Although the media and publishing workforce represents a small share of the European labour force, this sector is at the forefront of technological disruption. The early embrace of technologies and the transformation of its business model reveal a tech savvy industry and a highly skilled workforce. However, technological innovation such as automatic generated content, the digitalisation of traditional media and the emergence of new forms of media are pressuring media and publishing workers to sign on less secure contracts and to perform their jobs differently. Against this background, our panel of speakers debated the sustainability of the current media business model, the role of trade unions, and discussed several good practices on how to integrate technologies in media. Several barriers that media workers have to face in order to be better equipped with the skills of tomorrow were also debated.

Speakers included: Aidan White, President and Founder, Ethical Journalism Network; Anne Bergman-Tahon, Director, Federation of European Publishers,Olivier Braet, Senior Researcher, Market and Policy Unit, Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Claire Dhéret (Moderator), Head of Programme, Social Europe & Well-being programme, EPC.