45% of the population are now engaged in unpaid care across the EU with one in ten managing multiple caregiving roles. This vital, often unrecognised, informal care — predominantly provided by women and individuals aged 35-44 within families — is set to soar over the next two decades.
Eurofound, in partnership with the European Institute for Gender Equality, has published a special episode of the Eurofound Talks podcast for International Women’s Day. The episode looks at women’s progress in the labour market and society over the past five decades, as well as sticking points on the path to gender equality in Europe, particularly related to the gender employment and pay gaps.
Eurofound analysis of the gender employment gap in the EU shows that its cost - when considering foregone earnings and missed welfare contributions of individuals to society, as well as the public finance cost - was estimated to be over €390 billion in 2023, corresponding to 2.3% of the EU’s GDP.
A new episode of the Eurofound Talks podcast series looks at data from the Living and working in the EU e-survey showing a decline in the number of respondents engaged in remote work, with the percentage of people working entirely from the workplace increasing from 36% in 2023, to 41% in 2024.
In this episode of the Eurofound Talks podcast Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound Deputy Director Maria Jepsen, and Barry Colfer, Director of Research at the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA), about European social change over the past 50 years, Eurofound’s role in these changes, how Ireland itself has developed and changed, and the challenges currently on the horizon.
Respondents that participated in Eurofound’s 2024 e-survey were less optimistic about their future than those that took part in 2023, with the degree of optimism across all age groups falling considerably since 2020. The sharpest drop in optimism occurred among respondents in the 35–49 and 50–64 age groups, who reported the lowest levels of optimism in 2024.
Despite expectations that remote work or hybrid work would become a long-term norm following the pandemic, findings from Eurofound’s 2024 e-survey indicate a decline in remote work since 2023.
30% of respondents to Eurofound’s 2024 Living and working in the EU survey reported difficulties making ends meet, ranging from 17% in Luxembourg to 55% in Greece. 10% of respondents missed rent or mortgage payments, and 15% reported arrears in utility bills – both figures reflecting increases from the previous year.
In a new episode of Eurofound Talks Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound Senior Research Manager Hans Dubois about the latest developments in housing and housing policy in Europe. This, the second episode of the series looking specifically at housing, discusses the role of the incoming Commission, what Eurofound’s research can bring to the table, and the different policy tools required.
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.
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.
In a special edition of Eurofound Talks, Mary McCaughey is joined by Eurofound Executive Director Ivailo Kalfin and Ivan Krastev, Chairman of the Centre for Liberal Strategies and permanent fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna, to look at the political, social and economic drivers in Europe and how they might influence voters at the ballot box in June.
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.
Eurofound has launched a new online survey to chart evolving perceptions of life and work in Europe. The survey looks primarily at the situation of people living in the EU, but is open to everyone aged 16 years or older, regardless of where they live.
Linguistic similarities, high levels of education, labour market shortages, the mobilisation of national and EU resources, civil society involvement, and close cultural ties have helped Ukrainian refugees to find temporary employment in the EU and Norway. However, there remain barriers in accessing longer-term employment and public services, in particular housing.
The rural–urban income gap has increased by nearly 20% over the past decade, with higher incomes in urban areas than in rural areas. This, alongside the employment gap and the relatively poorer provision of public services in rural areas has contributed to a rise in rural communities expressing feelings of being mistreated, disrespected or ignored by their government.
Today is World Mental Health Day, an opportunity to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilise efforts in support of mental health.
Workers on non-permanent contracts and workers with no formal contract are less satisfied with the functioning of democracy in their country, as are workers experiencing job insecurity.
