Adapting to a new world of work: Quality Jobs and Fair Labour Mobility

Adapting to a new world of work: Quality Jobs and Fair Labour Mobility

3 March 2026 (14:40-15:40)

Description

This session explored how Europe can ensure quality jobs while supporting fair labour mobility in a rapidly changing world of work.  

It opened with a video message from Yolanda Díaz, Second Vice-President and Minister of Labour and Social Economy of Spain, who called for a stronger social Europe. She stressed that efforts to simplify rules must not lead to deregulation or lower social standards, and highlighted the importance of an ambitious Quality jobs roadmap, the transposition of the Platform Work Directive, and stronger enforcement of labour standards. 

During the panel discussion, Esther Lynch, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), called for the roadmap to include a right to training and to address issues such as the “always-on” culture and job insecurity. Markus Beyrer, Director General of BusinessEurope, emphasised that competitiveness is key to creating quality jobs and called for reducing regulatory burdens while improving skills portability and cross-border work. 

Li Andersson, Member of the European Parliament and former Minister of Education of Finland, highlighted the need for safeguards for workers in the digital economy and measures to prevent abusive subcontracting. Menno Bart, Senior Vice President Public Affairs at Adecco Group, stressed the importance of investing in adult education and attracting global talent. Alice Burks, Head of Public Policy at Deel, called for reducing administrative barriers to cross-border hiring so Europe can become a global standard for talent. 

Speakers

Yolanda Díaz, Second Vice-President and Minister of Labour and Social Economy, Spain

Li Andersson, Member of the European Parliament and Chair of the Employment Committee

Esther Lynch, General Secretary of European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)

Markus J. Beyrer, Director-General at BusinessEurope

Alice Burks, Director of People Success, Deel

Menno Bart, Head of Policy Advocacy, Adecco Group