Analyzes & Data

As of 01 January 2023, seventeen out of the twenty-two EU Member States with a statutory minimum wage have implemented an increase in their basic salary level. The aim is to protect low-wage earners in the face of record inflation. However, even though some of these increases exceed 20%, they are struggling to compensate for the erosion occurring  in employees’ purchasing power.

At a time when most Western countries are seeking to increase the legal retirement age – to reduce pension scheme deficits or, in some cases, to address skill shortages – mind RH has taken a closer look at the transnational company agreements signed by multinational firms with a view to fostering the employment of older workers within their foreign subsidiaries. Seven agreements have been picked out, most of them European, which focus on the employability and job retention of ageing employees.

At a time when France is debating an extension to the national retirement age, mind RH has sought to assess the impact of this policy lever on the employment rate in the over-55 age bracket. Our comparative study targets 31 European nations  and shows that over the past ten years while raising the legal retirement age has increased the number of older workers in the labour market, it has also increased their unemployment rate. Only those countries that have implemented proactive policies to keep them in employment have a relatively high percentage of older workers in employment.

Two and a half years on from the massive shift to remote work as lockdowns were put in place to contain the coronavirus pandemic, many European countries have introduced or updated their legislation on remote work or telework. From the differences of clauses in employment contracts, to unequal financial compensation and the implementation of the right to disconnect, mind RH has scrutinised the regulations introduced by the 27 European Union Member States.