Commission signals progress in quality of work

A Communication from the European Commission highlights recent progress regarding quality of work issues, and assesses the policy implications.

The Commission’s Communication 'Improving quality in work: a review of recent progress'COM(2003) 728 final (pdf file) examines the positive relationships between quality of work and full employment, productivity, social inclusion and cohesion, and also explores the policy implications. The data in the Communication cover only the EU 15, given the difficulties of collecting and evaluating relevant data for the new Member States at this stage.

Employment perspective

In general, the Communication notes that employment rates in the European Union are increasing, and the levels of education and skills have risen. However, more than half of all employees still have no access to training. In order to improve employability, more targeted policies to promote training in companies are needed.

The employment rates of women are improving. However, gender segregation in sectors and occupations remains high (at 18% and 25% respectively) and there is no trend towards any reduction. At the same time, gender gaps in pay are still pervasive. In 2000 (latest available data), the average gross hourly earnings for women in the EU were 16% below those of men.

In the context of work organisation and work-life balance, data reveal that parenthood has a negative effect on women's employment rates, and a positive effect on men’s employment rates. This can partly be explained by a lack of appropriate flexible work arrangements and adequate facilities for childcare and care for other dependants.

Although the employment rate of older workers (55-64 years) increased from 36.6% in 1998 to 40.1% in 2002, it is still far from the Stockholm target of 50%. At only 30.5%, the employment rate of women in this age group is significantly lower than the corresponding rate of 50.1% for men. The integration of disabled people in the labour market remains critical. Only 39% of disabled people are employed, compared with almost 60% of the rest of the population of working age.

In 2002, 4.4% of the EU population of working age was inactive and available for work. Long-term unemployment decreased slightly but still affected around 3% of the EU labour force. Long-term unemployment rates are higher for women than for men. Youth unemployment remained around twice as high as that of adults and reached more than 15% in the EU.

Work-related accidents and illness

While the incidence of accidents at work decreased between 1994 and 2000, the figure for 2000 - five million accidents - remains very high. In 2000, a total of 158 million working days were lost across the European Union. This corresponds to an average of 20 days per accident. Around 350,000 workers were obliged to change their job due to an accident. Almost 300,000 workers were affected by varying degrees of permanent disabilities and 15,000 had to give up work.

The production loss caused by work-related health problems and accidents at work is estimated to be 3-4% of EU GNP. Costs related to the loss of working days and health expenditure are calculated to be €20 billion annually.

Occupational diseases and work-related illnesses are among the most significant consequences of poor health and safety in the workplace. The Communication reports that, in line with the 1999 Ad-Hoc module on ‘Work-related health problems’ of the [Labour Force Survey](http://europa.eu.int/comm/eurostat/Public/datashop/print-catalogue/EN?catalogue=Eurostat&theme=3-Population and Social Conditions&product=KS-BF-03-002-__-N-EN) and the [Working Conditions survey](/search/node/ewco OR surveys OR index?oldIndex) of the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions , an increasing number of workers suffer from musculo-skeletal disorders such as back pain and disorders caused by repetitive movements (52%). A further 18% suffer from stress, depression and anxiety, while others experience general fatigue, hearing disorders and cardiovascular diseases.

Policy implications

The Communication emphasises that further progress in the future will depend on a broad spectrum of policies. Some are outlined in the Employment Guidelines 2003 (pdf file) , such as investment in human capital, reducing gender gaps in the labour market, sufficient provision of childcare, or promoting a culture of lifelong learning. The new Community strategy on health and safety at work (pdf file) focuses on the need to consolidate a culture of risk prevention and to combine a variety of policy instruments.