In the immediate aftermath of the recession in 2008, employment in the public sector continued to grow, helping to sustain demand in the European economy. However, by 2010 significant restructuring was underway in the public sector in several Member States. The ‘ERM Annual Report 2014 – Restructuring in the public sector’ provides an overview of restructuring trends in Member States since 2008.
The take-up rate of parental and paternity leave among fathers has been increasing in most Member States but it still remains relatively low. Covering all the EU Member States and Norway, this report looks at the most recent trends in terms of take-up of parental and paternity leave, existing provisions and factors influencing take-up rates.
The global economic and financial crisis brought to an end an era of relative calm with regards to collective industrial action, and the highest incidence of industrial action was not surprisingly found in countries worst hit by the crisis. Wednesday 18 February is the international day of action in defence of the right to strike, initiated by the International Trade Union Confederation ITUC.
Dramatic recent oil price declines have seen deflation take hold in the EU, and general price levels in December 2014 were 0.2% lower than a year earlier. EU sanctions against Russia impact on reported restructuring job losses in Europe. This is further evidence of a tentative European economic recovery that appears to be running out of steam, the latest ERM Quarterly report.
The minimum wage levels have begun to increase over the past two years, following years of no change. The latest quarterly update from EurWORK presents the most recent data on statutory minimum wages in Europe, applicable on 1 January 2015, and an overview of the discussions leading to the final settlements made in 2014.
Eurofound launches the fieldwork for the 6th European Working Conditions Survey (6th EWCS). With over 43,000 interviews with workers in 35 countries, the survey offers a comparative snapshot of the state of working conditions and its changing trends in Europe. The first findings of the 6th EWCS will be presented at the end of 2015.
Eurofound’s 2015 work programme outlines a dual challenge for the European Union and the Member States: finding a way out of the crisis while pursuing the mid-term ambition of achieving progress towards a competitive and fair Europe. Although the financial situation in Europe seems to have stabilised, the recovery is still very modest and needs to be consolidated.
In the wake of the economic and financial crisis, many European governments have cut spending on healthcare services. A new report from Eurofound identifies the groups most likely to face barriers to healthcare as a consequence of the crisis, including a number of new groups that have been generally overlooked by policymakers.
A new report out today gives a broad overview on psychosocial risks at European workplaces and provides examples on the way forward at political as well as company level. The report is presented today to national labour inspectors and practitioners from several southern European countries in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and to EU-level policymakers in Brussels, Belgium, on Thursday 16 October 2014.
Eurofound hosts the 2014 annual Industrial Relations Europe Conference (IREC) between 11-12 September 2014. The event gathers Europe's leading Industrial Relations experts and researchers, sharing research findings and looking ahead to new perspectives for industrial relations, social and employment policies in Europe.
Eurofound’s fifth annual yearbook, Living and working in Europe, based on the Agency’s research from 2013, describes developments in the EU in the wake of the crisis, focusing on major topic areas including changes in labour markets and employment, efforts to tackle youth unemployment, innovation in workplaces and public trust in institutions.
The average collectively agreed weekly working time in the European Union stood at 38.1 hours in 2013, according to Eurofound’s latest working time update. The combined total of agreed annual leave and public holidays in the EU varied from 40 days in Germany and France to 29 days in Belgium - a difference of more than two working weeks. The Working Time Developments in Europe 2013 report is out.
Eurofound (European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions) is a tripartite EU body, whose mission is to provide knowledge to assist in the development of better social, employment and work-related policies.
