Mental well-being among people in Europe improved between the April and July waves of Eurofound’s Living, working and COVID-19 surveys, with the largest increases among those aged 50 and over.
Approximately 40% of paid hours worked by employees were performed from home during the COVID-19 crisis, showing the magnitude of change that has taken place with regards to working life in just six months, and the now paramount importance of telework to Europe’s broader economy.
COVID-19 has brought widespread job loss, large-scale reduction in working hours and the decimation of entire sectors of the EU economy. While this has impacted all parts of the population, inter-generational and gender inequalities have been exacerbated, with years of progress diluted in just six months.
Continued dominance of large non-EU service and work platforms could result in an oligopolistic market situation in the EU in the future. This could hamper the market entry of new players, endangering healthy competition and economic and labour market innovation to the detriment of platform workers and consumers, as well as the broader economy.
COVID-19 has left many people jobless, furloughed and financially vulnerable, often feeling isolated and pessimistic. It has become clear that the status quo is no longer sustainable or desirable. The political and economic response needs to take these changed attitudes into consideration.
Eurofound’s analysis of the labour market in Europe shows that just over four out of ten (41%) of employees in the EU work in direct contact with clients, customers, users, patients or other service recipients. This ‘interactive service work’ is female dominated, with women accounting for 61% of workers.
Dans l'enquête en ligne d’Eurofound, Vivre, travailler et COVID-19, un tiers des personnes en France ont déclaré des pertes d’emploi, ou de contrats, pendant la période de confinement. La France a également enregistré la deuxième plus forte proportion de travailleurs ayant subi une réduction de leurs heures de travail.
The second wave of Eurofound’s pan-EU Living, working and COVID-19 survey is now open. As people across Europe emerge from confinement measures, the second wave of the survey will be more targeted and track changes since the initial confinement period and will seek to provide an even deeper analysis in order to further contribute to Europe’s policy response.
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.
Eurofound’s recent research shows that COVID-19 has placed further strain on the Croatian labour market and puts people across the country at greater risk of financial insecurity.
More than 40% of people surveyed in Slovenia report loss of employment, or contracts in the case of the self-employed, due to the COVID-19 pandemic – the third highest level in the EU according to Eurofound’s Living, working and COVID-19 survey.
More than half of people surveyed in Luxembourg report starting to work from home due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, according to Eurofound’s Living, working and COVID-19 survey. This has gone hand in hand with respondents in Luxembourg reporting lower levels of job loss and financial insecurity when compared to other EU Member States.
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.
