WifOR Institute

🎄Celebrating Christmas at WifOR Institute 🎄 With colleagues from all over the world sharing their unique Christmas traditions, WifOR Institute came together to celebrate the holiday season across our offices in Darmstadt, Berlin, and Athens! From festive ugly Christmas sweaters to delicious food and fine drinks, our teams certainly know how to spread some holiday cheer (proof below). Happy Holidays from WifOR Institute everyone 🎁! #HappyHolidays #MerryChristmas

WifOR Institute’s Head of Scientific Dialogue, Dr. Sandra Zimmermann, has joined Tagesspiegel’s expert team ahead of the upcoming Bundestag elections on February 23rd! Along with Marlene Haupt, Dr. Zimmermann will be offering in-depth analysis of the labor market and social policy approaches from CDU/CSU-Bundestagsfraktion, Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD), and BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN.    Stay tuned for expert insights on the key policy areas shaping the 2025 elections!    #PolicyAnalysis  #GermanPolitics   #Bundestagswahl2025  

In 2021, migrant workers in Germany were paid 17.2% less than their native counterparts in the same position, according to the median salary gap adjusted per sector and job difficulty, reported by Netzwerk IQ.    As we commemorate International Migrants Day and in view of the upcoming elections in Germany, WifOR Institute would like to highlight the importance of diversity in societies and workplaces, while emphasizing the opportunities migration brings for host countries and shedding some light on the challenges migrants face.    🌍 Migrants play a critical role in addressing labor shortages and fostering demographic stability. WifOR’s Skilled Labor Monitor for Upper Austria shows that increasing immigration by 33% annually could bolster labor markets, enhance the workforce supply, and reduce the average population age.    👫 Diversity and inclusion are not only important for businesses, as they enable recruitment of diverse talent, promote innovation and increase employee engagement and productivity. It’s also a sign of social responsibility, creating a work environment that provides equal opportunities for all. You can read more about how to effectively implement diversity and inclusion in our study: https://lnkd.in/d_mMc9uz    💸 Apart from the salary gap, another challenge that migrants face is discrimination. According to the Afrozensus 2020 survey, 57.7% of respondents identifying as Black or of African descent reported experiencing racist insults at work. Additionally, 49.9% stated they had not been offered a promotion due to racism.    At WifOR Institute, we are committed to sharing transparent labor data to foster fair workplaces. To build a truly inclusive society, we must act now and create pathways for equal opportunities for all.     #InternationalMigrantsDay  #DiversityAndInclusion  #Migration 

🚀 WifOR Institute extends its collaboration with the Value Balancing Alliance (VBA) to advance #ImpactAccounting through WISIT – the WifOR Institute Sustainability Impact Tool!     Together, we aim to equip businesses with the insights they need to understand and improve their direct and upstream impacts. Through this partnership, VBA member companies get:  - Free access to WISIT for six months  - Enhanced transparency of societal, environmental, and economic impacts  - Insights that support informed, and sustainable decision-making     Our collaboration empowers VBA members to measure their social, environmental, and economic impacts in a streamlined and actionable way. By piloting WISIT in 2025, participants will gain hands-on experience in data preparation, analyzing results, and turning data into action.      🔗 Learn more about how to calculate your impact with WISIT in three simple steps here:  https://lnkd.in/eqNfRWFa      #Impact  #ImpactValuation  #ImpactAccounting    

Over the past five years, the EU has taken steps to improve healthcare and attract investment in medicine and biotech. However, problems like inconsistent policies and tough market conditions weaken Europe’s independence in this industry.     To fix this, the EU needs a clear plan for long-term, sustainable healthcare. The focus should be placed on improving patient care, supporting the European pharmaceutical sector’s competitiveness, and attracting more investments.    This year's European Health Summit served as a crucial forum for shaping the EU's healthcare agenda. I had the opportunity to contribute to the discussion titled “Innovate, Compete, Thrive: Europe's Path to Strategic Healthcare Autonomy” and share WifOR Institute's research.    Here are my key messages:    💡 Data availability is part of the challenge – but not the whole story; effectively utilizing and acting on insights is.  Actionable steps are needed to create a healthcare system grounded on these insights.   💡 Current approaches are fragmented, with EU countries acting independently instead of jointly. Europe must adopt a unified, data-driven approach with a long-term vision. This includes breaking down bureaucratic and policy silos, prioritizing health as a strategic asset, and establishing measurable goals to build trust and ensure sustainability.    💡 An approach that transcends election cycles and ministry boundaries is vital. Setting measurable targets will foster predictability and trust. A framework with key metrics can help shape a more predictable and effective system.    You can watch the full discussion here: https://lnkd.in/gBNWiM7h     Thanks again to European Business Summits for having me, to Jacki Davis for moderating the discussion, and to Dolors Montserrat, Hubert Gambs, Sebastian Guth, and Gilles Marrache for sharing the stage with me!    #HealthForAll  #HealthIsAnInvestment  #EuropeanHealthSummit 

2024 was a special year at WifOR Institute, as we celebrated our 15th anniversary and reached new milestones in the fields of health, sustainability, and labor markets.   From a Lancet publication to WISIT and the Skilled Labor Monitor, let's take a look at WifOR's unforgettable year.   Read and subscribe to our newsletter below 👇 ✉️ #FutureOfWork  #ValueOfImpacts  #HealthIsAnInvestment 

🌎 On Universal Health Coverage Day, we are reminded that health is a universal right – and a shared responsibility. This year’s theme, ‘Health: it’s on the government’, highlights the essential role policymakers and administrations play in guaranteeing obtainable and affordable access to health.    At WifOR Institute, we advocate for viewing health not as a cost but as a fundamental investment. Governments are vital in creating the frameworks that allow health systems to thrive, fostering not only individual and societal well-being but also economic growth.    In a recent article by WifOR’s CEO Prof. Dr. Dennis Ostwald titled “Health as an Investment: Building the Foundation of a Well-Being Economy”, he underlines how prioritizing health can drive sustainable development and support a thriving economy.  💡 In 2023, the Health Economy contributed €435.5 billion to the GDP and supported 8.3 million jobs in Germany. Investing in health enhances a state's productivity, reduces reliance on external aid, and should be incentivized by rating agencies through favorable credit ratings to lower borrowing costs for health initiatives. 💡 Improved access to healthcare enables people to live longer, healthier lives, contribute more effectively to society, and provide care for others. Establishing country-specific health targets aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) ensures a globally coordinated and impactful approach to advancing health outcomes.    As we commemorate #UniversalHealthCoverageDay, let’s remember that prioritizing health investments is crucial for building a robust well-being economy that enhances both individuals' lives and societal productivity.    🔗 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dRZfJMtz     #UHCDay2024  #HealthForAll  #HealthIsAnIvestment  

How can we quantify the long-term impact of investing in preventative healthcare to demonstrate the return on investment? What role does cross-sector collaboration play in driving efficient and smart investment in health?    Last week, I had the opportunity to answer these questions at the “Health as an Economic Imperative” Health Forum, organized by Business at OECD (BIAC), in Paris.     I was part of the panel titled “Investing in Health for Fiscal Efficiency and Economic Growth” where I highlighted the importance of viewing health as an investment to improve health and socioeconomic outcomes.     The panel explored how strategic health investments help reduce the burden of diseases, lower costs, and enhance productivity, thereby promoting fiscal sustainability. It highlighted the role of preventative care as an essential contributor to sustainable economic growth.     Key points of my speech:    - Health metrics play a crucial role in quantifying the long-term impact of investing in preventative healthcare to demonstrate the return on investment for governments and stakeholders. They help us identify in which areas investments can have the highest benefits in terms of health and socioeconomic outcomes.     - Integrating health metrics into the credit ratings of countries will help ensure that governments and investors alike recognize the economic value of robust healthcare systems. This could lead to improved access to financing for health initiatives, as well as stronger fiscal sustainability and resilience in the face of future challenges.    - Enhancing the healthcare system calls for collaboration among stakeholders, clear goal-setting, and open, transparent communication – key elements for driving meaningful change. Stakeholders must work together to address social determinants of health and governments can leverage industry and academic expertise to implement policies that will have positive health outcomes.    - Health investments create a positive feedback loop, where medical innovations improve population well-being, expanding fiscal capacity for further reinvestment. This drives continuous progress in innovation, health outcomes, and economic growth.    Thanks again to Business at OECD (BIAC), Rebecca Richmond, and Olga Mironenko Stampfer for having me on stage!     #Health  #HealthForAll  #HealthIsAnInvestment 

🌍 How can we empower companies to measure their true societal impact just as they measure profits? Every organization has an impact – yet most externalities are not reflected in financial statements. In a recent interview with Daniel Baumann from dfv Mediengruppe (Deutscher Fachverlag GmbH), I discussed how Impact Accounting can help companies to assess and improve their value to society.     Key takeaways:  - Currently, sustainability reporting includes physical data, such as “0.15 micrograms of fine dust per cubic meter.” However, these metrics can be difficult to interpret and compare with other indicators, like “liters of water consumption.”  - Impact Accounting converts physical data into one standardized monetary unit (euros), which reflects the costs and benefits of sustainability indicators to society. Thereby, like in financial accounting, different indicators become comparable to provide business leaders with an actionable data basis for decision-making.  - At WifOR Institute, our goal is that Impact Accounting is as firmly embedded in companies as financial accounting. This would motivate companies to move beyond profit optimization and focus on achieving the greatest overall impact.    ✏️ Read the article (in German, €) here: https://lnkd.in/d6PtdRkM     At WifOR Institute, we’ve partnered with GIST Impact and jointly released our value factors – supported by the Capitals Coalition, the Value Balancing Alliance, and the International Foundation For Valuing Impacts (IFVI) Impacts.     🔗 Learn more about our framework here: https://lnkd.in/dbDyAqgC    #Impact  #ImpactValuation  #ImpactAccounting  GREEN.WORKS - Wissenshub grüne Transformation

🎅 Santa Claus is looking for skilled workers! 🔎 Christmas is coming and, up in the North Pole, Santa is working day and night to ensure everything runs smoothly for the gift delivery. But he is facing a major problem: labor shortages. Only with enough qualified personnel can such complex logistics be a success. To assess the situation, Santa resorts to WifOR Institute. The data he obtains proves useful: 🎄 Less “Christmas helpers” overall → Labor shortages have been growing in the EU for more than a decade, according to Eurofound. The agency also reports that 80% of employers struggle to find workers with the skill sets they need. 🎁 Who will bring the gifts? → Heavy truck drivers are within the top three jobs experiencing extreme shortages in the EU, as per a EURES report. Workforce deficits for this profession were identified in 19 countries. 🏭 Local “toymakers” also face difficulties → When looking at specific regions, the picture for labor shortages is similar. WifOR’s Skilled Labor Monitor for Upper Austria provides an example. In the Austrian state, there is a current gap of 6.5% for personnel in transportation and storage, and the figure is expected to climb to almost 16% by 2040. Santa knows he needs to find employees, but how and where? WifOR will help with the European Skilled Labor Monitor, a tool that identifies the (present and future) supply and demand of workers in the EU and its regions. With forecasts up to 2040 and harmonized labor market data, Santa can now effectively plan his recruiting and organizational strategy, ensuring many merry Christmases ahead. 👉 Receive the latest news on the European Skilled Labor Monitor, to be launched in 2025, here: https://lnkd.in/drVwX9cW 🔎 Want to see how the monitor works? Explore our tool for Upper Austria here: https://www.fkm-ooe.at/ #Christmas #SkilledLaborMonitor #LaborMarketResearch