Eurofound’s 2023 yearbook, Living and working in Europe, provides a snapshot of the latest developments in the work and lives of Europeans as explored in the Agency’s research activities over the course of the year.
Only 54% of traineeships or apprenticeships in the EU receive compensation, according to Eurofound data published in a new report by the European Court of Auditors on participation, quality and outcomes of traineeships in the 27 EU Member States. The report highlights the need to improve the quality of traineeship offerings, including learning support and the possibility of obtaining new skills.
In a new episode of Eurofound Talks Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound Research Manager Tina Weber about the evolution of the right to disconnect in Europe, the reasons why legislative and procedural actions are being called for, the impacts that effective right to disconnect policies can have, and what the debate indicates about the post-pandemic world of work.
The proportion of self-employed workers in the EU has not increased over the past two and a half decades, and fell from 15.4% to 13.7% between 2010 and 2022. This reduction was primarily driven by falling self-employment among men and the imbalance between labour market exits among older self-employed workers and the creation of new self-employment.
In a new episode of Eurofound Talks, recorded for International Women’s Day 2024, Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound researchers Carlos Vacas and Barbara Gerstenberger about the gender pay and employment gaps in Europe.
Over 80% of workers in a Eurofound-commissioned survey of employees in Belgium, France, Italy and Spain report receiving work-related communications outside their contractual working hours during a typical working week.
The working conditions of Europe’s essential workers is the focus of the new episode of the Eurofound Talks podcast.
Poor job quality, including high emotional demand, working at high speed and to tight deadlines, is widespread among several of the sectors and professions deemed essential, key or critical during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Extreme temperatures in southern Europe have impacted workers’ health and resulted in industrial action in some EU Member States. Eurofound’s research shows that, already in 2015, 23% of workers in the EU were exposed to high temperatures during at least a quarter of their working time.
While losses in real minimum wages have occurred in several countries across the European Union, these have not eroded the long-term gains of purchasing power that have occurred across the EU since 2013. In an effort to offset inflation, governments have significantly increased nominal minimum wages across Europe. In 2023, the median nominal increase was almost 11%, compared with just 5% in 2
Eurofound has published a special episode of the Eurofound Talks podcast to look at the work-life challenges of women and men, and in particular how gender segregation on the labour market, and gender inequalities in the division of paid and unpaid work, impede progress towards gender equality in Europe.
Women in the EU are 3.6 times more likely to suffer from unwanted sexual attention than men, with the likelihood of a young woman (18–34 years) reporting unwanted sexual attention three times higher than men of the same age, and 10 times higher than the oldest group of men (50+ years). This problem is even more acute for frontline workers, according to the most recent data.
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.
