Over the past year, national minimum wages continued to rise substantially across the EU, especially in central and eastern European countries, continuing the narrowing of regional disparities. The EU Minimum Wage Directive has emerged as a significant driver of minimum wage hikes in many countries, which have exceeded inflation levels and increased faster than collectively agreed wage floors in many low-paid sectors.

This report examines flexible working arrangements and their effects on working time quality, work–life balance and health, and related regulations. Since 2015, the take-up of flexible working arrangements, accelerated by the pandemic and digitalisation, has increased significantly, with one in five EU workers engaged in telework or having working time autonomy in 2024. Overall, flexible working is associated with improved working time quality and a better work–life balance. However, risks persist, notably irregular schedules, high workloads and work-related contact outside working hours, which strongly undermine health and work–life balance. Regulatory responses, including the recording of working time and the implementation of a right to disconnect, have increased, although unevenly across EU Member States. Despite improvements in the quality of working time, flexible arrangements continue to reveal an evolving organisation of working time, highlighting the need to reassess working time and rest time in an increasingly digitalised world of work.

The 2026 European Employment and Social Rights Forum explored how Europe can secure quality jobs, fair opportunities and effective social protection, while adapting to technological change, economic pressures and an increasingly uncertain geopolitical environment. 

Close to one in five jobs in the EU (19%) could be classified as vulnerable – a multidimensional phenomenon encompassing income inadequacy, employment insecurity and lack of workplace rights. Eurofound’s new report, Employment and working conditions of the most vulnerable workers: Addressing an ongoing policy challenge [13] analyses the prevalence of vulnerability from 2009 to 2021.

Introduction to the course

More than half of the world's workers are wage earners, yet many receive incomes that are insufficient to live decently, particularly in low-income countries. In response to this situation, initiatives promoting a living wage are increasing, including within multinational enterprises. In February 2024, the ILO adopted a common definition of the living wage, along with principles for its estimation and implementation, and received a mandate to support its constituents in applying it. Social dialogue plays a key role in integrating the living wage into national wage-setting systems. According to ILO principles, wages should be determined through collective bargaining or through a statutory minimum wage established within a tripartite framework. Strong social dialogue, based on shared access to information and respect for the autonomy of social partners, makes it possible to reconcile workers' needs with economic realities while strengthening the legitimacy and effectiveness of wage policies.

This report examines the relationship between working time reduction (WTR) and productivity by conducting a systematic review of 75 empirical studies. The objective is to assess whether reductions in working hours can sustain or enhance productivity, and under which conditions. Among the studies reviewed, 45 include an explicit or clearly inferred measure of productivity linked to WTR, this group represents the foundation of the main analytical classification. A further 30 studies provide relevant contextual evidence on mediating factors, such as well-being and work organisation. European evidence plays a central role, with 20 studies originating from the EU-27 accounting for around one-third of all classifiable studies worldwide. The review identifies three main forms of WTR: compressed workweeks; reductions in weekly hours; and, reductions in both hours and working days. Although not dealing with structural WTR, a fourth category, including flexitime and voluntary reductions, has been also included in the analysis because it provides additional information and it allows us to give a more complete overview of the phenomenon.

One in five workers across the European Union reports being contacted for work-related reasons outside their working hours several times a month. Applied to the EU workforce population at the end of 2024, this corresponds to approximately 39.4 million workers. Regular after-hours contact is a consequence of a long-term transformation of work culture that has occurred in parallel with the increasing digitalisation of work. The working day extends beyond the contractually agreed working hours for a significant number of workers, and some experience this so frequently that it’s like being on stand-by.

Across Europe, labour markets continue to face growing imbalances. This annual EURES report explores the situation in 2025 across EU countries, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, shedding light on persistent occupational shortages and surpluses. It examines the underlying causes, from demographic change to skills mismatches and limited labour mobility, and highlights the need for more coordinated and forward-looking policy responses.

GENEVA (ILO News) – The 114th International Labour Conference [28] concluded on 12 June with the adoption of the first international labour standards aimed at improving working conditions for millions of people who earn their living through digital labour platforms. The new Convention on Decent Work in the Platform Economy [29] represents a landmark step in global efforts to ensure that technological innovation and new business models go hand in hand with workers’ rights, fair competition and sustainable economic growth.

The 2026 European Semester Spring Package presents new guidelines regarding employment and social policies, with recommendations on human capital (investing in people and their skills), improving job quality and reducing poverty.