Eurofound

Partial retirement schemes can be an important part of the solution to improving sustainability of Europe’s pension systems. However, despite their clear potential, the practical experiences of partial retirement have shown mixed results, according to Eurofound's new report Extending working lives through flexible retirement schemes: Partial retirement released today.

The cost of people living in inadequate housing in the EU Member States is hitting economies to the tune of nearly €194 billion per year, a new report from Eurofound states. The cost of addressing the shortcomings of the housing stock would be in the region of €295 billion (at 2011 prices). However, the report maintains, the outlay could be quickly recouped from savings on healthcare and a range of publicly funded services.

With people living longer and birth rates falling across Europe, a priority of EU policy is to encourage Europeans to remain in work beyond current retirement ages, to minimise pressure on pension systems.

Well-functioning social dialogue is a key component in implementing the reforms that will boost European competitiveness. A new report from Eurofound examines how management, employees and their representatives achieve common solutions to common problems.

The 11th European Congress of the International Labour and Employment Relations Association (ILERA) took place in Milan over 8–10 September 2016. A corporate member of ILERA, Eurofound has played an active role in previous European and world congresses, contributing to the discussion and sharing information. It continued its contribution at this year’s congress, the theme of which – The future of representation – is particularly relevant to Eurofound’s work.

A new report from Eurofound – Developments in working life in Europe: EurWORK annual review 2015 – collates information based on research from Eurofound’s network of European correspondents. The correspondents report national-level information on industrial relations and working conditions for the Agency’s European Observatory of Working Life (EurWORK).

The prevalence of structural problems in dwellings in the EU varies considerably between Member States.

On average, 12% of EU residents report damp or leaks in their walls and roofs; 9% live in accommodation with rot in the windows, doors or floors; and 14% of resident indicate that they cannot afford to keep their home adequately warm.

Such problems are most common in Cyprus, where 51% of dwellings have a structural deficiency, and least common in Austria and Sweden, where 92% of residents reported having no structural problems in their dwellings.

Performance-related pay and employee reward systems in Europe are often unevenly distributed among different groups of workers; particularly benefitting men, highly-skilled and highly ranked workers. Without robust monitoring and transparency, supplementary employee reward systems could potentially exacerbate pre-existing pay inequalities.