Countries across Europe are well aware of the need to embrace the digital transformation of the economy so that they are placed to reap its benefits. This was a point stressed in the contributions to Eurofound’s Foundation Seminar Series (FSS) 2016, the theme of which was the impact of digitalisation on work. The contributions, created by teams from 15 Member States, also highlighted the challenge
Between 2010 and 2015, as highlighted in the latest issue of Eurofound’s magazine Foundation Focus, there was an overall increase in the proportion of workers with some form of flexible working time and a decline in the extent of schedules with no possibility for change. In some countries, the proportion of workers with flexible arrangements has decreased (Bulgaria, Lithuania and Slovakia). In the
Four out of five European workers report that they have a good work–life balance. However, this implies that for one in five workers the balance between their work and their other obligations is not a good one.
The latest issue of Foundation Focus looks at work–life balance and some of the factors that help or hinder workers in combining working with non-working life. Improving work–life balanc
Eurofound’s newly launched programming document sets out the Agency’s planned work over the period 2017–2020. It outlines the policy and institutional context, describes the multiannual programme for the four-year period and details the work programme for 2017. This work will provide European decision-makers with an evidence base to formulate policies aimed at achieving upward convergence of livin
Mid-career reviews (MCR), where employers organise an assessment of workers in the workplace at a mid-point in their working life, are an important tool to ensure that workers' skills continue to match the job demands, or whether a change in tasks or career is required. Eurofound's new report Changing places: Mid-career review and internal mobility, launched in Brussels today, shows that timely mi
Eurofound has launched its new work programme for 2017 to 2020. This document sets out the activities the Agency plans to undertake in the next four years to support European decision-makers in formulating effective policies for the improvement of quality of life and work in a fair and competitive Europe during this challenging period.
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 Europe.
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 dimensions o
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
The overview report of the pan-European sixth European Working Conditions Survey #6EWCS is launched today 17 November 2016
In the following blog piece, Eurofound researchers Massimiliano Mascherini and Martina Bisello look in-depth at The Gender Employment Gap: Challenges and solutions report, and the collective responsibility to ensure that everyone in Europe has the freedom to participate in the labour market.
