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Baankwaliteit

Baankwaliteit vormt in combinatie met de gemeten hoeveelheid banen een middel om beoordeling van de werkgelegenheidsstrategie mogelijk te maken. Baankwaliteit is een multidimensionaal concept waarbij, afhankelijk van beleidsagenda en vakgebied, verschillende dimensies worden benadrukt. 

In de meeste onderzoeken van Eurofound wordt baankwaliteit gemeten op het niveau van de baan. Baankwaliteit omvat objectieve kenmerken van het werk, die kunnen worden waargenomen en die verband houden met de behoeften van mensen op het werk. Het gaat hierbij om alle kenmerken van werk en werkgelegenheid die een bewezen oorzakelijk verband hebben met gezondheid en welzijn. Zowel positieve als negatieve kenmerken van het werk worden in aanmerking genomen. Deze indicatoren weerspiegelen de middelen die voor het werk nodig zijn (fysieke, psychologische, sociale of organisatorische aspecten) en de eisen die het werk stelt of de processen die daarop van invloed zijn.

Topic

Recent updates

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This report analyses data from Eurofound’s 2021 European Working Conditions Telephone Survey and its 2022 Living, working and COVID-19 e-survey, as well as data from official statistics, to examine employment...

10 december 2024
Publication
Research report
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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...

1 juli 2024
Publication
Research report

EU context

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.  

European Industrial Relations Dictionary

Key messages

  • 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 research

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.

Working conditions survey: Job quality indices

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.

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. 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.

Key outputs

ef23032-card-cover.png

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...

1 juli 2024
Publication
Research report
ef23003-card-cover.png

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a diverse collection of workers ensured the functioning of our societies. In a time of crisis, they maintained access to healthcare, long-term care and other essential...

10 oktober 2023
Publication
Policy brief
ef19003-card.jpg

Gender inequality at work persists across Europe, despite the long standing attention paid and efforts made to tackle it. This Eurofound report presents a closer look at women’s and men’s...

3 maart 2020
Publication
Research report
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Job quality is a major focus of policymakers around the world. For workers, the enterprises that employ them and for societies, there are benefits associated with high-quality jobs, and costs...

6 mei 2019
Publication
Research report
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The sixth European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) builds on the lessons learned from the previous five surveys to paint a wide-ranging picture of Europe at work across countries, occupations, sectors...

17 november 2016
Publication
Research report

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.

Working conditions survey: Job quality indices

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

Infographic

 

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.

Eurofound expert(s)

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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...

Senior research manager,
Working life research unit
Publications results (162)

This report analyses data from Eurofound’s 2021 European Working Conditions Telephone Survey and its 2022 Living, working and COVID-19 e-survey, as well as data from official statistics, to examine employment trends, working conditions and the social situation of young people in the Western Balkans.

10 December 2024

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 practices and the development of new activities and products. Climate change risks are associated with

01 July 2024

Ensuring greater social protection for self-employed people has been the subject of much policy debate in recent years. In 2019, the Council of the European Union adopted a recommendation on access to social protection for workers and the self-employed. Sudden reductions in income during the COVID-1

30 January 2024

In this report, we provide projections of how the Fit for 55 policy package may affect the sectoral and occupational structure of employment in the EU by 2030, and the impacts across different regions and countries.

25 October 2023

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a diverse collection of workers ensured the functioning of our societies. In a time of crisis, they maintained access to healthcare, long-term care and other essential goods and services, including food, water, electricity, the internet and waste treatment.

10 October 2023

In het verslag worden plausibele en denkbare scenario’s onderzocht waarin wordt nagegaan hoe telewerken en hybride werken in de EU zich tegen 2035 zouden kunnen ontwikkelen, en wat de gevolgen daarvan zijn voor de arbeidswereld. Hoe zijn managers en werknemers, werkgeversorganisaties en vakbonden

28 April 2023

Als gevolg van de strenge gezondheidsmaatregelen die de overheid in 2020 heeft opgelegd om de COVID-19-pandemie het hoofd te bieden, is ons werkleven er plots helemaal anders gaan uitzien. De beperkingen hebben zich ook in de twee jaar daarna nog laten voelen. Tussen maart en november 2021 werden

29 November 2022

Digitisation and automation technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), can affect working conditions in a variety of ways and their use in the workplace raises a host of new ethical concerns. Recently, the policy debate surrounding these concerns has become more prominent and has increasi

30 May 2022

In onderzoek naar het transformatiepotentieel van de digitale revolutie wordt vaak een kwantitatieve benadering gehanteerd, in een poging om veranderingen in de werkgelegenheid als gevolg van digitalisering te monitoren. De angst voor mogelijk banenverlies en ontwrichting als gevolg van digitale

25 October 2021

In dit vlaggenschiprapport worden beknopt de belangrijkste bevindingen weergegeven van het onderzoek van Eurofound naar de arbeidsomstandigheden dat is uitgevoerd in de programmeringsperiode 2017-2020. In het rapport wordt de vooruitgang geïnventariseerd die sinds 2000 is geboekt bij het verbeteren

26 February 2021

Online resources results (167)

Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound researchers Agnès Parent-Thirion, Tina Weber and Jorge Cabrita about how climate change is influencing working conditions and the labour market in Europe, the role of the green transition, and how policy can help protect workers and safeguard workplaces.

16 oktober 2024

Presentation by Ricardo Rodriguez Contreras, Research Manager, Eurofound. 2-3 October 2023, EMCO meeting hosted by the Spanish Presidency, Madrid.

9 oktober 2023

In this episode of Eurofound Talks, Eurofound Head of Unit for Working Life Barbara Gerstenberger discusses what the EWCTS reveals about job quality, the implications of poor-quality jobs on well-being and broader society, and what policymakers can do to improve the working lives of people in Europe

8 februari 2023

Living, working and COVID-19: Impact on gender equality 11 March 2021, European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) virtual meeting Presentation by Maria Jepsen, Acting Executive Director, Eurofound

22 maart 2021

France: Latest working life developments – Q1 2017

Preparations for the presidential election and a revival of national social dialogue with the signing of a new collective agreement on the unemployment insurance scheme are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in working life in France i

France: First company-level agreement on digital transformation signed at Orange

The new agreement signed by Orange and three trade unions contains measures designed to achieve a level-playing field for employees and to avoid ‘over-consumption’ of digital tools, a key element being respect for work–life balance with a guaranteed ‘right to switch off’.


Blogs results (16)

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 policies will benefit and not disadvantage workers.

The COVID-19 pandemic made us acutely aware of how dependent our society is on certain essential workers. We felt deep gratitude towards workers in healthcare especially, because they worked ceaselessly in often-difficult conditions.

22 november 2023
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The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live and work. With the lifting of restrictions across the globe, we are now able to examine the many repercussions on the world of work. In particular, the unique demands of the last few years have shone a harsh spotlight on the pressures brought to bear

17 januari 2023
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A cocktail of insecurity, misinformation and mistrust imperil Europe’s future. Reliable, accessible data are at a premium.

14 december 2022
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As we leave behind the lockdowns and business disruptions of COVID-19 and enter a ‘new normal’, it is time to talk about how workplaces might be transformed to drive innovation. Some may baulk at this suggestion, as we continue to grapple with the pandemic fallout, but crises have always been a crad

28 juni 2021
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COVID-19 has shown that some things can hit us out of the blue. The pandemic sent a shockwave through businesses all over the world and has brought massive changes to work organisation, internal communication and day-to-day operations for many companies. Doubtless, the depth of the pandemic’s impact

21 juni 2021
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Health professionals – doctors, nurses, nursing assistants, paramedics, ambulance workers – are in the vanguard of the battle against COVID-19. They are the ones dealing with sick people, triaging, testing and treating them. They are the ones confronting suffering and death. While some of their coll

31 maart 2020
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We hear more and more about the platform economy, with the debate often revolving around the potential long-term implications of its growth on the labour market and the impact on traditional and established businesses and industries.

28 januari 2020
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Much of the discussion on the future of work is focused on globalisation and technology, and their impacts on the labour market. However, there is also a growing interest in the business models used by cooperatives and social enterprises, and how they can contribute to a better future of work. Eurof

15 november 2019
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Economic disparities have been decreasing between EU member states over the past decade, but at the same time inequality has been growing within member states. Despite national level convergence, the gap in wealth and income between the rich and the poor is growing in most of Europe. Some of this ri

29 oktober 2019

Upcoming publications results (6)

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the transition to hybrid work, where employees split their time between working from home and on-site. While this model offers increased flexibility, it also introduces unique challenges for managers requiring innovative approaches to leadership, communication,

March 2026

As the digital revolution unfolds, the rapid advancement of AI and algorithmic management technologies is poised to profoundly transform the world of work and employment. Building on Eurofound's established conceptual framework, which identifies automation, digitisation and platforms as key drivers

February 2026
Forthcoming
Publication
Eurofound research paper

The overview report of the European Working Conditions Survey 2024 ( EWCS24) provides a comprehensive description of the workforce, and includes information on digital work practices, social relations at work and inclusive workplaces. It evaluates job quality across seven dimensions: earnings,

November 2025

Building on existing Eurofound research, this report examines how digitalisation, digital skills, innovation and training strategies influence job quality, working conditions and training access in European SMEs. It compares SME workers to the broader workforce, identifying barriers unique to SMEs

October 2025

The first findings from the European Working Conditions Survey 2024 (EWCS24) provide information on changes over time in the seven domains of job quality and key indicators on the quality of working life and sustainable work. They also include information on algorithmic management, hybrid work,

May 2025

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

April 2025
Data results (5)
24 oktober 2023
Reference period:

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