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Employment and Social Developments in Europe 2014
The 2007 Task Force created an initial This index is focused on job quality from EU Seventh Framework
framework for measuring quality of the perspective of workers; it captures Programme
employment with seven dimensions and most of the areas of job quality from
110
over 50 indicators( ). The framework the social sciences literature. Working conditions and job quality
was implemented by nine countries by have been a prominent feature under
the end of the Task Force’s term, leading Although the variables refer to informa- the socio-economic research pro-
111
to nine pilot country reports( ). tion measured at the level of individual grammes of the EU’s Research Frame-
workers, job quality is computed and work Programmes. Below, the two most
The ILO decent work concept and the reported only at national level based on recent and relevant European research
UNECE Task Force-proposed set of averages( ). Apart from a readily avail - projects on this theme are briefly pre-
114
indicators are designed to capture able gender breakdown, it is not possible sented. For a more exhaustive over-
aspects of labour markets in both to break it down in order to analyse spe- view of recent comparative research
developing and developed countries, cific groups of workers (e.g. by occupa- in Europe, see Chapter 4 ‘Toward bet-
and thus they put more emphasis on tion, type of contract). ter job quality and working conditions:
labour rights (including no child and increasing productivity and work-
forced labour) and social protection The results are consistent with most related well-being’ in the European
aspects in their definitions than the of the results from other indices: best Commission Policy Review, ‘New skills
European Commission’s and Euro- performers are the Northern countries, and jobs in Europe: Pathways towards
115
found frameworks. and lowest values are found for East- full employment’ ( ).
ern and Southern European countries.
In 2012, with a time frame of 2012–15, The JQI also allows comparisons over NEUJOBS project
an Expert Group on Measuring the Quality time for the EU-15 countries. How-
of Employment was established within ever, caution needs to be taken as the NEUJOBS is a research project financed
the framework of the Conference of Euro - index is based on various data sources, by the European Commission under
pean Statisticians, with the main objec- not all of which are updated with the the Seventh Framework Programme
tive to revise the conceptual structure same periodicity. (FP7-SSH). Its objective is to analyse
and the set of indicators of the quality likely future developments in the Euro-
of employment. European Job Quality Indicator: pean labour market(s), in view of four
European Parliament major transitions that are expected
European Trade Union Institute’s to impact employment and European
112
(ETUI) Job Quality index ( ) The European Parliament (2009) came societies in general( 116 ).
up with an outline for the development
The ETUI started work on this issue in of a European Job Quality Index. The The WP 2 (work package) called ‘Good
2008. The job quality index (JQI) com- authors suggest that the new indica - jobs-bad jobs, cultural attributes of
prises six dimensions based on 16 indi- tor should be based only on variables decent work in Europe’ looks at issues
cators, which in turn are drawn from that directly affect the quality of work of job quality. The package considers
individual variables taken from differ- and employment. Ideally, it should be the conceptualisation of job quality
ent sources( 113 ). The six dimensions constructed from individual data. They from both the labour law perspec
-
are: wages, non-standard forms of suggest as a leading source the EWCS. tive and the perspective of employees
employment, working conditions, work- The future indicator should include the through case studies and in-depth
ing time and work-life balance, access following dimensions: work, employ- face-to-face interviews( 117 ). In contrast
to training and career advancement, ment, and a joint dimension for work to previous approaches, the NEUJOBS
and collective interest representation and employment (see European Parlia- project does not seek to measure job
and participation. ment 2009). quality nor come up with particular
( ) 1) safety and ethics of employment (safety at ( ) Publications Office of the European
110
115
work, child and forced labour, fair treatment ( ) It is constructed by first normalising Union, Luxembourg, 2012.
114
in employment); 2) income and benefits the indicators for each dimension, then http://ec.europa.eu/research/social-sciences/
from employment, including also non- weighting the normalised indicators within pdf/new-skils-and-jobs-in-europe_en.pdf
wage pecuniary benefits; 3) working hours each dimension, and then summing up 116
and balancing work and non-working life the dimensions (i.e. each dimension is ( ) These transitions are: 1. socio-ecological
(working hours, working time arrangements); equally weighted or equally important for transition (a change in the patterns of
4) security of employment and social the overall result of the index). As for each social organisation and culture, production
protection; 5) social dialogue; 6) skills composite index this method involves some and consumption beyond the current
development and training; 7) workplace discretion in choosing the weights. The industrial model towards a more sustainable
relationships and work motivation. For more sensitivity analysis shows however that future); 2. societal transition produced by
information see UNECE (2009). the results are quite stable to changing the a combination of factors like population ageing,
( ) Canada, Mexico, Finland, France, Germany, weights (Leschke, Watt and Finn, 2008). low fertility rates, changing family structures,
111
urbanisation and growing female employment;
Israel, Italy, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine. The indicators are normalised by rescaling 3. new territorial dynamics and the balance
See UNECE (2010). each value to the proportion they represent between agglomeration and dispersion forces;
112
( ) ETUI is the research arm of the European with respect to the difference between and, 4. skills (upgrading) transition and its likely
the maximum and minimum values for
Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), the most the base year, which is set to 2000 for consequences for employment and (in)equality.
important representative body of workers EU-15 and 2007 for EU-27. This system ( ) The interviews are semi-structured
117
at EU level and a major player as a social of normalization is a widely used method qualitative interviews, with many open
partner in the EU policy area of work and for comparing countries’ performance questions. However, they give additional
employment. (for example, in the construction of the valuable information and allow taking into
( ) The index is based on five sources: LFS, SILC, Human Development Index) and has the account cultural aspects. There are five
113
AMECO, EWCS and ICTWSS (the latter stands advantage of putting each value in relation groups of actors interviewed: social partners,
for Database on Institutional Characteristics to the best and worst cases. For more governments and parties, civil society
of Trade Unions, Wage Setting, State methodological details see Leschke, Watt organisations, research communities, and
Intervention and Social Pacts). and Finn, and 2012. separately, employees.
176
The 2007 Task Force created an initial This index is focused on job quality from EU Seventh Framework
framework for measuring quality of the perspective of workers; it captures Programme
employment with seven dimensions and most of the areas of job quality from
110
over 50 indicators( ). The framework the social sciences literature. Working conditions and job quality
was implemented by nine countries by have been a prominent feature under
the end of the Task Force’s term, leading Although the variables refer to informa- the socio-economic research pro-
111
to nine pilot country reports( ). tion measured at the level of individual grammes of the EU’s Research Frame-
workers, job quality is computed and work Programmes. Below, the two most
The ILO decent work concept and the reported only at national level based on recent and relevant European research
UNECE Task Force-proposed set of averages( ). Apart from a readily avail - projects on this theme are briefly pre-
114
indicators are designed to capture able gender breakdown, it is not possible sented. For a more exhaustive over-
aspects of labour markets in both to break it down in order to analyse spe- view of recent comparative research
developing and developed countries, cific groups of workers (e.g. by occupa- in Europe, see Chapter 4 ‘Toward bet-
and thus they put more emphasis on tion, type of contract). ter job quality and working conditions:
labour rights (including no child and increasing productivity and work-
forced labour) and social protection The results are consistent with most related well-being’ in the European
aspects in their definitions than the of the results from other indices: best Commission Policy Review, ‘New skills
European Commission’s and Euro- performers are the Northern countries, and jobs in Europe: Pathways towards
115
found frameworks. and lowest values are found for East- full employment’ ( ).
ern and Southern European countries.
In 2012, with a time frame of 2012–15, The JQI also allows comparisons over NEUJOBS project
an Expert Group on Measuring the Quality time for the EU-15 countries. How-
of Employment was established within ever, caution needs to be taken as the NEUJOBS is a research project financed
the framework of the Conference of Euro - index is based on various data sources, by the European Commission under
pean Statisticians, with the main objec- not all of which are updated with the the Seventh Framework Programme
tive to revise the conceptual structure same periodicity. (FP7-SSH). Its objective is to analyse
and the set of indicators of the quality likely future developments in the Euro-
of employment. European Job Quality Indicator: pean labour market(s), in view of four
European Parliament major transitions that are expected
European Trade Union Institute’s to impact employment and European
112
(ETUI) Job Quality index ( ) The European Parliament (2009) came societies in general( 116 ).
up with an outline for the development
The ETUI started work on this issue in of a European Job Quality Index. The The WP 2 (work package) called ‘Good
2008. The job quality index (JQI) com- authors suggest that the new indica - jobs-bad jobs, cultural attributes of
prises six dimensions based on 16 indi- tor should be based only on variables decent work in Europe’ looks at issues
cators, which in turn are drawn from that directly affect the quality of work of job quality. The package considers
individual variables taken from differ- and employment. Ideally, it should be the conceptualisation of job quality
ent sources( 113 ). The six dimensions constructed from individual data. They from both the labour law perspec
-
are: wages, non-standard forms of suggest as a leading source the EWCS. tive and the perspective of employees
employment, working conditions, work- The future indicator should include the through case studies and in-depth
ing time and work-life balance, access following dimensions: work, employ- face-to-face interviews( 117 ). In contrast
to training and career advancement, ment, and a joint dimension for work to previous approaches, the NEUJOBS
and collective interest representation and employment (see European Parlia- project does not seek to measure job
and participation. ment 2009). quality nor come up with particular
( ) 1) safety and ethics of employment (safety at ( ) Publications Office of the European
110
115
work, child and forced labour, fair treatment ( ) It is constructed by first normalising Union, Luxembourg, 2012.
114
in employment); 2) income and benefits the indicators for each dimension, then http://ec.europa.eu/research/social-sciences/
from employment, including also non- weighting the normalised indicators within pdf/new-skils-and-jobs-in-europe_en.pdf
wage pecuniary benefits; 3) working hours each dimension, and then summing up 116
and balancing work and non-working life the dimensions (i.e. each dimension is ( ) These transitions are: 1. socio-ecological
(working hours, working time arrangements); equally weighted or equally important for transition (a change in the patterns of
4) security of employment and social the overall result of the index). As for each social organisation and culture, production
protection; 5) social dialogue; 6) skills composite index this method involves some and consumption beyond the current
development and training; 7) workplace discretion in choosing the weights. The industrial model towards a more sustainable
relationships and work motivation. For more sensitivity analysis shows however that future); 2. societal transition produced by
information see UNECE (2009). the results are quite stable to changing the a combination of factors like population ageing,
( ) Canada, Mexico, Finland, France, Germany, weights (Leschke, Watt and Finn, 2008). low fertility rates, changing family structures,
111
urbanisation and growing female employment;
Israel, Italy, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine. The indicators are normalised by rescaling 3. new territorial dynamics and the balance
See UNECE (2010). each value to the proportion they represent between agglomeration and dispersion forces;
112
( ) ETUI is the research arm of the European with respect to the difference between and, 4. skills (upgrading) transition and its likely
the maximum and minimum values for
Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), the most the base year, which is set to 2000 for consequences for employment and (in)equality.
important representative body of workers EU-15 and 2007 for EU-27. This system ( ) The interviews are semi-structured
117
at EU level and a major player as a social of normalization is a widely used method qualitative interviews, with many open
partner in the EU policy area of work and for comparing countries’ performance questions. However, they give additional
employment. (for example, in the construction of the valuable information and allow taking into
( ) The index is based on five sources: LFS, SILC, Human Development Index) and has the account cultural aspects. There are five
113
AMECO, EWCS and ICTWSS (the latter stands advantage of putting each value in relation groups of actors interviewed: social partners,
for Database on Institutional Characteristics to the best and worst cases. For more governments and parties, civil society
of Trade Unions, Wage Setting, State methodological details see Leschke, Watt organisations, research communities, and
Intervention and Social Pacts). and Finn, and 2012. separately, employees.
176
