Quality of Work in Europe: An Empirical Analysis on the Basis of the EWCS 2015

In this context, the quality of work in the European Union and in the individual Member States is high. Around 86 percent of workers in the European Union are satisfied with their employment relationship. In Germany, this figure is slightly higher, at 88 percent. This corresponds to the figure from 2010. In many countries, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, the level of job satisfaction between 2010 and 2015 rose from a relatively low level to a level comparable to that in Germany. Empirical evidence of a creeping deterioration in quality of work is therefore lacking both in Germany and in the European Union as a whole. There is no political pressure to act in this context.

Econometric estimates made using the Employment Samples for the European Union and Germany show that appreciation and recognition expressed in terms of money, growth perspectives and praise have greater weighting in determining whether an employee is satisfied with their job. Equally important is a good social environment in the workplace. The empirical findings also suggest that, in many places, workplace characteristics which are perceived to be generally detrimental and which in themselves are associated with a lower degree of job satisfaction are compensated by working conditions that are perceived as being supportive. As a result, quality of work is considered good by the employees in these cases when a holistic view is taken.