(24 April 2014) – While just over half of European workers perceive working conditions in their country to be good (53%), a majority (57%) nevertheless think that their working conditions have deteriorated in the last 5 years, according to a Eurobarometer survey published today, which looks at how the quality of work has been affected by the crisis.
Although most workers are satisfied with their own working conditions (77% on average in the EU), there is a very wide disparity across Member States, ranging from 94% in Denmark to 38% in Greece. Generally, most workers express high levels of satisfaction with their working hours (80%) and health and safety at work (85%).
The Eurobarometer survey, carried out in the 28 Member States, reveals that more than 80% of respondents in Denmark, Luxembourg, Finland and The Netherlands consider working conditions in their country to be good. At individual workers’ level, Denmark also comes first, with 94% of workers being satisfied of their own conditions at work – Austria and Belgium ranking second with 9 in 10 workers being satisfied, followed closely by Finland (89%), the UK and Estonia (both 88%).
On the opposite side, Greece has the lowest rate of satisfaction at country level (16%) and is the only country where fewer than half of working respondents are satisfied with their current conditions (38%). To a lesser extent, levels of satisfaction are lower at country level in Croatia (18%), Spain (20%), Italy (25%), Bulgaria (31%), Slovenia, Portugal and Romania (32% for each), but also in Slovakia (36%) and Poland (38%).