Continued inequalities that persist
should remain at the centre of our concerns,
namely those related for instance with gender and age.
I think that gender segregation persists
and it raises concerns
beyond, of course, the usual level
related with earnings.
It raises concerns on several levels
of what we can call job quality.
For instance working time intensity,
the extensiveness of work…
All of those have an impact
or are worsened
if you consider inequalities
from - in this case - gender.
I believe that one of the effects of the COVID pandemic
in the labour market is that
in some way it has accelerated certain phenomena
that were already under scrutiny.
But it has increased their relevance and impact
on several levels of job quality.
For instance, the increase
in casual or non-standard types of work,
or even when we talk about the line
between work and life…
That line is fading away.
So the COVID pandemic has in certain ways
accelerated certain issues that we already had,
but now are more relevant.
A clear example that we need to look upon again,
but this time with more…
with a higher priority,
is the issue of disconnection.
Workers with teleworking
now are beginning to take notice
of health and mental issues
that are a result of higher stress,
higher intensity of their work,
and again, of the fading of this line
between work and life.
At the same time,
the pandemic forced some experience
both for the workers and the employers,
that made visible the benefits
that they could get out of these new forms
of working remotely.
I think that will be something very important
in the transformation of the labour market,
in the transformation of the way we work.
And of course this will be a huge contribution
to better job quality.
I think that one of the first steps that we need to do
so that there is higher awareness from companies
of the importance of employee engagement,
of their well-being…
First of all, we need to better measure
and we need again to bring this awareness
about the importance of job quality,
specifically the benefits that
both workers and employees can have.
So that would be the first step toward improvement.
We need to measure
and... bring this awareness
about the benefits that we can all
- not only companies but also workers -
we can all reap, as you said.
Of course, Eurofound here has an important role,
being what it is…
an agency that has the knowledge and information
needed to go forward with this awareness.