The most important changes in the regulation of working time in Europe in 2021 and 2022 were related to the transposition of two European directives: the Work–life Balance Directive and the Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions Directive. The reduction of working time and more specifically the four-day working week have been increasingly debated in many EU Member States. In 2022, the average collectively agreed working week in the EU stood at 38.1 hours.

After a long period of price stability, inflation has made a remarkable comeback in the EU. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the energy crisis spurred by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the disruption of the international supply chain, among other factors, have driven up the prices of commodities and goods. While nominal wages picked up in 2021 and 2022, real wage growth has remained below inflation, affecting mainly low-income groups.

Ο όρος "υβριδική εργασία" έγινε ευρύτερα γνωστός με την αύξηση της τηλεργασίας κατά τη διάρκεια της πανδημίας COVID-19, καθώς οι επιχειρήσεις και οι εργαζόμενοι ξεκίνησαν συζητήσεις σχετικά με τους τρόπους οργάνωσης της εργασίας μετά την κρίση. Ο όρος χρησιμοποιείται ολοένα και περισσότερο για να περιγράψει καταστάσεις στις οποίες η εργασία (με δυνατότητα τηλεργασίας) εκτελείται σε δύο χώρους: στον συνήθη χώρο εργασίας (συνήθως στις εγκαταστάσεις του εργοδότη) και από το σπίτι (όπως κατά τη διάρκεια της πανδημίας) ή σε άλλους χώρους.

The world of work is experiencing transformative change, driven by technological innovations, demographic shifts, climate change and globalization. In response to these challenges and to mark 100 years since the ILO’s founding, a Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work was adopted in 2019 at the 108th session of the International Labour Conference  [25].

Read the Declaration [26]