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Carlos Vacas-Soriano

Carlos Vacas-Soriano is a research manager in the employment unit at Eurofound. He works on wage and income inequalities, minimum wages, low pay, temporary employment and employment quality.

Europe’s Wealth Gap Threatens Social Cohesion As Housing Crisis Deepens

Carlos Vacas-Soriano

Extreme wealth concentration across the EU undermines opportunity and security for millions while property ownership becomes increasingly unattainable.

Closing the Chasm: Central and Eastern Europe’s Continued Minimum Wage Climb

Carlos Vacas-Soriano and Christine Aumayr-Pintar

Minimum wages in Central and Eastern Europe continue to rise.

A diverse regional picture in income disparities across Europe

Carlos Vacas-Soriano

After years of being sidelined in the European policy debate as labour markets recovered in the wake of the Great Recession, inequality is back on the agenda.

Ensuring adequate minimum wages in an age of inflation

Carlos Vacas-Soriano and Christine Aumayr-Pintar

Minimum wages have risen across Europe this year. Inflation is eroding them.

Minimum wage—yet another gender divide?

Carlos Vacas-Soriano

The number of minimum-wage earners has increased across Europe over the last decade—and they are more likely to be women.

Minimum wages rise, but more slowly

Carlos Vacas-Soriano and Christine Aumayr-Pintar

Convergence of central and eastern-European EU members towards older ones with high minimum wages is much stronger than in the Mediterranean countries.

The new Spanish minimum wage

Carlos Vacas-Soriano

Raising wage floors is one way to reduce inequality and stimulate recovery in Europe. A big uplift in the Spanish minimum wage this year provides a test bed.

Germany’s Minimum Wage Has Reduced Wage Inequality

Carlos Vacas-Soriano

Wages grew and wage inequality fell in most EU countries in 2015. Germany is not one of the countries where wages rose most but it

Europe’s Shrinking Middle Class

Carlos Vacas-Soriano and Enrique Fernández-Macías

The Great Recession depressed real income levels across European countries. But the impact was very unequal across countries and income groups. Countries in the European

EU Income Inequality And The Great Recession

Carlos Vacas-Soriano and Enrique Fernández-Macías

EU-wide income inequality declined notably prior to 2008, driven by a strong process of income convergence between European countries. The Great Recession broke this trend.

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Mental Health
Eurofound Talks: Europe's productivity paradox

This episode of the Eurofound Talks podcast looks at why Europe has experienced a more profound slowdown in growth compared to other developed regions, and why greater labour input and higher human capital has not translated into higher output per worker. Mary McCaughey and John Hurley also discuss whether Europe can, and should, look to compete with countries such as the United States and China in the race to harness artificial intelligence.
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Progressive Post Issues

The Autumn-Winter issue of The Progressive Post is out!”

Among this issue’s highlights, we debate war and defence, underlining the urgent necessity of peace. We look at the European Commission's budget proposal, particularly the fate of the cohesion funds, and at the EU's international partnerships and ask whether the EU can pursue its strategic interests while simultaneously promoting its partners' genuine development. Finally, we address COP30 and the issue of fossil fuels, which was intentionally ignored during the negotiations held in Brazil.

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WSI Report

WSI Minimum Wage Report 2025

The trend towards significant nominal minimum wage increases is continuing this year. In view of falling inflation rates, this translates into a sizeable increase in purchasing power for minimum wage earners in most European countries. Most EU countries are now following the reference values for adequate minimum wages enshrined in the European Minimum Wage Directive, which are 60% of the median wage or 50% of the average wage.

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Cohesion Policy

S&D Position Paper on Cohesion Policy post-2027: a resilient future for European territorial equity

Cohesion Policy seeks to foster balanced development and reduce economic, social, and territorial disparities, focusing on rural areas, regions in industrial transition, and those with severe or permanent natural or demographic disadvantages, including outermost, sparsely populated, island, cross-border, and mountain regions.

READ THE PAPER HERE

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🇪🇺 Building a Resilient, Equitable EU Health Union: The S&D Blueprint


From securing pharmaceutical autonomy and guaranteeing universal access to care (the European Health Guarantee) to combatting non-communicable diseases and closing the Gender Health Gap. Read the S&D Group in the European Parliament Position Paper demanding that health becomes a priority across all EU policies.

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European productivity: the real constraint is not debt, but investment

The EU’s Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSA) has become a central tool for shaping national budgets under the new economic governance framework. According to a new ETUI paper, it is also systematically undervaluing the economic benefits of public investment—at the expense of productivity and long-term growth. “Rethinking the role of public investment does not mean abandoning fiscal discipline. It means recognising that certain investments strengthen long-term debt sustainability by generating higher growth and stronger public revenues,” explains Christos Pierros, the author.

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