Suchergebnisse

This book is about the incomes and living standards of the people of Europe. It treats employment, income inequality and poverty, housing, health, education, deprivation and social exclusion. The reader will learn about many of the social issues confronting Europe. How much income poverty is there in Europe? Is inequality increasing? Does a job guarantee escape from income poverty? How is Europe's welfare state coping with the economic crisis? The book is a timely contribution to the Europe 2020 Agenda as it explores the new landscape of EU targets' and the implications for monitoring at EU and national levels.

By the standards of the International Labour Organization (ILO), working conditions in Europe are relatively enviable. This chapter, however, highlights a number of trends that are both counterproductive for companies and harmful for employees and the community. Over the past twenty years, the conditions and forms of work organisation have been changing in ways that no longer meet the evolution of the working population. In particular, they no longer match the high and 'expressive' expectations of ever more qualified employees, the increasing number of women in the labour market, changing lifestyles and an ageing workforce. During this time, the notion of 'quality of work' has sometimes been high on the political agenda. It is now being taken into consideration at the European level thanks to the new European Pillar of Social Rights and the concept of sustainable work. This chapter explores academic and political discourses on the quality of work and provides a review of working conditions in Europe and current challenges in this area. It is based on successive waves of the European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) conducted by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound). In conclusion, we ask whether the notion of sustainable work can be incorporated into the ILO's forward-looking approach and become a decisive factor in the future of the world of work.

By the standards of the International Labour Organization (ILO), working conditions in Europe are relatively enviable. This chapter, however, highlights a number of trends that are both counterproductive for companies and harmful for employees and the community. Over the past twenty years, the conditions and forms of work organisation have been changing in ways that no longer meet the evolution of the working population. In particular, they no longer match the high and 'expressive' expectations of ever more qualified employees, the increasing number of women in the labour market, changing lifestyles and an ageing workforce. During this time, the notion of 'quality of work' has sometimes been high on the political agenda. It is now being taken into consideration at the European level thanks to the new European Pillar of Social Rights and the concept of sustainable work. This chapter explores academic and political discourses on the quality of work and provides a review of working conditions in Europe and current challenges in this area. It is based on successive waves of the European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) conducted by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound). In conclusion, we ask whether the notion of sustainable work can be incorporated into the ILO's forward-looking approach and become a decisive factor in the future of the world of work.

In recent years, it has often been claimed that social cohesion, the social fabric of our societies, is decaying. The present report undertakes an empirical exploration of the validity of this alarmist view and considers the importance of social cohesion for citizens' assessments of their quality of life. Drawing on data from the three most recent rounds of Eurofound's European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS) – carried out in 2007, 2011 and 2016 – the report sets out to assess the current level of social cohesion in the EU and its evolution over time. It focuses on groups that are at risk of experiencing low social cohesion and on societal characteristics that contribute to creating cohesion. Overall, the findings reveal that in addition to the predictable drivers of social cohesion – prosperity, a generous and inclusive welfare system, high levels of education and low unemployment – digital skills has emerged as a critical driver, leading to more cohesive societies and thereby happier citizens in the EU.