eurofound

11:40 Q&A with panel and audience

12:20 Wrap-up and closing

12:30 End of event – Networking lunch

#AskTheExpert webinar: How to help workers struggling with inflation?

Eurofound — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 14:30:00 +0000

Time: Sep 26, 09:00 – 10:00 UTC
Location: Online

In this #AsktheExpert webinar Senior Research Manager Christine Aumayr-Pintar and Research Manager Ricardo Rodríguez Contreras will look at the impacts of inflation on real terms pay across Europe and how this is likely to develop in the coming months. Tadas Leončikas, Head of the Employment unit, will also speak about the broader societal implications of declining purchasing power and the role of public services in building resilience across the EU. The discussion will be moderated by Mary McCaughey, Eurofound’s Head of Information and Communication.

The European Commission's spring economic forecast projects that EU inflation will fall to 6.7% in 2023 from 9.2% in 2022, before easing to 3.1% in 2024. While inflation looks to have peaked for the foreseeable future, the European Central Bank has warned that inflation will remain too high for too long. This is particularly the case for core inflation, which excludes energy prices.

Eurofound's analysis shows that, while the risk of recession has subsided, inflation continues to erode the purchasing power of households, workers and consumers. Data published at the beginning of this year show that, despite significant increases in nominal rates in 2023, minimum wage workers in most EU countries are seeing their purchasing power decline, with increases in real terms expected in just a few Member States. A new report on Tackling rising inflation in sectoral collective wage bargaining shows that workers across sectors are experiencing declining purchasing power and that this has the potential to increase social conflicts, industrial action, and labour disputes. In the long-term this could potentially jeopardise the EU’s strategic goals for the twin green and digital transition.

Dealing with inflation has featured prominently on the political agenda, and governments have enacted extensive relief packages aimed at mitigating the impact of inflation on households and families, and on sectors. Fiscal measures, such as tax reductions, have been used extensively. These measures are usually temporary but have been extended regularly. Their long-term use may have an impact on social services, which provide vital support for all in society, and particularly those which are struggling financially.

Is there another way? Can workers receive the support they need without compromising on the effectiveness of public services? Our experts discuss Europe’s options.

More information:

Registration form: #AskTheExpert webinar: How to help workers struggling with inflation?

Explore Eurofound and get face-to-face with our team

Eurofound — Fri, 26 May 2023 09:00:00 +0000

Time: Jun 09, 09:00 – 12:00 UTC
Location: Eurofound, Wyattville Road, Loughlinstown, Co. Dublin, D18 KP65, Ireland

On Friday 9 June 2023 from 10.00-13.00, Eurofound will open its doors to journalists and the local community, in collaboration with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.

We will showcase our work on living and working in Europe and provide people with the opportunity to meet and talk to the team. If you have a burning question for our experts on working conditions and sustainable work, industrial relations, labour market change or quality and life and public services then this is your opportunity.

Register here to attend this free event or contact the press contacts below for more information.

About Eurofound:

Eurofound (The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions) was established in 1975 and is the only European Union Agency in Ireland. The Agency aims to support the policymaking activities of EU institutions, governments, employers, trade unions and civil society organisations.

'Youth first! Employment, skills and social policies that work for young Europeans in times of uncertainty'

Eurofound — Mon, 05 Sep 2022 14:00:00 +0000

Time: Sep 08, 08:00 – 11:00 UTC
Location: European Parliament and Online

In the European Year of Youth #EYY2022, five EU Agencies, the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop), the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound), the European Labour Authority (ELA), the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) and the European Training Foundation (ETF), come together to organise a seminar with the Employment Committee of the European Parliament to share their insights and explore the challenges and opportunities for young people in times of uncertainty.

The Directors of the five Agencies together with MEPs and other experts will discuss working conditions for young people, youth policies, well-being and mental health, access to education and training, opportunities for cross-border mobility, realities in EU neighbouring countries and much more!

The presentations and debate will be held in English.

Watch the live webstream here on 8 September

Foundation Forum 2022: Recovery and resilience in the EU – Back to the future?

Eurofound — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 18:12:40 +0000

Time: Mar 03, 09:30 – 17:00 UTC
Location: Dublin Castle and online

Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, how can the EU work to ensure lasting equality, inclusion and social cohesion? How will the EU and its Member States best address the challenge of persistent and ever-widening inequalities? How is the pandemic shaping the future of work? Can Member States future-proof social protection systems? And is it possible to achieve all of this, while ensuring a sustainable transition to a just and greener Europe?

Eurofound’s Foundation Forum 2022 will bring together up to 1,000 experts, policymakers, employer and worker representatives, national governments, thinkers and practitioners, online and in Dublin Castle, to hammer out the issues around the role of the EU and national governments in ensuring lasting equality, inclusion and social cohesion, as well as a sustainable transition to a just and greener Europe.

The Taoiseach Micheál Martin will give a live address 'A Europe that works for its citizens, Ireland's perspective'

Confirmed speakers include:

Micheál Martin TD, Taoiseach (Prime Minister), Ireland
Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, IMF
Élisabeth Borne, Minister for Labour, Employment and Economic Inclusion
Nicolas Schmit, EU Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights
Luca Visentini, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation
Anna Diamantopoulou, Chair of High Level Group on Future of Social Protection
Natacha Valla, Dean of the Sciences Po School of Management and Innovation, Paris
Anna Kopp, Director IT, Microsoft

For press enquiries please contact James Higgins at the contact details below.