As part of a drafting group formed of international experts, IER's Dr E. Katharina Sarter contributed to the development of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Guidelines on green and sustainable procurement of Public-Private Partnerships for the Sustainable Development Goals, which were recently endorsed. The new Guidelines outline key concepts and considerations for green and sustainable procurement, showcasing promising approaches and examples of good practice.

"While the employment rate remains steady at 74.9%, several indicators signal growing strains. Redundancies have risen by 67.8% year-on-year—increasing to 99,000 from 59,000, the proportion of long-term unemployment has grown significantly, and the unemployment rate has climbed to 4.3%. These developments reflect a fundamental structural adjustment in labour market conditions rather than a temporary fluctuation."

The ageing population has led to much public policy and debate about prolonging working lives to reduce welfare costs and respond to projected labour shortages as many workers retire. In this blog, Professor Philip Taylor of IER provides a myth-buster that draws on international evidence to challenge common misconceptions about ageing and work.

Low employment quality and precarious employment have been associated with adverse mental health outcomes, yet the extent to which this association may be explained by the experience of unemployment “scarring” has not yet been explored. Drawing on UK data the article, assessed the links between individuals’ employment quality, unemployment history, and mental well-being and psychological distress. The results help further understanding of employment quality as a social determinant of health and highlight the need for both life course and gender-sensitive research in this area.

A new paper co-authored by IER’s Trine P. Larsen, Anna Ilsøe (University of Copenhagen), Chris Mathieu (University of Lund) and Bertil Rolandsson (University of Gothenburg) explores social partner responses to increased usage of AI-based technologies in Denmark and Sweden.