Today, 15 November 2024, marks the deadline for the transposition of the EU Adequate Minimum Wage Directive into national legislation across the EU. The Directive seeks to establish a framework to improve the adequacy of minimum wages and to increase the access of workers to minimum wage protection.
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.
Around two-thirds of unemployed people in the EU do not receive benefits, often because their employment records are shorter than required, or their benefits have run out.
Workplace cyberbullying or ‘digital harassment’ is only explicitly covered in regulatory frameworks in Denmark in the EU, with other Member States either attempting to extend legal definitions to include misconduct occurring through information and communication technologies (ICTs) or outside of the physical workplace; or lacking any definition of workplace bullying or harassment in law.
In a new episode of Eurofound Talks Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound Research Manager Carlos Vacas about the situation of the middle class in Europe. Together, they explore a more nuanced picture to the one that is commonly expressed; different patterns are emerging across European regions, for instance between the Member States that joined the EU after 2004 and older Member States.
Human capital - defined as the knowledge, skills and other attributes that enable people to be productive - played a role in EU convergence in respect of national income over 2014–2021. Specifically, highly educated individuals have helped central and eastern EU Member States and regions to catch up with their western counterparts in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita.
Job retention schemes, one of the main policy tools used during the COVID-19 pandemic to safeguard jobs and protect incomes, saved 26.9 million jobs in the EU in 2020 and 2021.The schemes also reduced inequality by 0.15 percentage points, and lowered the at-risk-of-poverty rate by 0.5 percentage points.
Urban and capital areas have disproportionately benefitted from the digital revolution in Europe, with a high rate of knowledge and service-based jobs. By comparison, many rural areas risk being left behind, with unbalanced urban economic dominance further deepening urban-rural divides.
The lack of a single agreed definition of ‘just transition’ by the different interest groups participating in the EU Territorial Just Transition Plans (TJTPs) is hampering stakeholder involvement and progress on the issue.
Prolonged labour shortages in the EU affect growth, innovation and the bloc’s ability to achieve its digital and green targets, as around 80% of EU employers struggle to recruit workers with the right skills. Currently, the skills of one in three employees in the EU are mismatched with their job, with 17% overqualified and 13% underqualified.
National minimum wage rates were substantially raised in almost all EU countries in 2024, reversing the loss of purchasing power that minimum wage workers experienced between 2021 and 2023, according to relevant calculations.
In a new episode of Eurofound Talks Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound researchers Eszter Sandor and Massimiliano Mascherini about the situation for young people in Europe, from the impacts of the economic crisis and Great Recession to the aftermath COVID-19 pandemic and voting trends in the recent European Parliament elections.
Eurofound's new report explores young people’s wishes and plans for the future in the context of the current labour market and housing situation. It finds that, while there are positive signs for young people in terms of employment, many young people in Europe find themselves locked out of the housing market and unable to establish the independence required to have families of their own.
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.
In this episode of Eurofound Talks Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound Research Manager Daniel Molinuevo about the European Child Guarantee, how bad the situation is with regards to child poverty and social exclusion, what Member States have committed to doing about it, what the implications are for workers and civil society, and what prospects there are for the future.
Unemployment is a predominant catalyst for lower political engagement in Europe, with the higher the unemployment rate, the higher the levels of non-voting. This was particularly apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic with the unemployed, as well as those residing in rural and disadvantaged areas, much less likely to vote.
Minimum wages in Romania and the EU were analysed in an information session on Towards adequate minimum wages and strengthening of collective bargaining at Eurofound on 26 April. These exchanges, known as Virtual Visits, take place in the context of Eurofound’s ongoing efforts to reach out to the national level and ensure widespread dissemination and dialogue with respect to its research findings.
Labour shortages in Luxembourg were analysed in an information session on National policy and company approaches to addressing shortages at Eurofound this week. These exchanges, known as Virtual Visits, take place in the context of Eurofound’s ongoing efforts to reach out to the national level and ensure widespread dissemination and dialogue with respect to its research findings.
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.
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.
