Redefining Working Conditions in Europe

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 condi...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Patricia Vendramin, Agnès Parent-Thirion
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Institut de Hautes Études Internationales et du Développement 2019-06-01
Series:Revue Internationale de Politique de Développement
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/poldev/3116
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1846131307479826432
author Patricia Vendramin
Agnès Parent-Thirion
author_facet Patricia Vendramin
Agnès Parent-Thirion
author_sort Patricia Vendramin
collection DOAJ
description 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.
format Article
id doaj-art-448e3fbb92cf413e9d630c7168ae2207
institution Kabale University
issn 1663-9375
1663-9391
language English
publishDate 2019-06-01
publisher Institut de Hautes Études Internationales et du Développement
record_format Article
series Revue Internationale de Politique de Développement
spelling doaj-art-448e3fbb92cf413e9d630c7168ae22072024-12-09T15:47:01ZengInstitut de Hautes Études Internationales et du DéveloppementRevue Internationale de Politique de Développement1663-93751663-93912019-06-011110.4000/poldev.3116Redefining Working Conditions in EuropePatricia VendraminAgnès Parent-ThirionBy 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.https://journals.openedition.org/poldev/3116enterprisesEuropean Commissionsocial securitysocial protectionInternational Labour Organization (ILO)employment
spellingShingle Patricia Vendramin
Agnès Parent-Thirion
Redefining Working Conditions in Europe
Revue Internationale de Politique de Développement
enterprises
European Commission
social security
social protection
International Labour Organization (ILO)
employment
title Redefining Working Conditions in Europe
title_full Redefining Working Conditions in Europe
title_fullStr Redefining Working Conditions in Europe
title_full_unstemmed Redefining Working Conditions in Europe
title_short Redefining Working Conditions in Europe
title_sort redefining working conditions in europe
topic enterprises
European Commission
social security
social protection
International Labour Organization (ILO)
employment
url https://journals.openedition.org/poldev/3116
work_keys_str_mv AT patriciavendramin redefiningworkingconditionsineurope
AT agnesparentthirion redefiningworkingconditionsineurope