Insights from the BRIDGES 5.0 / EUWIN Webinar on 28^th November 2025

Introduction

The way we work is changing due to developments associated with the digital and green transition as well as demographic change as a driver of current and future labour shortages. As these transitions impact job content, tasks and processes, they will change how people work, the skills needed to carry out jobs, employment conditions and, ultimately, job quality.

This webinar, led by Agnès Parent-Thirion (EUROFOUND) and Nora Wukovits-Votzi (DG EMPL) shed light on job holder profiles, their employment conditions, and aspects of job quality experienced by workers in occupations of relevance for these transitions. The research behind the webinar originated from joint work on labour shortages for the 2023 Employment and Social Developments in Europe (ESDE) Report, aiming to extend the analysis to future-oriented occupations beyond current shortages, and to provide insights for policy and academia.

The Occupational Groups

The webinar examined occupational groups associated with key economic and technological transitions, identifying both ‘occupations of interest’ and ‘future-oriented’ roles impacted by multiple transitions. It also assessed jobs most susceptible to AI-driven change, providing an early overview of the types and characteristics of roles and worker subgroups likely not be affected by emerging technologies.

The research found that 80% of EU jobs fall within the selected occupational categories, with significant heterogeneity in required skills, age distribution, and notable gender segregation, particularly in green and digital-intensive jobs as well as in labour shortage occupations.

The analysis revealed job strain across occupational groups, with green in-demand and labour shortage occupations experiencing higher strain, whilst job quality was found to be highest in new green jobs. High digital occupations scored better on most job quality dimensions but slightly lower on intrinsic rewards. and lowest in green in-demand roles, which also face demographic and climate-related risks.

Most future-oriented occupations have stable employment conditions, with high shares of permanent contracts in digital and green jobs, but higher rates of fixed-term and solo self-employment in certain green and labour shortage occupations, especially in agriculture.

Access to training was found to be above the EU average in future-oriented occupations, particularly in new and enhanced green jobs and digital-intensive roles, with recent training participation also higher in these groups.

Gender Segregation and Labour Market Conditions

Participants discussed the persistent gender segregation in future-oriented occupations, the role of labour market conditions, and the need for targeted policies to attract women to these roles. Many future-oriented occupations, especially in green and digital sectors, are male-dominated, while some labour shortage occupations (e.g., health and care) are female-dominated, raising concerns about labour supply and equity.

EU initiatives such as the STEM education plan, plus efforts to increase female participation in technical education and occupations, seek to address gender segregation with particular emphasis on the importance of early years intervention.

Labour market conditions, such as long hours and lack of regulation as well as work environment adaptations, are significant barriers to female participation, suggesting that improvements in these areas could benefit all workers.

Policy Recommendations and Practical Implications

The speakers emphasised the importance of digital upskilling, improving job quality in labour shortage occupations and adopting comprehensive, multi-level policies to address workforce vulnerabilities, helping workers to make the transition to higher quality jobs, especially given the positive outcomes observed in digitally intensive occupations.

The need to make labour shortage occupations more attractive through better job quality and working conditions was highlighted as these roles are likely to remain important in the medium to long term. Increasing diversity in workforce situations requires policies that empower actors at multiple levels and address a wide range of job quality dimensions, including training, working conditions, and support for vulnerable groups.

References
All findings and quotes are drawn directly from the transcript of the BRIDGES 5.0 / EUWIN Webinar on 28^th November 2025. The recording and presentation are available at https://bridges5-0.eu/recordings/.