Eurofound Talks
Eurofound Talks
Podcast episode
Episode 32
1 May 2025

How are minimum wage levels changing in Europe?

In this episode Mary McCaughey sits down with Eurofound expert Carlos Vacas Soriano to explore how minimum wages have changed in Europe over the past year, as well as the implications of these shifts.

Listeners are invited to dive into the intricacies of Europe's minimum wage dynamics and the factors driving these changes. The conversation also sheds light on the broader implications of minimum wage change for income inequalities and gender equality.

Mary McCaughey

Head of Unit
Information and Communication

Mary McCaughey is Head of Information and Communication in Eurofound. A graduate of Trinity College, Dublin and the College of Europe, Bruges, she started work in Brussels with Europolitics and the Wall Street Journal Europe. She worked with the Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa (AWEPA) in South Africa during the country’s transition to democracy, and in 1998 she took up the post of spokesperson with the Delegation of the European Union in Pretoria, heading up its press and information department during the negotiation of the EU–South Africa free trade agreement. Following the end of the Kosovo War, she worked as a communications consultant for the European Agency for Reconstruction in Serbia. She took up the post of Editor-in-Chief in Eurofound in 2003.

Carlos Vacas‑Soriano

Senior research manager
Employment research

Carlos Vacas Soriano is a senior research manager in the Employment unit at Eurofound. He works on topics related to wage and income inequalities, minimum wages, low pay, job quality, temporary employment and segmentation, and job quality. Prior to joining Eurofound in 2010, he worked as a macroeconomic analyst for the European Commission and as a researcher in European labour markets at the Spanish Central Bank. He holds an MA in European Economic Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges and a PhD in Labour Economics from the University of Salamanca (Doctor Europaeus).

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As the climate crisis intensifies, is Europe ready for the heat? In this episode of Eurofound Talks, Mary McCaughey explores the renter’s trap and the growing affordability crisis with experts from the EEA and Eurofound. Despite 80% of Europeans feeling the impact of extreme weather, a staggering 38% cannot afford to keep their homes cool. From the risk of "renovictions" to regional disparities in preparedness, the discussion bridges the gap between EU green ambitions and the stark reality of households. Discover why individual awareness isn't enough and what collective policy actions are needed to protect the vulnerable.

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Mary McCaughey
Marianna Baggio
Aleksandra Kazmierczak
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European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
The tripartite EU agency providing knowledge to assist in the development of better social, employment and work-related policies