People & Profit

As employers begin to prepare for staff to return to offices, what lessons should they and we as workers take from the past year? Stephen Carroll speaks to labour economist Milena Nikolova, an associate professor at the University of Groningen. She tells us that self-employed people could provide some useful ideas about how to organise remote work after the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Covid-19 pandemic has set back progress towards gender equality by a generation, according to the latest study from the World Economic Forum. The Gender Gap Report 2021 estimates it will take almost 136 years for parity to be achieved in terms of economic opportunities, political empowerment, health and education. WEF Managing Director Saadia Zahidi tells FRANCE 24 how the pandemic has affected the path to equality, and how countries of all levels of wealth can aim for gender parity.

What's next for Turkey's economy after another central bank boss gets fired, sending the value of the lira plummeting? Stephen Carroll talks to Irina Topa-Serry, Senior Emerging Markets Economist at Axa Investment Managers.

Ireland is the only EU economy to grow in 2020 - so how did the country do it? Stephen Carroll speaks to Patrick Torrekens, head of Enterprise Ireland in France - the government agency helping Irish companies expand abroad - about Brexit and the ongoing effects of the pandemic.

The global economy is beginning to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic – but what does that mean for the world's workers? With tens of millions of people still out of work, Manuela Tomei of the International Labour Organization tells FRANCE 24 that those who depend on the informal sector are suffering the most. She says there is "always a lag between economic recovery and labour recovery" and that it will take even longer for families to make up for wages lost during the pandemic.

The number of homes sold in France last year fell by 5 percent, but property consultant Adrian Leeds has seen soaring demand from buyers in the United States. Despite the travel restrictions in place because of Covid-19, "they are very intent on finding homes in France", she told FRANCE 24. "What's happening is that literally our clients are buying sight unseen." It's a new departure for Leeds' business, which works with American property hunters. "This has never really happened before, not at this scale," she added.

Last month, the European Food Safety Authority announced that dried yellow mealworms are safe for humans to eat. Stephen Carroll speaks to the co-founder of the French company trying to bring insects to our mealtimes.

Building a bridge between Ireland and the rest of the EU: we talk about the shifts in shipping patterns that have happened since January 1, when post-Brexit rules came into force. Stephen Carroll speaks to Ciarán O'Driscoll, Policy and Research Officer at the European Movement Ireland.