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Topics: Social issues

  • Feelings of insecurity widespread in Europe

    Feelings of insecurity in several dimensions of life are widespread in the EU, even among those who are materially well-off. Only 1% of the EU population enjoys the highest level of security in the combined areas of personal security and security in housing, healthcare, employment and old-age income.

  • Big differences in female share of employment and management in Europe

    ​On average, women make up 36% of all managers in Europe. Some of the newer Member States lead the way in terms of the equal representation of men and women both in labour markets and in management. This graph shows the female share of management in each of the Member States.

  • Equality still far from reach for women in management

    Management is still mostly a man's game. The limited presence of women in management roles in European workplaces, despite years of gender equality policy, illustrates the magnitude of the challenge in achieving gender equality at work and highlights the need for more concerted effort and comprehensive long-term strategies to drive change.

  • Upcoming policy brief: Women in management

    Eurofound's forthcoming policy brief focuses on women who have overcome the barriers and advanced into management. It aims to assess whether women, once they have reached a managerial role, continue to encounter obstacles that their male counterparts do not face.

  • Forthcoming research: Burnout in Europe

    In September Eurofound will release a new report on Burnout in Europe, examining what causes burnout, the effects of burnout, and mapping where in Europe it is considered an occupational disease.

  • The quest for convergence

    As the European Union recoups the losses of the crisis and seeks a sounder footing for future growth, the concept of convergence has taken centre stage in the policy discourse. But what do we mean by ‘convergence’ in the European context?

  • Social mobility: Going up? Or down?

    It seems that social structures are hardening. As the modernisation of economies subsides, fewer new jobs are being created at the higher occupational levels, and this is curtailing upward mobility.

  • Platform work and employment conditions

    @JuanMenendezEF presents #eurofound latest research findings on #platform #work and employment conditions at the informal #EPSCO #eu2018at today 19 July 2018

  • Sharing caring

    ​It is well known that women take more responsibility for the care of their children than men. According to the 2016 EQLS, 88% of mothers compared to 64% of fathers in the EU care for their children every day. These fathers estimate they give 21 hours a week to the care of their children, while the mothers dedicate 39 hours per week.

  • Germany’s minimum wage has reduced wage inequality

    Wages grew and wage inequality fell in most EU countries in 2015. Germany is not one of the countries where wages rose most, but it did have the largest reduction of wage inequality. Our analysis shows that the German minimum wage policy introduced in 2015 strongly lifted the wages of the lowest-paid employees, particularly those employees who were lower-skilled, younger or working in services.

  • Europe’s economic recovery continues in times of political instability

    Europe is showing visible signs of progress; in most countries, labour markets are healthier than they have been in a decade, with more people active and in work than ever before, while social exclusion is declining. However, it is also a continent in transition, where an imbalance in opportunities for prosperity and quality of life directly determines to what extent you have felt this recovery.

  • Europe’s recovery means a better life for many, but not all

    ​The number of people active in the labour market is at an all-time high, ratings for key public services are increasing and there is a marked recovery in trust in national institutions in many Member States, these developments are detailed in Eurofound’s latest Living and working in Europe yearbook for 2017.

  • What about men?

    In this blog piece, originally published in Social Europe, Karel Fric and Camilla Galli da Bino look at the issue of discrimination against men in the workplace in Europe, and the current lack of research in this area.

  • Migrants in European labour markets are persistently disadvantaged by region of origin

    The integration of migrants from outside the EU into society is one of the key challenges that the Union must address to maintain social cohesion and equality. In this blog piece Enrique Fernández-Macías and Tania Paniagua de la Iglesia look at how well migrants and their descendants have integrated into the labour markets of EU Member States.

  • Long-term unemployed youth: The legacy of the crisis

    In this blog, originally posted in Social Europe, Massimiliano Mascherini looks at the enduring issue of long-term unemployment among young people. Despite considerable improvement in the labour market participation of youth in recent years, the legacy of the crisis is still visible in the substantial increase in the cohort of long-term unemployed young people.

  • EU Agencies unite against harassment on International Women’s Day

    The Heads of the EU Agencies have pledged to communicate to their staff that harassment in the workplace is not acceptable, to ensure respect for existing laws and the staff regulation, to promote diversity at work, and to provide a trusted environment in the workplace.

  • Lebensqualität in Deutschland zunehmend losgelöst von der Wirtschaftsleistung

    Die führende Stellung Deutschlands in Europa in den letzten Jahren war weitgehend auf die Position als Wirtschaftsmacht zurückzuführen. Deutschlands Platz in den kommenden Jahren kann auch durch seine Fähigkeit definiert werden, ein Kraftpaket für sozialen Zusammenhalt und Integration zu werden

  • Quality of life in Germany is more than just making ends meet

    Germany’s commanding position in Europe in recent years has largely been due to its reputation as an economic powerhouse. Its place in Europe in years to come may well be defined by its ability to also become a powerhouse for social cohesion and integration.

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