The lockdown and other restrictive measures introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing economic recession have had a strong impact on labour markets worldwide. As far as the European Union (EU) is concerned, the accelerated fall in total employment was the ‘sharpest decline ever... Find out more

This paper explores the impact of digital technologies on the nature and routine intensity of shopfloor work, the ways in which digital technologies exert their effects and the factors moderating the outcomes of digitalisation in respect of work. The effect of technology cannot be limited to a... Find out more

The ‘gig economy’ refers to a market system in which companies or individual requesters hire workers to perform short assignments. These transactions are mediated through online labour platforms, either outsourcing work to a geographically dispersed crowd or allocating work to individuals in a... Find out more

In 2020, country-specific recommendations (CSRs) have shifted more markedly in favour of strengthening workers' digital skills and providing adequate social protection. This change of focus has conferred a rather social outlook to the 2020 European Semester cycle. For the first time since the launch... Find out more

This paper argues that trade unions in Central Eastern European Countries (CEECs) should focus not only on improving formal legislation and its application but also on how the courts are interpreting this formal legislation by engaging in strategic litigation with the aim of fostering a pro-worker... Find out more

In Europe, despite equal treatment laws that mainly concern wages and non-discrimination between individuals, the gendered division of labour is still present: men and women do not work in the same professions and, when they work in similar occupations, their work activity, work experience... Find out more

The aim of this working paper is to provide a preliminary assessment of whether the European Green Deal constitutes a suitable policy framework to combine environmental and economic objectives with the pursuit of social fairness, thus ensuring a just transition towards more sustainable economies and... Find out more

The potential transformation of labour markets by the emergence of online labour platforms has triggered an intense academic, media and policy debate, but its true scale remains speculation. Nevertheless, adequate policy responses hinge on a good understanding of dynamics – something that will only... Find out more

This paper examines how the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) can be used to address procedural problems faced by platform workers, including opaque rating systems, arbitrary account suspension and nonpayment, and uncommunicative clients and platform operators. GDPR provides workers with a... Find out more

The issue of burden and cost reduction, both regulatory and administrative, has become a leitmotif that regularly appears at the table of the European Council. In this respect, the "one in, one out" regulatory compensation system, which consists of replacing any new cost linked to a legislative... Find out more