Living conditions and quality of life
Social services in Europe: Adapting to a new reality
Published:
16 August 2023
Research report
Abstract
This report addresses the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on social services in the EU. While the pandemic negatively affected social services, it nevertheless provided lessons on how to adapt them in response to new challenges and social risks. One lesson, for instance, is that policies should be developed to make better use of digitalisation in the sector, to improve access to new technologies and training for both workers and services’ target groups. And, most importantly, there is a need for clear contingency plans and funding for adaptation in times of crisis.
An increase in public expenditure on social protection, healthcare and education was a critical part of the pandemic response. However, there is uncertainty about the future development of social services in the context of the overarching policy interest and investment in the green and digital transition. This implies that the contribution of social services to the resilience of European societies needs to remain in the policy debate and that policies should be further fine-tuned.
Key findings
- The EU is fully committed to social issues, with government spending on social services – social protection, education and health – claiming a significant 35% of GDP in the EU in 2020. This strong social dimension follows the lessons learned from austerity policies pursued during the previous economic crisis and the proven ability of Member States to allocate resources effectively and alleviate the impact of a crisis.
- The recent pandemic demonstrated the critical contribution of social services to the resilience of European societies. During the crisis, these services provided assistance and a network for people to get through the extraordinary limitations they faced in their daily lives. The important role these services played was also highlighted by their absence when people in need could not be supported properly due to cuts in services.
- Structural issues such as staff shortages, poor working conditions and lack of digitalisation limited the ability of social services to deliver on their mission during the pandemic, and many services, ill-prepared for COVID-19, struggled to reorganise their operations. Unless these structural issues – many linked to jobs in social services that are strained, stressful and under-resourced – are urgently addressed, they will persist into the future.
- Lack of digitalisation in the social services sector means that staff are missing out on opportunities for training and upskilling, with about a fifth of workers in social care in the EU never using digital devices in their work. This must be tackled if the sector is to deal with future challenges, as digitalisation emerged as especially critical during the pandemic when digital devices were key to communication.
- The pandemic, despite the difficulties it caused, provided a valuable impetus for the development of social services. Great efforts, even if improvised, were made to organise work remotely and to provide services and support in new ways, as evidenced by the numerous helplines and apps. The value of nurturing collaboration with stakeholders and primary (informal) carers also became clear. However, it is not yet obvious how the lessons learned are being carried through, and applying the lessons must be a priority for stakeholders and decision-makers if the sector is to meet future challenges effectively.
The report contains the following lists of tables and figures.
List of tables
- Table 1: NACE sectors used in the analysis of working conditions
- Table 2: Receipt of training, by sector and subsector, EU27 (%)
- Table 3: Workers who never use digital devices at work, by sector and subsector, EU27, 2021 (%)
List of figures
- Figure 1: Proportion of social services workers who reported adverse social behaviour, by sector, EU27, 2021 (%)
- Figure 2: Proportion of social services workers in selected subsectors who reported adverse social behaviour, EU27, 2021 (%)
- Figure 3: Proportion of workers in selected occupations who reported adverse social behaviour, EU27, 2021 (%)
- Figure 4: Relationship between prevalence of training and non-use of digital devices at work in subsectors of social services, EU27 (%)
- Figure 5: Use of digital devices at work, by sector, EU27, 2021 (%)
- Figure 6: Proportion of workers in six job quality categories, by long-term care and healthcare sectors, EU27 (%)
- Figure 7: Proportion of social services workers who feel that they do useful work, by sector, EU27, 2021 (%)
- Figure 8: Unmet need for various healthcare services, EU27, 2021–2022 (%)
- Figure 9: Unmet need for mental healthcare, by age group, EU27, 2021–2022 (%)
- Figure 10: Change in total expenditure on social protection per capita, EU27, 2009–2020
- Figure 11: Total expenditure on social protection as a percentage of GDP, rate of change in total expenditure on social protection and rate of change in GDP, EU27, 2008–2020 (%)
- Figure 12: Breakdown of social protection expenditure on benefits, by function, EU27, 2008–2021 (%)
- Figure 13: General government expenditure on social protection, healthcare and education as a proportion of GDP, EU27, 2004–2021 (%)
- Figure 14: General government expenditure on social protection functions as a proportion of GDP, EU27, 2004–2021 (%)
- Figure 15: Social protection expenditure, by benefits in cash and benefits in kind, six Member States, 2006–2021 (€ million)
- Figure 16: Benefits in kind as a proportion of total social benefits expenditure, six Member States, 2006–2021 (%)
- Figure 17: Average expenditure on social protection as a share of GDP (%) and standard deviation, EU27, 2004–2021
- Figure 18: General government expenditure on education functions as a share of GDP, EU27, 2004–2021 (%)
- Figure 19: General government expenditure on healthcare functions as a share of GDP, EU27, 2004–2021 (%)
- Figure 20: Share of national RRF funds allocated to the green transition, the digital transition and other aspects of socioeconomic resilience, 2020 (%)
- Number of pages
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64
- Reference nº
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EF22007
- ISBN
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978-92-897-2339-8
- Catalogue nº
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TJ-09-23-280-EN-N
- DOI
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10.2806/347055
- Permalink
Cite this publication
Eurofound (2023), Social services in Europe: Adapting to a new reality, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg.