European Working Conditions Survey Research Articles

Is tourism development associated with employment of low quality?

Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze whether higher tourism development in a region is associated with lower-quality employment in that region. Design/methodology/approach The analysis is based on the last two editions of the European Working Conditions Survey and on the tourism development of European regions. Two samples were studied (2015 and 2021). Findings Tourism development does not affect the quality of employment in regions. The institutional regime of the country to which the region belongs is associated with the job quality (JQ) in the region. Research limitations/implications Only subjective indicators of employment quality are considered in the analysis. Practical implications The quality of employment is related to the institutional regime. Policymakers should consider the institutional factors of social democratic countries to improve the low quality of tourism occupations. Originality/value Research on the quality of employment in tourism has mostly focused on tourism occupations without considering determinants other than industry characteristics. This research is unique because it includes both the institutional view of JQ and the overall regional employment.

Labour market insecurity and volunteering in the European Union: policy suggestions for job security

PurposeThere is extensive literature on the determinants of job tenure insecurity. However, very little is known about the individual drivers of labour market insecurity. Additionally, while a piece of literature shows that volunteering improves workers' income, no study considers volunteering as an activity which could help workers to feel more confident about their perception of labour market insecurity if they lost or resigned their jobs. Therefore, purpose of this paper is to study whether workers who volunteer are less likely to perceive labour market insecurity.Design/methodology/approachThe paper employs data from the sixth European working conditions survey which provides a great deal of information on working conditions. For the empirical investigation, probit model as well as robustness analysis have been implemented.FindingsResults show that employees who do voluntary activities have a greater likelihood of declaring perceived labour market insecurity, which is nearly 3 percentage points lower, than employees who do not volunteer. Findings suggest that governments need to improve the relationship between for-profit and non-profit sectors to encourage volunteering.Originality/valueThis is the first study which considers volunteering as an activity which could help workers to feel more confident about their perception of “labour market insecurity”. Most of the studies on “labour market insecurity” do not focus on the workers individual characteristics but mainly on the labour markets institutional characteristics and welfare regimes differences.

Matching it up: Non‐standard work and job satisfaction

AbstractWe study the link between working arrangements and job satisfaction and provide novel insights on the (mis)match between preferred and actual working arrangements. We propose an empirical strategy to identify this mismatch at an individual level and apply this approach to data from the European Working Conditions Survey. We demonstrate that the extent of mismatch differs across European countries, and reducing the mismatch between working arrangements and workers could substantially boost overall job satisfaction. We find that the non‐standard working arrangements are less frequently mismatched among women and parents. Overall, one‐size‐fits‐all policies to deregulate or curb non‐standard working arrangements are not likely to maximize job satisfaction across Europe.

Living in rural areas and self-employment

ABSTRACT Are workers in rural areas more likely to be self-employed compared to those in urban areas? Are their employment outcomes better than their counterparts in rural areas? To answer these questions, this paper uses data from the European Working Conditions Survey for the year 2015, encompassing 35 European countries. Results reveal that individuals in rural areas exhibit a higher likelihood of being self-employed, compared to their urban counterparts. However, self-employed workers in rural areas experience significantly worse employment outcomes than their urban counterparts, as they receive lower earnings. Despite the more demanding working conditions, workers in rural Europe are more inclined towards self-employment as a mean of livelihood. These findings suggest that self-employment serves as a crucial mechanism for individuals in rural areas to cope with developmental and institutional challenges, and highlight the importance of regional supportive self-employment policies.

Quality Trumps Quantity: Exploring Relationships between Job Quality, Job Quantity, and Sleep

Despite ample research on the relationship between work and sleep, little is known about the relative importance of each job quality dimension for sleep quality and whether the relationship in contingent on job quantity (i.e., working hours). Drawing on a unified analytic framework of job quality and job quantity, this study aims to investigate the interactive relationship between job quality and job quantity and their impact on sleep quality using the 2015 European Working Conditions Survey. Our findings suggest that whereas working hours have a weak association with sleep quality, job quality has a more significant impact on sleep quality, with different dimensions playing varying roles. Most favorable job characteristics (e.g., low work intensity, good physical environment, high working time quality) are linked to better sleep quality. In contrast, high skill and discretion is associated with poorer sleep quality. Furthermore, the importance of most job quality indices remains even when people work shorter hours, highlighting the continued importance of job quality for well-being in the global trend of a shorter working week.

The influence of supervisor supportive behaviors on subordinate job satisfaction: the moderating effect of gender similarity.

This paper analyses the influence that different supervisor supportive behaviors have on subordinate job satisfaction, while considering the gender of individuals involved (supervisor and subordinate). The empirical evidence provided by a sample of 29,833 subordinates from 35 European countries collected by Eurofound through the European Working Condition Survey allows us to assert the following. First, subordinate job satisfaction depends on their perceptions about the supportive behaviors provided by their supervisors in terms of respect, giving recognition for a job well done, coordinating work, helping get the job done, and encouraging the professional development of the subordinate. Second, job satisfaction is affected by supervisor gender, although in the opposite direction as hypothesized, such that when the supervisor is a woman, subordinates report lower job satisfaction. Third, also contrary to our expectations, supervisor-subordinate gender similarity reduces, rather than increases, subordinate job satisfaction. Fourth, gender similarity, as expected, weakens the impact of several supervisor supportive behaviors on this job satisfaction (i.e., giving recognition, coordinating work, helping get the job done, and encouraging development). In terms of practical implications, this work suggests that it is advisable for supervisors to show supportive behaviors toward subordinates. In addition, because demonstrating respect at work is not moderated by gender similarity and seems to be the most impactful supportive behavior for enhancing job satisfaction, supervisors should pay particular attention to the respect of subordinates.

Flexicurity and self-perceived work–life balance in the EU27: A repeated cross-sectional multilevel analysis

This study examines the relationship between flexicurity policies and work–life balance, addressing the research question ‘How do higher flexicurity efforts in a country relate to employee perceptions of work–life balance?’ The European Commission adopted flexicurity in 2007 and proposed employment quality as an expected outcome. Work–life balance, a dimension monitored as part of employment quality, has so far been assumed as an implicit outcome of flexicurity, but no empirical research is dedicated to the topic per se. In this article the authors construct a composite indicator to proxy for national flexicurity efforts following the European Commission’s guidelines. For work–life balance and other individual characteristics, the authors employ data on about 74,000 EU27 employees from the three latest waves of the European Working Conditions Survey. First, findings show that the between-country differences in work–life balance were narrower in 2015 compared to 2005. Second, the multilevel analysis suggests that the higher a country scores as regards its flexicurity policies, the likelier its citizens are to report having a work–life balance.

Healthcare professionals' voice as a road to burnout and work engagement? The role of relational outcomes: An exploratory study of European countries

PurposeHealthcare professionals are key in healthcare organisations but are subject to long working hours and may have to make complex life-and-death decisions. As frontline agents dealing with human lives, giving them a voice is paramount. This study explores the impact of employee voice (assessed based on employee perceptions on how much they are consulted and how much influence they have on task-related decisions) on health professionals' work engagement and burnout when mediated by relational outcomes (perceived organisational support, workplace trust, workplace recognition and meaningful work).Design/methodology/approachA sample of 3,266 health professionals retrieved from the European Working Condition Survey was used. The quantitative analysis was performed using the partial least square structural equation modelling and multiple regression analyses.FindingsThe results indicate that employee voice has a direct positive impact on work engagement, but employee voice's direct effects on burnout still need to be confirmed. Relational outcomes are found to mediate the relationship between employee voice and burnout (decreasing it) and between employee voice and work engagement (increasing it).Practical implicationsPractices of employee voice in the workplace are fundamental to promoting health professionals' well-being. Trust, recognition, support and the feeling of doing meaningful work increase the influence of employee voice, especially in reducing the levels of burnout.Originality/valueThis is the first study that assesses, at a European level, the importance that ‘giving health professionals a voice' has on crucial employee outcomes: work engagement, burnout and relational outcomes.

Job satisfaction in Europe: a gender analysis

PurposeThe main aim of this study was to examine gender differences in job satisfaction in Europe.Design/methodology/approachFor the empirical analysis, data from the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey were used. Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition with a principal component analysis (PCA) aggregated variable, after unconditional quantile regressions in a multiple imputation background, was implemented.FindingsWomen report higher job satisfaction than men do. Women were significantly more satisfied than men for the middle levels of the job satisfaction distribution.Originality/valueThis study expands the evidence on the determinants of job satisfaction in the European labour market by applying a recent form of decomposition that invests in unconditional quantile regression (UQR). To the best of this study knowledge, this is the first time that the Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition with a PCA aggregated variable after unconditional quantile regression has been employed to study gender-based differences in job satisfaction.

Revalue, reintegrate and reempower seniors: Educational level and continuing training make a difference

AbstractIn recent years, the proportion of the active population over 55 years of age has increased and, with it, early retirement, unemployment of older workers and senior “push” entrepreneurs. Given the repercussions at a social and economic level, the debate about the need to recover and keep seniors in the labour market is becoming increasingly rife. The aim of this study is to evaluate the evolution and European tendency towards the training and reintegration of seniors and demomstrate how formal education and continuous training can make a difference when it comes to prolonging their working life and subordinate their conditions and employment opportunities. Data from the European Working Conditions Survey between 2010 and 2021 are used and a descriptive statistical analysis and a hypotheses contrast are carried out using the Student's t test. The results show: (1) a greater effort to train and revalue seniors; and (2) that educational level and training generate significant differences in terms of the type of tasks to be performed and some variables that condition job satisfaction.

Digital technologies, learning capacity of the organization and innovation: EU-wide empirical evidence from a combined dataset

Abstract This paper investigates the effects of digitalization and organizational practices on innovation in Europe, between 2010 and 2016. We analyze the cross-country and industry differences in firms’ investments and capabilities to adopt and use new technologies and their effects on innovation outputs. Along with traditional drivers of innovation, such as research and development (R&D) expenditure, two composite indicators are constructed. One encompasses direct measures of the adoption and use in enterprises of a set of digital technologies. The other measures the learning capacity of organizations, which captures the use of management tools and organizational practices concerned with the improvement of individual and organizational learning. Product, process, organizational, and marketing innovations are identified as well as their combinations within companies. Empirical evidence is provided by a unique dataset based on the integration at the sector within the country level of European Union (EU)-wide employers’ and employees’ surveys: the Community Innovation Survey (CIS), the Community Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) usage and e-commerce in enterprises survey (Eurostat), and the European Working Conditions Survey (Eurofound). The descriptive evidence shows that Digital technology adoption and use is rapidly growing across Europe, while the Learning capacity of organizations remains stagnant. By contrast, our results from the econometric analysis show that these investments can favor all forms of innovations and that, further, they may show some complementarity. Overall, a mix of product/process innovations and organizational/marketing innovations rests on joint investments in R&D, digital technology adoption and use, and learning capacity of the organization.

Mobile work, individual aspirations and job satisfaction in Europe

PurposeThis article responds to the call for more research on mobile work by exploring how the aspirations of these workers relate to job satisfaction through adaptation to the job characteristics they experience.Design/methodology/approachBased on aspiration theory and the literature on mobile work, the paper examines how mobile workers form aspirations and how this is related to their perception of job satisfaction. The empirical analysis uses a two-tier stochastic frontier analysis and the 2015 European Working Conditions Survey dataset.FindingsMobile workers formulate higher aspirations than the working conditions they experience and report lower levels of job satisfaction than other types of workers. They revise their aspirations downwards when they experience autonomy, discretion, performance-related pay schemes, relation-oriented leadership while they increase their aspirations when they experience work intensification and discrimination.Originality/valueThis paper provides new insights into the work perceptions of mobile workers and enriches existing research by highlighting the importance of the study of individual aspirations to advance understanding of the complex dynamics of mobile work.

The role of organizational factors in promoting workers' health in the construction sector: A comprehensive analysis

Introduction: The number of physical and mental problems caused by occupational accidents and diseases increases every year. To control them, the safety climate at work is a recognized critical factor. However, a widely applicable model to capture the safety climate for various industries and organizations is lacking. Method: This study proposes a theoretical model to measure the direct and indirect effects of safety climate on workers' physical and mental health, mediated by job satisfaction, in the construction sector. We propose a multidimensional construct of safety climate, considering the most salient factors from the literature, and including psychological capital as a new factor. Using data from the last wave of the European Working Conditions Survey (2015) in Spain, the proposed model was validated using structural equation modeling. Results: Our findings suggest that to further improve the mental health of construction workers, work-life balance and job rewards and compensation must be prioritized along with safety climate. As for physical health, safety climate and work-life balance are crucial. Finally, we provide some recommendations for construction company managers based on a ranking of all the factors affecting the safety climate and the workers’ health.

The impact of skills mismatches on occupational accidents: An analysis of the effectiveness of organizational responses

This paper analyzes the effect of worker under-skilling on occupational safety. We estimate the impact of skill deficits on the probability of suffering an accident at work and, second, on the duration of sick leave. In addition, we test whether the company's measures to control the actions of these workers reduce this effect. We propose two moderation models in a sample of 42,871 workers obtained from the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS6). The results show that under-skilled workers suffer more accidents and longer periods of sick leave. Furthermore, the results suggest that on-the-job training, safety information, and teamwork weaken the relationship between under-skilling and accidents. However, the duration of sick leave is only reduced by teamwork. Our analysis shows that certain organizational and regulatory practices need to be modified to address the health effects of a lack of skills. The article includes some proposals in this regard.

Satisfaction of basic psychological needs and European entrepreneurs' well-being and health: The association with job satisfaction and entrepreneurial motivation.

We examine an integrative model associating entrepreneurial motivation and job satisfaction with basic psychological needs satisfaction and the psychological well-being (PWB) and health problems of European entrepreneurs. In contrast with previous literature that focuses mainly on hedonic well-being, this study examines well-being by using a eudaimonic perspective and the link between entrepreneurial motivation and entrepreneurs' PWB. Based on the self-determination theory (SDT) and using structural equation modeling, this study examines a European representative sample composed of 7,878 entrepreneurs from the sixth European Working Conditions Survey (6th EWCS; Eurofound [2015] database). This study finds a positive relationship between the satisfaction of the need for autonomy and competence and opportunity motivation, which in turn is positively associated with job satisfaction. This study also finds that need satisfaction is positively associated with entrepreneurs' PWB and job satisfaction, which in turn is positively associated with entrepreneurs' PWB and health. Results highlight the relevance of SDT, opportunity motivation, and job satisfaction to understanding entrepreneurs' PWB and health. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first integrative model relating satisfaction of basic psychological needs (autonomy and competence) and diverse individual outcomes related to work (job satisfaction, PWB, and health) of European entrepreneurs by considering entrepreneurial motivation. This study examines a large and representative European sample, in contrast with previous research focusing on the Anglosphere nations.

The consequences of informal employment on workers’ health and family well-being in Europe

Abstract Introduction Informal employment, characterized by unregistered and unprotected employment arrangements, can be detrimental to the health and well-being of workers and their families. Because non-standard work with ambiguous employment arrangements is growing more common across Europe, informal employment is becoming a health risk for an increasing number of people. The aim of this study is to explore the link between informal employment and health, focusing on the effect of employment precariousness and accounting for macrostructural contextual factors. Methods A sample of workers aged 15-64 in Europe from the latest European Working Conditions Survey of 2021, will be used. Using logistic regression models, with standard employment as the reference, the consequences of informal employment on physical health, psychosocial health, and family well-being will be assessed. The effects of precarious conditions (employment insecurity, low material rewards, lack of rights and opportunities, and disempowerment) on the relationship will be tested. Results Based on existing theory, the results should reveal that informal employment is associated with adverse outcomes. Precarious employment conditions should have a stronger effect for informal workers and their families as opposed to workers in standard employment. The results will be analyzed in relation to country-based structural factors such as welfare state policies and labour market trends. Conclusions The study will have implications for both research and policy. It will fill a critical research gap of the underexplored association between informal employment, workers’ health, and family well-being. Since non-standard work is growing in the European countries, the results should also demonstrate the importance of targeted policies to reduce the negative effect of this type of work to protect the health of not only workers, but the well-being of their families. Key messages • Informal employment is associated with adverse outcomes among workers and their families. • Employment precariousness is key to explaining how informality determines health and should therefore be at the core when adapting policies to the current labour market transformations.

Does employment status matter for job quality? A cross-national perspective.

Dual labour market theory raises questions about the relationship between non-standard employment and job quality. While scattered empirical evidence exists, there is a paucity of systematic evidence on the relationship between workers' employment status and job quality. The authors investigated the relation between workers' employment status (e.g., open-ended, long- and short-term fixed contracts, economically dependent and independent solo self-employment, and self-employment with employees) and important dimensions of job quality (JQ) (e.g., employment prospects, physical work environment, skills and discretion, and working times quality). Cross-national variation in that relation and causes of that variation (e.g., country-level unemployment rate and labour market efficiency) were also investigated. Hierarchical regression modelling was applied using a sample of 34,094 workers from the European Working Conditions Survey 2015. The study highlighted a negative association between fixed-term contracts and JQ. For self-employed workers (except economically dependent self-employed workers) a generally positive association was observed. In this study, also positive associations were found between labour market efficiency at the country-level and some JQ indicators. National unemployment rates were negatively associated to most JQ indicators. Non-standard employment contracts exhibited poorer job quality than open-ended contracts. Stronger labour market organization centred around indicators of both flexibility and equity related to more beneficial job quality for all employment statuses, thereby promoting more labour market inclusivity.

Convergence in working conditions

Purpose This paper aims to explore the existence of convergence in non-monetary working conditions in Europe resorting to widely used definitions of this phenomenon and composite indexes of job quality. Design/methodology/approach The analysis relies on composite indexes, widely used in previous literature, for 207 regions in six different areas of job quality drawing on the microdata of the European Working Conditions Survey from 1995 to 2015. This study assesses the occurrence of convergence both in terms of dispersion of job quality outcomes (sigma-convergence) and, especially, regarding the existence of a catch-up process (beta-convergence). Findings This study finds evidence of both types of convergences in all the domains, with the exception of skills and discretion and prospects dimensions according to the sigma-convergence approach. The results do not suggest substantial differences between the 15 European Union countries before the 2004 enlargement and the new Member States and are robust to a wide range of changes in the sample and different econometric specifications. Originality/value Tot he best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper represents the first rigorous and systematic attempt of addressing the existence of convergence in non-monetary working conditions, applying formal and widely accepted definitions of this phenomenon. It contributes to our knowledge on this topic providing strong evidence of convergence in job quality. Those results can be of interest for scholars in Economics and other Social Sciences.

Homeworking and Employee Job Stress and Work Engagement: A Multilevel Analysis from 34 European Countries.

Working from home (WFH) has had both positive and negative impacts on the work conduct. To maximise the benefits of homeworking, previous literature mainly focuses on creating self-help strategies for homeworkers to reduce work stress and maintain work engagement. However, fewer studies take on the policymaker perspective and evaluate optimal working conditions in the homeworking context. Using the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, this study evaluates the effects of various work characteristics (job demands and resources) on the stress and engagement of infrequent and frequent homeworkers. Using the sixth European Working Conditions Survey 2015 which contains 5090 participants from 34 European countries, we studied 6 job demands and 5 job resources via Exploratory Factor Analysis. After testing the model's fitness using Confirmatory Factor Analysis, multiple mixed-effects models were used to test the job demands and resource effects on worker stress and engagement. Dominance Analysis was then used to identify the relative importance of each job demand and resource when explaining employee stress and engagement. We found emotional demands, time pressure, and workload to be the top three demand factors that cause work stress across the groups. Other than daily homeworkers, a positive and fair social climate is the most prominent resource able to boost job engagement across all of the other groups. By identifying the homeworkers' most influential demands and resources, this study will help managers better understand the steps to take to provide healthy job conditions for homeworkers.

Exploring the Gender Gap in Teleworking from Home. The Roles of Worker’s Characteristics, Occupational Positions and Gender Equality in Europe

Previous research suggests an under-representation of women among teleworkers before the Covid-19 pandemic. However, we know little about whether such a gender gap was substantial, and whether it could be explained by occupational gender segregation. We explore whether a gender gap in regularly teleworking existed in the EU-28 and analyse its possible constituents, drawing on data from the European Working Conditions Survey 2015. To form a group of potential teleworkers, the analytical sample was restricted to employees who made use of information and communication technology (N ≈ 16,000). Country fixed effects regression and multilevel models were applied. The results show that women were under-represented among teleworkers compared to men, also when occupational gender segregation is taken into account; the remaining gender gap in telework is estimated at 10%. For women, working part-time and working in the private sector was associated with lower incidences of telework, but not for men. Country characteristics explain a small but significant share of telework incidence. In countries that rank high on the Gender Equality Index and have a large public sector, telework was widespread, whereas it was less present in countries with higher shares of women in the fields of science and engineering. The findings support the view that the gender gap in teleworking from home is a matter of historically grown gender inequality.