Sustainable Work in Europe: socio-ecological transformation of work and impacts from the pandemic

Abstract

In the COVID-19-pandemic, the state and its institutions have demonstrated an enormous capacity to act. Within a few days and with shortened the usual consultation procedures, the consequences of the crisis for the health of citizens and the lockdown for companies, employees and regions were absorbed. In addition to the health care sector, the labour market in particular was marked by upheavals due to temporary plant closures. This was reacted to with the mass use of short-time working allowance. The German Public Employment Service proved to be an agile actor in the crisis by coping with the proverbial explosion of short-time working allowance applications to unprecedented heights and thus contributing to social peace. Against this background, the article asks what lessons can be drawn from this for a (plannable) socio-ecological restructuring. This will be linked to the heterogeneous and partly restrained perspectives on sustainable work in European countries and developed into a proposal for a modified transfer short time working allowance as an instrument of just transition. This proposal is to be embedded in further socio-political reforms to protect the self-employed, for example; the pandemic has also revealed this necessity.