Minimum wage workers around Europe are in the simultaneous position of being increasingly called upon to provide essential services during COVID-19 confinement and response measures; as well as being more likely to be made redundant or furloughed due to their concentration in highly impacted sectors.
Statutory minimum wages were raised in most EU countries for 2020 – in many even substantially, such as in Poland 17%, Slovakia 12%, and Czechia 11% - according to Eurofound’s ‘Minimum wages in 2020: Annual review’ published today.
The new von der Leyen Commission took office on 1 December 2019. Having adopted its first work programme on 29 January 2020, the Commission sets out its plans for a transition to a fair, climate-neutral and digital Europe. It outlines six top priorities. Eurofound’s work directly feeds into a number of these key areas aimed at creating a strong social Europe.
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
John Maynard Keynes famously thought that, by now, the primary societal issue would be boredom, due to productivity increasing to a level where we would only need to work 15 hours per week. He was evidently wrong. Despite huge changes in technology and productivity, long working hours are still prevalent.
Workers in Member States that joined the EU after May 2004 were expected to work close to three full working weeks per year more than those in ‘older’ Member States in 2018.
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.
The votes have been cast, tallied and declared and we can now see the political landscape of the new European Parliament. To what extent have mixed developments in employment and quality of life contributed to the more fractured political landscape? And can the EU continue to deliver to the more diverse demands of citizens across Europe?
