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COVID-19 has exposed the EU to profound employment and social change with far-reaching consequences for society, employment, the economy, welfare systems, education and the way people live and work across Europe and the globe. As the EU continues to navigate the severe impact of the pandemic, it will be critical to identify the population groups most at risk and set out where EU and national support, resources and policy efforts are most urgently required.
Set in the run-up to the EU Social Summit of 7 May and in the context of the Action plan for the European Pillar of Social Rights that provides the framework for the recovery path ahead, Miguel Cabrita, Portugal's Deputy Minister of Labour and Vocational Training and representative for the EU Presidency of Portugal, will join Eurofound experts Massimiliano Mascherini, Head of Social Policies and John Hurley, Senior Researcher in Employment. They will draw on Eurofound’s research, notably its e-survey Living, working and COVID-19 from April and July 2020 and March 2021, to discuss and take questions on the social and employment impact of COVID-19 and the implications for policy makers.
Moderated by Mary McCaughey, Head of Information and Communication at Eurofound, a LIVE chat will be available for questions from the audience. With one-hour to debate the issues at stake and respond to comments from participants, the speakers will focus on:
 | Moderator: Mary McCaughey Mary is Head of Information and Communication in Eurofound, where she has worked since 2003. A graduate in Business and Politics from Trinity College, Dublin and an ‘ancienne’ of the College of Europe, Bruges, she began her career in journalism in Brussels in 1990 with Europe Information Service and the Wall Street Journal Europe. She subsequently contributed to the WSJE and the Irish Times as a features writer before taking up the post of spokesperson with the Delegation of the European Commission to South Africa in 1998, heading up its press and information department. In 2001, she moved to Belgrade, Serbia, where she worked as a communications consultant for the European Agency for Reconstruction. |
 | Speaker: Miguel Cabrita Miguel Cabrita is Portugal's Deputy Minister of Labour and Vocational Training and representative for the EU Presidency of Portugal. A Sociologist and university lecturer at ISCTE - University Institute of Lisbon, he has taught at the School of Sociology and Public Policy since 2001. He holds a PhD thesis research on personal decisions about having children. He served as policy adviser at the Cabinets of the Secretary of State for Employment and Training and of the Minister of Labour and Solidarity (from 2000 to 2002). He was an advisor at Cabinet of the Minister of Labour and Social Solidarity (2005-2009), where he took over the coordination of the EU Portuguese Presidency (2nd semester 2007) for Employment and Social Affairs. He is President of the Municipal Assembly of Odivelas, elected in 2013. He is member of the Socialist Party National Commission and Secretary of State for Employment between November 2015 and October 2019. |
 | Speaker: Massimiliano Mascherini Massimiliano is Head of Unit for Social Policies at Eurofound since October 2019. He joined in 2009 to design and coordinate projects on youth employment, NEETs and their social inclusion, as well as on the labour market participation of women. As a Senior Research Manager, he led new research on monitoring convergence in the European Union. He studied at the University of Florence, majoring in Actuarial and Statistical Sciences and completing a PhD in Applied Statistics. He has been visiting fellow at the University of Sydney and at Aalborg University and visiting professor at the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.
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 | Speaker: John Hurley John is a senior research manager in the Employment unit at Eurofound. He took up the role of research manager in February 2012, having previously worked in various capacities in research and in information and communication. He is responsible for the European Restructuring Monitor (ERM) events database, contributes to a number of other research projects including the European Jobs Monitor and has authored or co-authored over 20 reports during his time at Eurofound. His main research interests are in the areas of comparative labour market analysis, restructuring and the changing world of work. |