Eurofound Talks

Over the past two decades, European labour markets have undergone significant transformation, with a marked rise in non-standard forms of employment such as part-time and temporary work. While these arrangements can offer flexibility, they can also lead to situations of vulnerability, especially when they are involuntary or when multiple disadvantages combine. In this episode of #EurofoundTalks, M...

Since its launch in 1990, the European Working Conditions Survey has provided a comprehensive overview of working conditions in Europe. The EWCS 2024 asserts that the European labour market is in transition, pointing to a decline in long working hours and uneven improvements in job quality. It indicates that the EU workforce remains resilient amid profound geopolitical and technological change - b...

As the climate crisis intensifies, is Europe ready for the heat? In this episode of Eurofound Talks, Mary McCaughey explores the renter’s trap and the growing affordability crisis with experts from the EEA and Eurofound. Despite 80% of Europeans feeling the impact of extreme weather, a staggering 38% cannot afford to keep their homes cool. From the risk of "renovictions" to regional disp...

The European Union is navigating a period of profoundtransformation - from the cost‑of‑living crisis to the green and digital transitions, demographic shifts, and geopolitical uncertainty. At the heart of the EU’s response to these challenges standsthe Employment and Social Affairs Committee of the European Parliament. With 60 Members, the Committee plays a central role in ensuring fair working co...

In a special video recorded for International Women's Day at the European Parliament’s VoxBox Studios, Maria Walsh MEP and Eurofound’s Barbara Gerstenberger analyse key gender equality findings from the European Working Conditions Survey. Their conversation highlights how women have been impacted by significant shifts in the workplace, particularly regarding modern challenges like burnout and...

In this episode Mary McCaughey is joined by senior researcher Eszter Sandor to discuss the results of the 2025 Living and Working in the EU e-survey. While headline inflation has stabilised at 2.1%, the survey data reveal a continent gripped by chronic precariousness, with 57% of Europeans now at risk of depression and a widening resilience gap between low-income households and those that are bett...

In this episode of Eurofound Talks Mary McCaughey is joined by Marie Hyland to discuss the latest research on housing issues for Europe’s youth. They explore why property prices and rents have outpaced wages since 2010, leaving many young adults unable to achieve independence. The conversation covers the stark reality of the rental market, where securing a starter flat in some regions now requires...

In an era where public trust is paramount, the latest episode of the Eurofound Talks looks at the mechanisms that keep the European Union transparent and fiscally responsible. Host Mary McCaughey sits down with Tony Murphy, President of the European Court of Auditors, to discuss the critical role of financial oversight in safeguarding the European project. They also discuss the importance of Irela...

In this episode, Mary McCaughey speaks with Martina Bisello, Expert on Sustainability Transitions and Justice at the European Environment Agency, and Jorge Cabrita, Senior Research Manager at Eurofound, about the role of green jobs in Europe’s economic, social and environmental future. They discuss how tackling climate change is not merely an environmental policy goal but a fundamental necessity f...

This episode of Eurofound Talks looks at why Europe has experienced a more profound slowdown in growth compared to other developed regions, and why greater labour input and higher human capital has not translated into higher output per worker. Mary McCaughey and John Hurley also discuss whether Europe can, and should, look to compete with countries such as the United States and China in the race t...

This episode looks at whether AI is making work safer in Europe. Mary McCaughey speaks with Dragoș Adăscăliței, Research Officer at Eurofound, and Ioannis Anyfantis, Project Manager at the European Agency for Occupational Safety and Health (EU OSHA) about how AI deployment is influencing workers health, how AI policy in Europe compares to global competitors, and the decisions around AI that need t...

This episode of Eurofound Talks, published on International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, looks in-depth at Europe’s wealth divide. Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound researchers Carlos Vacas and Eszter Sandor about how wealth inequality remains as intractable as ever – despite positive developments in recent years on wages and improvements in general working conditions.

Mental health in Europe is at a critical crossroads. While some indicators have improved since the pandemic, a new Eurofound report reveals concerning trends, including an alarming halt to the decades-long decline in suicide rates. This episode of Eurofound Talks explores this complex issue, highlighting that poor mental health is disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups. The conversation al...

This episode examines the evolving landscape of European working conditions, situated at the nexus of profound technological transformation. Mary McCaughey speaks with Barbara Gerstenberger, Eurofound's Head of Unit for Working Life, who leverages insights from the 35-year history of the European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS). This survey series offers agranular perspective on the longitudi...

In this episode Mary McCaughey sits down with Eurofound expert Carlos Vacas Soriano to explore how minimum wages have changed in Europe over the past year, as well as the implications of these shifts. Listeners are invited to dive into the intricacies of Europe's minimum wage dynamics and the factors driving these changes. The conversation also sheds light on the broader implications of minimu...

How can Europe adapt to an ageing workforce? What impediments do older workers face at the workplace? How are changing technologies and job quality influencing the retention of older workers on the labour market? This episode sets out to answer these questions in the context of changing demographics in Europe and the need to make work more sustainable.

This special episode, recorded for International Women’s Day 2025, looks at women’s progress in the labour market and society over the past five decades, as well as sticking points on the path to gender equality in Europe, particularly related to the gender employment and pay gaps.

This episode of Eurofound Talks looks at data from the Living and working in the EU e-survey showing a decline in the number of respondents engaged in remote work, with the percentage of people working entirely from the workplace increasing from 36% in 2023, to 41% in 2024.

In this episode of the Eurofound Talks podcast Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound Deputy Director Maria Jepsen, and Barry Colfer, Director of Research at the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA), about European social change over the past 50 years, Eurofound’s role in these changes, how Ireland itself has developed and changed, and the challenges currently on the horizon.

Over the last decade, information and communication technologies have changed the way employees work and communicate with each other. While the digitalisation of work offers many benefits, widespread access to digital devices in working life has provided fertile ground for the emergence of new forms of antisocial behaviours, including workplace cyberbullying. In this episode of Eurofound Talks, Ma...

In her political guidelines for the incoming European Commission, issued in July, the returning president, Ursula von der Leyen, outlined ambitious proposals for the next five-year European term. They included the appointment of the first commission member whose responsibilities would include housing, as well as the first-ever European Affordable Housing Plan. In this episode of Eurofound Talks Ma...

Climate change is a reality in our everyday lives in Europe. Workers experience the effects of climate change and climate change policy in many ways, both directly and indirectly, from working in heat and experiencing greater exposure to UV radiation, to new occupational safety and health risks and the need for training and re-skilling. In this episode of Eurofound Talks Mary McCaughey speaks with...

Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound Research Manager Carlos Vacas about the situation of the middle class in Europe. They look at developments over the past two decades, the significance of income adequacy and equality in the development of a robust middle class in Europe, the influence of the welfare state, as well as the understated role of the family.

In this episode of Eurofound Talks Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound researchers Eszter Sandor and Massimiliano Mascherini about the situation for young people in Europe, from the impacts of the economic crisis and Great Recession to the aftermath COVID-19 pandemic and voting trends in the recent European Parliament elections. They discuss how, while there have been some positive trends in empl...

In a special edition of Eurofound Talks, Mary McCaughey is joined by Eurofound Executive Director Ivailo Kalfin and Ivan Krastev, Chairman of the Centre for Liberal Strategies and permanent fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna, to look at the political, social and economic drivers in Europe and how they might influence voters at the ballot box in the European Parliament elections o...