European Working Conditions Survey, 2000

<p>Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.</p>The <i>European Working Conditions Survey</i> (EWCS) is conducted by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (EFILWC), which is an autonomous agency of the European Union (EU), funded from the general budget of the European Commission. The EWCS series began in 1990-1991, and is generally conducted once every five years, although an extra wave was conducted in 2001 to cover the new acceding and candidate EU countries. The survey is based on a questionnaire which is administered face-to-face to a random sample of 'persons in employment' (i.e. employees and the self-employed), representative of the working population in each EU country.<br> <br> The aim of the EWCS is to provide an overview of the state of working conditions in the EU, to identify major issues and changes affecting the workplace and to contribute to a better monitoring of the quality of work and employment in Europe. The number of questions and issues covered in the EWCS has expanded in each subsequent survey, but a core set of key questions has remained unchanged in order to enable the study of trends in working conditions. <br> <br> The coverage of the EWCS over the years reflects the evolution of the EU, as more states have joined over time. Hence, in 1991, the survey covered the 12 EU member states of the time (EU12); in 1995, 15 states (EU15). In 2000 the survey covered the EU15 countries plus Norway (part of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) region), and in 2001 the survey extension covered 10 new EU member states plus Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey. In 2005 the survey included 31 countries including the 27 current EU member states (EU27) plus Croatia, Turkey, Switzerland and Norway (though it should be noted that two of the EU27, Romania and Bulgaria, did not fully accede to the EU until 2007). In 2010, the fifth wave of the survey was the most comprehensive so far in terms of geographical coverage; it covered the 27 EU Member States and seven further European countries - Norway, the three Candidate Countries (Croatia, Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Turkey), and three countries participating in the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) framework (Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro). It is expected that the next wave of the EWCS will be conducted in 2015.<br> <br> An <i>Integrated Data File</i> is now available (under SN 7363) which includes data from the first five waves of the survey in one data file.<br> <br> Before working with the EWCS data, users are recommended to read the latest supplementary supporting documentation on the EFILCW <a href="http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/surveys/ewcs/2010/index.htm" title="European Working Conditions Survey">EWCS</a> webpages. Further information about the series, including downloadable reports and other publications can also be found there.<br> <br><B>Main Topics</B>:<br>The questionnaire covers all aspects of working conditions, including physical, organisational and social factors of work; time patterns and working hours; and work-related health problems.<br> <br> Standard Measures:<br> The <i>International Standard Classification of Occupations</i> (ISCO) and the <i>Nomenclature generale des Activites Economiques dans les Communautes Europeennes</i> (NACE) schedules were used.