Making work sustainable is not simply a challenge for politicians and policymakers in the European Union: it is a fundamental issue that underpins the future of the world of work in Europe. It goes beyond the mantra of raising employment rates and deals with productivity and innovation – and the everyday lives of workers throughout the EU.
Eurofound’s new report takes forward existing research on the labour market integration of refugees (those with the officially recognised status of international protection) and asylum seekers (those who have applied for international protection and are awaiting a decision). The report provides updated information on legislation and practical arrangements in the first half of 2016, examines labour
Two new studies presented today during the EU Agencies Forum at the European Parliament highlight the vast contribution of the 45 EU Agencies and Joint Undertakings to the economic and political development of the European Union
The reasons why people choose self-employment reflect both the choices available to them and the overall economic situation in their country. The sixth EWCS asked workers what was the main driver for becoming self-employed. The answers vary greatly between countries: 86% of self-employed workers in Sweden said they opted for self-employment ‘mainly through own personal preferences’. However, only
The European labour market is still largely dominated by traditional employment forms – permanent full-time contracts, or self-employment. However, there is a marked increase in new forms of employment that aim to align employers’ needs for flexibility with workers’ needs for security and stability. Strategic employee sharing provides the opportunity for a group of employers with recurring resourc
In 2014, the EU adopted a new Enforcement Directive (Directive 2014/67/EU) to address concerns surrounding regulations regarding the posting of workers in Europe. Member States had two years until the deadline of 18 June 2016 to transpose and adapt their national regulations. A recently published topical update from Eurofound’s Observatory of Working Life (EurWORK ) considers the progress made by
Part of the solution to the refugee situation in Europe is to swiftly integrate those who have arrived into host countries’ labour markets. Refugees and asylum seekers, however, face many obstacles to getting work, including lengthy asylum procedures, poor conditions in reception centres and lack of adequate support. Eurofound is holding a national-level seminar entitled ‘EU labour market integrat
The first panel session at the launch of the sixth EWCS focused on ‘Job quality – Challenges and opportunties’. Pictured at the session are (from left) David Foden, Head of Unit Working Conditions and Industrial Relations, Eurofound, Georgi Pirinski, Bulgarian MEP in the S&D Group; Claude Rolin, Belgian MEP (EPP Group); Marita Ulvskog, Swedish MEP (S&D Group) and Vice-Chair of the Parliame
Bogus self-employment, abuse of the posting of workers and sham subcontracting arrangements are all examples of fraudulent employment practices that infringe the basic protection provided by employment law and collective bargaining.
Eurofound’s latest report, Exploring the fraudulent contracting of work in the European Union, explores the extent and impact of such contracting of work in Eur
On 17 November, Eurofound launched the overview report of its sixth European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) at a day-long conference in the European Parliament.
Since 1991, Eurofound has been using the survey to monitor working conditions in Europe. The report explores the findings of interviews with almost 44,000 workers in 35 European countries. It analyses the data using seven dimensio
And even in the confused and contentious context of the new US President-elect as well as the EU’s post- Brexit deliberations, it is hard to argue otherwise.
But, while having a job in the first place is clearly of paramount importance to people - and society at large – there is also a more sophisticated issue at play with wider ramifications for the world of work and life today: the quality of
Come see how EU Agencies work and what they deliver to the EU at the EU Agencies Forum in the European Parliament on 6 – 7 December 2016
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.
