Bertrand Maître

770 A comparative european analysis of the link between work stressors and worker outcomes

Introduction Given the changing nature of employment, including the long term shift from manufacturing and agriculture to the service sector, an increasing proportion of the workforce is engaged in employment which is less physically demanding but which brings with it a range of stress-related and psycho-social risks. Eurofound (2006) estimated that in 2005, 20% of EU-15 workers reported health related risk due to work-related stress and the EU OSHA (2007) has identified high emotional demands and work intensification as key emerging psychosocial risks for the occupational health and safety of workers. Methods This paper draws on the 2015 European Working Conditions Survey to examine differences in the exposure of workers across Europe to (a) work stressors (physical risks, chemical/biological hazards, physically demanding work, psychosocial risks and work pressure); (b) the mediating role of work organised to enhance autonomy, supportiveness of management and colleagues and (b) the response of workers in terms of the subjective experience of stress, anxiety and depression. Results Results to include the following: Country differences in exposure to workplace hazards and stressors Extent to which these are linked to country differences in the composition of jobs by sector The role played by the organisation of work (autonomy, supportiveness) in mediating the impact on workers Country differences in the extent to which they adopt forms of work organisation that ameliorate the impact of stressors on workers. Discussion The organisation of work has an important role to play in ameliorating the impact of workplace risks on outcomes for workers.

Middle incomes in boom and bust: The Irish experience

While recent studies have highlighted the phenomenon and risks of increased inequalities between the top and the bottom of society, little research has so far been carried out on trends relating to the median income range that generally represents the middle class. This volume examines the following questions: what are the main transformations in the world of work over the last 20 years in terms of the labour market, social dialogue, and conditions of work, wages and incomes that may have affected the middle class? How has the middle class been altered by the financial and economic crisis? What are the long-term trends for the middle class in Europe?