Eurofound's EU PolicyWatch collates information on the responses of government and social partners to the COVID-19 crisis, the war in Ukraine, rising inflation, as well as gathering examples of company practices aimed at mitigating the social and economic impacts.
Overview of measures by category
Cases in this category are aimed at ensuring that essential services obtain the required workforce and can continue to function smoothly. This includes, for instance, health and care-related services, agriculture, production of goods, information technology, transport services or the energy and utility sector. Such support could relate to the provision of specific or general labour market information, the mobilisation of a larger workforce, for instance through recruitment campaigns, setting incentives or easing restrictions for those currently not in work or employment, as well as faster skills recognition. It could also take the form of mandatory measures such as the temporary prohibition to take leave or the extension of maximum working time and new rota schemes. It also includes measures ensuring the smooth and speedy reallocation or redeployment of workers across industries, or between and within companies, and gathers cases on rewards for workers in essential services.
Overall, Eurofound has identified 168 measures in 30 countries for this category.
27 November 2020 |
Temporary interventions in labour law
Slovenia, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
16 November 2020 Updated |
Idle tourism workers to join COVID-19 track and trace team
Malta, Company practices |
01 November 2022 |
Hermes mobile phone app on working conditions in the forestry and agricultural sector
Finland, Other initiatives or policies |
26 October 2020 |
Care jobs for temporary unemployed
Belgium, Other initiatives or policies |
07 September 2020 |
Work from Finland-service: a matching platform for seasonal work
Finland, Other initiatives or policies |
11 August 2022 |
Recruitment of health professionals fleeing the war in Ukraine
Luxembourg, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
23 June 2022 Updated |
Simplified employment
Hungary, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
02 June 2022 Updated |
Access to the labour market for refugees from Ukraine
Austria, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
20 May 2022 |
Changes to employment arrangements will benefit 1,800 non-EEA doctors
Ireland, Other initiatives or policies |
06 May 2020 |
Measures to deploy a larger workforce in public healthcare and allow for the reassignment of public sector staff and teachers to other duties
Ireland, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
05 May 2020 Updated |
Temporary right to suspend or postpone leave requests in critical functions of society
Finland, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
05 May 2020 Updated |
Mobilisation of healthcare professionals
Finland, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
21 April 2020 |
Schools and kindergartens open to personnel in critical society functions
Norway, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
17 April 2020 Updated |
Temporary exemption from pension reduction for health professionals
Norway, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
16 April 2020 Updated |
Removal of income ceiling for student aid to facilitate work in essential services
Sweden, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
16 April 2020 Updated |
Operation of businesses with safe operation staff
Greece, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
15 April 2020 |
Mobilisation of retired health service and other emergency service workers
United Kingdom, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
11 April 2020 |
Voluntary interruption of parental leave to resume essential professional activity
Luxembourg, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
10 April 2020 |
Extension of employment permit for seasonal workers
Austria, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
10 April 2020 |
Civilian service extension and voluntary reactivation
Austria, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
10 April 2020 Updated |
Temporary suspension of some labour regulations for public servants
Slovenia, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
10 April 2020 Updated |
Limitation of certain rights of healthcare workers
Slovenia, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
08 April 2020 |
Care for children or other dependants of workers of essential services
Portugal, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
08 April 2020 |
Utilisation of graduate medical and nursing students
Cyprus, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
08 April 2020 |
Requisition of doctors and nurses
Cyprus, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
06 January 2022 |
Special agreement covers overtime and pay for municipal workers
Norway, Bipartite collective agreements |
22 December 2021 |
Plan to boost social economy after COVID-19
European Union, Other initiatives or policies |
20 December 2021 |
Social partners expect European Care Strategy to address workforce needs
European Union, Other initiatives or policies |
08 December 2020 Updated |
Corona premia for employees in German Parliament
Germany, Company practices |
03 December 2020 |
The remuneration of retail chain employees due to worsened working conditions during the pandemic
Czechia, Company practices |
28 November 2020 |
Giovanni Rana: Extraordinary plan of wage increases in pasta manufacturing company
Italy, Company practices |
27 November 2020 |
Salary bonus for HM Hospitals workers
Spain, Company practices |
25 November 2020 |
Bonuses to Mercadona employees during the health emergency
Spain, Company practices |
04 November 2020 |
Corona bonus in several industrial sectors
Austria, Bipartite collective agreements |
04 November 2020 |
Corona bonus of €3000 rewards Vienna Port employees for exceptional burden
Austria, Bipartite collective agreements |
30 October 2020 |
Elite Hotels offer subsidised stays for people in risk groups and health care staff
Sweden, Company practices |
23 October 2020 |
Recommendation for Corona bonus in retail collective agreement
Austria, Bipartite collective agreements |
23 October 2020 |
Corona hazard bonus in collective agreements in the social and healthcare sectors
Austria, Bipartite collective agreements |
08 October 2021 |
Collective bargaining on crisis bonuses in the public sector
Slovenia, Bipartite collective agreements |
05 October 2020 Updated |
Tax exemption for COVID-19 bonuses
Austria, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
05 October 2020 Updated |
New public health-care service contracts with pay rise for doctors
Hungary, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
02 October 2020 |
Tourism services for medical staff compensated by the State
Lithuania, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
01 October 2020 Updated |
Healthcare workers’ reward for COVID-19 work
Hungary, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
17 September 2020 |
Ensuring business continuity and protection of workers in private security service during COVID-19 pandemic
European Union, Non-binding recommendations or other texts |
17 September 2020 Updated |
Premium for hospital workers
Germany, Bipartite collective agreements |
17 September 2020 Updated |
Premia for care workers in elderly care
Germany, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
17 September 2020 Updated |
Public sector collective agreement includes Corona bonus
Germany, Bipartite collective agreements |
15 September 2020 Updated |
One-time premium for construction workers
Germany, Bipartite collective agreements |
11 September 2020 |
Bonuses from supermarket chains to reward their employees.
Greece, Company practices |
10 September 2020 Updated |
COVID-19: Assistance for frontline workers in health care services
Bulgaria, Tripartite agreements |
08 September 2022 |
Wage increases for health sector workers
Poland, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
27 August 2020 Updated |
Annex to the Collective Agreement for Croatian State Administration Employees
Croatia, Bipartite collective agreements |
02 July 2020 Updated |
Crisis bonus for public employees
Slovenia, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
16 April 2020 |
Bonus for hospital staff
France, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
16 April 2020 Updated |
Income support for employees engaged in R+D activities
Hungary, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
16 April 2020 |
Extraordinary financial support to personnel of public health and civil protection institutions
Greece, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
14 April 2020 |
Sectoral agreement on bonus for eldercare workers
Germany, Bipartite collective agreements |
12 April 2021 Updated |
New public service agreement concluded against background of pandemic
Ireland, Bipartite collective agreements |
12 April 2020 Updated |
Exceptional purchasing power bonus for essential services employees
France, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
10 April 2020 |
Reward for employees exposed to risk in March
Italy, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
08 April 2020 |
Bonuses for employees working in social service institutions
Lithuania, Non-binding recommendations or other texts |
08 April 2020 |
Wage increases for medical staff
Lithuania, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
23 March 2021 |
Offset of additional corona-related income against pension removed
Denmark, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
20 February 2023 |
Stabilisation allowance for social workers
Slovakia, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
07 February 2021 |
Manufacturing companies pay bonus to employees working onsite
Ireland, Company practices |
01 February 2021 Updated |
Seafarers proclaimed key workers and obtain exemption payment of personal income tax
Croatia, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
09 January 2022 Updated |
Promotion of wage bracket for doctors and dentists
Slovenia, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
30 November 2020 |
Tripartite agreement in the aviation sector foresees redeployment and early retirement of workers
Luxembourg, Tripartite agreements |
23 November 2020 |
Social initiative "Let’s Overcome It Together"
Lithuania, Other initiatives or policies |
10 November 2020 |
Temporary employee-sharing between LUXAIR and other firms
Luxembourg, Tripartite agreements |
23 October 2020 |
Temporarily laid-off employees of passenger airline Finland given an opportunity to work for private healthcare providers
Finland, Company practices |
15 September 2020 |
Free movement of people in the EU: more clarity and predictability of restricting measures
European Union, Non-binding recommendations or other texts |
15 September 2020 |
Chamber of industry sets up platform for employee sharing and exchange
Germany, Other initiatives or policies |
14 September 2022 |
Information sessions on employing beneficiaries of temporary protection for employers
Romania, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
14 September 2022 |
Informing beneficiaries of temporary protection on access to the labour market
Romania, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
05 September 2022 |
Faster skills recognition for health sector workers
Poland, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
23 August 2022 Updated |
Portal to help Ukrainian refugees find employment
Poland, Other initiatives or policies |
23 August 2022 |
Relaxation of rules for hiring Ukrainian refugee teachers
Poland, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
11 July 2022 |
Conciliation office
Belgium, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
11 July 2022 |
Unit for the management of disputes concerning enterprises facing difficulties
Italy, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
23 June 2022 |
Digital Skills Bridge
Luxembourg, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
23 June 2022 |
The National Skills Database
Ireland, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
23 June 2022 |
The Moravian-Silesian Employment Pact (MSEP)
Czechia, Other initiatives or policies |
23 June 2022 |
Employment Observatory - RETEL
Luxembourg, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
23 June 2022 |
Regional labour market information
Netherlands, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
23 June 2022 |
National Labour Exchange
Italy, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
23 June 2022 Updated |
Mobile teams of the Croatian employment service
Croatia, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
23 June 2022 |
IMK Economic Performance Indicator
Germany, Other initiatives or policies |
23 June 2022 |
IAB-Establishment Panel
Germany, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
23 June 2022 |
Team Finland - Services supporting the internationalisation of businesses
Finland, Other initiatives or policies |
23 June 2022 |
Statutory risk management systems in public companies
Germany, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
23 June 2022 |
Labour consultant
Sweden, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
23 June 2022 |
Labour force and skills demand forecasts
Estonia, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
23 June 2022 |
Sector Skills Councils
United Kingdom, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
23 June 2022 Updated |
Labour Utilisation Survey
Hungary, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
23 June 2022 |
Qualification barometer
Austria, Other initiatives or policies |
23 June 2022 |
The skills of tomorrow
Luxembourg, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
23 June 2022 |
Career consultations
Latvia, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
23 June 2022 |
Monthly surveys of employers
Malta, Other initiatives or policies |
23 June 2022 |
The Public Employment Service's forcast ('the occupational compass')
Sweden, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
23 June 2022 |
Observatory of continuous vocational training
Luxembourg, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
23 June 2022 |
Information and Management System of the Education and Training Offer
Portugal, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
23 June 2022 |
Clusters programme (Luxembourg Cluster Initiative)
Luxembourg, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
23 June 2022 |
Business trends survey (including employment forecasts)
Lithuania, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
23 June 2022 |
Mini labour exchange
Lithuania, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
24 May 2022 |
Reduced requirements to work as a taxi driver for Ukrainian refugees
Latvia, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
24 May 2022 |
Right of Ukrainians to engage in medical professions
Latvia, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
23 May 2022 |
Public employment service information support measures for Ukrainian refugees
Belgium, Other initiatives or policies |
20 May 2022 Updated |
Identifying Finnish companies to employ refugees
Finland, Other initiatives or policies |
20 May 2020 Updated |
Creating incentives for unemployed to work in horticulture and other essential services and flexibilisation of successive fixed-term contracts
Belgium, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
19 May 2022 |
EU: Faster and simpler recognition of refugees' professional qualifications
European Union, Non-binding recommendations or other texts |
19 May 2020 |
Austrian armed forces 'take over' postal logistics services
Austria, Company practices |
18 May 2022 |
Job Dashboard and recruitment events for citizens of Ukraine
Bulgaria, Other initiatives or policies |
17 May 2022 |
Border guards and police to issue certificates that grant the right to work for persons applying for temporary protection
Finland, Other initiatives or policies |
17 May 2022 |
JobguideUkraine.dk helps Ukrainian refugees find employment
Denmark, Other initiatives or policies |
05 May 2022 |
Support measures for students, doctoral candidates, researchers, teachers of Ukraine
Italy, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
04 May 2022 |
Access to the labour market for Ukrainian refugees
Belgium, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
25 April 2022 |
Jobs4UA.cz: A platform for Ukrainian jobseekers
Czechia, Other initiatives or policies |
25 April 2020 Updated |
Expanded monitoring of the labour market
Denmark, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
17 April 2020 |
HR partnership between McDonald's and ALDI
Germany, Company practices |
16 April 2020 |
Easing the temporary and flexible hiring of workers in agriculture
Spain, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
13 April 2020 |
Temporary right of workers outside of EU/EEA countries to change employer and sector
Finland, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
10 April 2020 Updated |
Food helpers online platform
Austria, Other initiatives or policies |
09 April 2020 |
Temporary and exceptional support to the emergency reinforcement of public and solidary health and social care services
Portugal, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
08 April 2020 |
Temporary job offers portal
Estonia, Other initiatives or policies |
08 April 2020 Updated |
The state of emergency in the healthcare
Slovakia, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
07 April 2020 |
Save jobs! - Employee sharing
Czechia, Bipartite collective agreements |
02 February 2021 |
Road freight: call for keeping borders and supply chains open
European Union, Non-binding recommendations or other texts |
02 February 2021 |
EU sectoral social partners call for the safety of seafarers
European Union, Non-binding recommendations or other texts |
23 June 2022 |
Publications of the Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development
Slovenia, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
23 June 2022 |
Rapid reports
Slovenia, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
30 January 2023
Governments across the EU continue to implement policies to support citizens and businesses in the face of rising food and energy prices caused by the COVID-19 crisis and intensified by the war in Ukraine. This article summarises the policy responses as reported in Eurofound's EU PolicyWatch database from January to September 2022.
Article12 September 2022
Although the worldwide pandemic situation had already disrupted supply chains and triggered increases in energy and food prices in 2021, the situation deteriorated in 2022 with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Article12 September 2022
This article summarises the first policy responses that governments across the EU have started to implement to support companies affected by the rising prices, and those with commercial ties to Ukraine, Russia or Belarus.
Article5 July 2022
This article summarises the first policy responses of EU Member States, including those of the social partners and other civil society actors, enabling refugees to exercise their rights under the Temporary Protection Directive.
ArticleDisclaimer: This information has not been subject to the full Eurofound evaluation, editorial and publication process.