Documents Eurofound 229 results

"This report assesses the impact of the green and digital transitions on the EU automotive sector in relation to employment, skills, work organisation and working conditions. It also examines the contribution of social dialogue to addressing these challenges. The report finds that, while employment in the automotive industry – covering manufacturing, sales and the aftermarket – increased by 12 % between 2011 and 2023, this masked job losses of over 7 % in the manufacturing and supplier sector between 2019 and 2023. In 2024 and early 2025, further restructuring was announced. Job losses in vehicle manufacturing were mainly concentrated in western Europe, while some automotive supply jobs moved to lower-cost countries outside the EU. Electrification and digitalisation are also creating shifts in skills profiles and requirements, particularly among highly skilled occupations."

"This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the organisations involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the maritime transport sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted and their capacity to negotiate agreements. The aim of Eurofound's studies on representativeness is to identify the relevant national and European social partner organisations in the sector. This study identifies the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) – representing employees – and the European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA) – representing employers – as the most representative European-level social partner organisations in maritime transport."

"The enormity of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lives and work of Europeans is hard to capture, but Eurofound's priority in 2020 was to record and assess the experience of this societal upheaval across the EU Member States in all its detail, variety and modulation. Living and working in Europe 2020 provides a snapshot of how the COVID-19 confinement measures changed employment, work and quality of life in Europe, as gathered by Eurofound's research activities in 2020. This yearbook also summarises the Agency's findings regarding developments in other aspects of social and economic life – including workplace practices, social dialogue, gender equality and access to public services – that will have a significant bearing on how quickly Europe recovers from the pandemic and a successful transition to a green and digital future. The findings on working and living conditions produced by Eurofound in the course of its work provide a bedrock of evidence for input into social policymaking."

"This report summarises how minimum wage rates for 2021 were set during 2020 – the year marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. It reviews the difficulties faced by national decision-makers and how they reacted to the challenges of the economic and social fall-out of the pandemic when making decisions regarding the minimum wage. It maps the extent to which minimum wages were referred to in COVID-19-related support measures. It discusses advances made on the EU initiative on adequate minimum wages and maps the reactions of the EU-level social partners and national decision-makers. The report is accompanied by two complementary working papers: one providing an analysis of developments for low-paid employees and minimum wage workers over the past decade; the other summarising the most recent research on minimum wages in EU countries, Norway and the UK."

"The COVID-19 pandemic continued to be a defining force in the lives and work of Europeans for a second year in 2021, and Eurofound continued its work of examining and recording the many and diverse impacts across the EU Member States. Living and working in Europe 2021 provides a snapshot of the changes to employment, work and living conditions in Europe, as gathered by Eurofound's research activities in 2021. This yearbook also summarises the Agency's findings on other challenging aspects of social and economic life – including gender equality in employment, wealth inequality and labour shortages – that will have a significant bearing on recovery from the pandemic, resilience in the face of the war in Ukraine, and a successful transition to a green and digital future. Eurofound's research on working and living conditions in Europe provides a bedrock of evidence for input into social policymaking and achieving the Agency's vision ‘to be Europe's leading knowledge source for better life and work'."

"The year 2022 opened with cautious optimism. Europe was emerging from two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, with NextGenerationEU setting out a plan for a recovery that builds a strong and sustainable future. The Russian attack on Ukraine early in the year changed the situation dramatically, however, creating new turmoil across the continent. In its work during the year, Eurofound documented the impact of the rising cost of living and other developments arising from the war on the economic and psychological well-being of Europeans. This 2022 yearbook also summarises findings from the Agency's signature survey on working conditions during the pandemic, its reporting of trends in employment and its study of the potential role of social dialogue in the green and digital transition. Eurofound's research on working and living conditions in Europe provides a bedrock of evidence for input into social policymaking and achieving the Agency's vision ‘to be Europe's leading knowledge source for better life and work'."

"This year's report presents the minimum wage rates for 2025 and how they were set and uprated during 2024. It includes information on countries with and without national minimum wages. In addition, it provides the first comparative overview of how Member States have transposed the Minimum Wage Directive and presents new estimates of the proportion of minimum wage earners and their ability to afford housing. Finally, it summarises research on minimum wages published during 2024. "

"Promoting the well-being of children and tackling child poverty are key goals of the new European Commission. This report analyses trends and disparities in the accessibility of services for children that must be addressed to achieve this. Moreover, given that staff play an integral role in determining the quality and accessibility of these services, this report describes the state of play of staff working conditions and training opportunities. Good working conditions and affordable high-quality services, such as early childhood education and care, also play a key role in encouraging labour market participation and increasing productivity."