Eurofound: a review of working conditions in the EU

On 4 September 2025, the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) published its latest Working Conditions Survey . This survey, which is based on 36,700 workers in the EU’s 27 Member States, provides a large amount of data at a time when the European Commission is tasked with preparing a “Quality Jobs Roadmap”.
Although the quality of the physical working environment has improved since 2010, Eurofound emphasises two worrying trends:
1/ A growing exposure to high temperatures. In 2024, 34% of men and 18% of women said they faced this challenge in their workplace, especially in certain sectors such as agriculture (68%), construction (52%), industry and transport (33%). This intensification, which is linked to the effects of climate change, means that we must rethink how to prevent occupational risks.
2/ Prolonged sitting. Primarily as a result of the digitalisation of work processes, 42% of women and 39% of men report sitting for long periods, which poses new challenges for health and well-being at work.
Assessment of progress made in the different dimensions of job quality since 2010 shows that four indices measuring its non-pecuniary dimensions (physical environment, working time quality, skills and discretion, prospects) have improved in general terms.
The work intensity and social environment indices, however, have worsened for women. For example, women are over-represented in the healthcare, education and public services sectors, and are more exposed to unfavourable working conditions and adverse social behaviour.
The improvements noted include the proportion of employees working long hours, which has fallen substantially since 2005. The proportion of employees working more than 10 hours a day has fallen from 37% to 28%, while the proportion of those working more than 48 hours a week has fallen from 19% to 11%. Eurofound also highlights some worrying trends, such as the proportion of workers carrying out monotonous work, which rose from 39% in 1995 to 48% in 2024.
The study also makes it possible to take stock of certain recent trends: while only 3% of employees in the EU-27 telework on a full-time basis, a growing proportion are engaged in regular telework, also known as ‘hybrid work’ (9%) or occasional telework (16%). As for generative AI, only 12% of workers report using AI tools in their job (with variations ranging from a high of more than 20% in some countries to less than 5% in others).
Lastly, the use of algorithmic management is not yet widespread: some 17% of workers report that a computer programme monitors their work performance to a large or some extent, while 16% report that a computer programme is used to allocate their work tasks and 10% that a computer programme determines when they have to work.