Structural change

European labour markets have recovered strongly from COVID-19. By the end of 2021, little more than 18 months after the start of the pandemic, employment rates in the EU were almost at pre-crisis levels. This report summarises labour market developments in 2020 and 2021 using quarterly data from the EU Labour Force Survey. It does so from a structural perspective, with a focus on sector-level and occupation-level data, and key demographic variables: gender and age. Even if employment levels in EU Member States return to their pre-crisis levels, the composition of employment will have changed significantly. COVID-19 has accelerated some prior trends – occupational upgrading with increased employment in higher quality and higher paid jobs and the uptake of teleworking – in ways that are likely to leave a permanent mark on the structure of employment in the EU.

Is-settur tal-banek bl-imnut huwa art fertili għall-istudju tal-impatti tad-diġitalizzazzjoni fuq ix-xogħol u l-impjieg. Is-servizzi finanzjarji qed jiġu pprovduti dejjem aktar online, mingħajr l-intermedjazzjoni ta' istituzzjonijiet li jiffukaw wiċċ mal-klijent. Ħafna banek fis-settur għaddew minn ristrutturar serjali mill-kriżi finanzjarja globali, u huwa wieħed mill-ftit setturi tas-servizzi b'impjiegi stagnanti jew li jonqsu. Barra mill-bidliet teknoloġiċi fil-mod kif is-servizzi jiġu pprovduti, is-settur qed jirrispondi wkoll għal sfidi oħra, inkluż żieda fil-piż regolatorju u ta' konformità, kompetizzjoni mill-fintech, u rati ta' interess baxxi u profittabbiltà mnaqqsa. L-istudji ta' każ f'dan ir-rapport jiddeskrivu eżempji ta' ristrutturar riċenti fis-settur, x'kien il-motiv tar-ristrutturar, kif ġie mmexxi u kif affettwa l-impjieg, l-organizzazzjoni tax-xogħol, u riżultati oħra tan-negozju u tal-impjegati.