Eurofound: Job quality in Europe has generally improved.

In recent years, the quality of jobs in Europe has improved overall – though not all workers are benefiting equally. This is the conclusion reached by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) in its latest overview report on the European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS 2024), published on 14 April.

Europe’s changing world of work

The analysis covers 35 European countries, including all EU Member States, and examines the impact of ecological, digital and demographic change on the world of work. In addition to providing a comprehensive description of the workforce, the report focuses in particular on digital working practices, social relationships and issues of inclusion. A key finding is that good working conditions pay off – they foster motivation, innovation, productivity and a positive workplace climate.

Progress with downsides

Eurofound assesses the quality of jobs across seven dimensions: pay, prospects, skills and autonomy, working time, work intensity, and the social and physical environment. In five of these areas, the situation has improved over the past 15 years. Conversely, there have been deteriorations in the social environment at work and in work intensity. The survey also highlights that improvements in the social environment at work, as well as in further training measures, are strongly linked to access to social protection.

Gender-specific differences are also striking: men are less frequently affected by high work intensity, whilst the situation for women in this dimension has deteriorated. By contrast, the physical working environment has improved, particularly due to the decline in traditional physical strain. At the same time, however, new risks are emerging – for example, from heat, chemicals or infectious substances.

Working environment and employees’ perceptions

For the majority of employees, financial aspects are not the main priority. Rather, a safe working environment and trust in the workplace are crucial. Most find their work meaningful and are convinced that they perform well: more than 80 per cent consider their work useful, and 85 per cent feel they are treated fairly. Nevertheless, shortcomings remain: 14 per cent of workers in the EU state that they are inadequately informed about health and safety risks. At the same time, there is a clear disparity in the integration of occupational safety and health within companies: whilst in Sweden around 80 per cent of workers have access to an occupational safety and health representative, the figure in Bulgaria is just under 30 per cent.

Inequalities persist

Despite the overall positive trend, not all groups of workers benefit equally. The study shows that gender-specific differences in employment trajectories remain a key challenge. However, there are also significant differences in occupational safety and health at country and sector level. Progress on job quality therefore requires targeted measures and the expansion of social safety nets.

A key issue for Europe’s future

Improving working conditions has been a key objective of European policy since the Treaty of Rome. The European Pillar of Social Rights and current initiatives such as the Quality Jobs Roadmap or the competitiveness compass also underline the importance of good working conditions for sustainable growth and competitiveness.

Against the backdrop of an ageing and shrinking workforce, the issue is becoming even more important. High-quality jobs are seen as crucial to attracting more people into the labour market, keeping them in work for longer and, at the same time, boosting productivity. This requires continuous investment in people, including in rehabilitation, health and safety at work. The Eurofound report shows that Europe has made progress but still faces key challenges.