This report explores how Europeans perceive the quality of their societies, and of their public services. It looks at such aspects of society as trust in institutions and other people, perceived tensions between social groups, attitudes towards migrants and the effects of the economic crisis on social inclusion and social cohesion. It finds that satisfaction with the economic situation of one’s country, not being in employment and overall life satisfaction appear to boost satisfaction with public services; hardship appears to reduce it.
Recent months have seen an improvement in economic outlook, a calming of the sovereign debt crisis and a stabilisation of unemployment rates. ECB President Mario Draghi was, however, cautious in his assessment of the emergent European recovery in January, calling it ‘modest’, ‘weak’ and ‘fragile’. This fourth issue for 2013 includes: Macroeconomic trends and prospects; Job creation and job loss at a glance (1/10/13 - 31/12/13); Sectoral distribution of job losses/job gains, and top five cases; Support instruments for restructuring in Greece; Cases in focus: RTVV, Spain - Liepajas Metalurgs, Latvia; Retail sector in focus – Amazon's expansion.
On 20 November 2013, the Trades Union Congress (TUC [1]) held a national day
of action to highlight the issue of blacklisting. Blacklisting is the
practice of illegally denying construction and other workers employment
because of their union activities which can include raising health and safety
concerns on building sites. The practice of blacklisting has been a
long-standing union grievance, especially since 2009 when a raid on an
organisation known as the Consulting Association revealed a database
containing personal information about more than 3,000 trade unionists and
others, which had been used for blacklisting purposes by 44 construction
companies (*UK1210019I* [2]).
Elections were held in Germany on 22 September 2013, with Chancellor Angela
Merkel’s party, the Christian Democrats (CDU [1]), winning by a clear
margin. The CDU secured 41.5% of the vote, a gain of 7.7 percentage points
compared to 2009. The Social Democrats (SPD [2]) were in second place with
25.7%, up 2.7 percentage points on 2009.
A recent study in Austria has shown that part-time workers have significantly
lower hourly wages than full-time workers. The study comes from the Federal
Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection (BMASK [1]). It is
based on an analysis of the Structure of Earnings Survey 2010 data, which is
conducted every four years by Statistics Austria [2].
In the parliamentary elections of 2013, Norway’s centre-left government was
replaced by a right-wing coalition of the Conservative Party (Hoyre [1]),
whose leader Erna Solberg is the new Prime Minister, and the Progress Party
(FrP [2]). The new government will seek support for their political platform
from two smaller parties, the Christian Democrats (KrF [3]) and the Liberal
Party (Venstre [4]). After the election, all four parties agreed the basic
guiding principles for a new government, although the two larger parties were
to be the coalition partners.
In early autumn 2013, the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in
Bulgaria (CITUB [1]) carried out its Trade union barometer 2013 survey.
Against a background of severe political and socio-economic conditions, CITUB
wished to consult with its members in order to formulate its position.
It is not possible to determine the share of the Czech electricity sector as a proportion of GDP, since the Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ) monitors only its parent sector, of electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply, which accounted for a 3.9% share in the Czech GDP in 2011. The share of sectoral employment as a percentage of total employment in the Czech economy is 0.8%. The number of business entities in the sector was almost 6,000, which is only 0.4 % of the number of all active economic entities in the Czech Republic.
In the Spanish electricity sector, collective bargaining takes place at company level. With regard to the social partner organisations, there is only one employer association which fulfils the criteria for inclusion in the study. It is affiliated to the European sectoral social partner EURELECTRIC, but it is not involved in collective bargaining. On the employee side, a pluralistic association system prevails. Accordingly, eight unions have been identified.
The first findings of the 2012 Skills and Employment Survey, published in
early 2013, present an up-to-date, authoritative picture of British
employees’ experiences and views regarding their current work situation.
The survey focuses on skill requirements, training, task discretion and job
control, job-related well-being, fears over job loss and unfair treatment at
work, and work intensification. In comparing the findings with those of the
2006 survey, the survey also shows the impact of the recession in both
private and public sectors.
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.
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 2003, the first edition of the survey.
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 2007, the second edition of the survey. The survey was first carried out in 2003.
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 2012, the third 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 2005, the fourth 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 2010, the fifth edition of the survey. The survey was first carried out in 1990.
This publication series explores scenarios for the future of manufacturing. The employment implications (number of jobs by sector, occupation, wage profile, and task content) under various possible scenarios are examined. The scenarios focus on various possible developments in global trade and energy policies and technological progress and run to 2030.
This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the woodworking sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective participation in the European sectoral social dialogue and their capacity to negotiate agreements. The aim of this Eurofound’s study on representativeness is to identify the relevant national and European social partner organisations in the woodworking sector in the EU Member States.
This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the construction sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective participation in the European sectoral social dialogue and their capacity to negotiate agreements. The aim of this Eurofound’s study on representativeness is to identify the relevant national and European social partner organisations in the construction sector in the EU Member States.
Digitisation and automation technologies, including artificial intelligence, are rapidly evolving, and becoming increasingly powerful and pervasive. While the implications of digital technologies on ethics and working conditions should be explored as they emerge, it is also important to anticipate any unintended effects that raise new ethical challenges. Drawing on different research methods and building on previous research, this report examines the effects of digital technologies on fundamental rights, ethical principles and working conditions.
This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in European sectoral social dialogue taking place at cross-sectoral level. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective participation in the European sectoral social dialogue and their capacity to negotiate agreements. The aim of this Eurofound’s study on representativeness is to identify the relevant national and European social partner organisations at cross-sectoral level in the EU Member States.
This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the furniture sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective participation in the European sectoral social dialogue and their capacity to negotiate agreements. The aim of this Eurofound’s study on representativeness is to identify the relevant national and European social partner organisations in the furniture sector in the EU Member States.
This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the extractive industries sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective participation in the European sectoral social dialogue and their capacity to negotiate agreements. The aim of this Eurofound’s study on representativeness is to identify the relevant national and European social partner organisations in the extractive industries sector in the EU Member States.
This report maps and analyses key dimensions and indicators of industrial relations in the EU. It expands on the four key indicators identified in Eurofound’s 2016 study: industry democracy, industrial competitiveness, job and employment equality, and social justice. With a key focus on industrial democracy, the report provides an in-depth analysis of divergence and convergence patterns across countries. The analysis also includes the development of a composite indicator and an integrated indicator for all four industrial relations dimensions.
The interaction between workers and machines has increased due to the rapid advancement of automation technologies. The new wave of robots can perform tasks with more flexibility, greater sophistication and in a way that protects workers’ physical safety. Drawing on case studies of advanced robotics, this report explores the benefits and risks that come with closer human–machine interaction, the organisational practices needed to deal with emerging issues and the real concerns and challenges.
The report describes trends in social and economic discontent across the EU between 2002 and 2020, highlighting in particular the turbulent times brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The report explores the evolution of social cohesion and its impact on economic and social discontent. It assesses the relationship between social cohesion and discontent during the pandemic, allowing for a comparison of the situation as it stands in 2023. The focus of the report is on regions where social cohesion is low, where a contrast is drawn with regions where social cohesion is much higher.
This report analyses the working conditions and job quality of different types of self-employed workers. Drawing on data from the European Working Conditions Survey, it looks into policies in Member States aimed at addressing the challenges and opportunities associated with specific types of self-employment.
This report explores how Europeans perceive the quality of their societies, and of their public services. It looks at such aspects of society as trust in institutions and other people, perceived tensions between social groups, attitudes towards migrants and the effects of the economic crisis on social inclusion and social cohesion. It finds that satisfaction with the economic situation of one’s country, not being in employment and overall life satisfaction appear to boost satisfaction with public services; hardship appears to reduce it.
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