This new Working Paper offers a detailed look at the quality of jobs held by European workers, and shows what aspects of work improved or deteriorated over the last decade. It updates the European Job Quality Index (JQI) – a measure that encompasses a broad range of work and employment... Find out more

This book focuses on the economic factors which have impacted on the low-wage economies of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), over the past twenty years. In this period CEE economies were mostly driven by low-wage based foreign direct investment (FDI). Earlier publications made the case that the... Find out more

This working paper investigates wage differences across Europe. It estimates to what extent wage gaps in average wages observed between countries are related to differences in workforce composition, in workplaces, as well as the types of jobs conducted in different countries. This report also... Find out more

China’s global outward foreign direct investment (FDI) has increased substantially over the last decade, with Europe as a key destination. The upsurge in Chinese outward FDI indicates a rebalancing of global political-economic relations, with China and its companies acquiring new roles and gaining... Find out more

This book looks at the effects of changes in employment regulation on levels and forms of employment in nine EU countries (Spain, Italy, Estonia, Slovakia, Poland, Germany, France, Denmark, and the UK). It demonstrates that reducing employment protection has brought neither labour market nor... Find out more

European employment regulation has been repeatedly identified by policymakers as too stringent resulting in policy recommendations aimed at a more flexible labour market. This diagnosis has been reaffirmed, particularly by international policymakers, in the post-2008 economic and jobs crisis with... Find out more

This working paper gives an overview of minimum wage policies in Central and Eastern Europe. It shows that minimum wages are an effective tool for reducing inequality by raising the lowest incomes. Minimum wages can have some, albeit limited, role in increasing aggregate productivity and promoting... Find out more

This book investigates restructuring in the electronics industry and in particular the impact of a ‘Chinese’ labour regime on work and employment practices in the electronics assembly in Europe. It studies Foxconn, the world largest electronics manufacturing service provider and the main assembler... Find out more

Unemployment rates in the EU rose after the economic crisis of 2008, passing 10% in 2012, but with big variations between countries. The worst afflicted had been subject to so-called policies of internal devaluation, aimed at curing unemployment by reducing wage costs. This book provides a... Find out more