Inclusive labour markets are more productive and resilient to demographic shifts as well as social and economic challenges, however, many social groups continue to experience discrimination and disadvantages in the European Union (EU) labour market. The implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights has the potential to redress the situation and has launched a number of initiatives over the last years (European Commission, 2021; Rossenbacker & Gosme, 2025).The Pillar consists of twenty principles and rights to support well-functioning and fair labour markets and welfare systems, structured around three categories: equal opportunities and access to the labour market, fair working conditions, and social protection and inclusion. To implement these principles, a subsequent Action Plan sets out a number of EU actions and three EU headline targets to be achieved by the end of 2030, including increasing the employment rate to at least 78% (of the population aged 20 to 64) by 2030. (European Commission, 2021)This goal is crucial in light of demographic changes and a shrinking work-age population and can only be achieved by reaching out to the groups that continue to be vulnerable to disadvantages in the labour market, including women, migrant workers and older workers. The European Commission is therefore striving to promote greater labour market participation by as many working-age individuals as possible, by removing existing barriers and reaching out to groups with fewer opportunities.