Inclusive economy
Explore the changing nature of work, what it means for job quality and wellbeing as well as the impact of technology on jobs.
The project on the Future of Work and Inclusive Growth marked its first anniversary in 2021. The project team closely analysed the impact of technology on the nature, quantity and quality of work, welfare systems and inclusive growth at large. That included exploring the role of technology and AI in reshaping society, particularly when subject to extreme stress (eg during a pandemic), and considering those who have been most affected by these forces in the short and long terms.
Our researchers also started a transatlantic expert exchange on the topic of the future of work, in order to feed into current and future EU-US policy dialogues and to develop policy ideas to address challenges related to the future of work. Moreover, we have continued to look into the issues of convergence and divergence within the EU single market, with a particular focus on identifying how the process of convergence itself links to greater inclusiveness of the different segments of society across the EU.
Recently published and updated
Artificial intelligence and job quality
A timely discussion about the role AI plays in job quality
The impact of artificial intelligence on the nature and quality of jobs
Policymakers should strengthen the role of social partners in the adoption of AI technology to protect workers’ bargaining power.
Closing the gender gap for self-employed women in the European Union
Self-employed women are at a wealth disadvantage, according to ECB household finance data, and thus have more to gain from policies that spur saving.
Can working solo be good for entrepreneurs?
The self-employed are a diverse group, but they can help us better understand the drivers of well-being at work and help design better policies.
A decade of economic policy
Guntram Wolff looks back at the past decade of Bruegel contribution to economic policy in Europe.
Policies to support the self-employed in the labour markets of the future
A review of changes in the way we work.
Job quality is about more than working conditions
What is job quality and why does it matter?
Is the workforce ready for the jobs of the future? Data-informed skills and training foresight
For many newly emerging jobs, labour-market mismatches prevail as workers and firms are unable to apply precise occupation taxonomies and training lag
Beating burnout: identifying bad jobs and improving job quality
To improve wellbeing at work, job quality policy should pay more attention to imbalances in job content and the social environment at work.
Future of Work and Inclusive Growth in Europe
A long-lasting European research-to-action platform, in collaboration with the Mastercard Impact Fund and Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth
Discover the projectPublications
Better pensions for the European Union’s self-employed
What is the current state of pensions policy in Europe and how are independent workers treated compared with their traditionally employed counterparts
Biometric technologies at work: a proposed use-based taxonomy
Technology may not have a significant negative impact on the quantity of jobs available to humans, but it certainly transforms them, changing how jobs
Do robots dream of paying taxes?
The digital transition should be managed – and taxed – alongside other societal transitions, but any tax on companies that replace employees with aut
Blending the physical and virtual: a hybrid model for the future of work
The pandemic has shown that many workers can efficiently work remotely, with benefits for wellbeing and even productivity. The European Union should d
The great COVID-19 divergence: managing a sustainable and equitable recovery in the European Union
Policymakers must act to prevent lasting divergence within the EU and to prevent scarring from the fallout from the pandemic.
The unequal inequality impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
Less-educated workers have suffered most from job losses in the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is quite likely there was a significant increase in European
Transatlantic Expert Group on the Future of Work
Promoting the exchange of views and best practices in the area of the future of work that can feed current and future EU-US policy dialogue.
Explore the projectBruegel Blog
Who is suffering most from rising inflation?
The lowest income households are suffering disproportionally from the current inflation increase, with rising energy prices the main culprit.
12 Charts for 21
A selection of charts from Bruegel’s weekly newsletter, analysis of the year and what it meant for the economy in Europe and the world.
Which platforms will be caught by the Digital Markets Act? The ‘gatekeeper’ dilemma
The scope of the Digital Markets Act has emerged as one of the most contentious issues in the regulatory discussion. Here, we assess which companies c
An inclusive European Union must boost gig workers’ rights
A European initiative strengthening rights for gig workers is welcome. A digitised economy should also be inclusive.
The triple constraint on artificial-intelligence advancement in Europe
Skills, data and financing shortcomings constrain artificial-intelligence innovation in Europe.
The socioeconomic effects of COVID-19 on women
The pandemic has disproportionately affected women both professionally and at home. Although the gender gap in labour force participation since the on
Strong, balanced, sustainable and inclusive growth? The G20 and the pandemic
The G20 is not doing enough to support strong, balanced, sustainable and inclusive growth in the wake of COVID-19, with the poorest countries left beh
Concentration of artificial intelligence and other frontier IT skills
Online job postings indicate that demand from top tech firms for frontier IT skills is about double their demand for other IT skills. This could indic
Making antitrust work for, not against, gig workers and the self-employed
Policymakers should act to deal with labour-market concentration trends that potentially harm workers, especially gig workers and the self-employed.
Remote work, EU labour markets and wage inequality
More remote working in the wake of the pandemic could exacerbate wage inequality, with young workers, women and the low educated potentially losing ou
Designing a hybrid work organisation
Post-pandemic hybrid work models should be carefully planned, taking into account individual and organisational needs.
Workers can unlock the artificial intelligence revolution
Employers and artificial intelligence developers should ensure new technologies work for workers by making them trustworthy, easy to use and valuable
Algorithmic management is the past, not the future of work
Algorithmic management is the twenty-first century’s scientific management. Job quality measures should be included explicitly in health and safety ri
Self-employment, COVID-19, and the future of work for knowledge workers
The experiences of the self-employed could give a glimpse into the future of work for knowledge workers in a post-pandemic world.
Fair vaccine access is a goal Europe cannot afford to miss
COVID-19 vaccination campaigns in the fastest-moving countries show signs of reinforcing inequality. European Union countries can avoid these pitfalls
COVID-19 has widened the income gap in Europe
Workers with low-educational levels suffered far worse than others in terms of COVID-19 related job losses during the first half of 2020 in the EU. Jo
The scarring effect of COVID-19: youth unemployment in Europe
Even before the pandemic, youth unemployment in the European Union was three times higher than among the over-55s. COVID-19 threatens to undo the last
Job polarisation and the Great Recession
A job polarisation trend has seen relatively more workers in the European Union employed in skilled and unskilled jobs, while mid-skilled jobs have be
Artificial intelligence’s great impact on low and middle-skilled jobs
Artificial intelligence and machine learning will significantly transform low-skilled jobs that have not yet been negatively affected by past technolo
COVID-19: The self-employed are hardest hit and least supported
Self-employed workers are hardest-hit by COVID-19 lockdowns. Yet they often receive less government support than salaried employees. Is the disparity