118/12/2008

QualityQuality of of workwork and and employmentemployment in Europe: in Europe:

ongoingongoing changeschanges and and futurefuture challengeschallenges

Greet Vermeylen, research managerGreet Vermeylen, research managerEuropean Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working CoEuropean Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (nditions (eurofoundeurofound))

18/12/2008 2

Quality of work and employment : Quality of work and employment : a multidimensional concepta multidimensional concept

Career and employment security. Employment status. Income. Social protection. Workers’ rights

Health and well-being. Health problems. Risk exposure. Work organisation

Skills development. Qualifications. Training. Learning organisation. Career development

Quality of work and employment

Reconciliation of working and non-working life. Working/non-working time. Social infrastructures

18/12/2008 3

Measuring QWE through working conditions:Measuring QWE through working conditions: the European Working Conditions Survey the European Working Conditions Survey

European wide survey – 4 waves already: 1991, 1995, 2000 (+01/02) and 2005, now preparing 5th wave1 questionnaire / 25 languages and 16 variants4th EWCS:

31 countries covered : EU27 + ACC2 + NO + SW

29680 interviews in total (1000/600 interviews per country)Workers survey: employees and self-employed (15+) (LFS def) Face to face interviews of around 35 minutes From 1991 to 2005: questionnaire has expanded from 30 to 100 questions – however attempt to keep ‘trends’Revision of questionnaire with the support of an expert questionnaire development groupRevision of the quality process and strict quality assurance mechanisms

18/12/2008 4

Measuring QWE through working conditions:Measuring QWE through working conditions: the European Working Conditions Surveythe European Working Conditions Survey-- ctdctd

Covers different aspects of conditions of work and employment of European workers (more than 100 questions)

Demographics, structure of workforce, job characteristicsWorking time : duration, organisationPhysical and psychosocial work factorsNature of work Place of work /work organisationWork-life balanceJob content and trainingInformation and consultationOutcomes (health, job satisfaction, work life balance etc)Earnings

Challenges of the survey: To give trends in EU working conditions in the last 15 years (where possible) To cover all European countries in a completely homogeneous way (allowing for detailed comparisons)

18/12/2008 5

Men and women at work: Men and women at work: changes and challengeschanges and challenges

More people work in all sectors; however relative decline in manufacturing industry and increase in service industry

Increasing proportion of women on the labour market (44% of the workforce)

…Accompanied by a prevalence of part time (80 % of part timers are women)New way of organising work for couples …But high segregation in the labour market remains

Occupational and sectoral segregationonly 23% of workers work in gender mixed occupations

Also pay, time, employment gender gaps persist

18/12/2008 6

Employment and partEmployment and part--time by gendertime by gender

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65+

%

Employment rate - Men

Part-time work rate - Women

Employment rate - Women

Part-time work rate - Men

Source: Eurostat, LFS

18/12/2008 7

Employment concentration (EWCS)Employment concentration (EWCS)

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

men all women all

Manufacture and mining Wholesale and retail tradeConstruction Education and healthTransport and cummunication Public adminsitration and and defenceReal estate Agriculture and fishingHotels and restaurants Financial intermediationElectricity, gas and water supply

18/12/2008 8

More women managers ... managing women More women managers ... managing women

Yo u r im m e d ia te b o s s is …

7 9 .8 % 7 6 .8 % 7 5 .2 % 7 5 .8 % 7 1 .4 %

2 0 .1 7 % 2 3 .1 6 % 2 4 .8 1 % 2 4 .1 6 % 2 8 .6 3 %

0 %

1 0 %

2 0 %

3 0 %

4 0 %

5 0 %

6 0 %

7 0 %

8 0 %

9 0 %

1 0 0 %

E U 1 5 E U 1 5 E U 2 5 (E U 1 5 ) (N M S )

1 9 9 5 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 5 (2 0 0 5 )

A m a n A w o m a n

18/12/2008 9

Gender pay gap, EU27 employees only

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

male part-time

female part-time

male full-time

female full-time

Low est income band Highest income band

18/12/2008 10

Increase in Increase in ‘‘nonnon--standardstandard’’ employmentemployment

More part-time work(18,5%)More temporary employment (14%)More second jobs (4%)

… but big differences over countries

Some challenges: More flexibility in the labour market … and security? Life course: one job for life is (long time over) – more complex picture of division of work over the life course and within the couple Building up your rights in this more complex framework

Challenge for individuals, companies, countries, European Union

18/12/2008 11

RiseRise in in nonnon--standardstandard employmentemployment in in thethe European Union, 1991European Union, 1991--2005 (%)2005 (%)

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

16%

18%

20%

Self-employed Part-time Temporaryemployment

Second job

1991 (EU12) 1995 (EU15) 2000 (EU15) 2005 (EU25)

18/12/2008 12

But some differences over countriesBut some differences over countries……

Temporary employment

< 10 % AT, BE, BG, CZ, DK, EE, IE, LV, LT, LU, HU, MT, RO, SK, UK

10-20% DE, EL, FR, IT, CY, NL, T, SI, FI, SE

>20% ES, PL, PT

Part-time work < 10 % BG, CZ, EE, EL, ES,

CY, LV, LT, HU, PL, PT, RO, SI, SK

10-20% FR, IE, IT, LU, MT, PT, FI

>20% BE, DE, DK, NL, AT, SE, UK

18/12/2008 13

ParttimeParttime work: varies considerably across Europe work: varies considerably across Europe (EWCS)(EWCS)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

NL UK BE DK SE LU AT IE DE PL FR IT RO ES FI EE BG LT MT CZ EL HU PT LV CY SI SK

m

f

total

Source: Fourth European Working Conditions Survey (2007)

18/12/2008 14

WorkingWorking timetime

Reduction of working hours due to a combination of : Increase of part time : 33% of women and 8% of men work part time

Reduction of long weekly hours (>48 hrs) : 15% of workers, 44% of the self-employed

Regular working hours and working week, still the norm :58% of workers work the same number of hours every day, 74% the same number of days every week, 61% have fixed starting and finishing times

Employers set working hours in majority of cases :56% of workers

18/12/2008 15

Working hoursWorking hours

8.5%

8.7%

11.5%

10.9%

11.6%

6.9%

8.7%

10.4%

11.5%

10.5%

11.3%

5.3%

16.0%

19.9%

20.1%

21.3%

24.1%

5.4%

35.5%

32.2%

32.8%

32.5%

30.6%

43.6%

12.9%

12.4%

9.5%

11.0%

10.2%

16.0%

18.5%

16.5%

14.6%

13.8%

12.2%

22.8%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

EU12

EU15

EU15

EU25

OMS

NMS

1990

1995

2000

2005

Less than 20h 21-34h 35-38h 39-41h 42-48h Mo

18/12/2008 16

But again considerable differencesBut again considerable differences between countriesbetween countries

Average weekly working hours in different European countries

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

TR RO EL BG PL HR SK HU PT SI CZ LV MT LT ES EE CY AT EU IT LU SE IE DE FI CH BE DK FR UK NO NL

18/12/2008 17

Combined working hours : women work the longestCombined working hours : women work the longest(EU27 only)

21.3

43.1

40.0

7.3

32.7

7.9

23.0

23.5

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

male

female

male

female

Par

t-tim

eFu

ll-tim

e

Paid working hours main job +Paid working hours second job+Commuting time +Unpaid working hours

18/12/2008 18

Working time flexibility does not increase as Working time flexibility does not increase as quickly as one tends to believequickly as one tends to believe

Work fixed starting and finishing times by gender, %

01020304050607080

EU15 EU15 EU15 EU25

1995 2000 2005 2005

male female total

Source: Fourth European Working Conditions survey

18/12/2008 19

Possibility to choose your working hours Possibility to choose your working hours (by country)(by country)

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

SE NL DK FI AT BE LU UK FR DE IE IT EE SI CZ SK PL ES LV MT LT RO HU EL PT CY BG

Your working hours are entirely determined by yourselfYou can adapt your working hours within certain limitsYou can choose between several fixed working schedulesThey are set by the company with no possibility for changes

Source: Fourth European Working Conditions survey

18/12/2008 20

And working differently And working differently ……Increase in computer use

Impact on where we work, when we work, how we work, work organisation and team work

Increase in pace of workWork intensity : working to tight deadlines, high speed, not having enough time to get the job done: on the increase in the EU

Pace of work dependant on others than yourself: mostly demand-ledService society Usually mix of different constraints, but mostly direct people’s demands

Control over pace of work (autonomy): able to choose or change order of tasks, methods of work, speed of work, able to take a break when you wish

Work organisationDifferent types of work organisation with different impact

18/12/2008 21

Substantial increase in computer useSubstantial increase in computer useDoes your main paid job involve working with computers?

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

EU12

EU15

EU15

EU25

(EU15)

(NMS)

1990

1995

2000

2005

(200

5)

All of the time Almost all of the time Around 3/4 of the time Around half of the time Around 1/4 of the time Almost never Never

18/12/2008 22

Increase in work intensityIncrease in work intensityDoes your job involve working at very high speed?

37.1%

29.4%

26.8%

21.6%

16.8%

16.4%

17.2%

18.7%

12.5%

11.6%

12.0%

12.4%

10.9%

11.8%

12.4%

12.3%

5.0%

5.9%

7.3%

10.0%

10.6%

13.4%

13.7%

15.1%

7.2%

11.6%

10.6%

10.0%

0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0% 90.0% 100.0%

EU12

EU15

EU15

EU25

1990

1995

2000

2005

Never Almost never Around 1/4 of the time Around half of the time Around 3/4 of the time Almost all of the time All of the time

18/12/2008 23

Pace of work: demand led...Pace of work: demand led...

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%

Direct people'sdemands

Work done bycolleagues

Performancetargets

The directcontrol of your

boss

The movementof a machine

1995 EU15 2000 EU15 2005 EU25 2005 EU15 2005 NMS

18/12/2008 24

Changing risks in a service societyChanging risks in a service society

Physical risks are still prevalent: either stable or slightly on the increase

Repetitive arm and hand movements, painful and tiring positions

Psychosocial risks: differences over countries, sectors

18/12/2008 25

Exposure to physical risks : stable or on the increase Exposure to physical risks : stable or on the increase

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Vibrat ions Noise Low temps Breathing insmoke, fumes,

dust orpowder

Handlingchemical

products /substances

Radiat ion(welding light

etc)

Painful, t iringposit ions

Repet it ivehand or armmovements

1990 EU12 1995 EU15 2000 EU15 2005 EU25 2005 EU25 2005 OMS 2005 NMS

18/12/2008 26

Bullying / harassment in the workplaceBullying / harassment in the workplace

0

5

10

15

20

25

FI NL

LU LT EL IE BE

HR MT

FR SI

DK

CH EE

UK AT

TR NO

RO LV DE PT

SK

SE PL

CY

HU CZ

ES IT BG

M F

18/12/2008 27

Violence and harassment by sectorViolence and harassment by sector

02468

10121416

Electricity, gas and water supply

Manufacture and mining

Financial intermediation

Real estate

Agriculture and fishing

Construction

Wholesale and retail trade

EU Hotels and restaurants

Transport and communication

Public admin. and defence

Education and health

Threats of violence Violence Bullying / harassment Unwanted sexual attention

18/12/2008 28

Impact of work on healthImpact of work on healthImpact of work on health, 2005

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Work affects health

Reported symptoms:

Backache

Muscular pains

Stress

Fatigue

Headache

Irritability

Anxiety

Hearing

Respiratory

EU15 NMS

18/12/2008 29

Working differently: need to be able to cope with Working differently: need to be able to cope with more change over life, transitions, learning more change over life, transitions, learning

possibilities and work organisationpossibilities and work organisationIn order to smoothen changes in (working) life (transitions) : very important to keep up to date your skills

Different ways to ensure continuous development of workers : training, work organisation (functional flexibility)

However, huge differences over countries / high or low skilled workers Age of workers

18/12/2008 30

Training per educational level, age, contract Training per educational level, age, contract

q28a_1. Have you undergone: Training paid for or provided by your employer, o Occupation high low skilled Total

high skilledlow skilled high skilledlow skilled blue collarq28a_1. Ha 42.94158 27.06726 17.54386 16.54453 28.93401

15.24795 7.365287 2.684498 3.636275 28.9340157.05842 72.93274 82.45614 83.45547 71.0659920.26064 19.84576 12.61714 18.34244 71.06599

Total 100 100 100 100 10035.50859 27.21105 15.30164 21.97872 100

05

10152025303540

Prim

ary o

r less

Lowe

r sec

onda

ryUp

per s

econ

dary

Post-

seco

nda r

yTe

r tiar

y edu

catio

n24

yrs o

r you

nger

25-3

9yrs

40-5

4yrs

55yrs

or o

lder

Inde

finite

Fixe

d-te

rmTe

mpo

rary

18/12/2008 31

Access to training paid for by employer in Access to training paid for by employer in previous 12 monthsprevious 12 months

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

FI SE CH BE NO UK IE AT SI MT

DK LU SK NL EE PL CZ EU DE

HR FR LT LV CY IT ES EL HU PT RO

BG TR

18/12/2008 32

Some results from qualitative followSome results from qualitative follow-- up up interviews on development in the jobinterviews on development in the job

Different traditions in life-long learning across countries

Costs is the most often cited reason for insufficient training provision

Time pressure may become an obstacle to participation in training, self learning and using full potential and creativity

Quality of training and use of acquired skills at work more important than quantity of training

Teamwork positively perceived in terms of job development

18/12/2008 33

R ot at ing t asks and t eamwo rk, 2 0 0 5, employees o nly ( EU 2 7)

48%

72%

51%

60%

52%

29%

78%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

Job involves r otating tasks

OF WHICH:

Tasks r equi r ing di f f er ent ski l ls

Manager decides on r otation

Wor ker s decide r otation

Job involves teamwor k

OF WHICH:

Team member s decide division of tasks

Team member s elect team leader

18/12/2008 34

AnotherAnother wayway of of improvingimproving skillsskills as as wellwell as as increaseincrease ((functionalfunctional) ) flexibilityflexibility in Europe: in Europe: a a typologytypology of of workwork organisation & impact organisation & impact

on on learninglearning and and developingdeveloping yourselfyourselfDiscretionary learning forms (38% of employees)

Overrepresentation of autonomy, learning dynamics, task complexity, self assessment of work as well as autonomous teamwork

Lean production forms (26% of employees)Overrepresentation of teamwork, task rotation, quality management variables and objective determinants of pace of work

Taylorist forms (20% of employees)Low autonomy, learning dynamics, complexity and overrepresentation of objdeterminants of pace of work, repetitiveness, monotony and quality norms

traditional and simple structure forms (16%)Poorly described by the variables of work organisation.

18/12/2008 35

Innovative forms of work organisation indexInnovative forms of work organisation index

-2

-1

0

1

2

SE DK FI NL MT BE EE LU FR IE AT UK DE LV SI PL CZ HU PT IT RO CY ES EL SK LT BG

18/12/2008 36

Some changes and some challengesSome changes and some challenges• The way we work is changing is the EU, and the way work is organised at company and household

level as well as in society is changing …

• Working conditions show considerable variations across Europe

• More women in the workforce but gender gaps (pay, time, employment rate, as well as occupational and sectoral gaps) are still apparent across Europe

• More flexibility for companies, flexibility for workers: but is all depends on how this can be supported at household (and societal) level

• Work intensification on the increase

• Health and safety risks are still an issue, including psychosocial risks, particularly in sectors with a high level of customer interaction

• Low levels of training and competence development … big challenge in context of growing knowledge economy / drives to life long learning

• Work organisation (autonomous teamwork etc) can play an important role in developing skills of workers : towards a learning organisation ?

• Companies can make a difference … we find very interesting examples of good practice in Europe

• Enhance quality of work in this new world of work is a constant challenge in which all actors have a role to play and in which trust building in these changes is an important element

3718/12/2008

Thank youThank you

More info: More info: www.eurofound.europa.euwww.eurofound.europa.eugve@eurofound.europa.eugve@eurofound.europa.eu