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 hija l-Kap tal-unità tal-Ħajja tax-Xogħol fil-Eurofound. F'dan ir-rwol, hija tikkoordina t-timijiet ta' riċerka li jinvestigaw il-kwalità tal-impjiegi fl-Ewropa abbażi tal-Istħarriġ Ewropew dwar il-Kundizzjonijiet tax-Xogħol u għandha r-responsabbiltà ġenerali għall-Osservatorju Ewropew tal-Ħajja tax-Xogħol u r-riċerka dwar ir-relazzjonijiet industrijali fl-UE. Hija ngħaqdet mal-Eurofound fl-2001 bħala maniġer tar-riċerka fiċ-Ċentru Ewropew għall-Monitoraġġ tal-Bidla (EMCC) li dak iż-żmien kien għadu kif ġie stabbilit. Fl-2007, hija marret fl-unità tal-Informazzjoni u l-Komunikazzjoni tal-Eurofound bħala Kap tal-Prodotti tal-Komunikazzjoni, qabel ma nħatret Koordinatur fid-Direttorat fl-2011. Preċedentement, hija ħadmet bħala uffiċjal anzjan tar-riċerka fil-Federazzjoni Ewropea tal-Ħaddiema tal-Metall fi Brussell. A graduate in political science from Hamburg University, she completed a Master's degree in Public Administration at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

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

Ivailo Kalfin ingħaqad mal-Eurofound bħala Direttur Eżekuttiv fl-1 ta' Ġunju 2021. L-għarfien espert tas-Sur Kalfin ikopri firxa ta' oqsma, mid-dinamika tas-suq tax-xogħol u l-politika soċjali għal xejriet politiċi globali, l-UE u l-baġit, kif ukoll it-trasformazzjoni diġitali. Huwa ddeskriva ħames prijoritajiet ewlenin għar-rwol tiegħu fil-Eurofound: l-appoġġ għall-integrazzjoni tat-tranżizzjonijiet ekoloġiċi u diġitali tal-Ewropa; jikkumplimenta l-implimentazzjoni tal-Pjan ta' Azzjoni tal-Pilastru Ewropew tad-Drittijiet Soċjali b'riċerka bbażata fuq l-evidenza; aktar kooperazzjoni ma' organizzazzjonijiet internazzjonali u msieħba esterni u sensibilizzazzjoni akbar mal-pajjiżi tal-Politika Ewropea tal-Viċinat; appoġġ għat-tisħiħ u l-espansjoni tal-kapaċità tal-imsieħba soċjali fi ħdan il-mandat tal-Aġenzija; iż-żieda fil-profil tal-Eurofound fost il-partijiet interessati ewlenin.

Mary McCaughey

Head of Unit
Information and Communication

Mary McCaughey hija l-Kap tal-Informazzjoni u l-Komunikazzjoni fil-Eurofound. Gradwata mit-Trinity College, Dublin u l-Kulleġġ tal-Ewropa, Bruges, bdiet taħdem fi Brussell mal-Europolitics u l-Wall Street Journal Europe. Hija ħadmet mal-Assoċjazzjoni tal-Parlamentari Ewropej mal-Afrika (AWEPA) fl-Afrika t'Isfel matul it-tranżizzjoni tal-pajjiż lejn id-demokrazija, u fl-1998 ħadet il-kariga ta' kelliem mad-Delegazzjoni tal-Unjoni Ewropea fi Pretoria, fejn tmexxi d-dipartiment tal-istampa u l-informazzjoni tagħha matul in-negozjati tal-ftehim ta' kummerċ ħieles bejn l-UE u l-Afrika t'Isfel. Wara t-tmiem tal-Gwerra tal-Kosovo, hija ħadmet bħala konsulent tal-komunikazzjoni għall-Aġenzija Ewropea għar-Rikostruzzjoni fis-Serbja. Hija bdiet il-kariga ta' Kap Editur fil-Eurofound fl-2003.

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.

See all events in this series
Avveniment online
External event

Virtual Visit to Slovakia - The importance of job quality as a key driver in tackling labour shortages

DataMonday, 6 October 2025
Ħin10:30h‒11:30h (Ħin lokali Irlandiż)
PostOnline
Dan l-avveniment huwa fil-passat
Avveniment online
Joint event

Virtual Visit to Finland - Technologies at work: How prevalent are they and what role do they play?

DataMonday, 26 May 2025
Ħin14:00h‒15:30h (Ħin lokali Irlandiż)
Ħin14:00 (Europe/Helsinki)
PostOnline
Dan l-avveniment huwa fil-passat
Avveniment online
Joint event

Virtual Visit to Portugal - Measures to tackle labour shortages and the importance of job quality

DataWednesday, 18 December 2024
Ħin12:30h‒13:30h (Ħin lokali Irlandiż)
Ħin12:30 (Europe/Lisbon)
PostOnline
Dan l-avveniment huwa fil-passat
Avveniment online
Joint event

Virtual Visit to Belgium - Job quality: a key driver for increasing labour force participation

DataTuesday, 26 November 2024
Ħin11:30h‒12:30h (Ħin lokali Irlandiż)
Ħin11:30 (Europe/Brussels)
PostOnline
Dan l-avveniment huwa fil-passat
Avveniment online
Joint event

Virtual Visit to Germany - Measures to tackle labour shortages and the significance of job quality

DataMonday, 18 November 2024
Ħin11:30h‒12:30h (Ħin lokali Irlandiż)
Ħin11:30 (Europe/Berlin)
PostOnline
Dan l-avveniment huwa fil-passat
Avveniment online
Joint event

Virtual Visit to Austria - Measures to tackle labour shortages and the importance of job quality

DataMonday, 16 September 2024
Ħin11:00h‒12:00h (Ħin lokali Irlandiż)
Ħin11:00 (Europe/Vienna)
PostOnline
Dan l-avveniment huwa fil-passat
Avveniment online
Joint event

Virtual Visit to Cyprus - Labour shortages: Tailoring interventions for different drivers of shortages

DataWednesday, 31 July 2024
Ħin09:30h‒10:30h (Ħin lokali Irlandiż)
PostOnline
Dan l-avveniment huwa fil-passat
Avveniment online
Joint event

Virtual Visit to Croatia - Social policies to bolster adequate and affordable housing

DataTuesday, 30 April 2024
Ħin10:30h‒11:30h (Ħin lokali Irlandiż)
PostOnline
Dan l-avveniment huwa fil-passat
Avveniment online
Joint event

Virtual Visit to Romania - Towards adequate minimum wages and strengthening of collective bargaining

DataFriday, 26 April 2024
Ħin10:30h‒11:30h (Ħin lokali Irlandiż)
PostOnline
Dan l-avveniment huwa fil-passat
Avveniment online
Joint event

Virtual Visit to Luxembourg - Labour shortages: National policy and company approaches to addressing shortages

DataThursday, 25 April 2024
Ħin11:30h‒12:30h (Ħin lokali Irlandiż)
PostOnline
Dan l-avveniment huwa fil-passat
Flag of the European UnionThis website is an official website of the European Union.
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