Projects 2008-2009
European works councils (project no. 0116)
The two new research activities started in 2005 have been completed. One focused on developments in new Member States and analysed experience of EWCs in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through case studies. The final report is now available. The second dealt with the role of EWCs in transnational corporate restructuring. The final report is also available.
European Working Conditions Survey (project no. 0156)
Running since the early 1990s, a new instance of the European Working Conditions Survey was carried out in 2005. This survey aims to provide an analysis of working conditions in the EU25, in four candidate and acceding countries (Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Croatia), as well as in Switzerland and Norway. In total, nearly 30,000 individual workers were interviewed in face-to-face interviews in September-November 2005. The questionnaire included new questions on email/internet usage at work, contactability outside work, work satisfaction and training. The descriptive report and secondary analysis reports are available.
European Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO)
(project no. 0188)
The EIROnline database, EIRO's main product, has become a unique information resource on European industrial relations in the Member States, candidate countries and Norway.
Monitoring quality of life in Europe (project no. 0222)
The focus of the Foundation’s quality of life survey (EQLS) is on objective conditions as well as subjective assessments, including well-being/happiness. It positions monitoring within a number of quality of life domains, among others: health and health care; employment and working conditions; economic resources; knowledge, education and training; families and households; social relationships/participation/ integration. Analytical monitoring – studying interrelationships across domains - is also a feature of EQLS. The first EQLS carried out in 2003 covered the EU27 and Turkey, with a sample size of 1000 in the larger countries and 600 in the smaller countries. Fieldwork for the 2nd EQLS was carried out during September 07 – January 08 in 31 countries – in the EU 27, candidate countries Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey, and in Norway. The sample size was 1000 face to face interviews in each country (at NUTS 2/3 level) with the exception of France, Italy, Poland and UK where 1500 interviews were completed and Germany and Turkey with a sample size of 2000. First results were presented in November 2008.
Quality of industrial relations (project no. 0271)
This project, started in 2003, will provide industrial relations country profiles on actors, processes, outputs and outcomes in the EU Member States, for comparison and benchmarking between countries. Industrial relations country profiles for the EU25 have recently been published.
European survey on working time and work-life balance (project no. 0272)
One of the Foundation’s key monitoring instruments, this survey provides information on working time arrangements with high relevance for work-life balance issues. A detailed overview report on the findings of the survey was published in 2006. Further in-depth analysis of selected topics have followed in 2007 and 2008.
European Working Conditions Observatory (EWCO) (project no. 0278)
Set up in 2003, the European Working Conditions Observatory (EWCO) provides regular news updates on quality of work and employment issues, as well as topic reports and survey data reports. It also contributes to the identification of good practice examples on a company/worker level. The Observatory is supported by an extensive network of correspondents covering all EU countries, plus Norway, Bulgaria and Romania. The Annual review of working conditions in the EU 2007–2008 was published in July 2008.
Business creation and entrepreneurship in restructuring processes (project no. 0281)
This project aims to provide timely, qualitative information and practical examples of business creation and entrepreneurship in restructuring projects. It also aims to promote exchange of experiences and to look at innovative methods of managing structural changes among EMCC (European Monitoring Centre on Change) stakeholders.
EMCC Stakeholder enquiry service (project no. 0282)
This project aims to allow key actors to satisfy their information needs resulting from continuous change, thus enabling the Foundation to strengthen the forward looking perspective of its four-year programme. Potential topics include employment issues, work-life balance, industrial relations and social cohesion questions.
Workplace developments (project no. 0284)
This project will explore how innovation in working organisations could help to develop productivity and quality of work. It aims to provide accurate, timely and practical information to support key actors in the process of introducing changes in the workplace organisation, thus fostering more and better quality work.
Sustainable care services (project no. 0293)
Research has focused on employment developments in two areas of care: childcare for school children aged 5-12 years, and social care for elderly and dependent people. More recent research has examined childcare provision for Out-of-school care services for children living in disadvantaged areas.
Employment initiatives for an ageing workforce (project no. 0296)
This research is examining the extent to which initiatives to improve employment opportunities for the ageing workforce have developed in Europe over the past 10 years. Case studies of ‘good practice’ in companies highlight initiatives in recruitment, training and development, health and ergonomics and also identify the importance of flexible working times and work-family arrangements for older workers. The collection of case studies numbers over 200 from all EU27 countries, making it the largest resource of its kind in Europe. The database is publicly accessible.
EMCC European Restructuring Monitor (project no. 0298)
The European Restructuring Monitor (ERM) is a monitoring instrument, which provides up-to-date news and analysis on company restructuring and sectoral developments in Europe. Each case is presented in a fact sheet, facilitating the compilation of statistics, which compare countries, sectors and types of restructuring. A quarterly report summarises restructuring trends and effects on employment.
EMCC Company network seminars (project no. 0299)
These seminars aim to facilitate exchange of good practice examples among key players involved in change, in particular, those at company level: managers, trade unions and the workforce. The EMCC organised two Company Network Seminars in 2007, and one in October 2008.
Role of local authorities in the integration of migrants (project no. 0310)
The focus of this project is on the social and economic integration
of migrants and the role of local authorities in this process. CLIP
(Cities for local integration policies for migrants) currently has more
than 28 participating cities – learning from each other how best to develop
and deliver more effective integration policies for migrants. Modules
examined include access for migrants to decent and affordable housing
and issues of housing segregation, diversity policy (personnel policy
of local authorities and provision of services to migrants) and current
intercultural dialogue with Muslims.
EMCC Sector Futures (project no. 0311)
In 2007, the EMCC will continue to commission original work on case studies and scenarios in selected sectors, and to improve dissemination and application of work at sectoral level. It will also continue its new series of sectoral reports, with three features for each sector. The first will paint a broad picture of the changing dynamic of the sector, the second will present future scenarios, and the third will draw out key policy issues for EMCC stakeholders.
Flexibility and security over the life course (project no. 0314)
This study looks at the impact of the ongoing trend towards greater flexibility in the European labour market. It explores whether the trend has contributed to a better work-life balance for workers and reveals the long-term effects of working in non-standard contracts and working part time on individuals' careers, incomes and employment security.
Employment and guidance services for people with disabilities (project no. 0315)
This project focuses on people in receipt of incapacity benefits and examines measures for their reintegration into employment, mainly in the area of guidance and employment counselling services. A database of good practice initiatives has been developed and contains 56 case studies designed to reintegrate into the workplace people who are excluded by health or disability problems.
Codes of conduct and framework agreements: new developments in social regulation at company level [governance] (project no. 0316)
This project aims to map and analyse new structures, forms and processes of governance in consecutive steps over the next few years. A new phase of the Governance project started in 2006 and is aiming at delivering new insights into the impact of codes of conduct and framework agreements on the micro-level of social dialogue.
Social dialogue capacity building at sectoral and company level (project no. 0318)
This project brings together social partners, government representatives and academic researchers to investigate how to develop social dialogue capacities for promoting employment, better working conditions and industrial relations. The objective of the project is to assist the new EU Member States plus Croatia and Turkey in building sectoral and local social dialogue capacity for anticipating and managing change.
Promoting quality of life in rural Europe (project no. 0321)
With 93% of EU 27 territory classified as rural and 53% of the population living in these areas, the role of social capital in job creation in rural Europe is of significant importance. The Foundation's research in this area has been published and builds on the recommendations of earlier work published as Regional social capital in Europe.