Working Paper No. 51 - Patterns of Job Quality Attributes in the European Union

Aggregate indicators have commonly been used to measure and monitor the quality of employment or decent work. However, these indicators lack the ability to measure the pattern of job quality at an individual and micro data level. The data source called the European Survey of Working Conditions (ESWC) addresses questions on workplace safety, stress, workplace relations, and asocial hours for 15 European Union Countries. This paper analyzes the data obtained through the ESWC to find out whether there are industries or occupations that do not provide decent work on several dimensions or if there is a link between job characteristics and pay and other employment conditions. Overall the paper supports using compact survey data to construct meaningful statistical scales that measure decent work differently than standard data sources.