Eurofound Talks: Is climate change making work more dangerous in Europe?

Climate change is a reality in our everyday lives in Europe. Workers experience the effects of climate change and climate change policy in many ways, both directly and indirectly, from working in heat and experiencing greater exposure to UV radiation, to new occupational safety and health risks and the need for training and re-skilling.

In a new episode of Eurofound Talks Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound researchers Agnès Parent-Thirion, Tina Weber, and Jorge Cabrita about the extent to which climate change is already influencing working conditions and the labour market in Europe, the role of the green transition, and how policy can help protect workers and safeguard workplaces.

The discussion comes on the back of the publication of new research from Eurofound which shows that workers in agriculture, fisheries, forestry, construction, tourism and emergency services are particularly at risk from the direct impacts of climate change on job quality. In addition, 40% of workers in the EU will be directly impacted by the green transition. Job quality differs across green occupations with some jobs being described as strained, where the negative aspects of the job outweigh the positive.

Eurofound’s research has called for more attention to be paid to the job quality implications of the green transition, a sectoral approach to monitoring and improving job quality, and increased legislative protection for those whose jobs are most impacted by climate change.

Listen to the episode for free on our dedicated page, or wherever you get your podcasts.