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Condições de trabalho e trabalho sustentável

As condições de trabalho e o trabalho sustentável são uma das seis principais atividades do programa de trabalho da Eurofound para o período de 2021-2024. A Eurofound continuará a funcionar como um centro de conhecimentos especializados para acompanhar e analisar a evolução neste domínio, incluindo o impacto que a crise da COVID-19 tem tido nas condições de trabalho e na qualidade do emprego, bem como nas práticas no local de trabalho.

Durante o período de 2021-2024, a Eurofound fornecerá análises importantes dos desafios e das perspetivas relacionados com as condições de trabalho e o trabalho sustentável na UE. Com base em conhecimentos especializados há muito estabelecidos neste domínio, a Eurofound analisará as tendências e os progressos ao longo do tempo e identificará as preocupações emergentes em torno das condições de trabalho e da qualidade do emprego. A análise abrangerá diferentes países, setores, profissões e grupos de trabalhadores sobre questões como a organização do trabalho e o teletrabalho , o tempo de trabalho , a conciliação entre a vida profissional e a vida familiar , a igualdade de tratamento , a saúde e o bem-estar no local de trabalho , as competências e a formação , os rendimentos e as perspetivas e a satisfação profissional. As formas atípicas de emprego serão uma prioridade específica, em especial o trabalho por conta própria.

À luz do desafio demográfico da UE que o envelhecimento da população representa, bem como da crescente diversidade da vida profissional, a Eurofound continuará a explorar os fatores que permitem que mais trabalhadores permaneçam mais tempo no mercado de trabalho. Analisará também a melhoria da qualidade do emprego enquanto facilitador de uma maior participação no mercado de trabalho e de uma maior motivação dos trabalhadores, contribuindo para um trabalho sustentável ao longo da vida.

A relação entre o trabalho e a saúde será analisada em estreita consulta com a Agência Europeia para a Segurança e Saúde no Trabalho (EU-OSHA). A Eurofound visa desenvolver a sua colaboração com a Organização Internacional do Trabalho (OIT) sobre questões relacionadas com o futuro do trabalho e as condições de trabalho a nível mundial.

«De um modo geral, são boas notícias, porque as condições de trabalho na União Europeia estão a melhorar — embora muito lentamente — mas há a preocupação de que tal não seja necessariamente verdade para todos os grupos de trabalhadores. Depende muito do setor profissional, do nível de habilitações e, há que dizê-lo, se o trabalhador é homem ou mulher.»

Barbara Gerstenberger, chefe da Unidade «Vida ativa»

Topic

Recent updates

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Human–robot interaction: What changes in the workplace?

Explore our digital report summary. Understanding how workers and robots interact and the implications for work organisation and working conditions is crucial for robots’ successful integration into the workplace.

Data story

Principais mensagens políticas

Infografia 2021

As principais conclusões da investigação da Eurofound servem de contributo para os decisores políticos abordarem algumas das questões-chave neste domínio.

  • A melhoria das condições de trabalho é crucial tanto para os trabalhadores como para os empregadores. É necessário ter em conta muitos aspetos diferentes da qualidade do emprego. Os empregos de boa qualidade permitem que as pessoas tenham vidas ativas mais longas e melhores, contribuindo para o trabalho sustentável e para um equilíbrio positivo entre a vida profissional e a vida familiar.
  • As condições de trabalho na UE estão, de um modo geral, a melhorar, ainda que o ritmo dos progressos seja gradual. Os progressos não têm sido tão rápidos para alguns grupos de trabalhadores, dependendo do tipo de contrato de trabalho, do setor e do nível de habilitações.
  • Existem muitas formas de melhorar as condições de trabalho e a qualidade do emprego na UE. Os governos têm certamente um papel importante a desempenhar no estabelecimento do quadro regulamentar. Mas os trabalhadores e os empregadores, bem como as respetivas organizações, são também intervenientes importantes. Em muitas dimensões da qualidade do emprego, é no local de trabalho que se faz a mudança.
  • Apenas um quinto das empresas europeias encontrou a fórmula de alcançar um nível ótimo de bem-estar no local de trabalho e de desempenho empresarial. Os locais de trabalho com elevado investimento e elevado envolvimento demonstraram oferecer os melhores resultados para os trabalhadores e para os empregadores, maximizando o desempenho e melhorando a qualidade do emprego através de uma maior autonomia dos trabalhadores, facilitando a participação dos trabalhadores e promovendo a formação e a aprendizagem.
  • Muitas pessoas têm dificuldade em conciliar compromissos laborais e não laborais, em especial as pessoas com filhos a cargo e outros prestadores de cuidados. Embora os regimes de trabalho flexíveis possam ajudar a resolver estas dificuldades, também trazem desafios. O teletrabalho, por exemplo, proporciona mais liberdade aos trabalhadores para escolherem quando e onde trabalhar, mas pode também originar horários de trabalho mais longos, com maior intensidade e maior dificuldade em se desligarem do trabalho.
  • O aumento do teletrabalho durante a pandemia da COVID-19 pôs em evidência o esbatimento da separação entre o trabalho e a vida privada. Muitos governos e parceiros sociais debatem iniciativas de «direito de desligar», a fim de evitar que muitos segmentos de trabalhadores fiquem em risco de esgotamento físico e emocional.
  • No futuro, os parceiros sociais devem procurar incluir disposições para os trabalhadores sobre a natureza voluntária do teletrabalho ou a adequação de tarefas específicas ao teletrabalho em qualquer enquadramento ou acordo legal. O esclarecimento sobre como os empregadores podem contribuir para as despesas associadas ao trabalho em casa, bem como as garantias de igualdade salarial e de acesso à formação para quem trabalha à distância, também assumirão uma importância fundamental.

2021–2024 work plan

During 2021–2024, Eurofound will provide important insights into the challenges and prospects related to working conditions and sustainable work in the EU. Building on long-established expertise in this area, Eurofound will look at trends and progress over time and identify emerging concerns around working conditions and job quality. The analysis will cover different countries, sectors, occupations and groups of workers on issues such as work organisation and teleworkingworking timework–life balanceequal treatmentworkplace health and well-beingskills and trainingearnings and prospects, and job satisfaction. Non-standard forms of employment will be a specific focus, particularly self-employment.

In light of the EU’s demographic challenge of an ageing population and the increasing diversity of working life, Eurofound will continue to explore the factors enabling more workers to stay in employment longer. It will also put the spotlight on improving job quality as an enabler of greater labour market participation and increased employee motivation, contributing to sustainable work over the life course.

The links between work and health will be investigated in close consultation with the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA). Eurofound aims to build on its collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) on issues around the future of work and working conditions at global level.

Addressing stakeholder priorities

Eurofound’s research aims to assist policy action to improve working conditions and job quality, while progressing towards sustainable work, helping to address the challenges facing the EU and national levels in the areas of work and employment. It focuses on identifying pressing issues and specific groups at risk and analysing selected elements.

The Agency’s work plan is aligned with the European Commission’s political guidelines over the next four years, directly feeding into a number of key policy areas aimed at creating a robust social Europe. In particular, Eurofound’s research will support policy initiatives under the European Pillar of Social Rights in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis and activities linked to, among other initiatives, the European Gender Equality Strategy 2020–2025, the reinforced Youth Guarantee, the Youth Employment Support package, the skills agenda, as well as innovation and job creation and the European Commission’s proposal for adequate minimum wages in the EU.

Eurofound research

Eurofound continues to monitor developments in working conditions, with a particular focus on improvements in the job quality of older workers, the challenges associated with specific types of self-employment and the longer-term structural impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In 2024, fieldwork commences for the newest edition of the European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS), which includes questions on working conditions and work–life outcomes relevant to the aftermath of COVID-19. The first results are planned for the end of 2024. 

Final analysis of data from the European Working Conditions Telephone Survey 2021 (EWCTS) feeds into three studies in 2024: an analysis of working conditions and work practices in the hybrid workplace; an investigation of changing working time patterns; and an examination of the job quality of older workers.

Research commences on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Europe, examining levels of digitalisation, digital skills, innovation and training strategies. This research assesses how workers in SMEs compare to the average in terms of working conditions, job quality, digital skills and take-up of training. 

Research in 2024 also aims to identify the most vulnerable group of workers by examining employment relationships that combine several unfavourable characteristics. The research investigates the job quality of workers in these employment relationships, their access to social protection and training, as well as ways to support the transition to more secure forms of employment. 
 

Key outputs

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Eurofound's 2024 work programme is set in the context of the upcoming European elections, war in Ukraine, renewed Middle East conflict and rising cost of living across the EU.

23 Janeiro 2024
Publication
Work programme
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O ano de 2022 começou com um otimismo cauteloso. A Europa emergiu de dois anos da pandemia de COVID-19, com o instrumento NextGenerationEU a definir um plano para uma recuperação...

4 Maio 2023
Publication
Annual report

Eurofound expert(s)

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Barbara Gerstenberger is Head of the Working Life unit at Eurofound. In this role, she coordinates the research teams investigating job quality in Europe based on the European...

​Head of Unit,
Working life research unit
Publications results (569)

Interaction between workers and robots is expected to increase in modern workplaces due to rapid advancements in robotic technologies. This report explores the opportunities and challenges that come with closer human–robot interaction.

22 July 2024

Workers will experience the effects of climate change in many ways: job insecurity, changes to their work tasks and responsibilities, and changes in their workplaces that may involve different work practices and the development of new activities and products. Climate change risks are associated with

01 July 2024

The post-pandemic recovery of Europe continued in 2023, with strong job creation despite subdued economic growth, against a background of rising geopolitical tension. Eurofound’s research over the year brought to light evidence on the key issues shaping the daily lives and work of Europeans.

02 May 2024

Ensuring greater social protection for self-employed people has been the subject of much policy debate in recent years. In 2019, the Council of the European Union adopted a recommendation on access to social protection for workers and the self-employed. Sudden reductions in income during the COVID-1

30 January 2024

This report explores EU Member States’ legislation around the right to disconnect and assesses the impact of company policies in this area on employees’ hours of connection, working time, work–life balance, health and well-being, and overall workplace satisfaction.

30 November 2023

Using data from the European Working Conditions Telephone Survey 2021 and building on a theoretical model that differentiates between job stressors and job resources, this report examines key psychosocial risks in the workplace and their impact on health.

23 November 2023

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a diverse collection of workers ensured the functioning of our societies. In a time of crisis, they maintained access to healthcare, long-term care and other essential goods and services, including food, water, electricity, the internet and waste treatment.

10 October 2023

O termo «trabalho híbrido» foi popularizado com o aumento do teletrabalho durante a pandemia de COVID-19, quando as empresas e os trabalhadores começaram a discutir formas de organização do trabalho após a crise. O termo tem sido cada vez mais utilizado para designar situações em que o trabalho (em

25 May 2023

O ano de 2022 começou com um otimismo cauteloso. A Europa emergiu de dois anos da pandemia de COVID-19, com o instrumento NextGenerationEU a definir um plano para uma recuperação que construa um futuro forte e sustentável. No entanto, o ataque da Rússia à Ucrânia no início do ano alterou

04 May 2023

O relatório explora cenários plausíveis e concebíveis, analisando a forma como o teletrabalho e o trabalho híbrido na UE se poderão desenvolver até 2035 e as suas implicações para o mundo do trabalho. Em que medida estão os superiores hierárquicos e os trabalhadores, as organizações patronais e os

28 April 2023

Online resources results (1779)

Human–robot interaction: What changes in the workplace?

Explore our digital report summary. Understanding how workers and robots interact and the implications for work organisation and working conditions is crucial for robots’ successful integration into the workplace.

In this episode of Eurofound Talks Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound Research Manager Tina Weber about new research on the right to disconnect, the evolution of the right to disconnect in Europe, the reasons why legislative and procedural actions are being called for, the impacts that effective

15 Abril 2024

Flexible work increases post-pandemic, but not for everyone

Even before the outbreak of COVID-19, various forms of flexible work, such as teleworking and flexitime, were in place across EU Member States. However, the pandemic led to a surge in flexible working practices with many workers wanting to focus on their work–life balance and have more time for

Eurofound presentation to the European Parliament Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL), Ivailo Kalfin, Executive Director, Eurofound, 24 January 2023.

23 Janeiro 2023

The rise in cost of living and energy poverty: Social impact and policy responses. 14 October 2022, Informal Meeting of Employment and Social Affairs Ministers (EPSCO). Presentation by Ivailo Kalfin, Executive Director, Eurofound.

14 Outubro 2022
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COVID-19 in the workplace: Employer’s responsibility to ensure a safe workplace

Throughout 2021, the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, specific occupational health and safety rules were reintroduced due to increases in infection rates. Mandatory face masks, physical distancing and hygiene measures were enforced, and the recommendation to telework was largely re-instated in

Female teleworker taking notes during video conference on her laptop

Workers want to telework but long working hours, isolation and inadequate equipment must be tackled

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a surge in telework, with dramatic increases in the number of employees working from home (teleworking) in many European countries. What for many employees started out as a mandatory move seems to have transformed into a preference among the majority for part-time or


Blogs results (61)

There is no one future of work for all jobs – policymakers will have their work cut out to ensure that remote and platform working, artificial intelligence and climate change policies will benefit and not disadvantage workers.

2 Maio 2024

There’s a demographic shift sweeping Europe: people are living longer and working longer. Older workers, however, face significant labour market barriers.

25 Janeiro 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic made us acutely aware of how dependent our society is on certain essential workers. We felt deep gratitude towards workers in healthcare especially, because they worked ceaselessly in often-difficult conditions.

22 Novembro 2023

The jury is still out on the question whether men and women are from distinct planets. When it comes to the world of work, however, they are worlds apart.

25 Outubro 2023
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Women and frontline workers are most exposed to the risks of adverse social behaviour at work, such as burnout, exhaustion, anxiety and depression. This is according to the European Working Conditions Telephone Survey 2021 (EWCTS). In this data story, we dive into EWCTS data (EU27) to examine the pr

A worker sitting on the floor

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live and work. With the lifting of restrictions across the globe, we are now able to examine the many repercussions on the world of work. In particular, the unique demands of the last few years have shone a harsh spotlight on the pressures brought to bear

17 Janeiro 2023
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Telework has become a permanent feature of working life in Europe. While we’ve seen the benefits of more flexible ways of working – particularly during the pandemic – the problems that arise from an increasingly connected life are also becoming clearer. Unfortunately, legislation alone may not be en

13 Julho 2022
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The answer is yes – potentially. Assessing the environmental benefits of telework is a complex task, because any move to work from home involves a series of changes in individuals’ daily lives and activities, as well as company-level decisions, that may positively or negatively influence the level o

23 Junho 2022
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As we leave behind the lockdowns and business disruptions of COVID-19 and enter a ‘new normal’, it is time to talk about how workplaces might be transformed to drive innovation. Some may baulk at this suggestion, as we continue to grapple with the pandemic fallout, but crises have always been a crad

28 Junho 2021
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COVID-19 has shown that some things can hit us out of the blue. The pandemic sent a shockwave through businesses all over the world and has brought massive changes to work organisation, internal communication and day-to-day operations for many companies. Doubtless, the depth of the pandemic’s impact

21 Junho 2021

Upcoming publications results (2)

This policy brief investigates how organisations are adapting their work organisation and practices to hybrid work. Based on case studies and on data from the European Working Conditions Survey 2024, the policy brief examines how hybrid work is being managed in organisations and profiles t

April 2025

The European population is living longer, with a declining natural population since 2014, offset only by positive net migration. The proportion of older people, especially those over 50, is increasing. Demographic ageing, where the working-age population shrinks while the number of older individuals

March 2025
Data results (1)

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