Monitoring quality in work: European Employment Strategy indicators and beyond

Within the framework of the European Employment Strategy, the European Union has defined a set of indicators to monitor employment quality - the so-called Laeken indicators. This article discusses and implements these indicators. From a theoretical perspective, it shows that the concept of work quality encompasses several dimensions, which are likely to be related to national institutions, particularly industrial relations and welfare systems. It then proceeds with a comparative analysis of quality in work across the 27 Member States, which confirms the existence of several models in Europe and suggests that the Laeken indicators should be supplemented by additional measures.