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Healthcare workers report up to three times higher levels of unwanted sexual attention than the EU average. Women in the EU are 3.6 times more likely to suffer from unwanted sexual attention than men, with the likelihood of a young woman (18–34 years) reporting unwanted sexual attention three times higher than men of the same age, and 10 times higher than the oldest group of men (50+ years).

Despite nominal increases in statutory minimum wages reaching an all-time high between January 2022 and January 2023, minimum wage workers in most EU countries are seeing their purchasing power decline or just about compensated, based on preliminary inflation figures. With inflation expected to persist, a further depreciation of minimum wages in real terms can be expected in most Member States, as only a few foresee additional increases during the rest of 2023.

Two-thirds of respondents from the EU and 10 neighbouring countries reported difficulties making ends meet in the fifth round of the Living, working and COVID-19 survey. This was notably higher in EU neighbouring countries than in the EU, with 81% in neighbouring countries reporting difficulties making ends meet, compared to 48% in the EU27. Respondents from the EU neighbouring countries also reported high risk of depression; the results are particularly alarming for those aged between 18 and 44, with 75% being considered at risk of depression.

The survey shows that already prior to the intensification of inflation and a cost-of-living crisis that worsened in 2022, a high number of people in work were in vulnerable situations, with 26% reporting difficulties in making ends meet and 17% unable to predict their earnings in the coming three months. This highlights the importance of focusing policy efforts on making work pay and targeting specific groups such as single parents and workers in low-paid jobs, who are under greater financial pressure and were more severely affected by the pandemic restrictions than other groups.