Publications pipeline 2024
Eurofound’s work programme for 2024, under the framework of its multiannual work programme for 2021–2024, is informed by the challenges to social cohesion and just transitions in an environment shaped by the impact of the war in Ukraine and the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis.
The work programme is operationalised through six strategic areas:
Working conditions and sustainable work: providing comparative data and analysis that can be used to improve job quality and promote sustainability of work over the life course.
Industrial relations and social dialogue: functioning as a centre of expertise for monitoring and analysing developments in industrial relations and social dialogue, promoting dialogue between management and labour.
Employment and labour markets: providing knowledge to identify changes in the labour market and inform employment policies to improve its functioning and inclusiveness.
Living conditions and quality of life: mapping and analysing key elements for the improvement of living conditions of people, including information on their perception of quality of life and society.
Anticipating and managing the impact of change: providing evidence on structural changes, driven largely by digitalisation and climate change but also by the COVID-19 crisis, which can be instrumental in ensuring a just transition to a climate-neutral economy.
Promoting social cohesion and convergence: contributing to the policy debate on fairness and informing policies aimed at improving social cohesion and promoting convergence towards better living and working standards in the EU.
The main outputs from each of these areas in 2024 are described briefly below. The aim is that the evidence produced by the projects described will contribute to policymaking on living and working conditions in the years ahead.
Working conditions and sustainable work
Fieldwork for the next wave of the European Working Conditions Survey will be conducted in 2024. Most respondents will be interviewed face to face to ensure that the findings can be compared with previous rounds of the EWCS. First findings from the EWCS 2024 will be published in late 2024 and drafting on the overview report will start, for publication in 2025.
Secondary analyses of the 2021 EWCTS dataset will continue in parallel. Based on a combination of this work and on case studies, a policy brief examining how organisations are adapting their work organisation and practices to hybrid work will be published.
A report on self-employment has been published already in 2024, with a focus on the job quality of the self-employed and exploring issues such as economic dependency and autonomy, representation, and social protection. The report also examines policies addressing the challenges associated with specific types of self-employment.
Climate change affects workers in many ways. It may cause job insecurity; change work tasks and responsibilities; prompt the introduction of new work practices; and lead to the development of new activities and products. A report on job quality and climate change will examine this complex relationship.
Further work under this activity documents the prevalence ICT-based asocial behaviours at work, including online harassment and cyberbullying. It documents national regulatory instruments to counteract such behaviour at work and explores the prominence of the issue in the Member States.
Industrial relations and social dialogue
The annual review of minimum wages presents the updates to national minimum wages for 2024 and describes how they were set in each of the Member States during 2023. The report reviews national wage setters’ preparations for the entry into force of the EU directive on adequate minimum wages and outlines possible changes to their wage setting mechanisms.
The role of national (tripartite or institutional) social dialogue in policy formation in the context of the European Semester continues to be researched. Findings on the role of tripartite discussions, social dialogue and social partner involvement in national policy-making linked to the Recovery and Resilience Facility has been published this year. A second report reviews the quality of the national social partners’ involvement in the implementation of the reforms and investments shaping the digital and green transition in the context of national policymaking.
Eurofound will continue to support social dialogue by conducting studies on the representativeness of European social partners in specific sectors. Six studies will be published in 2024, unless the needs of stakeholders change in light of developments in the organisation of European social dialogue.
Employment and labour markets
Eurofound continues its work on monitoring and analysing how the labour market structure is changing. One research strand explores regional employment dynamics in Europe during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. It examines differences in the regional occupational structure and internet connectivity and the evolving geography of telework. It also discusses initiatives to support remote work in rural areas and boost the dynamism and diversity of their economies.
A second strand focuses on labour shortages and labour market slack in the EU. It examines company practices and policy intervention aimed at attracting workers into occupations where lack of candidates is common and suggests steps employers can take to fill vacancies.
The results of a project on the consequences of COVID-19 job retention schemes for business, work and employment will be published. It provides an analysis of how these schemes affected employment in the EU and on how they helped to protect incomes.
Living conditions and quality of life
Eurofound will complete its study on the lives and prospects young people in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, based on Eurofound survey data collected in 2023. The report also provides a preliminary review of how the reinforced Youth Guarantee has created opportunities for young people.
The results of a project on minimum income and unemployment schemes under the banner of ‘social protection 2.0’ will be published. This looks at coverage and adequacy of these schemes and the characteristics of recipients. Activation measures are discussed, especially with regard to sanctions as a result of non-compliance and how entitlements to other public services are tied to these benefits.
Another research strand explores the implications of the right of all EU citizens to live independently, investigating the barriers preventing people with disabilities from living independently. It also maps the various measures taken by the Member States to foster independent living and autonomy.
A factsheet providing a snapshot of society and quality of life in spring 2024 is planned. It will look at issues including mental well-being, trust, access to healthcare, social support and coping with increases in the cost of living. The analysis is based on the Living and working in Europe e-survey, which is a continuation of the Living, working and COVID-19 survey, allowing comparisons to be made across points in time since 2020.
Anticipating and managing the impact of change
One of the themes explored under this heading is developments associated with digitalisation. In 2024, the results of a project analysing the impact of developments in human–machine interaction on work organisation and working conditions will be published. Based on case studies, it explores the benefits and risks that come with closer human interaction with advanced robotics and the organisational practices needed to deal with emerging issues.
Another project explores the roles, opportunities and challenges of policy actors in the just transition. National and regional case studies will form the basis of the study, illustrating the policymaking processes related to the design and implementation of just transition policies, their mechanisms and the actors involved.
Promoting social cohesion and convergence
The EU Member States have faced many challenges in receiving and integrating Ukrainian refugees. Eurofound will publish the results of a study investigating three of these challenges: public attitudes towards the newly arrived refugees, integration efforts made at EU and Member State level, and access to public services.
A report on social cohesion, describing trends in social and economic discontent across the EU between 2002 and 2020, will be published. It assesses the relationship between social cohesion and discontent during the pandemic, allowing for a comparison of the situation as it stands in 2023.
Another theme explored is income inequality among the middle classes, identifying those that suffered disproportionately in 2020. It also describes the evolution of income inequalities over the last 15 years, comparing the Great Recession (2007–2009) with the COVID-19 pandemic, and outlines the trends both between and within Member States.
A report on the role of that human capital plays in determining inequalities across the EU will also be published. Using Cedefop’s work in this area, the report provides a comparative analysis of national trends in education and lifelong learning. It assesses the role of education as a driver of convergence, with particular emphasis on future developments in light of intra-EU mobility and the twin transition.
Credits
Title image: © Eurofound 2023
Story images: Adobe Stock as indicated; Unsplash
Chapter tiles: Unsplash; Chapter 2 © Victor / Adobe Stock; Chapter 7 © focusandblur/Adobe Stock
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