Tourism and hospitality (T&H) is a key driver of the European economy, making up over 11.7% of employment. Yet the industry faces deep-rooted challenges that impact workers’ rights, job security and wellbeing – especially for marginalised workers such as women, migrants and young people.

Many T&H workers are in non-standard forms of work, including platform work. Generally considered as self-employed, platform workers risk exploitation, forced labour, mistreatment, and sexual abuse. Furthermore, algorithmic management impacts negatively on these workers. Their precarity is increased due to legal, knowledge and financial obstacles they face in representation and social dialogue structures.

Using an interdisciplinary, gender and intersectional lens, we will address these digital transformations challenging the sector. The project will provide empowering solutions through accessible tools and legal resources for those who need them most:

• Workers to understand their rights;
• Businesses to benchmark and improve worker wellbeing;
• Policymakers to build and strengthen regulations.

FUTOURWORK’s legacy will be enhanced social justice within the tourism and hospitality sector, benefitting workers and businesses alike.

Our Objectives

1. Launch an industry wellbeing index and benchmarking tool
   We’ll design and implement a comprehensive wellbeing index that considers the effects of digitalisation and benchmarks T&H employers based on a scoring system. This will become an instrument of change, inspiring employers to adopt fairer practices that take intersectionality and diversity into account and enhancing worker wellbeing.
2. Document the impacts of digital transformations
   What are the new and emerging digital transformations in tourism and hospitality and how are they impacting workers, especially those in vulnerable positions? Through data gathered in interviews focused on unionisation, wellbeing and decent work, we aim to answer these questions and use the data to develop resources for T&H workers.
3. Investigate differences in social dialogue across partner countries
   We’ll explore how different national contexts shape social dialogue for precarious tourism and hospitality workers, including platform workers. Through interactive stakeholder engagement, we’ll examine the role of collective bargaining in setting working conditions and how social partners contribute to policymaking.
4. Analyse distributional costs and legal frameworks
   To understand T&H worker wellbeing across the EU, we’ll compare, analyse and synthesise legal cases and produce a knowledge database. These insights will contribute to developing more effective tools for achieving better industry working conditions.
5. Create resources that empower T&H workers
   We’ll develop practical resources to help tourism and hospitality workers understand their rights, legal protections, union options, and relevant case law. Co-creation and worker empowerment are at the heart of this objective.
6. Promote multi-stakeholder dialogue about T&H worker wellbeing
   Our collaborative multi-stakeholder dialogue will lead to the creation of an observatory housing information on working conditions, gender equality, wellbeing and social dialogue. This will have lasting value to stakeholders beyond the end of the project.
7. Advocate for policies and practices that enhance wellbeing and social dialogue
   We’re driven by a forward-looking, outcome-orientated approach. This underscores our final objective to strongly advocate for tangible changes to policies and practices, through sharing ongoing results from the project.