The jobs squeeze facing Europe

The jobs squeeze facing Europe

From Brussels Playbook Podcast by POLITICO

June 3, 2026 · 15 min · Episode 63

About this episode

The episode discusses the European Commission's report on job losses in Europe and the unveiling of the tech sovereignty package.

Today the Commission will publish its European Semester Spring Package, a checkup on EU countries’ economies. But the news isn’t too good. The report warns that over a million jobs across Europe could be lost in the coming years as a result of high energy costs, competition from abroad and the green transition. On the pod, Zoya and Ian discuss these major labor market challenges. Also happening today, the European Commission is unveiling its long-awaited tech sovereignty package. Most of Europe’s cloud services, AI infrastructure, payment systems and government software relies on companies outside of the bloc. From a security perspective, this could be problem ... which the Commission hopes to help solve. And finally: An MEP had to seek medical assistance after visiting an unsanitary hotel in Strasbourg. Ian and Zoya share their hotel horror stories. Questions? Comments? Send us a message or a voice note on our WhatsApp here or at +32 491 05 06 29. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Hosts: Zoya, Ian

Topics covered

  • job market
  • European economy
  • energy costs
  • green transition
  • tech sovereignty
  • labor challenges

Keywords

  • jobs
  • Europe
  • European Commission
  • energy costs
  • green transition
  • tech sovereignty
  • labor market

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: European Commission

Places: Europe, Strasbourg

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