In November 1997, La Caixa - a prominent Spanish savings bank - signed an
agreement with the trade unions to promote the creation of permanent jobs.
This agreement is a model that will be followed in five other banks with
which the CC.OO trade union is negotiating similar terms.
In November 1997, organisations representing Greece's hotel sector employers
submitted their views on the country's new tripartite "Confidence Pact". The
employers' calls for greater flexibility have met with opposition from trade
unions.
In late 1997, the CGTP trade union confederation has amplified its criticisms
of Portugal's system of tripartite social concertation, pointing out
anomalies, claiming that it is manipulated, and raising the issue of the
social partners' representativeness.
In 1997, GDP growth stood at 3.9%, or 3.5% for mainland Norway (offshore
sector excluded). The consumer prices index rose by 2.5%, compared with 1.3%
in 1996. The 1997 unemployment rate was 4.2%, against 4.9% for 1996. In 1997,
Norway had a central government surplus of NOK 65.8 billion (ECU 8.2
billion). However, if revenues from the petroleum sector are excluded, Norway
had a public budget deficit of NOK 20.2 billion (ECU 2.5 billion). The
surplus will be transferred to the Government Petroleum Fund.
According to the latest figures, over the first three quarters of 1997, GDP
grew by 2.2%, while the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies
(Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques, INSEE), puts
overall economic growth for the year at 2.5%. The public sector deficit stood
at 3% of GDP. Inflation was brought under control - 1.1% in 1997, down from
1.7% in 1996. The employment situation was varied. At the end of December
1997, unemployment stood at 3,027,800, representing a slight 1.7% improvement
on figures for the same period in 1996. These overall figures conceal quite
different rates of unemployment among men and women and various age groups:
unemployment among the young has decreased by 9% over the year; the
percentage of women in employment continues to increase but at a slower pace;
whereas the percentage of men in employment is continuing to fall, reflecting
the decline in sectors dominated by male employment. However, the majority of
women are employed on "non-traditional" contracts such as fixed-term or
part-time ones - almost 40% of women are recruited on fixed-term contracts.
There has also been a 1.2% increase in the number of long-term unemployed
people. At the end of December 1997, they accounted for 36.8% of overall
unemployment.
Company agreements reached at Telecom Italian Mobile (Tim) in November 1997,
and at Electrolux Zanussi in December, have focused attention in Italy on
teleworking.
The economic situation in Belgium was favourable in 1997, with growth rates
reaching 2.1%. This was largely achieved through export growth, as domestic
consumption remained weak. Inflation stood at 1.9%. According to the
Institute for the National Accounts (Institut des Comptes Nationaux/Instituut
voor de Nationale Rekeningen, ICN/INR), the 1997 budget deficit was 2.1 % of
GDP. The improved economic prospects, and the 1998 budget measures seem set
to reduce the deficit even further. The National Employment Office [1]
(Office nationale de l'Emploi/Rijksdienst voor Arbeidsvoorziening, ONEm/RVA)
reported the unemployment rate for 1997 at 13.3% for the total labour force
(10.3% for men and 17.2% for women).
European and domestic legislation is leading to greater pressure for
competition in Dutch public transport. The resulting measures have led during
the 1990s to practically permanent disputes between trade unions and works
councils on the one hand, and employers and the Ministry of Transport, Public
Works and Water Management on the other. October and November 1997 saw
further industrial action in this area.
On 16 December 1997 about 20,000 employees in the "social" or not-for-profit
sector - also known as the "white sector" - protested in the streets of
Brussels. They came from a wide variety of subsectors, including home care,
care for the elderly, residential youth work, sheltered accommodation,
hospitals and so on (BE9712127N [1]), but they all united behind the slogan:
"The elastic band is stretched too far."
Worker representatives at Transmediterranea - the principal Spanish shipping
line - called an indefinite strike as from 5 December 1997 to protest against
redundancies and the announcement that six cargo ships will be sold.
The European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS) is carried out every four to five years since its inception in 2003, with the latest edition in 2016. It examines both the objective circumstances of people's lives and how they feel about those circumstances and their lives in general. It covers issues around employment, income, education, housing, family, health and work–life balance. It also looks at subjective topics, such as people's levels of happiness and life satisfaction, and perceptions of the quality of society.
This series brings together publications and other outputs of the European Jobs Monitor (EJM), which tracks structural change in European labour markets. The EJM analyses shifts in the employment structure in the EU in terms of occupation and sector and gives a qualitative assessment of these shifts using various proxies of job quality – wages, skill-levels, etc.
Eurofound's European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS) examines both the objective circumstances of European citizens' lives and how they feel about those circumstances and their lives in general. This series consists of outputs from the EQLS 2016, the fourth edition of the survey. The survey was first carried out in 2003.
Eurofound’s European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) paints a wide-ranging picture of Europe at work across countries, occupations, sectors and age groups. This series consists of findings from the EWCS 2015, the sixth edition of the survey. The survey was first carried out in 1990.
Eurofound’s European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) paints a wide-ranging picture of Europe at work across countries, occupations, sectors and age groups. This series consists of findings from the EWCS 1996, the second edition of the survey. The survey was first carried out in 1990.
Eurofound’s European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) paints a wide-ranging picture of Europe at work across countries, occupations, sectors and age groups. This series consists of findings from the EWCS 2001, which was an extension of the EWCS 2000 to cover the then 12 acceding and candidate countries. The survey was first carried out in 1990.
Eurofound’s European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) paints a wide-ranging picture of Europe at work across countries, occupations, sectors and age groups. This series consists of findings from the EWCS 2000, the third edition of the survey. The survey was first carried out in 1990.
Eurofound’s European Company Survey (ECS) maps and analyses company policies and practices which can have an impact on smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, as well as the development of social dialogue in companies. This series consists of outputs from the first edition of the survey carried out in 2004–2005 under the name European Establishment Survey on Working Time and Work-Life Balance.
Eurofound’s European Company Survey (ECS) maps and analyses company policies and practices which can have an impact on smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, as well as the development of social dialogue in companies. This series consists of outputs from the ECS 2009, the second edition of the survey. The survey was first carried out in 2004–2005 as the European Establishment Survey on Working Time and Work-Life Balance.
Eurofound’s European Company Survey (ECS) maps and analyses company policies and practices which can have an impact on smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, as well as the development of social dialogue in companies. This series consists of outputs from the ECS 2013, the third edition of the survey. The survey was first carried out in 2004–2005 as the European Establishment Survey on Working Time and Work-Life Balance.
Building on previous work by Eurofound, this report will investigate intergenerational dynamics over time. During the 2008 double-dip recession, worrying intergenerational divides appeared in many Member States, and while some of the economic and social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is universal, early data suggests disparities across demographic cohorts. Eurofound will examine how different age groups may have been affected in terms of their health, labour market participation, quality of life and financial needs, both in the short term and in the long term.
Adequate, affordable housing has become a matter of great concern, with an alarming number of Europeans with low or lower household incomes unable to access any, especially in capital cities. Housing was a key factor in people’s experience of the COVID-19 pandemic: its quality and level of safety significantly affected how lockdowns and social distancing measures were experienced, with those who had no access to quality housing at higher risk of deteriorating living conditions and well-being.
The use of artificial intelligence, advanced robotics and the Internet of Things technologies in the workplace can bring about fundamental changes in work organisation and working conditions. This report analyses the ethical and human implications of the use of these technologies at work by drawing on qualitative interviews with policy stakeholders, input from the Network of Eurofound Correspondents and Delphi expert surveys, and case studies.
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