D2.2 Mapping labour market attachment among vulnerable groups in European countries: health-related and intersectional barriers before and after COVID-19 pandemic

This working paper aims to examine whether the characteristics of at-risk groups in terms of labour market vulnerability have changed from the pre-pandemic period (2019) to the post-pandemic period (2022), and to assess whether contextual factors are associated with the labour market attachment of at-risk groups during these periods. Particular attention is paid to how health-related limitations intersect with other sociodemographic variables—such as age, gender, education, or household composition—to shape patterns of labour market attachment or exclusion. This working paper is structured as follows. Sections 2 and 3 briefly review relevant literature on how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted labour market outcomes among persons with health-related limitations, interacting with other sources of vulnerability, such as age, and contextual factors. Section 4 describes the data sources and methodological approach employed in the study. Section 5 presents the main findings, groups most at risk of labour market exclusion, with a particular focus on those facing health-related limitations. Finally, section 6 summarizes the results and discusses their implications for future research and policy. Authors: Ona Valls, Arianna Vivoli, Robin Samuel, Elisabeth Ugreninov