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Discrimination at work

The principle of equal treatment requires that all people, and in the context of the workplace all workers, have the right to receive the same treatment, and will not be discriminated against on the basis of criteria such as gender, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. EU law prohibits discrimination on an increasing number of grounds, meaning that it is difficult for employers to treat people differently without encountering a charge of discrimination and needing to establish an objective justification for doing so. Equal treatment is one of the main principles of the Pillar of Social Rights.

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Eurofound expert(s)

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Tina Weber is a research manager in Eurofound’s Working Life unit. Having previously shared her time between the Employment and Working Life units, her work has focused on labour...

Research manager,
Working life research unit
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​Martina Bisello is a research manager in the Employment unit at Eurofound. Her research interests include gender gaps in the labour market, occupational change and the impact of...

Research manager,
Employment research unit
Publications results (7)

Using data from the European Working Conditions Telephone Survey 2021 and building on a theoretical model that differentiates between job stressors and job resources, this report examines key psychosocial risks in the workplace and their impact on health.

23 November 2023

This report assesses the role of the social partners in tackling workplace discrimination. Against the background of EU and national anti-discrimination legislation, it highlights the extent to which the need to tackle discrimination on different grounds is on the radar of cross-sectoral social

31 August 2020

While discrimination against women at work has long been a mainstream topic in research literature, only marginal attention has been paid to discrimination against men. A number of factors may be responsible for this, including change in traditional occupational roles, cultural perceptions of the

27 March 2018

This article discusses the issues related to religion in the workplace, a topic that has received considerable attention in the media recently. An overview of significant cases of dispute between employers and employees is provided, as well as examples of social partners’ initiatives to accommodate

31 July 2017

This article provides an overview of surveys on the working life experiences of LGBT people in the EU and initiatives that aim to tackle this issue. The information is based on contributions from Eurofound’s network of European correspondents.

13 May 2016

This report examines employment opportunities for people with chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, arthritis and mental health problems in the EU28 Member States and Norway. People with a chronic disease may have a

14 November 2014

This booklet summarises the main findings from national reports of all European Union Member States and Norway on the prevention of racism at the workplace. It reviews the present situation in the labour market regarding discrimination against migrant workers and ethnic minorities, offering a choice

09 April 2001
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Online resources results (71)

Inequalities continue to blight workplaces despite anti-discrimination legislation

A new book, Making Equality Count [1], exploring the linkages between discrimination [2] and inequality in Ireland and a number of other countries was published in November 2010. The book draws on Irish and international research on inequality that adopts a range of different methods to address key

Gender and ethnicity the main reasons for workplace discrimination

The establishment of the Danish Board of Equal Treatment (Ligebehandlingsnævnet [1]) in 2009 made it possible for people to lodge complaints about all discrimination-related issues covered by EU legislation. In addition to gender and ethnicity, the issues that people could file complaints over were

Implementation of the Racial Equality Directive

The Racial Equality Directive 2000/43/EC [1] is the key piece of EU legislation combating discrimination ‘on grounds of race or ethnic origin’. It prevents unfavourable treatment based on race or ethnic origin: [1] http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32000L0043:en:HTML

High levels of employment discrimination against Roma population

According to a representative survey carried out in 2003, 38% of Roma men and 20% of Roma women in Hungary were employed (Kertesi, 2005). It is estimated that 6%–7% of the Hungarian population are Roma, and their employment rate significantly lags behind the respective indicators of the non-Roma

Anti-discrimination guide for Turkish Cypriot workers

Within the framework of the EU-funded Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity (PROGRESS [1]) on ‘Awareness-raising activities against discrimination on the grounds of race, ethnicity, religion and age’, the Cyprus Labour Institute (Ινστιτούτο Εργασίας Κύπρου, ΙΝΕΚ-PΕΟ [2]) has issued a

Anti-discrimination guidelines for third-country nationals

Within the framework of the EU-funded programme on ‘Awareness-raising activities against discrimination on the grounds of race, ethnicity, religion and age’, the Cyprus Labour Institute (Ινστιτούτο Εργασίας Κύπρου, ΙΝΕΚ-PΕΟ [1]) has issued guidelines for third-country nationals [2] against

Study reveals discrimination against job applicants with non-Irish names

A recent study by Ireland’s Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI [1]) published in May 2009 claims to break new ground in Irish research by providing direct evidence of discrimination using a field experiment that investigates discrimination [2] in recruitment on the basis of ethnic and

Improving labour market prospects for non-nationals

A study entitled ‘The results of the labour market projects targeted at non-Estonians’ (Mitte-eestlastele suunatud tööturuprojektide tulemused (in Estonian, 1.04Mb, PDF) [1]) has been conducted by the research company MindPark. The study assesses the efficacy of labour market projects financed by

Labour market outcomes of migrant women in Europe

The European Commission [1] commissioned a study [2] seeking to improve understanding of the labour market outcomes of migrant women in the EU and of the policies that affect these outcomes. The research also aimed to provide the information necessary to address inequalities between men and women

Negative attitudes of employers and labour market discrimination

The concept of equal opportunities in the labour market implies that job applicants should be free to compete equally for jobs on the basis of merit. Moreover, they should not be discriminated against on the grounds of personal characteristics that are unrelated to job performance.


Blogs results (4)
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Following a sluggish response by many Member States to introduce or modify gender pay transparency measures, as it recommended in 2014, the European Commission intends to table a proposal for EU-level legislation on pay transparency later in 2020. In this context, a new Eurofound study investigated

6 Νοέμβριος 2020
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In this blog piece, originally published in Social Europe, Karel Fric and Camilla Galli da Bino look at the issue of discrimination against men in the workplace in Europe, and the current lack of research in this area.

1 Μάιος 2018
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This article, originally posted in Social Europe, is based on a comprehensive overview of surveys on the working life experiences of LGBT people in the EU. 17 May is International day against homophobia, transphobia and biphobia. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people face distinct

17 Μάιος 2016
Data results (1)
27 Οκτώβριος 2023
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