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Töökohtade kvaliteet
Töökohtade kvaliteet täiendab töökohtade kvantitatiivseid näitajaid, et anda hinnang tööhõivestrateegiale. Töökohtade kvaliteet on mitmemõõtmeline mõiste, milles poliitika eri tegevuskavad ja valdkonnad rõhutavad erinevaid mõõtmeid.
Eurofoundi uuringutes mõõdetakse töökohtade kvaliteeti enamasti töökoha tasandil. See hõlmab töökoha objektiivseid omadusi, mida saab vaadelda ja mis on seotud inimeste tööst tulenevate vajaduste rahuldamisega. See koosneb kõigist töö ja tööhõive omadustest, millel on tõestatud põhjuslik seos tervise ja heaoluga. Hõlmatud on töökohtade positiivsed ja negatiivsed omadused. Need näitajad kajastavad tööressursse (füüsilisi, psühholoogilisi, sotsiaalseid või organisatsioonilisi aspekte) ja töökoha vajadusi või neid mõjutavaid protsesse.
Workers will experience the effects of climate change in many ways: job insecurity, changes to their work tasks and responsibilities, and changes in their workplaces that may involve different work...
There is no one future of work for all jobs – policymakers will have their work cut out to ensure that remote and platform working, artificial intelligence and climate change...
Job quality and its improvement is an important policy concern, as quality jobs are crucial for higher labour force participation, higher well-being and increased economic performance. Job quality is also a key component in making work sustainable and enabling workers to remain motivated to remain in work for longer. It is central to the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda, the OECD’s jobs strategy and to the European Union’s quality of work policies to create more and better jobs. For workers, for the enterprises and organisations that employ them and for societies, there are benefits associated with high-quality jobs, and costs associated with poor-quality jobs.
International Labour Organization (ILO): Decent work
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD): OECD Jobs Strategy
Job quality can be supported by a wide-ranging set of policies and actions at EU level, by national authorities and social partners, and within companies aimed at addressing the issues raised in the EWCS analysis of job quality indices and profiles and that support workers throughout their working lives.
By bundling practices that increase employee autonomy, facilitate employee voice and promote training and learning, businesses can boost performance while improving job quality.
Job quality can be improved by reducing excessive demands on workers and limiting their exposure to risks – and also by increasing their access to work resources that help in achieving work goals or mitigate the effects of these demands. Each dimension of job quality can also be improved through workplace practices and policies.
Workers and employers and their organisations each have a role to play in improving job quality; social dialogue is critical for devising policies in the workplace and beyond. Public authorities should regulate with the common goal of improving job quality in mind.
Being a manager is challenging for both women and men. To increase the attractiveness of managerial positions, job quality for all managers needs to be improved. Linked to this are difficulties in achieving a satisfactory work–life balance. Addressing the working time and work–life balance needs of managers increases the attractiveness of this function and also makes working as a manager more sustainable.
As some employment statuses are linked to poorer quality jobs, labour market policies aimed at addressing global economic competitiveness and combating high unemployment rates hence need to consider the potential effects for job quality.
Eurofound aims to consolidate the position of its European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) as an important tool for benchmarking job quality in the European Union and beyond, feeding into policy development in the area of quality of work. The data have been used to carry out further research on various topics linked to job quality, including job quality in different work situations, job quality of different groups in the labour market, the impact of job quality on quality of working lives and in-depth analysis of individual dimensions of job quality. The European Company Survey 2019 (ECS 2019) also looks at different dimensions of job quality for workers and employers. Recent research has also looked into job quality in a global perspective.
Eurofound’s EWCS 2015, the sixth edition of the survey, provides an in-depth account of people’s current experience of work in Europe and an overview of working lives through the lens of job quality. The survey gathered detailed data on almost every aspect of working life, from working time to relationships with colleagues to opportunities for training.
To explore what the data say about job quality, Eurofound developed seven indices representing different dimensions of job quality, based on aspects of work that have an independent influence on health and well-being. These are:
Physical environment
Work intensity
Working time quality
Social environment
Skills and discretion
Prospects
Earnings
Those jobs that scored similarly on the seven job quality indices were grouped together in five job quality profiles: High flying, Smooth running, Active manual, Under pressure, Poor quality.
The data show a diverse and heterogeneous labour market, where one in five workers has a 'poor quality' job.
Eurofound's 2021 flagship report on working conditions and sustainable work sums up research on job quality in the past five years. It highlights the relevance of job quality to address challenges in the future: pyschosocial risks at work, ICT-based mobile work, fragmentation of work and the specific challenges in the era of COVID-19.
Company survey: Workplace practices and job quality
The European Company Survey (ECS) looks at workplace practices with regard to work organisation, human resource management and direct and indirect employee participation. These workplace practices are key determinants of the job quality of employees. The ECS 2019 examines job autonomy and complexity, the prevalence of part-time work and permanent contracts, the expectations management has of employees, the motivational drivers that are in place, the training and learning opportunities that are offered to employees, as well as the channels for, and impact of, direct and indirect employee participation. Both the ECS 2013 and the ECS 2019 show that establishments that have workplace practices that ensure good job quality also do better in terms of performance and workplace well-being.
Infographic: How good company practices impact on workplace well-being and performance
Only one-fifth of European companies find secret to combining optimal workplace well-being and business performance.
‘High investment, high involvement’ workplaces have the best outcomes for workers and employers, managing to boost performance and improve job quality.
Using EWCS data, Eurofound has collaborated with the ILO on a pioneering project to provide a comparative analysis of job quality covering approximately 1.2 billion workers in Europe, Asia and the Americas. It analyses the seven dimensions of job quality, finding both important differences and similarities between countries.
How different groups fare on job quality
Eurofound’s policy brief on women in management uses EWCS data to look at the diversity of job quality in management positions, analysing whether the working conditions of managers are better than those of non-managers and whether they are similar for women and men. Analysis of gender equality at work also highlights important gaps in men’s and women’s working conditions and job quality which require specific attention.
Research on working conditions of workers of different ages examines the role of job quality and other work-related factors in workers’ decisions and ability to remain in paid employment. Other research on working time patterns for sustainable work examines from a gender and life course perspective the links between working time patterns and organisation, working time quality and work–life balance, and health and well-being.
The research on working conditions in sectors examines trends in job quality from a sectoral perspective. Findings also reveal that workplace accommodation of the needs of workers with chronic disease can impact their job quality and the sustainability of work.
Determinants of job quality: Employment status, working time patterns
Eurofound’s policy brief on employment status uses EWCS data to investigate the job quality associated with different employment statuses in the EU Member States. The research explores the working conditions of five categories of self-employed and analyses their job quality.
Other research examines the working conditions and job quality associated with ICT-based mobile work and the impact of this form of work on quality of working lives.
Research also looks at human resource management and how employee involvement in decision-making can benefit organisations, helping to improve job quality and working conditions.
Impact of job quality
Research on working conditions and workers’ health examines the interplay between job demands and job resources which support workers in greater engagement and well-being. In terms of reconciling work and life, Eurofound examines the reciprocal relations between working conditions and job quality and people’s lives outside work, and what is most important for people in terms of work–life balance.
The EWCS 2015 demonstrates the positive relationship between each job quality index and worker's experience of the quality of working life in terms of: career and employment security, developing skills and competences, maintaining and promoting health and well-being, reconciling working and non-working life, work sustainability, and meaningful and motivating work.
Labour market change and job quality
Eurofound’s European Jobs Monitor (EJM) tracks structural change in European labour markets. It describes shifts in employment at Member State and EU level, analysing changes in terms of occupation and sector and the implications for job quality.
Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound Research Manager Jorge Cabrita about new research that highlights poor job quality - including high emotional demands, working at high speed and to tight deadlines...
Ranged rahvatervise piirangud, mida valitsused rakendasid 2020. aastal, et ohjeldada COVID-19 pandeemiat, muutsid järsult tööelu ja jätkasid selle kujundamist järgnenud kahe aasta jooksul. 2021. aasta märtsist novembrini peeti 36 riigis...
See juhtaruanne võtab kokku programmiperioodil 2017–2020 tehtud Eurofoundi töötingimuste uuringute peamised järeldused. Selles kaardistatakse alates 2000. aastast tehtud edusammud töötingimuste parandamisel ja vaadeldakse, kas kõik töötajad on positiivsetest muutustest võrdselt...
See aruanne põhineb Euroopa ettevõtete uuringu neljandal väljaandel, mille tegid 2019. aastal Eurofound ja Cedefop. Selles kirjeldatakse paljusid Euroopa ettevõtetes rakendatavaid tavasid ja strateegiaid, mis käsitlevad töökorraldust, personalijuhtimist, oskuste kasutamist...
Megatrends, such as digitalisation, globalisation, demographic change and climate change, are transforming the world of work, with knock-on effects for working conditions and job quality. Against this background, this report...
The number of workers living with chronic health conditions is rising in the EU. Such conditions affect people’s ability to work to varying degrees. While some are unable to continue...
15 oktoober 2019
Publication
Policy brief
Ongoing work
Eurofound aims to consolidate the position of its European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) as an important tool for benchmarking job quality in the European Union and beyond, feeding into policy development in the area of quality of work. The data have been used to carry out further research on various topics linked to job quality, including job quality in different work situations, job quality of different groups in the labour market, the impact of job quality on quality of working lives and in-depth analysis of individual dimensions of job quality. The European Company Survey 2019 (ECS 2019) also looks at different dimensions of job quality for workers and employers. Recent research has also looked into job quality in a global perspective.
Eurofound’s EWCS 2015, the sixth edition of the survey, provides an in-depth account of people’s current experience of work in Europe and an overview of working lives through the lens of job quality. The survey gathered detailed data on almost every aspect of working life, from working time to relationships with colleagues to opportunities for training.
To explore what the data say about job quality, Eurofound developed seven indices representing different dimensions of job quality, based on aspects of work that have an independent influence on health and well-being. These are:
Physical environment
Work intensity
Working time quality
Social environment
Skills and discretion
Prospects
Earnings
Those jobs that scored similarly on the seven job quality indices were grouped together in five job quality profiles: High flying, Smooth running, Active manual, Under pressure, Poor quality.
The data show a diverse and heterogeneous labour market, where one in five workers has a 'poor quality' job.
Company survey: Workplace practices and job quality
The European Company Survey (ECS) looks at workplace practices with regard to work organisation, human resource management and direct and indirect employee participation. These workplace practices are key determinants of the job quality of employees. The ECS 2019 examines job autonomy and complexity, the prevalence of part-time work and permanent contracts, the expectations management has of employees, the motivational drivers that are in place, the training and learning opportunities that are offered to employees, as well as the channels for, and impact of, direct and indirect employee participation. Both the ECS 2013 and the ECS 2019 show that establishments that have workplace practices that ensure good job quality also do better in terms of performance and workplace well-being.
See European Company Survey 2019 infographic.
Working conditions in a global perspective
Using EWCS data, Eurofound has collaborated with the ILO on a pioneering project to provide a comparative analysis of job quality covering approximately 1.2 billion workers in Europe, Asia and the Americas. It analyses the seven dimensions of job quality, finding both important differences and similarities between countries.
How different groups fare on job quality
Eurofound’s policy brief on women in management uses EWCS data to look at the diversity of job quality in management positions, analysing whether the working conditions of managers are better than those of non-managers and whether they are similar for women and men. Research on working conditions of workers of different ages examines the role of job quality and other work-related factors in workers’ decisions and ability to remain in paid employment. Other research on working time patterns for sustainable work examines from a gender and life course perspective the links between working time patterns and organisation, working time quality and work–life balance, and health and well-being.
Determinants of job quality: Employment status, working time patterns
Eurofound’s policy brief on employment status uses EWCS data to investigate the job quality associated with different employment statuses in the EU Member States. The research explores the working conditions of five categories of self-employed and analyses their job quality. Other research examines the working conditions and job quality associated with ICT-based mobile work and the impact of this form of work on quality of working lives.
Impact of job quality
Research on working conditions and workers’ health examines the interplay between job demands and job resources which support workers in greater engagement and well-being. In terms of reconciling work and life, Eurofound examines the reciprocal relations between working conditions and job quality and people’s lives outside work, and what is most important for people in terms of work–life balance.
The EWCS 2015 demonstrates the positive relationship between each job quality index and worker's experience of the quality of working life in terms of: career and employment security, developing skills and competences, maintaining and promoting health and well-being, reconciling working and non-working life, work sustainability, and meaningful and motivating work.
Labour market change and job quality
Eurofound’s European Jobs Monitor (EJM) tracks structural change in European labour markets. It describes shifts in employment at Member State and EU level, analysing changes in terms of occupation and sector and the implications for job quality.
Research continues in this topic on a variety of themes, which are outlined below with links to forthcoming titles.
Agnès Parent-Thirion is a senior research manager in the Working Life unit at Eurofound, tasked with the planning, development and implementation of working conditions research...
Working conditions and gender in an enlarged Europe presents a comparative study of working conditions for women in 10 central eastern European countries. The countries include eight of the 10 new Member States of the European Union, and two of the candidate countries, Bulgaria and Romania. National
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
This report examines the findings of Statistics Finland’s quality of work life surveys. It considers the many changes that have taken place in the working environment over a period of 25 years. Although there have been important improvements, the surveys reveal that certain physical work environment
Part-time work has become increasingly commonplace in the European Union. This report explores the profile of part-time workers and analyses the main factors underlying the development of part-time work practices. It also analyses the quality of work and employment conditions faced by part-time
The survey on quality of life in the workplace (in Spanish; Encuesta de Calidad de Vida en el Trabajo 2003) is carried out annually by the Spanish Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. This is a summary of the 2003 results. Main findings are that: in general, Spanish workers are satisfied at work
This report provides a snapshot of working conditions in the EU hotel and restaurant sector. It highlights the trends and developments shaping the industry and examines the issues of concern for those working in the sector and for policymakers. The report, based on analyses of working conditions and
The objective of this report is to awaken the interest of the research community in surveys of working conditions, and to illustrate how a variety of working conditions surveys are conducted in different European and other industrialised countries. In this case, priority has been given to a
The Foundation carried out its Third European Working Conditions Survey in the 15 Member States of the European Union (EU) in 2000. In 2001, the survey was extended to cover the 12 acceding and candidate countries and the following year the survey included Turkey. The aim was to provide an overview
The Foundation carried out its Third European Working Conditions Survey in the 15 Member States of the European Union (EU) in 2000. In 2001, the survey was extended to cover the 12 acceding and candidate countries and the following year the survey included Turkey. Working conditions in the acceding
Changes to traditional gender roles and the labour market are forcing a rethink of conventional work-life patterns. Individuals are calling for a better quality of life, while employers require greater flexibility in the workplace. The idea of reorganising time over the whole course of working is
In May 2008, the Regional Quantitative Analysis Group in the Research Institute of Applied Economics (Grup de Recerca Anàlisi Quantitativa Regional, Institut de Recerca d’Economia Aplicada, AQR-IREA [1]) at the University of Barcelona, in collaboration with the recruitment company Manpower
Since 2001, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC [1]) and its research institute the European Trade Union Institute for Research [2], Education [3] and Health and Safety [4] (ETUI-REHS [5]) have produced an annual report entitled /Benchmarking working Europe/. The study is usually published
Corporate culture can be defined as the whole system of fundamental beliefs, norms and values that influence the effective behaviour of employees. Companies’ main challenge is how to make best use of their employees’ skills and abilities. In this context, many enterprises have already realised that
The European Union’s Lisbon Strategy [1], launched in 2000, aims to create ‘more and better jobs’. Although some progress has been achieved in bringing more Europeans into paid employment, evidence seems to be emerging that many of the new jobs being created are ‘bad jobs’. Workers are increasingly
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE [1]) recently commissioned the Work Foundation and the Institute for Employment Studies (IES [2]) to examine UK business attitudes, intentions and performance, and their relationship to health and safety [3] strategies and expenditure in the workplace. The final
In December 2007, the temporary work agency Adecco [1] presented the results of a survey on the main preferences of Spanish workers in relation to their working and employment conditions. The Adecco survey, entitled ‘What would you ask your company at Christmas time?’ (¿Qué le pedirías a tu empresa
A new study of Ireland’s top companies has confirmed a strong link between better working conditions, bottom-line business performance and the use of high-performance work systems (HPWS) at the workplace. HPWS include strategic human resource management (HRM) in relation to staffing, training and
Contemporary working life is characterised by the increased use of several forms of non-standard employment, such as temporary work, project work and ‘on call’ employment. Organisational commitment is a link between the individual and the employer, and is an affective response to the overall
Research shows that perceptions of ‘procedural justice’ and ‘distributive justice’ in organisations are related to the well-being of people at work (for an overview, see Greenberg and Colquitt, 2005). Procedural justice refers to fairness in the way employees are treated in the organisation while
In 2007, the Lithuanian Labour Exchange (Lietuvos darbo birža, LDB [1]) commissioned a survey to analyse the most important factors influencing the turnover of employees in Lithuanian enterprises. Two groups of respondents were interviewed within the framework of the survey, comprising: [1] http:/
Motivated workers have higher levels of engagement, better health and are able to work longer. Improving motivation at work is therefore a key component in meeting the challenges of Europe’s ageing workforce and improving the EU’s long-term competitiveness on a global scale. This means that fosterin
After more than 60 years of European policy on the equal treatment of women and men, men still outnumber women in management positions by almost two to one. The women who do make it into management are more likely to be in non-supervising management roles where they manage operational responsibiliti
Manual jobs in European manufacturing are being transformed as blue-collar workers take on more intellectual tasks. This is a consequence of the increasing use of digital tools and the growing importance of quality control in production. The severe losses of middle-paying jobs in the manufacturing s
The workings of industrial relations are constantly evolving. In this blog piece, Eurofound authors Christian Welz and Ricardo Rodriguez Contreras discuss a tool that Eurofound has developed to enable this process of change to be monitored and analysed, enabling stakeholders in Member States to asse
Dr Erika Mezger, Eurofound's Deputy Director, outlines what the European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) says about working conditions among German workers and how they compare to those of the rest of Europe.
Even in the confused and contentious context of the new US President-elect as well as the EU’s post- Brexit deliberations, it is hard to argue otherwise. But, while having a job in the first place is clearly of paramount importance to people - and society at large – there is also a more sophisticate
This policy brief investigates how organisations are adapting their work organisation and practices to hybrid work. Based on case studies and on data from the European Working Conditions Survey 2024, the policy brief examines how hybrid work is being managed in organisations and profiles t