Online event

Virtual Visit to Estonia - Job quality a cornerstone for long-term labour market competitiveness

As part of our Virtual Visits initiative, Eurofound organised an exclusive online interactive webinar with its experts on Job quality - a cornerstone for long-term labour market competitiveness’ on Thursday, 15 January 2026, 13.00-14.00 (Estonian time).

Virtual Visit to Estonia - Job quality a cornerstone for long-term labour market competitiveness
When?

Thursday, 15 January 2026

Estonian time

Start

13:00

End

14:00

Organised by
Eurofound in collaboration with Eurofound’s Estonian Board Members and national correspondent in Estonia

Event background

This event took place in the context of Eurofound’s ongoing efforts with key stakeholders at the national level to ensure widespread dissemination and dialogue on our research findings. 

Event overview

Job quality is a cornerstone of Estonia’s economic competitiveness and long-term labour market strategy. Quality jobs offering fair wages, good working conditions, learning opportunities and work–life balance are essential for boosting participation, supporting longer and healthier careers, and raising productivity.

Estonia’s productivity growth has slowed compared to the European Union average. To address this, the government aims to raise labour productivity to 110% of the EU average by 2035. Improving job quality is key to achieving this goal.

In today’s rapidly changing economy, shaped by automation and artificial intelligence, robust job quality helps workers adapt, develop new skills and maintain well-being. Reliable evidence on job quality is critical for shaping effective labour policies.

This event incorporated new, interesting and country-specific data demonstrating how job quality is crucial for higher labour force participation, higher well-being and increased economic performance. Job quality is also a key component in making work sustainable and enabling workers to stay motivated to remain in work for longer.

Particular attention was paid to measures to improve job quality across age cohorts (young and older workers), address the unequal division of care between men and women, and assess the impact of artificial intelligence on work and employment. It also explored how to enhance the attractiveness of sectors and occupations facing labour shortages, including those deemed essential to Estonia’s competitiveness, such as health and social services, ICT, education and manufacturing.

This event took place in collaboration with Eurofound’s Estonian Board Members and with its national correspondent in Estonia.

The presentation is available for download below.

Presentation slides: Virtual Visit to Estonia - Job quality a cornerstone for long-term labour market competitiveness

PDF document

Virtual visit Estonia image
Virtual visit Estonia image
Virtual visit Estonia image

Image © Per Swantesson/Stocksy/Adobe Stock

Eurofound speakers

Barbara Gerstenberger

​Head of Unit
Working life research unit

Barbara Gerstenberger yra EUROFOUND Profesinio gyvenimo skyriaus vadovė. Eidama šias pareigas, ji koordinuoja mokslinių tyrimų grupes, tiriančias darbo kokybę Europoje, remiantis Europos darbo sąlygų tyrimu, ir yra bendrai atsakinga už Europos profesinio gyvenimo observatoriją ir darbo santykių tyrimus ES. Ji prisijungė prie EUROFOUND 2001 m. kaip mokslinių tyrimų vadovė tuo metu naujai įsteigtame Europos pokyčių stebėsenos centre (EMCC). 2007 m. ji perėjo į EUROFOUND Informacijos ir komunikacijos skyrių komunikacijos produktų vadove, o 2011 m. buvo paskirta direktorato koordinatore. Anksčiau ji dirbo vyresniąja mokslo darbuotoja Europos metalo apdirbėjų federacijoje Briuselyje. Hamburgo universitete baigusi politikos mokslus, Harvardo universiteto Kenedžio vyriausybės mokykloje įgijusi viešojo administravimo magistro laipsnį.

Sara Riso

Senior research manager
Working life research unit

Sara Riso joined Eurofound in 2006 and is currently a senior research manager in the Working Life unit. She is engaged in research projects focusing on digitalisation and working conditions. Before joining Eurofound, Sara managed research projects for large Brussels-based European associations and networks. Her academic background is in psychology, communication and languages. Her main research interest lies in exploring new workplace stressors arising from increased digitalisation of work, evolving organisational practices, and change management strategies to address the challenges posed by digitalisation in modern working environments.

Ivailo Kalfin

Executive Director
Eurofound

2021 m. birželio 1 d. Ivailo Kalfin pradėjo eiti EUROFOUND vykdomojo direktoriaus pareigas. S. Kalfin patirtis apima įvairias sritis – nuo darbo rinkos ir socialinės politikos dinamikos iki pasaulinių politinių tendencijų, ES ir biudžeto, taip pat skaitmeninės transformacijos. Jis išdėstė penkis pagrindinius savo vaidmens EUROFOUND prioritetus: remti Europos žaliosios ir skaitmeninės pertvarkos integravimą; papildyti Europos socialinių teisių ramsčio veiksmų plano įgyvendinimą įrodymais grindžiamais moksliniais tyrimais; glaudesnis bendradarbiavimas su tarptautinėmis organizacijomis ir išorės partneriais ir aktyvesnis Europos kaimynystės politikos šalių informavimas; parama socialinių partnerių gebėjimų stiprinimui ir plėtrai pagal Agentūros kompetencijos sritį; didinti EUROFOUND žinomumą tarp pagrindinių suinteresuotųjų subjektų.

Mary McCaughey

Head of Unit
Information and Communication

Mary McCaughey yra EUROFOUND informacijos ir komunikacijos skyriaus vadovė. Baigusi Trejybės koledžą Dubline ir Europos koledžą Briugėje, ji pradėjo dirbti Briuselyje "Europolitics" ir "Wall Street Journal Europe". Ji dirbo su Europos parlamentarų su Afrika asociacija (AWEPA) Pietų Afrikoje pereinant prie demokratijos, o 1998 m. pradėjo eiti Europos Sąjungos delegacijos Pretorijoje atstovės spaudai pareigas ir vadovavo jos spaudos ir informacijos skyriui derybose dėl ES ir Pietų Afrikos laisvosios prekybos susitarimo. Pasibaigus Kosovo karui, ji dirbo Europos rekonstrukcijos agentūros komunikacijos konsultante Serbijoje. 2003 m. ji pradėjo eiti EUROFOUND vyriausiosios redaktorės pareigas.

Series: Virtual Visits

Hosted online and tailored to individual countries, Virtual Visits offer a unique opportunity to engage directly with Eurofound researchers. The sessions provide insights into current developments, explore the latest findings and facilitate discussion on topics of national relevance.

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