Micro and small companies constitute the backbone of private business in Europe, accounting for nearly 99% of all enterprises, more than half of total employment in the private sector and an even greater proportion of new jobs. Despite their crucial place in the economy, there has been little
Quality of work and employment is a priority in the European Union. The annual review of working conditions in the EU 2009-2010 focuses on four critical dimensions: career development and employment security, health and wellbeing, skills and competence development, and work–life balance. It outlines
Quality of work and employment is a major policy issue in the European Union. This sixth annual review of working conditions in the EU outlines relevant legislative and policy developments during the period 2008–2009 in the context of labour market mobility and demographic change. It also explores a
On 11–12 October 2007, the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working conditions (Eurofound), in cooperation with the Portuguese EU Presidency, held a conference on musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in Portugal’s capital city of Lisbon. In his concluding remarks at the conference
The EU Member States take a variety of approaches to continuing vocational training (CVT), and the social partners are involved in CVT governance and implementation to varying degrees. The European ‘Copenhagen Process’ aims to increase participation in adult education by enhancing cooperation in
Quality of work and employment is a key priority in the European Union. This fifth annual review of working conditions in the EU examines a range of issues and challenges related to working life and the workplace. It focuses in particular on four critical dimensions: career development and
The preliminary results of the second Quality of Work in Italy Survey, carried out in 2006 by the National Training Agency, show that working conditions have tended to decline since the 2002 survey, although overall job satisfaction is still high. Italian workers seem to be less satisfied with their
This fourth annual review from the European Working Conditions Observatory puts the spotlight on 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
The Italian transport industry makes higher than average use of the road system (88%, compared with an EU average of 74.6%), due to the underdevelopment of internal shipping (both coastal trade and river navigation) and inefficiencies in the Italian railway system.
The 2005 publication, /Il lavoro che cambia/ (/Changing work/ ), edited by Carrieri, Damiano and Ugolini, summarises the results of an enquiry launched in 2002 by Democratici di Sinistra (DS), the main centre-left Italian party, by means of its local organisations, newspaper and related websites
Immigration in Italy is a relatively recent phenomenon, compared with other European countries. Over the last 10 years, its growth has been remarkable: in 1995, immigrants represented less than 1.5% of the population in Italy, increasing over threefold to more than 4% in 2004. Estimates vary widely
Levels of formal training, participation in decision-making, and teamwork in the Italian workplace are lower than the European average, according to the 2002 Isfol quality of work survey. Despite these issues, however, and a lack of work-life balance, the survey reveals that work satisfaction in
In December 2004, Istat (in Italian) [1], the Italian Institute of Statistics, presented its survey results concerning sexual violence and harassment (Molestie e violenze sessuali (265Kb pdf; in Italian) [2]. These results form part of a survey on health and safety (‘Sicurezza dei cittadini’)
The 2003 Cnel [1] labour market report was presented in Rome in November 2004. It shows weak labour market growth, with a largely stagnant participation rate. Women are still the main contributors to growth: of the 225,000 newly employed workers, 141,000 are women, almost totally concentrated in
Economically dependent workers (326 Kb pdf) [1] constitute a grey area in the labour market, displaying both employed and self-employed characteristics. However, they are economically dependent on the company that hires them, and a significant proportion are, in effect, subordinate employees, who