Small and medium-sized enterprises
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are defined by the European Commission as having less than 250 employees. SMEs are the backbone of Europe's economy. They represent 99% of all businesses in the EU. In the past five years, they have created around 85% of new jobs and provided two-thirds of the total private sector employment in the EU. The European Commission considers SMEs and entrepreneurship as key to ensuring economic growth, innovation, job creation, and social integration in the EU. The European Commission policy in relation to SMEs supports start-ups and scale-ups in particular. Internationalisation beyond the EU increases SMEs' performance, enhances competitiveness, and reinforces sustainable growth.
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23 October 2025
25 October 2024
10 September 2024
This report provides updated evidence on the persistence of labour shortages amid declining levels of labour market slack in the EU and at Member State level. This serves as a background to the main focus of the report, which is on organisational policies aimed at attracting workers to occupations in which shortages are common. Case studies were conducted across sectors and Member States to gain an insight into how organisations deal with recruitment and retention challenges in a tight labour market. The report offers lessons on steps employers can take to fill vacancies, whether acting alone or in partnership with other organisations. It builds on previous Eurofound research that developed a taxonomy of actions employers adopt aimed at addressing labour shortages.
Hlavní body pro Small and medium-sized enterprises
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12 September 2022
Policies to support EU companies affected by the war in Ukraine
9 December 2021
Business not as usual: How EU companies adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic
This report aims to support European businesses in navigating the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The focus is on workplace practices and features that have helped establishments across the EU to develop operational resilience while keeping employees and customers safe. The report investigates how EU establishments initially reacted to the external shock brought about by the outbreak of the pandemic and how they subsequently adapted their workplaces. It also explores the impact of the pandemic on the health and well-being of workers and how the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent disruptions affected business operations and work organisation.
30 June 2021
Innovation in EU companies: Do workplace practices matter?
The EU has long supported innovation in business and in workplaces. The challenges facing Europe as it emerges from the COVID-19 crisis make the need for innovation more urgent. The NextGenerationEU recovery package requires a reorientation of business activities towards innovation for resilience. Looking to the longer term, policies such as the European Industrial Strategy aim to support the transition to a green and digital economy.
Against this background, this policy brief investigates the workplace practices of innovative companies and examines the evidence linking them with innovation. These practices aim to encourage employees to work and problem-solve independently, to develop their skills, to include them in organisational decision-making, to motivate them to surpass their job description and to reward them for doing so. Analysis of these workplace practices can improve understanding of how they contribute to increasing the innovation potential of companies. It also provides an evidence base to support the work of policymakers and practitioners.
5 November 2020
Working conditions in sectors
Megatrends, such as digitalisation, globalisation, demographic change and climate change, are transforming the world of work, with knock-on effects for working conditions and job quality. Against this background, this report examines working conditions and job quality from a sectoral perspective, using data from the 2015 European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS). The report first outlines the sectoral characteristics underpinning employment – economic structure, demographics, occupational level and employment status. It then goes on to focus on four main topics: changing tasks, skills, training and employability; non-standard employment and employment security; health, well-being and flexible work organisation; and employee representation and voice. Differences in working conditions arising from age, gender, occupation and education level are taken into account. According to the analysis, developing measures to address relevant issues such as skills development, job security and work intensity should be a priority for policy. The data also show that the presence of employee representation and voice is key to improving the situation of employees.
15 June 2020
Social dialogue and HR practices in European global companies
This study examines the interaction between social dialogue practices and human resources management (HRM) policies in European multinational companies (MNCs). It looks at the changing role of HRM and its interaction with European Works Councils (EWCs), which can act as a link between different levels of social dialogue. Both HRM functions and social dialogue are under pressure from a variety of trends and dynamics – not least, ongoing technological change. Sharing practices related to the involvement of EWCs in corporate decisions has made a valuable contribution to company operation and culture across the EU. The positive interaction between HRM policies and worker representation structures should help companies and sectors restructure and adapt accordingly, including dealing with the risk of increasing wage inequality and polarisation in working conditions.
22 January 2020
Game-changing technologies: Transforming production and employment in Europe
Innovation and technological advancement are natural features of developed economies, and they are necessary to maintain and improve sustainable competitiveness in an era of globalisation. However, while most innovation tends to be incremental, some has a disruptive effect on production and service provision, the labour market and social dialogue. This report discusses a selection of eight so-called ‘game-changing technologies’ (advanced robotics, additive manufacturing, the Internet of Things, electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles, industrial biotechnologies, blockchain and virtual and augmented reality). Each of these has the potential to substantially change business activities, work and employment in Europe. Looking at both the manufacturing and services sectors, this report gives an indication of how these technologies might be adopted and how they are expected to affect the labour market.
Odborníci na Small and medium-sized enterprises
Výzkumní pracovníci agentury Eurofound poskytují odborné informace a lze je kontaktovat s dotazy nebo mediálními požadavky.
Franz Ferdinand Eiffe
Research managerFranz Eiffe je vedoucím výzkumu v oddělení pracovního života nadace Eurofound. Podílí se na projektech týkajících se udržitelné práce, kvantitativních analýz a vzestupné konvergence v EU, jakož i na přípravě čtvrtého evropského průzkumu společností. Před nástupem do nadace Eurofound v roce 2016 byl vedoucím oddělení "analýzy" v rakouském statistickém úřadu ve Vídni a vedoucím projektu "Jak je na tom Rakousko? Měření bohatství a pokroku nad rámec HDP". Je držitelem doktorátu z ekonomie na Vídeňské ekonomické univerzitě (WU), kde také v letech 2005 až 2009 působil jako výzkumný pracovník a do roku 2016 jako odborný asistent.
Gijs van Houten
Senior research managerGijs van Houten je vedoucím výzkumným pracovníkem v oddělení pro zaměstnanost nadace Eurofound. Má specifické odborné znalosti v oblasti metodiky mezinárodních průzkumů a analýzy postupů a organizačních strategií na pracovišti. Vede pracovní skupinu nadace Eurofound pro sběr údajů a je odpovědný za koncepci a metodiku průzkumu pracovních podmínek v Evropě 2024, který bude klíčovým krokem v průzkumech Eurofound, které obstojí i v budoucnu. Před nástupem do nadace Eurofound v roce 2010 pracoval v Nizozemském institutu pro sociální výzkum (SCP). V roce 2016 strávil Gijs rok prací v Pew Research Center ve Washingtonu, DC. Je držitelem magisterského titulu v oboru sociologie na Radboud University Nijmegen a doktorátu ze sociálních věd na univerzitě v Utrechtu.
Stavroula Demetriades
Senior research managerStavroula Demetriades je vedoucí výzkumnou manažerkou v oddělení pro zaměstnanost nadace Eurofound. Je zodpovědná za výzkum v oblasti zelené a spravedlivé transformace, sociálního dialogu, postupů řízení, inovací a hybridní práce. Je držitelkou doktorátu ze sociologie z univerzity v Aalborgu v Dánsku. Má také magisterský titul v oboru hospodářské politiky na Trinity College v Dublinu a magisterský titul v oboru regionálního rozvoje na Aténské univerzitě. Před nástupem do nadace Eurofound v roce 1999 pracovala ve výzkumných ústavech, na různých pozicích ve veřejném i soukromém sektoru a prováděla organizační a socioekonomické studie. Mezi její hlavní výzkumné zájmy patří zelená a spravedlivá transformace, řízení lidských zdrojů, pracovní systémy, inovace, zaměstnanost a sociální dialog. Je také mimořádnou profesorkou na Business School na University College Dublin.
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