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Emploi et marchés du travail

L’emploi et les marchés du travail comptent parmi les six activités principales à l’ordre du programme de travail d’Eurofound pour la période 2021-2024. Eurofound continuera de servir de centre d’expertise pour le suivi et l’analyse des évolutions du marché du travail, tout particulièrement à l’heure où les marchés du travail européens sont confrontés à d’importants défis causés par la pandémie de COVID-19. Ses activités de collecte de données et de recherche se concentreront sur les conséquences de la pandémie sur le travail et l’emploi et sur les moyens de garantir le fonctionnement ainsi que le caractère inclusif du marché du travail.

Pendant la période 2021-2024, les recherches d’Eurofound fourniront des informations importantes sur les défis et perspectives dans le domaine de l’emploi et des marchés du travail dans l’UE. Eurofound a un rôle important à jouer dans le suivi des tendances du marché du travail, ainsi que dans l’analyse de l’impact de ces tendances sur différents groupes de travailleurs.

Les recherches mettront principalement l’accent sur l’évolution structurelle du marché du travail en s’appuyant sur les instruments de surveillance réputés d’Eurofound – l’ Observatoire européen de l’emploi (EJM) et l’ Observatoire européen des restructurations (ERM) – en plus des données d’Eurostat. Dans la mesure où l’on s’attend à des taux de chômage élevés dans certains pays, régions, secteurs et professions, qui affecteront également les travailleurs les plus précaires et les plus vulnérables, ces instruments permettront d’identifier les secteurs, professions et qualifications en croissance ou en déclin. Par ailleurs, l’ERM poursuivra son étude des activités de restructuration de grande ampleur, des instruments juridiques et de soutien, de même que des mesures élaborées par les partenaires sociaux et les autorités publiques pour aider les travailleurs en pleine transition vers un autre emploi ou secteur.

Eurofound axera également ses activités sur les pénuries de main d’œuvre et la sous-exploitation des ressources humaines et des talents dans certains secteurs et professions, qui se sont accentuées durant la crise de la COVID-19, en examinant les interventions politiques et les pratiques des entreprises. L’ inadéquation entre l’offre et la demande de compétences , le temps de travail , la mobilité géographique ou professionnelle et l’ intégration des migrants figureront au rang des thèmes abordés, qui couvriront aussi des groupes sous-représentés sur le marché du travail tels que lesjeunes, les femmes et les personnes handicapées . De plus, Eurofound se penchera sur les secteurs habituellement touchés par les pénuries de main-d’œuvre, cette problématique devenant plus urgente en raison de la pandémie. Cette activité alimentera les travaux préparatoires pour la prochaine édition de l’ enquête sur les entreprises en Europe (ECS) .

Eurofound poursuivra en outre sa collaboration avec le Centre commun de recherche (CCR) de la Commission européenne dans ce domaine. Les recherches sur les restructurations contribueront aux activités du Fonds européen d’ajustement à la mondialisation (FEAM) et au Fonds social européen plus (FSE+). Eurofound s’appuiera sur sa relation avec son agence sœur, le Cedefop, et l’Autorité européenne du travail dans le domaine des compétences et de la mobilité de la main-d’œuvre pour promouvoir des politiques d’emploi visant à combattre les pénuries de main d’œuvre.

 

«Six personnes sur dix restent engagées sous des contrats à durée indéterminée. Bien que les chiffres dont nous disposons sur “l’emploi atypique”, c’est-à-dire le travail à temps partiel et à durée déterminée, n’aient pas vraiment évolué au cours de ces cinq à dix dernières années, ils dissimulent un recours croissant aux formes de travail plus précaires, et les travailleurs engagés sous des contrats précaires ne bénéficient pas du même accès à l’emploi ou à la protection sociale.»

— Tina Weber, directrice de recherche, unité «Emploi»

Topic

Recent updates

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From July to December 2024, Eurofound supports the work of Hungary's presidency of the Council of the EU, providing valuable research results on specific topics linked with the presidency priorities.

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Presentation made at the 'Informal meeting of Employment and Social Affairs Ministers (EPSCO)' by Ivailo Kalfin, Executive Director, Eurofound and Prof. dr. Paul Schoukens, Full Professor, KU Leuven. Belgian Presidency...

Presentation

Messages politiques clés


Infographie

Les principaux résultats des recherches d’Eurofound servent de point de départ aux décideurs politiques dans leurs réponses aux enjeux majeurs dans ce domaine.

  • Avant l’incidence économique de la crise de la COVID-19, le taux d’emploi de l’UE était proche de 75 % – c’est-à-dire l’objectif fixé dans la stratégie Europe 2020 – grâce à la reprise du marché du travail européen. Malgré le caractère unique de cette crise, les leçons tirées des précédentes crises ont montré qu’il était important que les travailleurs conservent un lien avec le marché du travail et, le cas échéant, que leurs compétences soient renforcées afin de garantir une reprise rapide.
  • La croissance de l’emploi demeure constamment la plus faible pour les emplois à revenus intermédiaires – et tout particulièrement pendant les récessions – et constamment la plus forte pour les emplois à revenus élevés.
  • La stabilité des niveaux de travail atypique dissimule une augmentation du travail précaire chez certains groupes, un nombre de plus en plus élevé de travailleurs ayant choisi les options «autre» ou «sans contrat». La pandémie de COVID-19 expose davantage la détresse de ces travailleurs, qui ont été les plus durement touchés par la crise et qui risquent d’en être les plus sévèrement affectés à plus long terme.
  • L’augmentation de différentes formes de travail non conventionnel entraîne une plus forte séparation entre les travailleurs bien protégés et ceux bénéficiant d’un accès limité aux droits à la protection sociale et à l’emploi au sein des marchés du travail de l’UE, ce qui contribue à une plus grande segmentation du marché du travail. Cette observation s’applique tout particulièrement au nombre croissant de travailleurs engagés dans des emplois «non conventionnels cumulés» (la combinaison de statuts de travail non conventionnel: par exemple, travail temporaire et à temps partiel ou travail indépendant et à temps partiel).
  • Compte tenu de l’augmentation actuelle de l’emploi précaire, les solutions apportées devront soutenir les travailleurs ayant un accès limité à la protection sociale et étant peu représentés. Cette réponse revêt une importance d’autant plus grande à l’heure où l’incidence de la pandémie de COVID-19 commence à se faire sentir, et menace en particulier l’existence de nombreux travailleurs précaires et indépendants.

2021–2024 work plan

During 2021–2024, Eurofound’s research will provide important insights into the challenges and prospects in the area of employment and labour markets in the EU. Eurofound has an important role to play in monitoring trends in the labour market, as well as monitoring the impact of these trends for different groups of workers.

Research will focus overall on the changing structure of the labour market using Eurofound’s well established monitoring instruments, the European Jobs Monitor (EJM) and the European Restructuring Monitor (ERM), alongside Eurostat data. With high levels of unemployment expected in some countries, regions, sectors and occupations, affecting also the most precarious and vulnerable workers, these instruments will help identify growing and declining sectors, occupations and qualifications. The ERM will also continue to examine large-scale restructuring events, legislative and support instruments, as well as measures developed by social partners and public authorities to assist workers transitioning between jobs or sectors.

Eurofound will also focus on labour shortages and under-utilised human resources and talent in certain sectors and occupations – accentuated during COVID-19 – by exploring policy interventions and company practices. Specific topics will include skills mismatches, working time, geographical or occupational mobility, and the integration of migrants, as well as covering groups underrepresented in the labour market such as young people, women and people with disabilities. Eurofound will also look at sectors traditionally affected by labour shortages, the issue becoming more urgent due to the pandemic. This activity will feed into the preparatory work for the next edition of the European Company Survey (ECS).

Eurofound’s collaboration with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) will also continue in this area. Research on restructuring will contribute to the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) and the European Social Fund+ (ESF+) activities. Links with sister agency Cedefop and the European Labour Authority will be explored as regards skills and labour mobility in the context of employment policies aimed at tackling labour shortages.

Addressing stakeholder priorities

Eurofound’s research aims to assist policy action to provide knowledge to support structural change, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. It aims to help address the challenges facing the EU and national levels in the areas of employment and labour market structures.

Specifically, Eurofound collects data and analyses trends in employment and labour market developments, identifying and examining gaps and groups at risk, in order to provide the European Commission and other EU institutions, Member State bodies and social partners with the support needed to devise more effective employment policies.

The Agency’s work plan is aligned with the European Commission’s political guidelines 2021–2024, directly feeding into a number of key policy areas aimed at creating a strong social Europe. In particular, Eurofound’s research will support policy initiatives under the European Pillar of Social Rights in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis and activities linked to, among other initiatives, the European Gender Equality Strategy 2020–2025, the reinforced Youth Guarantee, the Youth Employment Support package, the skills agenda, as well as innovation and job creation and the European Commission’s proposal for adequate minimum wages in the EU.

 

Eurofound research

In 2024, Eurofound continues to monitor and analyse how the EU’s labour market structure is changing, looking at patterns related to employment status, workers’ demographic characteristics, and net job creation and job loss by sector and occupation, particularly in light of the challenges triggered by COVID-19 and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Analysis draws on data from the European Jobs Monitor (EJM), European Restructuring Monitor (ERM) and Eurostat and the work involves ongoing updates to the EJM and ERM databases. 

In 2024, Eurofound publishes the findings of research investigating employment shifts across EU regions, from the pandemic to the recovery. In particular, the research focuses on the gap between urban/capital and rural areas and on patterns of sectoral specialisation which made some regions more exposed or resilient than others. The research investigates the evolution of telework across European regions, including the observed differences in the take up of regional telework. This work builds on the EJM regional analyses and the previous Eurofound/Joint Research Centre analysis on teleworkable jobs.

Eurofound finalises its analysis of the impact of short-time work schemes on retaining employment and securing incomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. One output from this project is a comparative database of the support measures used in the Member States. The research aims to derive policy lessons regarding effective instruments for future crises. 

Complementing earlier research on mapping the incidence of labour shortages and assessing policies to address shortages, Eurofound concludes its analysis of company/organisational practices. Some case studies look specifically at how displaced people from Ukraine have been integrated into the labour market. 

New research in 2024 investigates shifts in the employment structure in the first quarter of the 21st century, examining the pace of change (technological, globalisation/trade-related, demographic) and its impacts on labour markets.

Research begins on measuring job differences in task requirements and their implications for mobility and employment reallocation across the economy. It aims to determine the magnitude and the nature of changes in job tasks following a job move.

Work also commences on exploring wage determinants in the EU, with a specific focus on gender gaps. This research aims to identify correlations between trends in educational attainment and wages by gender, as well as the determinants of any mismatch between wages and education levels by gender.

Key outputs

Eurofound expert(s)

John Hurley

John Hurley is a senior research manager in the Employment unit at Eurofound. He took up the role of research manager in February 2012. He is responsible for the European...

Senior research manager,
Employment research unit
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Carlos Vacas Soriano is a research manager in the Employment unit at Eurofound. He works on topics related to wage and income inequalities, minimum wages, low pay, job quality...

Research manager,
Employment 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 (593)

In this report, we provide projections of how the Fit for 55 policy package may affect the sectoral and occupational structure of employment in the EU by 2030, and the impacts across different regions and countries.

25 October 2023

L’année 2022 a débuté sur fond d’optimisme prudent. Alors que l’Europe sortait de deux années de pandémie de COVID-19 et que, dans le cadre de NextGenerationEU, un plan pour la reprise visant à construire un avenir solide et durable était présenté, l’attaque menée par la Russie contre l’Ukraine au

04 May 2023

On request by the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Eurofound prepared a background paper as a basis for the discussion at the informal Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) meeting on 3-4 May 2023. The paper outlines some of the key challenges

04 May 2023

Les ressources humaines contribuent à la réussite d’une organisation grâce à leurs compétences. Selon le modèle AMO (Ability, Motivation, Opportunity), la contribution des salariés aux performances de l’organisation dépend de leurs compétences, de leur motivation à les mettre à profit et des

30 March 2023

Alors que les économies commencent à se remettre de la pandémie de COVID-19, les pénuries de main-d’œuvre deviennent de plus en plus manifestes malgré l’incidence de la guerre en Ukraine sur les prix de l’énergie et des matières premières. Il s’agit notamment de pénuries exacerbées par la crise dans

28 March 2023

Les marchés du travail européens se sont fortement redressés après la COVID-19. À la fin de 2021, soit à peine plus de 18 mois après le début de la pandémie, les taux d’emploi dans l’UE avaient presque retrouvé leurs niveaux d’avant la crise. Le présent rapport résume l’évolution du marché du

20 October 2022

Digitisation and automation technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), can affect working conditions in a variety of ways and their use in the workplace raises a host of new ethical concerns. Recently, the policy debate surrounding these concerns has become more prominent and has

30 May 2022

La pandémie de COVID-19 a continué de marquer profondément la vie et le travail des Européens pendant une deuxième année en 2021, et Eurofound a poursuivi ses travaux visant à examiner et à enregistrer les incidences multiples et variées qui en découlent dans les États membres de l’Union européenne

09 May 2022

L’évolution technologique s’accélère avec le développement des capacités des appareils électroniques en termes de stockage, de traitement et de communication des informations au format numérique. Le numérique transforme l’économie et les marchés du travail de l’Union: près d’un tiers des lieux de

15 December 2021

L’une des évolutions les plus frappantes au cours du dernier demi-siècle a été l’augmentation considérable de la participation des femmes au marché du travail. Un tiers des nouveaux emplois nets créés au cours des deux dernières décennies dans l’UE ont été occupés par des femmes. Dans le même temps

14 December 2021

Online resources results (959)

Presentation made at the 'Informal meeting of Employment and Social Affairs Ministers (EPSCO)' by Ivailo Kalfin, Executive Director, Eurofound and Prof. dr. Paul Schoukens, Full Professor, KU Leuven. Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Namur, 11-12 January 2024.

11 janvier 2024

Climate change objectives and decarbonisation measures are vital for the future of Europe. But how will these objectives impact employment and the labour market? In this episode of the Eurofound Talks podcast series, Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound Senior Research Manager John Hurley about new

22 novembre 2023
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Big tech dismissals: What is the impact in the EU?

Between the end of 2022 and the first half of 2023, almost 300,000 employees working for ‘big tech’ companies were laid off across the world, making headlines for months in global media. This development has been a shock, considering the high numbers of jobs in well-known tech corporations with a re

In this episode of Eurofound Talks, recorded for International Women's Day 2023, Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound Working Life researchers Jorge Cabrita and Viginta Ivaškaitė-Tamošiūnė about how, when paid and unpaid work are combined, women do eight full-time weeks more work than men per year

8 mars 2023
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Building resilience after COVID-19: EU measures to protect jobs and promote skills

Since 2011, the Restructuring support instruments database of the EU PolicyWatch has been collecting information on measures that assist companies and workers to anticipate and manage restructuring. This article looks at measures in the database aimed at supporting employees and employers during the

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EU labour markets resilient despite energy-cost related restructuring

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

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First impacts of the Ukrainian crisis on employment in the EU

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shocked the world and the international community. Cities being destroyed, civilians wounded, innocent lives lost, refugees fleeing to other countries, and economic sanctions have become everyday news as this unprovoked and unlawful war unfolds.

Image of woman paying for goods by credit card through a smartphone in a coffee shop

Bank restructuring: disruptors versus incumbents

While high-street banks reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic by accelerating the push to digitalisation and cutting jobs, some digital-only banks are recruiting new staff to meet growing demand. An example is the ‘disruptor’ bank Revolut which has recently announced the creation of 1,000 jobs worldwide


Blogs results (55)

‘Building back better’ is not just an empty slogan – we need the construction sector to help us achieve our climate targets. Eurofound research reveals that construction is where the Fit for 55 climate policy package will generate the most net new employment.

4 décembre 2023
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The European Commission declared 2023 as the European Year of Skills, stating ‘Helping people get the right skills for quality jobs and helping companies, in particular small and medium enterprises, address skills shortages in the EU is what this year is all about.’

27 mars 2023
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'Women belong in all the places where decisions are made', to borrow from the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg. These decisions are made everywhere and at every level: in the home and at the workplace; in the boardroom and on the shop floor. Which is why it is of such serious concern to see the ongoing deep

8 mars 2023
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The platform economy is one of those moving targets, which, despite receiving increasing media and policy attention, has proven difficult to regulate. Given the heterogeneity of employment relationships, business models, types of platform work and cross-border issues, this is not surprising. Yet, in

27 septembre 2022
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Following the declines in employment rates and working hours across Europe in 2020, economies began to show signs of recovery during the first quarter of 2021. The gradual rekindling of economic activity has led to a surge in demand for workers and reawakened concerns over labour shortages

20 juillet 2021
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On 9 May, the Conference on the Future of Europe will get underway. Floated well before the COVID-19 outbreak, its timing in the wake of the seismic shifts precipitated by the pandemic, and its implementation alongside the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan, means that the outcomes could

4 mai 2021
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The pandemic has had differential impacts on women. Raised consciousness about them must be applied to advance gender equality in recovery measures. All crises have a strongly gendered impact and none more so than the current pandemic, across a range of indicators. While the virus itself seems to

28 avril 2021
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​​​​​​​To date, close to six million workers in the EU have lost their jobs due to COVID-19. Many businesses have closed their doors forever or been pushed to the brink, bringing severe financial and psychological hardship to the individuals and families affected. However, the toll of the pandemic

9 février 2021
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The employment fallout of COVID-19 has been a story of two types of service work. Office-based knowledge workers have largely kept their jobs and incomes while participating in the huge and apparently successful ad hoc social experiment in working from home. Client-facing service workers have borne

2 février 2021

Upcoming publications results (5)

This report provides updated data on the scale of labour shortages and labour market slack in the EU and at Member State level and focusses on organisational policies aimed at attracting workers in shortage occupations. It provides lessons on steps employers can take to fill vacancies, whether actin

September 2024
Forthcoming
Publication
Research report

Job retention schemes were the main policy instruments used across the EU during the COVID-19 pandemic to preserve employment and support businesses. The report provides an analysis of job retention schemes in the EU, focusing on their institutional characteristics, their impact on employment levels

September 2024
Forthcoming
Publication
Research report

This report investigates regional employment dynamics in Europe before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the subsequent recovery from the crisis. Almost 90% of regions across the EU had exceeded their pre-pandemic employment levels by 2022. However, significant regional disparities in emp

August 2024

Living and working in Europe, Eurofound’s 2023 yearbook, provides a snapshot of the latest developments in the work and lives of Europeans as explored in the Agency’s research activities over the course of 2023. This overview also describes how Eurofound's activities connect with the policy prioriti

May 2024

Employment levels in the EU27 recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic shock in 2020–2021 much faster than after the global financial crisis (2008–2010). This was despite the immediate job loss effects of the two crises being of comparable scale. This report summarises structural developments in Europea

March 2024
Forthcoming
Publication
Eurofound research paper
Data results (3)

The European Jobs Monitor (EJM) tracks structural change in European labour markets. It analyses shifts in the employment structure in the EU in terms of occupation and sector and gives a qualitative assessment of these shifts using various proxies of job quality – wages, skill levels, etc.

2 mai 2023

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