Examining the Quality of Jobs amongst Vulnerable Groups of Workers in Europe

Abstract

A central aim of the European Employment Strategy since the Lisbon Treaty of 2000 has been to promote more and better jobs within Europe (European Commission, 2003). Combined with policies targeting social exclusion and promoting equal opportunities, such an approach has been viewed as a means of improving the employment rates and job quality of vulnerable groups that historically have had low levels of participation in the workforce and have tended to obtain lower-quality jobs (Eurofound, 2002; Holman and McClelland, 2011; Vandekerckhove and Ramioul, 2011b). Vulnerable workers can include migrant and low-skilled workers, but in this chapter we focus on women, young and old workers, and those on temporary contracts¹ (Eurofound, 2002, 2007).