The dawn of 2022 brought muted optimism to a Europe beginning to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, and the progress of vaccination programmes worldwide brought hope. Government and EU support during the pandemic had kept unemployment at bay, averting the widescale collapse of businesses. In step with the EU’s plans for the year, Eurofound’s focus was firmly on a post-pandemic Europe: the recovery and the twin transition to a green and digital economy. All this changed with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the start of a war of aggression. The EU and its institutions were compelled to respond rapidly.
Europe faces a winter of uncertainty and potentially discontent. The cost of living is rising rapidly and the spectre of recession looms.
Economic concerns are affecting citizens’ trust in institutions. Research by Eurofound has indicated a decrease in trust in national institutions across the European Union – including in governments, healthcare systems and the police.
Tässä raportissa esitellään Eurofoundin tutkimusta etätyöstä covid-19-pandemian aikana vuosina 2020 ja 2021. Siinä tarkastellaan muutoksia etätyön yleisyydessä, kotoa käsin työskentelevien työntekijöiden työoloissa ja tähän työjärjestelyyn liittyviä kysymyksiä käsittelevissä säännöksissä. Tulokset paljastavat etätyön nopean yleistymisen pandemian seurauksena: vuonna 2021 kaksi kymmenestä eurooppalaisesta työntekijästä teki etätyötä. Tähän määrään ei todennäköisesti olisi päästy ennen vuotta 2027 ilman pandemiaa.
Eurofoundin alkuvuodesta 2020 aloittaman Eläminen, työskentely ja covid-19-pandemia -tutkimuksen tavoitteena on selvittää pandemian laaja-alaisia vaikutuksia EU:n kansalaisten työhön ja elämään. Keväällä 2022 toteutetulla Eurofoundin tutkimuksen viidennellä kierroksella käsitellään myös Ukrainan sodan aiheuttamaa uutta epävarmaa todellisuutta, ennätyksellisen korkeaa inflaatiota ja elinkustannusten jyrkkää nousua. Euroopan koulutussäätiö (ETF) julkaisi lyhyemmän version tutkimuksesta pilottikyselynä kymmenessä Euroopan unionin naapurimaassa.
Eurofound’s European Restructuring Monitor database reveals the impact of the energy crisis on employment in the EU. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, energy prices have hit record highs. The European Commission imposed sanctions and limitations on the import of oil and gas from Russia, which has reacted by reneging on supply commitments to many Member States. Compared to other countries, market disruption has been especially acute in the EU, given the bloc’s overdependence on Russian energy supply.
This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the electricity sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective participation in the European sectoral social dialogue and their capacity to negotiate agreements.
Tässä raportissa analysoidaan työmarkkinavuoropuhelun ja työehtosopimusneuvottelujen roolia covid-19-pandemiasta aiheutuneiden haasteiden ratkaisemisessa siviili-ilmailualalla. Työmarkkinaosapuolet osallistuivat eri Euroopan maissa eri tavoin toimenpiteisiin, joita otettiin käyttöön pandemian kielteisten vaikutusten vähentämiseksi. Useimmissa maissa työmarkkinavuoropuhelulla ja työehtosopimusneuvotteluilla oli merkittävä rooli, mutta toisissa rooli oli pienempi.
Tässä raportissa analysoidaan työmarkkinavuoropuhelun ja työehtosopimusneuvottelujen roolia niiden haasteiden käsittelyssä, joita covid-19-pandemia sai aikaan tai pahensi sairaanhoitoalalla. Siinä selvitetään myös, mukautettiinko työmarkkinavuoropuhelun ja työehtosopimusneuvottelujen olemassa olleita prosesseja kansallisella tasolla näihin haasteisiin vastaamiseksi.
Tämä raportti laaditaan osana Euroopan komission Eurofoundille toimeksiantamaa kolmivuotista pilottihanketta (2021–2023) ”Vähimmäispalkan rooli yleisen työvoimatakuun perustamisessa”. Siinä keskitytään hankkeen moduuliin 3, jossa tutkitaan itsenäisten ammatinharjoittajien vähimmäispalkkoja ja muita palkkiomuotoja. Joidenkin itsenäisten ammatinharjoittajaryhmien hankalan tilanteen vuoksi jotkin jäsenvaltiot ovat ottaneet käyttöön tai käyvät parhaillaan keskusteluja joidenkin lakisääteisten vähimmäispalkkojen ehdottamisesta tietyille itsenäisten ammatinharjoittajien ryhmille.
Hallitusten vuonna 2020 covid-19-pandemian hallitsemiseksi käyttöön ottamat tiukat kansanterveysrajoitukset muuttivat äkillisesti työelämää ja muokkasivat sitä edelleen kahden seuraavan vuoden ajan. Maaliskuun ja marraskuun 2021 välisenä aikana puhelinkyselynä toteutetussa Euroopan työolotutkimuksessa (European Working Conditions Telephone Survey, EWCTS) tehtiin yli 70 000 haastattelua 36 maassa. Kyseessä on korkealaatuinen todennäköisyyksiin perustuva tutkimus. Tavoitteena oli antaa yksityiskohtainen kuva eurooppalaisten työelämästä kyseisenä poikkeuksellisena aikana.
The European Restructuring Monitor (ERM) has reported on the employment impact of large-scale business restructuring since 2002. This publication series include the ERM reports, as well as blogs, articles and working papers on restructuring-related events in the EU27 and Norway.
Eurofound’s European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) paints a wide-ranging picture of Europe at work across countries, occupations, sectors and age groups. This series consists of findings from the European Working Conditions Telephone Survey (EWCTS) 2021, an extraordinary edition conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey was first carried out in 1990.
This publication series gathers all overview reports on developments in working life, annual reviews in industrial relations and working conditions produced by Eurofound on the basis of national contributions from the Network of Eurofound Correspondents (NEC). Since 1997, these reports have provided overviews of the latest developments in industrial relations and working conditions across the EU and Norway. The series may include recent ad hoc articles written by members of the NEC.
Eurofound’s work on COVID-19 examines the far-reaching socioeconomic implications of the pandemic across Europe as they continue to impact living and working conditions. A key element of the research is the e-survey, launched in April 2020, with five rounds completed at different stages during 2020, 2021 and 2022. This is complemented by the inclusion of research into the ongoing effects of the pandemic in much of Eurofound’s other areas of work.
Eurofound's representativeness studies are designed to allow the European Commission to identify the ‘management and labour’ whom it must consult under article 154 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). This series consists of studies of the representativeness of employer and worker organisations in various sectors.
This series reports on developments in minimum wage rates across the EU, including how they are set and how they have developed over time in nominal and real terms. The series explores where there are statutory minimum wages or collectively agreed minimum wages in the Member States, as well as minimum wage coverage rates by gender.
The European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) launched in 1990 and is carried out every five years, with the latest edition in 2015. It provides an overview of trends in working conditions and quality of employment for the last 30 years. It covers issues such as employment status, working time duration and organisation, work organisation, learning and training, physical and psychosocial risk factors, health and safety, work–life balance, worker participation, earnings and financial security, work and health, and most recently also the future of work.
Eurofound’s Flagship report series 'Challenges and prospects in the EU' comprise research reports that contain the key results of multiannual research activities and incorporate findings from different related research projects. Flagship reports are the major output of each of Eurofound’s strategic areas of intervention and have as their objective to contribute to current policy debates.
Eurofound’s European Company Survey (ECS) maps and analyses company policies and practices which can have an impact on smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, as well as the development of social dialogue in companies. This series consists of outputs from the ECS 2019, the fourth edition of the survey. The survey was first carried out in 2004–2005 as the European Survey on Working Time and Work-Life Balance.
This series reports on and updates latest information on the involvement of national social partners in policymaking. The series analyses the involvement of national social partners in the implementation of policy reforms within the framework of social dialogue practices, including their involvement in elaborating the National Reform Programmes (NRPs).
Digitisation and automation technologies, including artificial intelligence, are rapidly evolving, and becoming increasingly powerful and pervasive. While the implications of digital technologies on ethics and working conditions should be explored as they emerge, it is also important to anticipate any unintended effects that raise new ethical challenges. Drawing on different research methods and building on previous research, this report examines the effects of digital technologies on fundamental rights, ethical principles and working conditions.
This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in European sectoral social dialogue taking place at cross-sectoral level. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective participation in the European sectoral social dialogue and their capacity to negotiate agreements. The aim of this Eurofound’s study on representativeness is to identify the relevant national and European social partner organisations at cross-sectoral level in the EU Member States.
This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the furniture sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective participation in the European sectoral social dialogue and their capacity to negotiate agreements. The aim of this Eurofound’s study on representativeness is to identify the relevant national and European social partner organisations in the furniture sector in the EU Member States.
This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the extractive industries sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective participation in the European sectoral social dialogue and their capacity to negotiate agreements. The aim of this Eurofound’s study on representativeness is to identify the relevant national and European social partner organisations in the extractive industries sector in the EU Member States.
This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the woodworking sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective participation in the European sectoral social dialogue and their capacity to negotiate agreements. The aim of this Eurofound’s study on representativeness is to identify the relevant national and European social partner organisations in the woodworking sector in the EU Member States.
This report maps and analyses key dimensions and indicators of industrial relations in the EU. It expands on the four key indicators identified in Eurofound’s 2016 study: industry democracy, industrial competitiveness, job and employment equality, and social justice. With a key focus on industrial democracy, the report provides an in-depth analysis of divergence and convergence patterns across countries. The analysis also includes the development of a composite indicator and an integrated indicator for all four industrial relations dimensions.
The interaction between workers and machines has increased due to the rapid advancement of automation technologies. The new wave of robots can perform tasks with more flexibility, greater sophistication and in a way that protects workers’ physical safety. Drawing on case studies of advanced robotics, this report explores the benefits and risks that come with closer human–machine interaction, the organisational practices needed to deal with emerging issues and the real concerns and challenges.
The report describes trends in social and economic discontent across the EU between 2002 and 2020, highlighting in particular the turbulent times brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The report explores the evolution of social cohesion and its impact on economic and social discontent. It assesses the relationship between social cohesion and discontent during the pandemic, allowing for a comparison of the situation as it stands in 2023. The focus of the report is on regions where social cohesion is low, where a contrast is drawn with regions where social cohesion is much higher.
This report analyses the working conditions and job quality of different types of self-employed workers. Drawing on data from the European Working Conditions Survey, it looks into policies in Member States aimed at addressing the challenges and opportunities associated with specific types of self-employment.
This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the chemical sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective participation in the European sectoral social dialogue and their capacity to negotiate agreements. The aim of this Eurofound’s study on representativeness is to identify the relevant national and European social partner organisations in the chemical sector in the EU Member States.
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