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 target group – category: Workers
Eurofound has identified 49 measures for this target group. Most of these measures fall into the category Income protection beyond short-time work (31%).
Ensuring business continuity and support for essential services |
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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 |
06 April 2020 Updated |
Jobsharing made more flexible
Denmark, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
Supporting businesses to stay afloat |
21 October 2020 |
Public aids for the production of feature films
Spain, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
Employment protection and retention |
10 December 2020 |
Replacing the house quarantine period with overtime work
Replacing the house quarantine period with overtime work
Greece, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
09 November 2020 |
Agreement in the bank LCL on exceptional measures regarding paid leave and working time reduction in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic
France, Bipartite collective agreements |
04 November 2020 |
Benefits for employees
Romania, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
23 October 2021 |
PSA Automobiles SA implementation of the long-term partial activity system
France, Bipartite collective agreements |
16 September 2020 |
Agreed premium but no wage rise for rubber workers
Germany, Bipartite collective agreements |
15 September 2020 Updated |
Extension of temporary unemployment due to force majeure for specific sectors and companies in trouble
Belgium, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
20 April 2020 Updated |
Extension of short-time work to new categories of workers
France, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
17 April 2020 Updated |
Collective agreement on short-time working in system catering
Germany, Bipartite collective agreements |
15 April 2020 |
Audiovisual sector: First collective agreement on short-time working
Germany, Bipartite collective agreements |
15 April 2020 Updated |
First collective agreement on short-time working for municipal workers
Germany, Bipartite collective agreements |
14 April 2020 |
Interruption of the calculation of the maximum duration of temporary contracts
Spain, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
13 April 2020 Updated |
Easier access to short-time work
Germany, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
31 March 2020 Updated |
Coronavirus job retention scheme
United Kingdom, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
Protection of workers, adaptation of workplace |
10 December 2020 Updated |
Integrating outsourced workers at Tönnies
Germany, Company practices |
26 November 2020 |
Suez: Agreement on telework
France, Bipartite collective agreements |
26 November 2020 Updated |
Recognition of COVID-19 as an occupational disease
France, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
25 September 2020 |
Principles and guidelines for the new agile work in the telecommunications supply chain
Italy, Bipartite collective agreements |
21 September 2020 |
Agreement on the protection of employees and social measures as part of the relaunch of activity at EDF SA
France, Bipartite collective agreements |
04 August 2020 |
Adapting Occupational Health Services to Health Emergencies
France, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
03 August 2020 Updated |
Adaptation of collective bargaining rules
France, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
03 August 2020 |
Postponement of the assessment of trade unions’ representativeness in SMEs and extension of mandates in labour-related bodies
France, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
03 August 2020 |
National deconfinement protocol for companies
France, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
21 May 2020 |
Stricter regulations for the meat industry
Germany, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
10 January 2022 Updated |
Regulations on biological risks of employees exposed to COVID-19
France, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
Income protection beyond short-time work |
22 September 2020 |
Agreement on social support for the crisis linked to COVID-19 within the Safran group
France, Bipartite collective agreements |
02 September 2020 |
Temporary unemployment premium for employees in the metal sector
Belgium, Bipartite collective agreements |
27 July 2021 |
Allowance for collaborators in the sport sector
Italy, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
13 July 2020 Updated |
Sickness compensation for COVID-19 risk groups can be paid preventively
Sweden, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
03 July 2020 Updated |
Increase of the tax-exempt amount of income for workers earning below the annual minimum wage
Lithuania, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
01 July 2020 |
Emergency support allowance for artists
Cyprus, Other initiatives or policies |
18 May 2022 |
In-kind support and financial support for Ukrainian artists
Poland, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
17 April 2020 Updated |
Temporary income assurance scheme for self-employed and freelancers
Norway, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
15 April 2020 |
Exceptional unemployment benefit for employees with temporary contracts
Spain, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
12 April 2020 Updated |
Work stoppage to care for a child under 16 years of age
France, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
12 April 2020 Updated |
COVID-19: Assisting artists and freelancers
Bulgaria, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
10 April 2020 Updated |
Exceptional support measures for intermittent workers and employees in the cultural sector
France, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
09 April 2020 Updated |
COVID-19 indemnity for self-employed, economically dependent workers and employees
Italy, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
08 April 2020 Updated |
Allowance for self-employed and non-standard workers
Romania, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
07 April 2020 Updated |
Care allowance during emergency period for homeschooling 6 to 13 year-old children
Czechia, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
Measures to prevent social hardship |
17 June 2021 |
Post-COVID Cultural Recovery in the
EU: Policy Recommendations
European Union, Non-binding recommendations or other texts |
Promoting the economic, labour market and social recovery |
01 December 2020 |
Subsidies for hiring employees on fixed-term contracts
Romania, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
09 November 2020 |
Matmut agreement relating to the management of business recovery
France, Bipartite collective agreements |
27 July 2021 |
Flexibilisation of temporary contracts
Italy, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
20 May 2022 |
Aid for hiring people on fixed-term contracts in the entertainment industry
France, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
11 April 2020 Updated |
Suspension of the trial period in businesses affected by the crisis
Luxembourg, Legislations or other statutory regulations |
14 January 2022 |
New annual grant for apprenticeship employers
Ireland, Other initiatives or policies |
19 May 2022
This publication consists of individual country reports on working life during 2021 for 28 countries (the 27 EU Member States and Norway).
Publication24 June 2020
COVID-19: Policy responses across Europe
This report aims to present an overview of both large-scale government measures and collective agreements that impact on large groups of workers.
16 June 2022
Throughout 2021, the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, specific occupational health and safety rules were reintroduced due to increases in infection rates.
Article16 June 2022
Back to work after COVID-19: Testing, vaccines and green certificates
In the second pandemic year 2021, access to one's place of work was increasingly dependent on providing proof of either having been tested, vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 in several countries.
Disclaimer: This information has not been subject to the full Eurofound evaluation, editorial and publication process.