System­atic analysis of changes world­wide.

The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, Eurofound, has presented its new multi-year work programme for 2025-2028. Its aim is to support policy-makers and social partners with reliable data and analyses in order to develop future-oriented measures in a rapidly changing European environment. The programme provides a strategic framework and responds to four key changes: climate change, demographic change, technological transformation (for example through digitisation and artificial intelligence) and the realignment of global power relationships. During the coming years, Eurofound will focus on systematically analysing the fundamental changes of our time.

Struc­ture and focus

Based on the experience of previous programme periods, Eurofound will continue to focus on the core areas - employment, industrial relations, living conditions and working conditions. In particular, the surveys will examine the interactions between these core areas and the central challenges of our time (climate change, demographic change, technological transformation, shifting global power relationships) and record them in a matrix. This will enable the direct and indirect effects on the European living and working environments to be analysed holistically.

Changing working condi­tions

The analyses of the impacts that automation, artificial intelligence and digitisation have on work organisation and qualification requirements will be based on the "European Working Conditions Survey" (EWCS). It will also look at how different groups - ranging from people with a migration background to older employees - are affected by these impacts and what regional differences exist.

Indus­trial rela­tions and social dialogue

Eurofound would also like to closely examine the role of the social partners in shaping working conditions and employment strategies. The focus would be on adapting the social dialogue to the respective business, national, and sectoral circumstances in the context of digital and ecological changes. Collective bargaining and employee representation would also be integrated in a new conceptual framework that would systematically include the changes. The objective here is to gain a better understanding of the dynamics of social dialogue and to incorporate these findings into policy advice.

Employ­ment and labour markets

By using tools such as the "European Jobs Monitor" and the "European Restructuring Monitor", Eurofound also aims to analyse restructuring processes, new forms of employment, the shortage of skilled workers and the integration of disadvantaged groups.

Living condi­tions

Repeating the European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS) in 2026 should provide key data about the quality of life, access to public services and social cohesion - especially against the backdrop of a just transformation, that is in line with the European Green Deal.

Survey manage­ment and method­olog­ical devel­op­ment

Eurofound has also set itself the target of revising its long-term survey strategy, evaluating existing data collection methods - such as the switch from face-to-face to online surveys - and testing innovative approaches to improve data quality and visualisation. New data sources will also provide a more comprehensive overview of developments within Europe.

Signif­i­cance and differ­ences to the previous multi-year plan

When compared to the 2021-2024 multi-year plan, which focused primarily on recording employment, living and working conditions, the new plan will place a stronger emphasis on systematically analysing the fundamental changes of our time. This reorganisation will create a more comprehensive and up-to-date data basis.

This is also of great importance for the German social insurance system, as well-founded analyses help to adapt the systems to changing work realities and social needs and this ensures long-term stability and social balance.

Eurofound will cooperate closely with European institutions and international organisations such as ELA, EU-OSHA, ILO and OECD to make this possible. This collaboration should produce a holistic view of the challenges and opportunities and promote evidence-based policy recommendations.