Eurofound

A cooperative is typically defined as a business organisation that is democratically controlled and owned by its members and which works in the interest of its members. A social enterprise is generally perceived as a business organisation with a social mission, working in the interest of its community or client group. This study investigates the contribution of European cooperatives and social enterprises to job creation and retention. 

Ensuring the sustainability of pension systems in the context of ageing populations has become a priority: it requires that more people enter employment and that they work longer. At the same time, pressure on workers is rising due partly to ongoing change in how work is organised and performed; in turn, this impacts on the type and nature of risks associated with work.

This report provides a comparative analysis of job quality covering approximately 1.2 billion of the world’s workers in the EU28, China, the Republic of Korea, Turkey, the United States (US), Spanish-speaking Central America (Costa Rica, ...

The 2016 study Mapping key dimensions of industrial relations defined industrial relations as ‘the collective and individual governance of work and employment’. It developed a conceptual framework for mapping industrial relations, identifying four key dimensions: industrial democracy, industrial competitiveness, social justice, and quality of work and employment.

This programming document describes Eurofound’s planned work over the programming period 2017–2020. It sets out the policy and institutional context for the programme, describes the multiannual programme for the four-year period and sets out the work programme for 2019.

In the context of rising concern over disparities in the social progress of EU Member States, Eurofound in its 2017–2020 work programme committed to investigating whether and where socioeconomic trends are converging or diverging across countries.

Combining work and life is a fundamental issue, one that policymakers, social partners, businesses and individuals are seeking to resolve. Simultaneously, new challenges and solutions are transforming the interface between work and life: an ageing population, technological change, higher employment rates and fewer weekly working hours.

The decade since the Great Recession has been seen as signalling a ‘crisis of trust’ in European societies, involving a decline in trust in people and institutions. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, governments in all Member States struggled to curb unemployment, manage public debt, and return to economic growth. In many countries, this led to a feeling of distrust in national political institutions and in EU institutions.

A living wage has been defined as ‘a measure of income that allows an employee a basic but socially acceptable standard of living’ (United Kingdom Living Wage Commission). Living wage campaigns have been launched since the 1990s in an effort to achieve pay increases for the low-paid.

Social cohesion implies a sense of togetherness, resilience and orientation towards the common good. There is evidence that living in a cohesive society has a positive impact on subjective well-being, helping to improve the lives of citizen...