Welcome to the TransEuroWorkS Video BlogS!
In this section, we will showcase innovative findings and policy recommendations from our TransEuroWorkS project. As a cutting-edge, cross-disciplinary research initiative, we aim to unpack the complexities of the evolving European labour market and social protection landscape.
In this series of short video blogs, our partners and researchers will provide valuable insights into how societal, economic, and environmental changes are reshaping work across Europe. Each video will highlight key findings, share impactful case studies from diverse countries, and offer actionable policy suggestions that can guide future initiatives.
Watch this out as we explore the challenges and opportunities facing the European workforce!
WP1: Olaf van Vliet – Leiden University
The TransEuroWorkS project focuses on analysing the effects of three large-scale transformations on the labour market: digitalization, the green transition, and workforce mobility and migration. Digitalization and the green transition are reshaping the economic landscape, positively impacting some sectors while negatively affecting others. At the same time, increased migration flows and worker mobility create sector-specific challenges. The project emphasizes how welfare states and social policy can mitigate the potential negative labour-market consequences of these transformations.
WP2: Patricia Urban & Harry Chrichton-Miller – Centre for European Policy Studies
Work Package 2 explores the role of integrated ecosocial policies in improving human well-being within planetary boundaries. The research examines key concepts such as universal basic income, universal basic services, and working time reduction. It also investigates the influence of institutional factors, including the engagement of trade unions and employers’ associations, on the development and effectiveness of ecosocial policy strategies. Moreover, the research assesses how these policies can contribute to a more sustainable and equitable society, providing a comprehensive understanding of the potential for policy integration in addressing social and environmental challenges.
WP3: Heejung Chung – King’s College London
Professor Heejung Chung, a leading expert at King’s Business School and Director of the King’s Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, leads Work Package 3: Transformations, Inclusive Labour Markets, and Well-being. This work package explores how labour market transformations, including digitalization and the rise of remote work, influence inequality across dimensions such as gender, parental status, and class. It also examines the implications of these changes for the well-being of different worker groups.
WP4: Ieva Zumbyte and Dorota – University College Dublin
Work Package 4 evaluates the evolution of work-life balance policies in response to the European Work-Life Balance Directive, which aims to promote gender equality. Surveys conducted in seven countries — Denmark, Belgium, Ireland, the UK, Slovakia, Spain, and the Netherlands — assessed compliance with policies on paternity leave, parental leave, flexible work, and carers’ leave. Findings reveal high compliance for carers’ leave and flexible work but lower levels for paternity and parental leave due to stringent eligibility criteria. Meeting these criteria fully, and ideally exceeding minimum requirements, is crucial to effectively advancing gender equality.
WP5: Anna Ilsøe – University of Copenhagen
Over recent decades, labour market transformations have increased non-standard employment (NSE), diverging from traditional full-time permanent roles. Work Package 5 explores social protection gaps that restrict NSE workers from accessing unemployment benefits (UB). The research examines eligibility rules through three contractual flexibility dimensions: contract length, working hours, and employment status. Focusing on Denmark, Sweden (universalistic regime), the UK, Ireland (liberal/minimalist regime), and Slovakia, Poland (sub-protective regime), findings highlight national variations. These results underline the challenges NSE workers face in qualifying for UB and stress the importance of bridging social protection gaps to balance labour market flexibility and income security.
WP6: Jonas Pontusson – University of Geneva
Work Package 6 investigates the evolution of non-standard employment forms across EU member states since the early 1990s. The research measures access to social protection for NSE workers and examines how these employment forms influence income redistribution through unemployment insurance and other benefits for working-age households. The final phase analyses political debates and decisions surrounding inequalities in access to social protection, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of policy dynamics in this area.
WP8: Daniel Alvares – Leiden University
Led by Leiden University, the TransEuroWorkS project examines how digitalization, decarbonization, and international mobility are reshaping European labour markets. Work Package 8 focuses on social policy, assessing the preparedness of welfare states and exploring both national and European policy alternatives to address these challenges. Using public opinion surveys, socioeconomic indicators, and policy data, this research aims to propose actionable solutions for building resilient and inclusive labour markets. Findings will be shared to contribute to the sustainable development of European economies.