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 employment in recent years, there are concerning issues facing young people in Europe that need to be overcome – not just for the young people in question, but also for broader economic and societal stability.

In this episode Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound Senior Research Manager Hans Dubois on the issues that feed into housing insecurity in Europe, and the actions that need to be taken to address them. Together, they analyse findings from Eurofound’s recent Unaffordable and inadequate housing in Europe report, which presents data from Eurofound’s Living, working and COVID-19 e-survey, European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions and input from the Network of Eurofound Correspondents on various indicators of housing security and living conditions.

In this episode of Eurofound Talks, recorded for International Women's Day 2023, Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound Working Life researchers Jorge Cabrita and Viginta Ivaškaitė-Tamošiūnė about how, when paid and unpaid work are combined, women do eight full-time weeks more work than men per year, and the broader implications of this for society. They also discuss how indicators of work-life balance and work-life conflict differ for women and men, as well as the policy action that can be taken to improve gender equality in Europe

The COVID-19 pandemic had profound implications on the labour market and job quality in Europe, with some workers, particularly those providing frontline services, continuing to work from the workplace under heavy restrictions, while others worked from home also in radically different environments from which they were accustomed. Eurofound has been closely monitoring working conditions in Europe for over 30 years via the European Working Conditions Survey; in 2021, the Agency conducted the European Working Conditions Telephone Survey (EWCTS), providing a detailed picture of the working lives of Europeans at an exceptional time. In this episode of Eurofound Talks, Eurofound Head of Unit for Working Life Barbara Gerstenberger discusses what the EWCTS reveals about job quality, the implications of poor-quality jobs on well-being and broader society, and what policymakers can do to improve the working lives of people in Europe.

Now that Europe moves beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, it is faced with a dilemma. Telework has worked well for many over the past few years, helped them reconcile work and family life, and brought greater autonomy and flexibility; but for others almost the opposite has been the case, with greater work intensification, longer working hours, and greater exposure to psychosocial risks. Is it time to get back to the office? Is telework here to stay? Is hybrid work the solution? In this episode of Eurofound Talks Oscar Vargas and Mary McCaughey use results from the Living, working and COVID-19 online surveys, the European Working Conditions Telephone Survey, and other analyses from Eurofound to investigate what the future holds for telework in Europe, whether the mass rollout of telework has been to the benefit of workers and businesses, and whether the teleworkability of jobs will become the key issue on the labour market in years to come.

This episode of Eurofound Talks looks at care: care for children, care for older people, care for those who are frail or with disabilities, access to care, the quality of care, and the working conditions of care workers. Mary McCaughey speaks with Senior Research Manager Hans Dubois about how care policy has received more attention post-pandemic in the context of the European Commission’s new European Care Strategy on quality, affordable and accessible care services across the EU, as well as the European Parliament’s resolution Towards a common European action on care. They also discuss the impact of care on related areas such as gender equality, Europe's long-term economic development, and ensuring greater social cohesion.

In this episode of Eurofound Talks Mary McCaughey speaks with researcher Dragoș Adăscăliței about how platform work has developed over the past two decades, the profile of platform workers in Europe, how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the development of platform work, the opportunities and risks platform work presents for workers, and how to protect platform workers while preserving the opportunities and benefits that are generated by the platform economy.

The worst of the COVID-19 pandemic may have passed, but in households across Europe its effects linger longer. Add today’s cost of living crisis, rising inflation and the war in Ukraine to the detrimental impacts of COVID-19 and a distressing picture emerges: of mental health issues – especially among young people – of job loss and job insecurity, and of persistent uncertainty about the future. In this episode of #EurofoundTalks, we speak with Daphne Ahrendt, expert on Eurofound’s unique Living, working and COVID-19 e-survey, on these very issues. As Daphne explains, the latest round of the survey reveals many insights that could help policymakers respond to the extraordinary circumstances of day-to-day living and working in Europe.

Eurofound is a tripartite European Union Agency based in Dublin. 

Minimum wages and minimum wage setting processes are not just issues of high political importance in Europe, but also everyday concerns for low-wage earners throughout the EU. In this episode of EurofoundTalks we speak with Senior Research Manager Christine Aumayr-Pintar on the importance of minimum wages in the EU, different processes in place, the latest EU developments in ensuring adequate minimum wages, and the growing issue of inflation for low-wage earners.

Eurofound is a tripartite European Union Agency based in Dublin.

This podcast focuses on our annual update on the state of ‘Living and working in Europe’. It highlights trends and changes – both positive and negative – in the way citizens across the EU work today, and serves as a guide to policymakers at EU and Member State level. Our experts detail these with useful examples and insights which might also help face into the challenges raised by the most recent results from Eurofound’s unique pan-European Living, working and COVID-19 e-survey.

Eurofound is a tripartite European Union Agency based in Dublin. 

During his visit to Dublin, European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nicolas Schmit talks about using the European Pillar of Social Rights to make Europe a better, fairer, greener and more digital place to live and work. War had just commenced in Ukraine but we were hopeful of a solution. In the intervening period, however, things have deteriorated across a range of areas as revealed by the most recent results from Eurofound’s unique pan-European Living, working and COVID-19 e-survey.

Eurofound is a tripartite European Union Agency based in Dublin.

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 on 6-9 June 2024.

Women were just beginning to see the fruits of progress in gender equality over many years when the Great Recession hit, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the most recent results from Eurofound’s unique pan-European Living, working and COVID-19 e-survey reveal women again amongst the top losers as a result. This podcast, launched on International Women’s Day this year in conjunction with the European Institute for Gender Equality, debates issues related to closing the gender gaps across pay, employment and caring, and explores innovative options to promote change.

Eurofound is a tripartite European Union Agency based in Dublin.

New day, new data highlighting the devastating impact of COVID-19 on young people across the European Union – most recently Eurofound’s unique pan-European Living, working and COVID-19 e-survey. We know this has taken an unprecedented toll on young people particularly – their mental well-being, their independence and more broadly, inter-generational solidarity as a whole. This podcast drills down to what it means to be a young person in Europe today, their lives, work, opportunities and challenges in the European Year of Youth.

Eurofound is a tripartite European Union Agency based in Dublin.

If you ever wondered what it means to be European today, to live and work in Europe, across 27 countries, young and old, urban, rural, rich and poor, this is the podcast for you. Most recent results from Eurofound’s unique pan-European Living, working and COVID-19 e-survey reveal ongoing challenges for Europeans as they seek to move out of the shadow of the pandemic while facing into the impact of the war in Ukraine. This podcast looks at how these challenges will shape the future of Europe.

Eurofound is a tripartite European Union Agency based in Dublin.

Never before have we had so much discussion about the way we work, the future of work and how this will impact our lives and those of the next generation. COVID-19 turned everything upside down as we have seen from the results of our unique pan-European Living, working and COVID-19 e-survey and we are still striving to make sense of the new hybrid, blended work experience. Will this in fact mean we can finally work longer and better while still maintaining a good quality of life? This podcast takes a deep dive into the opportunities and challenges associated with what we call ‘sustainable work’.

Eurofound is a tripartite European Union Agency based in Dublin.

In this episode of Eurofound Talks Mary McCaughey speaks Eurofound Research Manager Daniel Molinuevo about the European Child Guarantee, how bad the situation is with regards to child poverty and social exclusion in Europe, what Member States have committed to doing about it, what the implications are for workers and civil society, and what prospects there are for the future.

Fighting child poverty has become a central dimension of EU social policy. One of the European Commission’s flagship social policy initiatives is the European Child Guarantee: established in 2021 by Council Recommendation, the aim of the Guarantee is to tackle child poverty by ensuring access to key services (such as healthcare) and resources (such as decent housing) for children in need – defined as children at risk of poverty or social exclusion.

The COVID-19 pandemic had multiple impacts on society, but perhaps one of the most enduring in terms of the world of work has been the proliferation of telework. Around one-third of jobs in the EU are teleworkable, and an estimated 40 million people telework on a regular basis. While most workers who can telework have embraced it, there have been notable impacts on work-life balance, stress and other psychological risks. This has given rise to calls for a right to disconnect.

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 right to disconnect policies can have, and what the debate indicates about the post-pandemic world of work.

In this special episode of Eurofound Talks for International Women's Day 2024, Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound researchers Carlos Vacas and Barbara Gerstenberger about the gender pay and employment gaps in Europe.

Despite gender equality being a core principle of the EU, women are less likely to be in employment than men in all EU Member States and are paid less than men in almost every Member State, with the pay gap larger in higher paying jobs. Mary, Carlos, and Barbara discuss what progress has been made on these issues in recent years, the broader consequences of gender inequalities in the world of work, and the challenges that must be addressed if Europe is to meet gender equality targets.

Despite nominal increases in statutory minimum wages reaching an all-time high in the EU in 2023, minimum wage workers in most EU countries saw their purchasing power decline or just about compensated. In this episode of the Eurofound Talks podcast series, Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound experts Christine Aumayr-Pintar and Carlos Vacas-Soriano about the adequacy of minimum wages in Europe, how the EU has sought to improve the situation of low-wage earners through a Directive on adequate minimum wages, and how widespread the issue of minimum wage non-compliance is in the European Union.

Episode recorded December 2023.

Climate change objectives and decarbonisation measures are vital for the future of Europe. But how will these objectives impact employment and the labour market? In this episode of the Eurofound Talks podcast series, Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound Senior Research Manager John Hurley about new research which shows a marginal increase in net employment from EU decarbonisation measures, but also potentially broad shifts in the labour market that could have a profound impact in several areas.

Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound Research Manager Jorge Cabrita about new research that highlights poor job quality - including high emotional demands, working at high speed and to tight deadlines - among several of the sectors and professions deemed essential, key or critical during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this episode of Eurofound Talks Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound Research Manager Tina Weber, Eurofound Senior Research Manager Gijs van Houten, and Giovanni Russo, Senior Expert at CEDEFOP, about Europe’s skills challenges and what can be done to help workers and businesses adapt to future skills demands.

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 Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound Senior Research Manager Hans Dubois about the latest developments in housing and housing policy in Europe. This, the second episode of the series looking specifically at housing, discusses the role of the incoming Commission, what Eurofound’s research can bring to the table, and the different policy tools required.

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 Eurofound researchers Agnès Parent-Thirion, Tina Weber, and Jorge Cabrita about the extent to which climate change is already influencing working conditions and the labour market in Europe, the role of the green transition, and how policy can help protect workers and safeguard workplaces.

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, Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound Senior Research Manager Sara Riso about what constitutes cyberbullying, how widespread the issue of cyberbullying at work is, and whether there is sufficient legislation and workplace rules to address it effectively.

They discuss how bullying and cyberbullying have emerged as prominent issues in national policy debates, primarily as problems affecting young people rather than as a more general phenomenon in the workplace and detrimental to workers’ well-being.

Whether online or face to face – it would seem that bullying at work is more prevalent than commonly acknowledged.

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.

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 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 minimum wage change for income inequalities and gender equality.

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 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 longitudinal shifts in European labour.

The discussion assesses how artificial intelligence and digitalisation are reshaping employment, drawing parallels with historical industrial shifts, while acknowledging the continuous adaptive capacity of the world of work.

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 also tackles the double-edged sword of digitalisation and the significant barriers to mental healthcare, such as stigma and long waiting lists, that leave many without the support they desperately need.

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 to be made at EU, national and company level.

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.

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 to harness artificial intelligence.

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 for maintaining job quality and economic stability across Europe.

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 more than a full median income.

From the rise of boomerang children to the role of the new European Commissioner for Housing, this episode examines how to restore affordability for a generation.

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 Ireland’s upcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

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 technostress.

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 better off.

As policymakers, social partners and civil society prepare for the European Employment and Social Rights Forum in Brussels on 3-4 March, Eszter and Mary look at the actions that could be taken to respond to rising social challenges.

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 conditions, strong social protection, and equal opportunities across the Union.

In this episode of Eurofound Talks, Mary McCaughey is joinedby Li Andersson, Member of the European Parliament and Chair of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee, to discuss how we can address these issues and continue improving living and working conditions for Europe's citizens.

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 disparities in preparedness, the discussion bridges the gap between EU green ambitions and the stark reality of households.

Discover why individual awareness isn't enough and what collective policy actions are needed to protect the vulnerable.

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 - bolstered by women and migrants - yet deep gender and sector divides persist. However, how can we be assured that these findings are accurate? All too frequently, large-scale changes in the labour market, from 'quiet quitting' to AI job destruction, capture headlines but the reality is often more nuanced.

In this episode of Eurofound Talks, Mary McCaughey invites Senior Research Manager Agnès Parent-Thirion to talk about the European Working Conditions Survey behind the headlines, and the work that goes into carrying it out.