Challenges and prospects in the EU

What have been the major trends and policy developments regarding digitalisation in Europe? What do we know about the deployment of automation, digitisation and the platform economy? This flagship publication provides an overview of developments in Europe in recent years, as well as mapping the observable or expected effects on employment and working conditions, as well as exploring the implications from a policy perspective.

Following improvements in economic growth and labour market participation after the global financial and economic crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic constitutes a new, unprecedented challenge for the EU. The crisis threatens to pose an existential challenge to the EU’s cohesion and legitimacy. The subject of upward convergence is once again centre stage in the European policy debate. Expanding on work done on this topic in previous years, this flagship report traces developments in economic and social indicators between the economic crisis and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Este relatório emblemático resume as principais conclusões da investigação da Eurofound sobre as condições de trabalho, realizada no período de programação 2017-2020. Faz um balanço dos progressos alcançados desde 2000 na melhoria das condições de trabalho e examina se todos os trabalhadores beneficiaram de forma equitativa de mudanças positivas. Salienta quais são os grupos mais expostos ao risco de vivenciarem más condições de trabalho e serem deixados para trás. Dadas as mudanças no mundo do trabalho, são identificados desafios emergentes para a qualidade do emprego.

No âmbito do seu mandato para promover o diálogo entre parceiros sociais, a Eurofound acompanha e analisa a evolução dos sistemas de relações laborais a nível da UE e nos Estados-Membros da UE há mais de 40 anos. Este relatório emblemático baseia-se no trabalho realizado neste contexto durante o último período de programação (2015-2019). Baseia-se na monitorização exaustiva dos sistemas de relações laborais e do diálogo social realizada pela Eurofound numa base contínua.

What have been the major trends and policy developments regarding the flexibilisation of employment in recent years? Eurofound’s work programme for 2017–2020 set out to document and capture these changes in the world of work. This flagship publication provides an overview of developments in Europe in the wake of the global financial crisis, as well as mapping the ongoing challenges and policy approaches taken at EU and national levels to find the right balance between flexibility and security in the labour market.

What have been the major developments in quality of life and public services in Europe in recent years, as captured by research into these areas in Eurofound’s work programme for 2017–2020? This flagship publication provides a synthesis of the main findings on several key topics, based, in part, on European Quality of Life Survey data.