Female factory manager talking with two workers about production process © Adobe Stock/24K-Production

Industrial relations and social dialogue

Industrial relations and social dialogue is one of Eurofound's main operational activities for its 2025–2028 programming period. Building on the past 50 years of research, Eurofound continues to function as a centre of expertise for monitoring and analysing developments in industrial relations and social dialogue at European and national levels and promoting dialogue between management and labour.

Eurofound’s research priorities are shaped by the opportunities and challenges arising from four mega-drivers: demographic change, climate change, technological change and re-globalisation. In the area of industrial relations and social dialogue, the Agency also continues to monitor, report and analyse developments in this area at sector and, as far as feasible, company levels. 

This research activity responds to the need to support social dialogue and provide comparative data on national institutional settings and developments as well as European-level developments.

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Recent updates

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National minimum wages, 2025

Eurofound publishes gross and nominal statutory minimum wages applicable in EU countries that have a statutory minimum wage.

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Eurofound research 2025

During 2025, Eurofound’s continues its regular reporting and monitoring of developments in industrial relations and social dialogue. Work continues on sectoral representativeness studies, at the request of the European Commission. Research also builds on the knowledge around the degree and form of the social partners’ involvement in national tripartite policymaking in the context of the European Semester.

Drawing on the expertise of the Network of Eurofound Correspondents, regular updating of the EU PolicyWatch database offers examples of collective agreements, company cases and other initiatives, and captures how national governments involve the social partners in policymaking.

In 2025, Eurofound begins preparation for the 2026 edition of the Tripartite Exchange Seminar, in cooperation with the relevant partners.

Topics of research include:

  • Minimum wages: Looking at how Member States have adapted their systems following the transposition of the Directive on adequate minimum wages in the European Union, including further experiences with pay transparency measures and an annual review of minimum wages
  • Working time: Monitoring developments, including regulation and outcomes
  • Involvement of the social partners: Social partners’ involvement in the governance of national public employment services and social security institutions in the EU
  • Collective bargaining: How collective bargaining can be promoted, the obstacles that could be removed, and the range of topics that are addressed in collective agreements
  • Caring for care services: Focusing on industrial relations aspects such as representation, collective bargaining and social dialogue in the sector
  • Representativeness studies: Various sectors
  • National reporting on industrial relations, social dialogue and working life
  • Working life country profiles update

What our experts say

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We are there to support the dialogue between management and labour. And I think the data we draw together and the research we do is important, if it helps the actors themselves, to function better… A vibrant social dialogue is part of what you might call a social market economy, which is what the European Union is aiming to achieve.

Listen to our podcasts on issues around industrial relations and social dialogue

Eurofound Talks - A podcast series

 

Infographic: Industrial relations and social dialogue in the EU

Key challenges for industrial relations systems are changes in society, labour markets and the organisation of work.

Fewer than 1 in 3 EU workplaces with 10+ workers has some form of official employee representation.

See full infographic

Linking in with EU priorities

2025 marks the first year of the five-year period of the EU policy and legislative cycle for 2025–2029. The research and monitoring carried out in the area of industrial relations and social dialogue is relevant for a range of EU initiatives, such as:

  • the Council Recommendation and the Communication on strengthening social dialogue in the European Union
  • the implementation of the Directive on adequate minimum wages
  • the future of the European Works Councils
  • the Council Recommendation on access to social protection for workers and the self-employed
  • the involvement of the social partners in the European Semester and the recovery and resilience plans
  • the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan

Key outputs

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Living and working in Europe 2023

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...

2 May 2024
Publication
Annual report

Disclaimer

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