Filenews 8 December 2025 - by Theano Thiopoulou
At a time when almost one in five workers in Europe is employed in low-quality jobs with low pay and poor prospects, says the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), at the same time the European Commission has launched consultations with social partners on the upcoming Quality Jobs Act, with the aim of boosting productivity, prosperity and competitiveness.
The Confederation in its announcement states "workers suffer the consequences of low-quality jobs, but so do businesses. Research shows that low-quality jobs exacerbate labour shortages, which are hurting Europe's economy, with industries finding it harder to hire workers, paying an average of 9% less than those less affected by labour shortages."
The launch of the consultation of the social partners, he points out, on a future law on the quality of jobs creates a real opportunity for the implementation of practical measures that workers will feel in their daily lives.
"Workers and their unions know what makes a job good or bad. This consultation is an opportunity to integrate these realities into EU policymaking and push for concrete improvements that every worker can feel," said ETUC Secretary General Esther Lynch.
The European Commission announced last week that "adequate wages and quality jobs are essential for economic stability and poverty reduction. While Europe is generally performing well in this area, there is room for improvement, especially as workers continue to feel the impact of global crises and the rising cost of living, and companies struggle with labour shortages."
To help address these challenges, the Commission presented the Roadmap for Quality Jobs and launched consultations with social partners on the upcoming Quality Jobs Act. According to the European Commission, the roadmap, developed after consultations with European and national trade unions and employers' organisations, focuses on areas where EU action can make the biggest difference.
• Creating and maintaining quality jobs across the EU
• Ensuring fairness and modernisation in the world of work
• Supporting workers and employers in the green, digital and demographic transitions
• Strengthening social dialogue and collective bargaining
• Ensuring effective access to rights, quality public services and adequate investment.
The Commission plans to present the Quality Employment Act in 2026, with the aim of supporting productivity and competitiveness and updating EU rules that protect workers. Social partners will again be invited to consult on careful management of algorithms and artificial intelligence at work, updating EU rules on health and safety at work, to address the psychosocial and ergonomic risks of transformed workplaces, ensuring that subcontracted work respects labour, health and safety regulations. Also, ensuring a fair restructuring of companies achieved through the green and digital transitions for both employees and employers, strengthening the implementation of workers' rights and the role of social partners. The first phase of this consultation will run until 29 January 2026.
The door opens for measures
The Commission's commitment to legislate to ensure quality jobs is of the utmost importance, says Esther Lynch in the ETUC communication. "However, the ETUC does not agree with the Commission's approach on pension reforms or with the broader ideas of 'simplification' in the roadmap. These very often serve as an excuse for weakening or abolishing workers' rights. Any initiative to improve the quality of work must be accompanied by a commitment to protect and strengthen existing rights and standards – not to weaken them." The European Commission's communication notes "opens the door to measures that will bring benefits to workers: legislation and investment are needed to ensure that all jobs are of quality – in every sector and in every region. We expect to see the comprehensive consultation on teleworking and the right to disconnect translated into legislation."
