By the EESC's Workers' Group 

Precarious employment is a reality faced by many Europeans ─ and certainly by people outside Europe too. Stagnating salaries combined with rising costs of living, non-standard employment and digital disruption in the world of work have meant that having a job no longer guarantees an escape from poverty.   

While in-work poverty has decreased slowly since 2015, it still affects more than 16 million workers in the EU. The actual figure is probably higher but masked by other factors such as direct family support for many people whose jobs alone would not provide them with enough to live on.   

Decent work, with proper salaries and working conditions, can change that. The Quality Jobs Roadmap must deliver: unrest is spreading in Europe and turning quickly into chaos as austerity policies and impending cuts in social expenditure loom over already exhausted populations.  

The Workers' Group met in Dublin on 13 and 14 October to discuss how to ensure decent work for all in Europe. The event brought together politicians, academics and workers and workers' representatives from Ireland. You can watch the discussion on our YouTube Channel.