Has the quality of working life improved in the EU-15 between 1995 and 2005?

This article provides a mapping of quality of working life and measures its evolution between 1995 and 2005 with European Working Conditions Surveys. Using multilevel modelling, we assess the sensitivity of observed trends to “composition effects” and “country effects”. Results suggest a decreasing trend in the quality of working life: physical strain has increased, whereas work has become more intense and less complex. In Germany and Italy, all indicators have worsened, whereas other EU-15 countries have more mixed results.