Global working conditions compared: management quality satisfying

The International Labour Organization (ILO) and Eurofound have published the landmark study “Working conditions in  a global perspective”  in May 2019.  While 70% of the 1,2 billion workers surveyed were satisfied with their managers’ performance, challenges remain in the domains of gender equality, health risks and extreme long working hours, particularly outside the EU. The results suggest that European management is comparably successful in ensuring quality working conditions and minimising workplace risks. Investing in managers’ skills remains an important factor to ensure that new challenges in the domain of the green transition or digitalisation are also shaped for job quality.

Generally, most survey respondents found that the quality of management is satisfying (70%) and that their manager respects them (around 85%). Less workers report having received social support by managers (59% in the EU), highlighting the growing importance of equipping managers with emotional and social skills. In the EU, managers were the occupational group with the highest decision latitude and prospects for career advancement and overall least exposed to workplace risks. However, only about one third (34%) of managers are female, less than the 42% in the United States.

Compared to the other countries analysed, EU28 states have the lowest share (15%) of employees working more than 48h per week, while Turkey tops the list (57%). Within the EU, Germany and the Netherlands have the shortest, while Greece and Romania have the longest average working hours.

Please find the International Labour Organization (ILO) and Eurofound’s study “Working conditions in  a global perspective” here