Att föregripa och hantera effekterna av förändring

Centrala politiska budskap

De främsta fynden från Eurofounds forskning används som underlag för beslutsfattarnas hantering av vissa centrala frågor på detta område.

• Det är avgörande att stödja arbetsgivare och arbetstagare i den dubbla övergången till den digitala tidsåldern och till en koldioxidneutral ekonomi. Vid sidan av dessa strukturella förändringar innebär den aktuella covid-19-pandemin en stor utmaning för den europeiska ekonomin och arbetsmarknaden.
• Nya anställningsformer, såsom plattformsarbete och IKT-baserat mobilt arbete, vinner allt mer terräng på EU:s arbetsmarknader. Dessa drivs av användningen av IKT och kännetecknas av nya typer av förhållanden mellan arbetsmarknadens parter, mellan arbetsgivare och arbetstagare, med föränderliga arbetsorganisationer och arbetsmönster. De kommer att innebära både möjligheter och risker för EU:s arbetsmarknader, som står inför övergången till en koldioxidneutral ekonomi och en digital omvandling mot bakgrund av covid-19-pandemin.
• Digitala tekniker omvandlar arbetstillfällen och arbetsplatser, utlöser förändringar på arbetsmarknaden såsom omstrukturering och förlust av arbetstillfällen, och nya arbetsprofiler börjar också dyka upp. Uppgiftsprofilerna i arbetstillfällena anpassas efter digitaliseringen av produktionen och tillhandahållandet av tjänster. Resultatet är att andra kompetenser efterfrågas.
• Det kommer att bli viktigt att undersöka de sammantagna effekterna av digitaliseringen och övergången till en koldioxidneutral ekonomi i covid-19-pandemins efterdyningar och hur de förstärker varandra, eller hur nyttan av den ena kan uppväga de negativa effekterna av den andra.
• Den teknikdrivna potentialen att producera, samla in och använda en stor mängd data kan öka konkurrenskraften för europeiska företag och kvaliteten i arbetet. Att säkerställa att frågor som äganderätt till data och dataskydd tydliggörs, och blir väl reglerade och genomförda, kommer dock att vara avgörande för att undvika ett utnyttjande och oetiskt agerande.

From 2021 onwards, Eurofound will provide insights into the impact of these megatrends on living and working conditions in the EU. In the area of digitalisation, research will focus on the impact on employment and working conditions, as well as on the labour market. Areas to be covered will include social dialogue and its role in shaping structural change, regulatory frameworks, social protection and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Building on previous research on platform work, the 2021–2024 period will be an opportunity to focus on mapping and providing an assessment of the effectiveness of policy initiatives in tackling the challenges identified with platform work.

Eurofound will also aim to support the EU’s transition to a carbon-neutral economy, including the circular economy and the implementation of the EU’s recovery instrument NextGenerationEU, by investigating the socioeconomic effects. These include employment shifts and the transformation of jobs and working conditions, as well as the distributional impact of climate change policies. Some of this work will build on the results of a pilot project on the future of manufacturing (FOME) carried out by Eurofound.

To continue this work in 2021–2024, Eurofound will cooperate with various international organisations and EU agencies, for example with the European Environment Agency (EEA) in the area of social impacts of climate change policies. Furthermore, existing collaboration with other research actors in the fields of digitalisation – the Joint Research Centre (JRC), Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) and European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) – will be consolidated. Further partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO) is also foreseen on the subject of the changing world of work.

Eurofound’s research aims to assist policy action to address the transitions to both a carbon-neutral economy and the digital age in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as helping to understand the impact of these changes at EU and national levels. For example, research on the impact of these drivers of change on the workplace level will provide insight into how to best support employers and workers so they can seize the opportunities and mitigate the challenges related to these developments. Eurofound’s research will also seek to support businesses in their efforts to adapt to a constantly evolving global economy. Furthermore, the examination of the distributional impacts of climate change policies and of measures to ensure social justice will provide knowledge to help implement the Just Transition Fund. The monitoring of reforms and recent financial support will also allow for an exchange of policy approaches and lessons learned.

The Agency’s work plan is aligned with the European Commission’s political guidelines for 2021–2024, feeding directly into a number of key policy areas aimed at creating a strong social Europe. In particular, the research will support the following Commission priorities:

• European Commission: Priorities 2019–2024: An economy that works for people
• European Commission: Priorities 2019–2024: A Europe fit for the digital age
• European Commission: A European Green Deal

In 2024, Eurofound continues its research on the impact of digitalisation and the transition to a climate-neutral economy on working life. 

Various research strands linked with the digital and green transitions come to completion. This includes research into the impact of new developments in human–machine interaction on work organisation and working conditions. Research concludes on the impact of changes caused by the twin transitions at the sectoral level, focusing on the transformation of business activities, occupational and skill profiles, work organisation and working conditions. And analysis wraps up on the roles, opportunities and challenges of policy actors in the just transition, examining the design and implementation of Just Transition policies at the regional level, their mechanisms and the actors involved. 

Research continues on the impact of the green and digital transitions on the labour market and labour market actors with a project to explore company restructuring approaches and their ongoing adaptation strategies. Further research takes place on the socioeconomic impact of the transition to a carbon-neutral economy, monitoring the employment and social dimension of the green transition.

New research focuses on how managers’ roles and functions are impacted by the increase in telework and the shift towards more hybrid working in terms of challenges and opportunities.

The ongoing monitoring of the developments in the platform economy continues through Eurofound’s regularly updated web repository. Building on previous studies on platform work and the ongoing monitoring of policies and measures with regard to platform work through the web repository, new research focuses on the working conditions of online platform workers. This work aims to explore the characteristics of online platform workers and how they fare in relation to contractual arrangements and job quality, including pay, work intensity, working time, occupational health and safety, social environment and career prospects. It also explores the career goals of platform workers. 

• Resource: Platform economy repository
• Resource: The digital age: Automation, digitisation and platforms