Publications by subject - Population and society - 2012

Achieving work environments that make work sustainable over a lifetime is a key facet of the promotion of longer working lives. This study - based on the fifth European Working Conditions Survey - considers the dimensions of work that have proved essential to the understanding of work sustainability: working conditions; physical and psychological health; the expressive dimension of work; reconciliation of working and non-working time; and socioeconomic conditions. It examines the influence of these factors on how older workers perceive the sustainability of their work, taking account of differences between workers in terms of age, occupation and gender. In addition, the working conditions of the ageing workforce across Member States of the European Union are compared. An executive summary is also available.

The proportion of people aged 65 and over will rise from 17% to 30% of the EU population by 2060, while at the same time the working age population will decline. The European Commission estimates that most of the increase in public spending in the EU over the next 50 years will be on pensions, long-term care and healthcare. Foundation Findings provide pertinent background information and policy pointers for all actors and interested parties engaged in the current European debate on the future of social policy. The contents are based on Foundation research and reflect its autonomous and tripartite structure.

It is increasingly common for workers in the EU to take up paid work after retirement. This trend adds an important dimension to the current discourse on extending working lives. Facilitating work after retirement for those who want to work can contribute to sustainable pension systems. This study investigates retirees’ motivations for seeking paid work and their opportunities for gaining employment. It examines the extent to which work after retirement is related to income adequacy among the retired population. It also explores the types of paid employment that retirees take up and identifies ways in which companies seek to recruit and retain retirees. The report concludes with recommendations for governments, employers and retirees. Read more in the report.

It is increasingly common for workers in the EU to take up paid work after retirement. This trend adds an important dimension to the current discourse on extending working lives. Facilitating work after retirement for those who want to work can contribute to sustainable pension systems. This study investigates retirees’ motivations for seeking paid work and their opportunities for gaining employment. It examines the extent to which work after retirement is related to income adequacy among the retired population. It also explores the types of paid employment that retirees take up and identifies ways in which companies seek to recruit and retain retirees. The report concludes with recommendations for governments, employers and retirees. An executive summary is also available.

Of all the future challenges facing labour markets in Europe, none is more certain than the demographic imbalances resulting from the lower birth cohorts after the post-war ‘baby boom’ and the continual increase in life expectancy. Indeed, this has already led to a significant shift in the age structure in practically all European countries. This paper was produced as a discussion paper for the European Commission’s thematic review seminar on ‘Employment policies to promote active ageing’, which took place in Brussels on 11 June 2012.

The economic crisis has severely damaged the employment prospects of the young generation, and employment among young people is now at the lowest level ever recorded by Eurostat. To better capture the extent of economic inactivity among the young, the concept of NEET – not in employment, education or training – has been developed. This report analyses the labour market situation of young people in Europe, with a specific focus on the NEET group. It examines the determinants of belonging to the NEET group, and measures the economic and social costs of NEETs. It also assesses how Member States through policies and interventions have sought to support young people to gain a foothold in the labour market. Read more in the report.

This report analyses the labour market situation of young people in Europe, with a specific focus on the NEET group. It examines the determinants of belonging to the NEET group, and measures the economic and social costs of NEETs. It also assesses how Member States through policies and interventions have sought to support young people to gain a foothold in the labour market. It shows that successful policy initiatives address specific, disadvantaged subgroups in the NEET population. They are client-centred in their efforts to set young people on a pathway to long-term, sustainable employment and they are innovative, adopting new ways of reaching a target group. An executive summary is also available.

The report provides comparable information about parenting support and education services for families with children, in particular services for families with children of pre-school age. The report draws on information gathered in a literature review and on seven country reports that examine service provision in Austria, Belgium, Estonia, Hungary, Ireland, Portugal and Sweden. Each country report includes case studies of services that have been used as a guideline to determine what works well. Read more in the report.

It was widely assumed that the economic crisis would stimulate nationals from central and eastern Europe employed in the EU15 countries to return to their home countries. This research sought to develop a better understanding of return migration and to establish to what extent emigrants did return home. The analysis is based on existing statistical data and literature, as well as interviews with returnees, policymakers and experts on migration. Four countries were selected for analysis: Hungary, Latvia, Poland and Romania. The research found that emigrants from these countries did not return home en masse; many either stayed in the host country, adopting a wait-and-see stance, or migrated onward to other destination countries. Read more in the report.

As a relatively new mobility pattern within the EU, the post-accession return migration of workers from Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries has recently begun to generate increasing interest among academics, experts and practitioners. The return migration of these workers grew in importance in the context of the global economic crisis as it was believed that economic fluctuations across Europe might induce return migration of CEE nationals from the EU15 countries. This research aimed to contribute to a better understanding of return migration to CEE countries by generating new empirical evidence through an analysis of statistical data and literature and also through interviews with returnees, policymakers and experts on migration in the following four CEE countries: Hungary, Latvia, Poland and Romania. An executive summary is available.

This issue of Foundation Focus looks at young people in Europe and particularly how they are affected by the economic crisis. Youth unemployment rates have always been higher than overall unemployment rates, but the crisis has had a dramatic effect on the job perspectives of young people. The growth of the cohort known as NEETs, those not in employment, education or training, is testament to this. There are initiatives to combat the situation, but with mixed results so far. Migration is an option, but does it help in the long run? And what about the working conditions of those who have a job? How easy is it to gain the experience and find training to move into more stable, permanent employment?

Results from the European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS) show comparisons over time of different dimensions of people’s quality of life, including their standard of living. A combined review of indicators from the EQLS and those obtained from the Eurobarometer (for 2009 and 2010) highlights the fact that, on the whole, the economic and financial crisis has led to a decline in quality of life. This is more apparent for those living in countries most affected by the crisis. Vulnerable groups such as the unemployed, the elderly and the retired, as well as people suffering financial difficulties, have experienced a considerable drop in their well-being following the crisis.

This report summarises available data on recent employment trends for older workers in the EU27 as well as the results of organisation case studies and overviews on developments in workplace age management undertaken by Eurofound in 2011. The first section uses Eurostat data to provide a statistical portrait of the main trends in relation to labour market participation of older workers. The second section provides pointers on how age management policy has developed at company and national level before, during and after the Great Recession.

In 2006, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the city of Stuttgart and Eurofound formed the ‘European network of cities for local integration policies' (CLIP). This fourth and final module of the CLIP project looks at ethnic entrepreneurship. The general aim of this module is to explore the development of ethnic entrepreneurship and to review the role of policy interventions in that process. It is motivated by the desire of municipal, national and European governments as well as third sector institutions, who want to create an environment that is conducive to setting up and developing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in general and ethnic businesses in particular. This case study was carried out in Lisbon.

In 2006, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the city of Stuttgart and Eurofound formed the ‘European network of cities for local integration policies' (CLIP). This fourth and final module of the CLIP project looks at ethnic entrepreneurship. The general aim of this module is to explore the development of ethnic entrepreneurship and to review the role of policy interventions in that process. It is motivated by the desire of municipal, national and European governments as well as third sector institutions, who want to create an environment that is conducive to setting up and developing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in general and ethnic businesses in particular. This case study was carried out in Prague.

In 2006, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the city of Stuttgart and Eurofound formed the ‘European network of cities for local integration policies' (CLIP). This fourth and final module of the CLIP project looks at ethnic entrepreneurship. The general aim of this module is to explore the development of ethnic entrepreneurship and to review the role of policy interventions in that process. It is motivated by the desire of municipal, national and European governments as well as third sector institutions, who want to create an environment that is conducive to setting up and developing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in general and ethnic businesses in particular. This case study was carried out in Wolverhampton.

This study focuses on debt advisory services, especially on how access to and quality of services can be improved. The study identifies successful debt counselling measures and outlines the conditions that contribute to good practice. Building on an earlier working paper, the study brings together international data and literature on the topic, providing an overview and a comparative perspective. Most importantly, the research draws on evidence from country studies in Hungary, Ireland, Portugal and Sweden. Each country study includes case studies of specific debt advisory services. An executive summary is available.

In 2006, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the city of Stuttgart and Eurofound formed the ‘European network of cities for local integration policies' (CLIP). This fourth and final module of the CLIP project looks at ethnic entrepreneurship. The general aim of this module is to explore the development of ethnic entrepreneurship and to review the role of policy interventions in that process. It is motivated by the desire of municipal, national and European governments as well as third sector institutions, who want to create an environment that is conducive to setting up and developing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in general and ethnic businesses in particular. This case study was carried out in Terrassa.

In 2006, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the city of Stuttgart and Eurofound formed the ‘European network of cities for local integration policies' (CLIP). This fourth and final module of the CLIP project looks at ethnic entrepreneurship. The general aim of this module is to explore the development of ethnic entrepreneurship and to review the role of policy interventions in that process. It is motivated by the desire of municipal, national and European governments as well as third sector institutions, who want to create an environment that is conducive to setting up and developing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in general and ethnic businesses in particular. This case study was carried out in Copenhagen.

In 2006, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the city of Stuttgart and Eurofound formed the ‘European network of cities for local integration policies' (CLIP). This fourth and final module of the CLIP project looks at ethnic entrepreneurship. The general aim of this module is to explore the development of ethnic entrepreneurship and to review the role of policy interventions in that process. It is motivated by the desire of municipal, national and European governments as well as third sector institutions, who want to create an environment that is conducive to setting up and developing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in general and ethnic businesses in particular. This case study was carried out in Turin.

Housing-related problems faced by the Roma include high overcrowding rates, lack of access to improved forms of sanitation and high levels of urban segregation thus limiting access to healthcare services. These issues reinforce existing health inequalities among the Roma – increased risk of disability, chronic illness, being overweight. Moreover, these conditions worsen in the case of forced evictions. This report analyses the extent of the problem of substandard housing for the Roma in Europe and draws attention to the situation of Traveller groups, who often have difficulties finding a place in halting sites. Regarding the health status of the Roma, interestingly they report better subjective health than the majority population, perhaps because they have a different perception of health (seen as the absence of illness), use health services less frequently or are less aware of health issues. An executive summary is available.

In 2006, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the city of Stuttgart and Eurofound formed the ‘European network of cities for local integration policies' (CLIP). This fourth and final module of the CLIP project looks at ethnic entrepreneurship. The general aim of this module is to explore the development of ethnic entrepreneurship and to review the role of policy interventions in that process. It is motivated by the desire of municipal, national and European governments as well as third sector institutions, who want to create an environment that is conducive to setting up and developing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in general and ethnic businesses in particular. This case study was carried out in Athens.

In 2006, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the city of Stuttgart and Eurofound formed the ‘European network of cities for local integration policies' (CLIP). This fourth and final module of the CLIP project looks at ethnic entrepreneurship. The general aim of this module is to explore the development of ethnic entrepreneurship and to review the role of policy interventions in that process. It is motivated by the desire of municipal, national and European governments as well as third sector institutions, who want to create an environment that is conducive to setting up and developing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in general and ethnic businesses in particular. This case study was carried out in Bologna.

In 2006, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the city of Stuttgart and Eurofound formed the ‘European network of cities for local integration policies' (CLIP). This fourth and final module of the CLIP project looks at ethnic entrepreneurship. The general aim of this module is to explore the development of ethnic entrepreneurship and to review the role of policy interventions in that process. It is motivated by the desire of municipal, national and European governments as well as third sector institutions, who want to create an environment that is conducive to setting up and developing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in general and ethnic businesses in particular. This case study was carried out in Turku.

In 2006, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the city of Stuttgart and Eurofound formed the ‘European network of cities for local integration policies' (CLIP). This fourth and final module of the CLIP project looks at ethnic entrepreneurship. The general aim of this module is to explore the development of ethnic entrepreneurship and to review the role of policy interventions in that process. It is motivated by the desire of municipal, national and European governments as well as third sector institutions, who want to create an environment that is conducive to setting up and developing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in general and ethnic businesses in particular. This case study was carried out in Malmö.

Housing-related problems faced by the Roma include high overcrowding rates, lack of access to improved forms of sanitation and high levels of urban segregation thus limiting access to healthcare services. These issues reinforce existing health inequalities among the Roma – increased risk of disability, chronic illness, being overweight. Moreover, these conditions worsen in the case of forced evictions. This report analyses the extent of the problem of substandard housing for the Roma in Europe and draws attention to the situation of Traveller groups, who often have difficulties finding a place in halting sites. Regarding the health status of the Roma, interestingly they report better subjective health than the majority population, perhaps because they have a different perception of health (seen as the absence of illness), use health services less frequently or are less aware of health issues. Read more in the report.

This study focuses on debt advisory services, especially on how access to and quality of services can be improved. The study identifies successful debt counselling measures and outlines the conditions that contribute to good practice. Building on an earlier working paper, the study brings together international data and literature on the topic, providing an overview and a comparative perspective. Most importantly, the research draws on evidence from country studies in Hungary, Ireland, Portugal and Sweden. Each country study includes case studies of specific debt advisory services. Read more in the report.

In 2006, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the city of Stuttgart and Eurofound formed the ‘European network of cities for local integration policies' (CLIP). This fourth and final module of the CLIP project looks at ethnic entrepreneurship. The general aim of this module is to explore the development of ethnic entrepreneurship and to review the role of policy interventions in that process. It is motivated by the desire of municipal, national and European governments as well as third sector institutions, who want to create an environment that is conducive to setting up and developing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in general and ethnic businesses in particular. This case study was carried out in Arnsberg.

As in many other countries in Europe, the number of young people not in employment, education or training in the UK has risen in recent years. Information collected by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) provides a picture of increasing reliance on benefits by these young people. The number of young people in receipt of any benefit rose from 12.2% to 16.1% between 2002 and 2010. Between 2003 and 2010, the combined number of young people with health problems or disabilities claiming specific disability benefits (Disability Living Allowance, Incapacity Benefit and Employment and Support Allowance) rose from 21.5% to 33.3% of all benefit claimants. This should be viewed within a context where the absolute number of people with disabilities in the UK did not increase over the same period. Read more on this topic.

Denmark is a welfare society. The current aspiration of Danish disability policy is equal treatment for all, regardless of physical or mental capacity. This objective is the result of an evolutionary process, the effect of which is that people with disabilities are increasingly integrated into society and into the open labour market. In Denmark, labour market policy is targeted at integration and retention. Based on the principle of compensation, society offers people with disabilities a range of services in order to limit the consequences of impairment as much as possible and also to provide disabled people, as far possible, with equal opportunities on the open labour market. The social system therefore offers a combination of income protection and employment activation. Read more on this topic.

This report presents the results of the final module of Eurofound’s research within the project Cities for Local Integration Policies (CLIP). The research focused on answering the following questions: What are the profiles of ethnic entrepreneurship in cities? What challenges and barriers do ethnic entrepreneurs face? In what sectors are they found? What are their experiences of starting and running a business? What are the state and non-state rules and regulations governing the SME sector in general and the ethnic SME sector in particular, and how do they shape ethnic minorities’ self-employment trajectories? What policies can be found that support and promote ethnic businesses?. Read more in the report. Several case studies are also available.

In Poland policy relating to people with disabilities does not differentiate between different groups – all groups are treated equally. There are no policies or programmes that particularly promote the participation of young people with disabilities in the open labour market. As in many other countries, young people face significant challenges entering the job market (especially the open market). Moreover, the Polish labour market still has relatively few jobs for people with disabilities. Most are employed in sheltered workshops. According to the employment records of people with disabilities, almost 93% of those employed in the sheltered labour market have regular employment contracts. Read more on this topic.

The situation of young people in the labour market in Finland worsened during the recent economic recession. It has subsequently improved, but these positive changes don’t cover all job seekers, for example young people with health problems or disabilities. The employment rate of people with disabilities remains low, and the trend seems to be that the number of subsidised workplaces has decreased, while vocational training and similar activities have increased. There have been some improvements recently, but many young people with health problems or disabilities are still not part of the labour force. Read more on this topic.

In Spain disability is officially recognised when the competent evaluation services assess a person as having a minimum 33% disability level. This evaluation is carried out by regional governments and there are differences among regions, which can result in a person obtaining a disability certification in one region when they may not in another. Integration in education and employment remains a challenge for institutions and organisations, as many disabled students and workers are still segregated. Fear of change and also fear of losing benefits if they enter into employment remain big barriers to inclusion. Read more on this topic.

In 2006, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the city of Stuttgart and Eurofound formed the ‘European network of cities for local integration policies' (CLIP). This fourth and final module of the CLIP project looks at ethnic entrepreneurship. The general aim of this module is to explore the development of ethnic entrepreneurship and to review the role of policy interventions in that process. It is motivated by the desire of municipal, national and European governments as well as third sector institutions, who want to create an environment that is conducive to setting up and developing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in general and ethnic businesses in particular. This case study was carried out in Dublin.

Eurofound’s research on ‘Restructuring in recession and labour force participation’ explored the age management practices of companies in light of restructuring undergone during the recession. The study looked at policy in relation to the retention of older workers (aged 50 or more) in employment at national and establishment levels in nine European Union (EU) Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Country reports and cases studies are available.