Best Eurofound Podcasts (2025)

1
How are minimum wage levels changing in Europe? 35:07

7d ago35:07

35:07

In this episode Mary McCaughey sits down with Eurofound expert Carlos Vacas Soriano to explore how minimum wages have changed in Europe over the past year, as well as the implications of these shifts. Listeners are invited to dive into the intricacies of Europe's minimum wage dynamics and the factors driving these changes. The conversation also she…

1
How can Europe adapt to an ageing workforce? 38:30

28d ago38:30

38:30

How can Europe adapt to an ageing workforce? What impediments do older workers face at the workplace? How are changing technologies and job quality influencing the retention of older workers on the labour market? This episode sets out to answer these questions in the context of changing demographics in Europe and the need to make work more sustaina…

1
What is the future for gender equality in Europe? 48:55

2M ago48:55

48:55

This special episode, recorded for International Women’s Day 2025, looks at women’s progress in the labour market and society over the past five decades, as well as sticking points on the path to gender equality in Europe, particularly related to the gender employment and pay gaps.

1
Is Europe's teleworking experiment coming to an end? 30:08

2M ago30:08

30:08

This episode of Eurofound Talks looks at data from the Living and working in the EU e-survey showing a decline in the number of respondents engaged in remote work, with the percentage of people working entirely from the workplace increasing from 36% in 2023, to 41% in 2024.

1
50 years of social change in Ireland and Europe 59:25

3M ago59:25

59:25

In this episode of the Eurofound Talks podcast Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound Deputy Director Maria Jepsen, and Barry Colfer, Director of Research at the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA), about European social change over the past 50 years, Eurofound’s role in these changes, how Ireland itself has developed and changed, …

1
How can we effectively tackle cyberbullying at work? 31:53

5M ago31:53

31:53

Over the last decade, information and communicationtechnologies have changed the way employees work and communicate with each other. While the digitalisation of work offers many benefits, widespread access to digital devices in working life has provided fertile ground for the emergence of new forms of antisocial behaviours, including workplace cybe…

1
Can the EU help turn the tide on housing in Europe? 32:34

6M ago32:34

32:34

In her political guidelines for the incoming European Commission, issued in July, the returning president, Ursula von der Leyen, outlined ambitious proposals for the next five-year European term. They included the appointment of the first commission member whose responsibilities would include housing, as well as the first-ever European Affordable H…

1
Is climate change making work more dangerous in Europe? 35:42

7M ago35:42

35:42

Climate change is a reality in our everyday lives in Europe. Workers experience the effects of climate change and climate change policy in many ways, both directly and indirectly, from working in heat and experiencing greater exposure to UV radiation, to new occupational safety and health risks and the need for training and re-skilling. In this epi…

1
Is Europe’s middle class disappearing? 36:21

7M ago36:21

36:21

Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound Research Manager Carlos Vacas about the situation of the middle class in Europe. They look at developments over the past two decades, the significance of income adequacy and equality in the development of a robust middle class in Europe, the influence of the welfare state, as well as the understated role of the …

1
Has Europe failed its youth? 43:42

11M ago43:42

43:42

In this episode of Eurofound Talks Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound researchers Eszter Sandor and Massimiliano Mascherini about the situation for young people in Europe, from the impacts of the economic crisis and Great Recession to the aftermath COVID-19 pandemic and voting trends in the recent European Parliament elections. They discuss how, …

1
Shaping the future of European democracy 37:24

12M ago37:24

37:24

In a special edition of Eurofound Talks, Mary McCaughey is joined by Eurofound Executive Director Ivailo Kalfin and Ivan Krastev, Chairman of the Centre for Liberal Strategies and permanent fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna, to look at the political, social and economic drivers in Europe and how they might influence voters at the…

1
Can Europe deliver for its children? 35:07

1y ago35:07

35:07

In this episode of Eurofound Talks Mary McCaughey speaks Eurofound Research Manager Daniel Molinuevo about the European Child Guarantee, how bad the situation is with regards to child poverty and social exclusion in Europe, what Member States have committed to doing about it, what the implications are for workers and civil society, and what prospec…

1
Is it a right to disconnect? 35:13

1y ago35:13

35:13

The COVID-19 pandemic had multiple impacts on society, but perhaps one of the most enduring in terms of the world of work has been the proliferation of telework. Around one-third of jobs in the EU are teleworkable, and an estimated 40 million people telework on a regular basis. While most workers who can telework have embraced it, there have been n…

1
Tackling the gender pay and employment gaps 40:43

1y ago40:43

40:43

In this special episode of Eurofound Talks for International Women's Day 2024, Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound researchers Carlos Vacas and Barbara Gerstenberger about the gender pay and employment gaps in Europe. Despite gender equality being a core principle of the EU, women are less likely to be in employment than men in all EU Member State…

1
Are minimum wages in Europe adequate and effective? 38:37

1+ y ago38:37

38:37

Despite nominal increases in statutory minimum wages reaching an all-time high in the EU in 2023, minimum wage workers in most EU countries saw their purchasing power decline or just about compensated. In this episode of the Eurofound Talks podcast series, Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound experts Christine Aumayr-Pintar and Carlos Vacas-Soriano…

1
How will Europe’s green transition impact employment? 35:26

1+ y ago35:26

35:26

Climate change objectives and decarbonisation measures are vital for the future of Europe. But how will these objectives impact employment and the labour market? In this episode of the Eurofound Talks podcast series, Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound Senior Research Manager John Hurley about new research which shows a marginal increase in net em…

1
How did Europe treat its essential workers? 27:13

1+ y ago27:13

27:13

Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound Research Manager Jorge Cabrita about new research that highlights poor job quality - including high emotional demands, working at high speed and to tight deadlines - among several of the sectors and professions deemed essential, key or critical during the COVID-19 pandemic.…

1
Does Europe have the skills it needs for a changing economy? 32:05

1+ y ago32:05

32:05

In this episode of Eurofound Talks Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound Research Manager Tina Weber, Eurofound Senior Research Manager Gijs van Houten, and Giovanni Russo, Senior Expert at CEDEFOP, about Europe’s skills challenges and what can be done to help workers and businesses adapt to future skills demands.…

1
Housing 28:04

2y ago28:04

28:04

In this episode Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound Senior Research Manager Hans Dubois on the issues that feed into housing insecurity in Europe, and the actions that need to be taken to address them. Together, they analyse findings from Eurofound’s recent Unaffordable and inadequate housing in Europe report, which presents data from Eurofound’s …

1
The work-life challenges of women and men 30:20

2y ago30:20

30:20

In this episode of Eurofound Talks, recorded for International Women's Day 2023, Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound Working Life researchers Jorge Cabrita and Viginta Ivaškaitė-Tamošiūnė about how, when paid and unpaid work are combined, women do eight full-time weeks more work than men per year, and the broader implications of this for society. …

1
Job quality 22:17

2y ago22:17

22:17

The COVID-19 pandemic had profound implications on the labour market and job quality in Europe, with some workers, particularly those providing frontline services, continuing to work from the workplace under heavy restrictions, while others worked from home also in radically different environments from which they were accustomed. Eurofound has been…

1
Telework 30:43

2+ y ago30:43

30:43

Now that Europe moves beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, it is faced with a dilemma. Telework has worked well for many over the past few years, helped them reconcile work and family life, and brought greater autonomy and flexibility; but for others almost the opposite has been the case, with greater work intensification, longer working hours, and greate…

1
Care 28:55

2+ y ago28:55

28:55

This episode of Eurofound Talks looks at care: care for children, care for older people, care for those who are frail or with disabilities, access to care, the quality of care, and the working conditions of care workers. Mary McCaughey speaks with Senior Research Manager Hans Dubois about how care policy has received more attention post-pandemic in…

1
Platform work 19:41

2+ y ago19:41

19:41

In this episode of Eurofound Talks Mary McCaughey speaks with researcher Dragoș Adăscăliței about how platform work has developed over the past two decades, the profile of platform workers in Europe, how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the development of platform work, the opportunities and risks platform work presents for workers, and how to pr…

1
Living in a new era of uncertainty 37:06

3y ago37:06

37:06

The worst of the COVID-19 pandemic may have passed, but in households across Europe its effects linger longer. Add today’s cost of living crisis, rising inflation and the war in Ukraine to the detrimental impacts of COVID-19 and a distressing picture emerges: of mental health issues – especially among young people – of job loss and job insecurity, …

1
Minimum wages 15:31

3y ago15:31

15:31

Minimum wages and minimum wage setting processes are not just issues of high political importance in Europe, but also everyday concerns for low-wage earners throughout the EU. In this episode of EurofoundTalks we speak with Senior Research Manager Christine Aumayr-Pintar on the importance of minimum wages in the EU, different processes in place, th…

1
Living and working in Europe: Past, present and future 19:09

3y ago19:09

19:09

This podcast focuses on our annual update on the state of ‘Living and working in Europe’. It highlights trends and changes – both positive and negative – in the way citizens across the EU work today, and serves as a guide to policymakers at EU and Member State level. Our experts detail these with useful examples and insights which might also help f…

1
Social Europe more urgent than ever, with Nicolas Schmit 23:27

3y ago23:27

23:27

During his visit to Dublin, European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nicolas Schmit talks about using the European Pillar of Social Rights to make Europe a better, fairer, greener and more digital place to live and work. War had just commenced in Ukraine but we were hopeful of a solution. In the intervening period, however, things have dete…

1
Gender equality 39:41

3y ago39:41

39:41

Women were just beginning to see the fruits of progress in gender equality over many years when the Great Recession hit, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the most recent results from Eurofound’s unique pan-European Living, working and COVID-19 e-survey reveal women again amongst the top losers as a result. This podcast, launched on Internati…

1
The impact of COVID-19 on young people in the EU 13:57

3+ y ago13:57

13:57

New day, new data highlighting the devastating impact of COVID-19 on young people across the European Union – most recently Eurofound’s unique pan-European Living, working and COVID-19 e-survey. We know this has taken an unprecedented toll on young people particularly – their mental well-being, their independence and more broadly, inter-generationa…

1
The future of living and working in Europe 15:07

3+ y ago15:07

15:07

If you ever wondered what it means to be European today, to live and work in Europe, across 27 countries, young and old, urban, rural, rich and poor, this is the podcast for you. Most recent results from Eurofound’s unique pan-European Living, working and COVID-19 e-survey reveal ongoing challenges for Europeans as they seek to move out of the shad…

1
Sustainable work 15:25

3+ y ago15:25

15:25

Never before have we had so much discussion about the way we work, the future of work and how this will impact our lives and those of the next generation. COVID-19 turned everything upside down as we have seen from the results of our unique pan-European Living, working and COVID-19 e-survey and we are still striving to make sense of the new hybrid,…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Eurofound Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
Eurofound Talks

Eurofound

1
How are minimum wage levels changing in Europe? 35:07

1
How can Europe adapt to an ageing workforce? 38:30

1
What is the future for gender equality in Europe? 48:55

1
Is Europe's teleworking experiment coming to an end? 30:08

1
50 years of social change in Ireland and Europe 59:25

1
How can we effectively tackle cyberbullying at work? 31:53

1
Can the EU help turn the tide on housing in Europe? 32:34

1
Is climate change making work more dangerous in Europe? 35:42

1
Is Europe’s middle class disappearing? 36:21

1
Has Europe failed its youth? 43:42

1
Shaping the future of European democracy 37:24

1
Can Europe deliver for its children? 35:07

1
Is it a right to disconnect? 35:13

1
Tackling the gender pay and employment gaps 40:43

1
Are minimum wages in Europe adequate and effective? 38:37

1
How will Europe’s green transition impact employment? 35:26

1
How did Europe treat its essential workers? 27:13

1
Does Europe have the skills it needs for a changing economy? 32:05

1
Housing 28:04

1
The work-life challenges of women and men 30:20

1
Job quality 22:17

1
Telework 30:43

1
Care 28:55

1
Platform work 19:41

1
Living in a new era of uncertainty 37:06

1
Minimum wages 15:31

1
Living and working in Europe: Past, present and future 19:09

1
Social Europe more urgent than ever, with Nicolas Schmit 23:27

1
Gender equality 39:41

1
The impact of COVID-19 on young people in the EU 13:57

1
The future of living and working in Europe 15:07

1
Sustainable work 15:25