In a comprehensive study commissioned by the European Labour Authority (ELA), PPMI | Part of the Verian Group examined the information needs of groups engaged in cross-border labour mobility in EURES countries, including workers and their family members, employers, and labour market intermediaries. The study also assessed the usability and effectiveness of the EURES portal, the EU’s transnational job-matching platform, identifying concrete improvements to help it better serve its users.
The research methodology combined a targeted literature review with two large-scale surveys (covering over 2,700 EURES portal users and over 3,700 mobile workers and their families across nine countries), 45 in-depth interviews, four sector-specific focus groups with employers in construction, tourism, road transport and healthcare, and 10 usability testing sessions with EURES Advisers and employers. To support further segmentation of the findings, the study developed a set of interactive mobile worker personas, available through an online tool that allows ELA staff and EURES Advisers to explore information needs across mobility segments by age, gender, education and country.
The study highlighted the following general findings:
- Among mobile workers, working conditions emerge as the most pressing information concern, followed by living conditions, social security and taxation. Workers rely predominantly on informal channels rather than official sources, and several groups face heightened barriers: posted third-country nationals encounter the greatest difficulties with information on residence registration, visa procedures and social security documentation, while transnational teleworkers need targeted guidance on cross-border taxation and collective rights.
- Employers hiring internationally face fragmented and technically complex guidance on migration rules, contracts, tax, social security and recognition of qualifications, and call for clearer step-by-step support across both origin and destination countries. EURES Advisers, though well-placed to support workers and employers alike, report information gaps on newer forms of work such as transnational telework, and require more up-to-date comparative country information and better cross-border case management tools.
- On the EURES portal, the study confirms its value as a trusted resource for transnational job matching and living and working conditions content, particularly among employment counsellors and EURES Advisers. Building on user feedback, the study identifies a number of practical directions for improvement and tests several new features, including a navigation map and collaborative case management tools, which received positive feedback from participants.
The project culminated in a set of evidence-based recommendations for ELA, covering:
- consolidation of information through a single, authoritative and user-friendly source;
- development of practical tools including country-specific checklists, net pay calculators and step-by-step guides on social security and taxation;
- improvements to the EURES portal, including refined search functionality, standardised fields for vacancy listings and strengthened translation services;
- multilingual resources and training materials to support EURES Advisers; and
- targeted content for posted third-country nationals, transnational teleworkers and workers in the early stages of mobility.
