Annual reports
Annual reports from the European Working Conditions Observatory EU correspondent
28 September 2009: Annual review of working conditions 2008–2009 (EU Countries / Comparative analytical report [ or view as 
size 741 kb] )
This sixth annual review examines four key dimensions of working conditions and quality of work and employment: career development and employment security, health and well-being, skills and competence development, and work–life balance. The report outlines relevant legislative and policy developments, and examines trends in the workplace during the period 2008–2009.
7 July 2008: Annual review of working conditions in the EU 2007–2008 [ or view as size 1495 kb])
This fifth annual review examines four key dimensions of working conditions and quality of work and employment: career development and employment security, health and well-being, skills and competence development, and work–life balance. The report outlines relevant legislative and policy developments, and examines trends in the workplace during the period 2007-2008.
16 July 2007: Annual review of working conditions in the EU 2006–2007 (EU Countries / Comparative analytical report [ or view as size 820 kb])
This fourth annual review examines four key dimensions of working conditions and quality of work and employment: career and employment, health and well-being at work, skills development and work–life balance. The report outlines relevant legislative and policy developments, and examines trends in the workplace.
08 June 2006: Annual review of working conditions in the EU: 2005–2006 [ or view as size 1154 kb]
This third annual review examines four key dimensions of working conditions and quality of work and employment: career and employment, health and well-being, skills development, and work–life balance. The report outlines relevant legislative and policy developments, and examines trends in the workplace. As part of its work programme for 2005, the European Commission presented a series of communications on migration, and extensive debate continues on this issue. The Working Time Directive also remains on the agenda, with continuing discussions on the individual opt-out and on the definition of ‘on-call’ time. Musculoskeletal disorders remain the most predominant work-related health problem. A welcome development in the area of health and well-being was the start of negotiations between the European social partners on combating violence and harassment in the workplace. Gender equality received specific attention in several EU policy documents, not least the European Parliament’s Committee on Employment and Social Affairs report on the impact of long working hours on reconciliation of work and family life, and the impact on equal opportunities. Another topic high on the agenda is training, lifelong learning and competence development; attaining a knowledge society and a highly qualified workforce forms a crucial element for the success of the Lisbon Strategy.
25 February 2005: Annual review of working conditions in the EU: 2004–2005 [ or view as size 554 kb]
This second annual review examines four key dimensions in working conditions and quality of work and employment: career and employment, health and well-being, skills development, and work–life balance. The report outlines relevant legislative and policy developments, and examines trends in the workplace. In terms of career and employment, employment rates are consistently rising for women and older workers, at least in the EU15, but progress is currently too slow to achieve the Lisbon targets. In the area of health and well-being, improvements regarding safety at work are reflected in the significant decline of serious and fatal accidents at work. The European social partner agreement on work-related stress is a further step towards achieving quality of work and employment. Looking at skills development, participation rates in lifelong learning have increased, particularly for women, although there was a drop in IT-related training. Under work–life balance, progress has been slow, due to a complexity of factors involved in improving reconciliation of working and non-working life, such as work organisation, working time arrangements, or provision of care facilities.
28 June 2004: Annual review of working conditions in the EU: 2003–2004 [ or view as size 421 kb]
This review examines four key dimensions in working conditions and quality of work and employment: career and employment, health and well-being, skills development and work–life balance. The report first outlines relevant legislative and policy developments, before examining trends in the workplace. In terms of career and employment, employment rates are consistently rising for women and older workers, at least in the EU15, but progress is currently too slow to achieve the Lisbon targets. In the area of health and well-being, improvements regarding safety at work are reflected in the significant decline of serious and fatal accidents at work. Looking at skills development, participation rates in lifelong learning have increased, particularly for women. There was a drop in IT-related training. Under work–life balance, progress has been slow, due to a complexity of factors involved in improving reconciliation of working and non-working life, such as work organisation, working time arrangements, or provision of care facilities.