ACC workers put in 5.2 hours more than EU average

Workers in the acceding and candidate countries (ACC) work longer hours and less of them are employed in service-related industries than their EU counterparts.

They also suffer more exposure to various physical risk factors such as dangerous substances, fumes and noise, a survey conducted by the European Foundation shows.

The survey provides a first comprehensive overview of working conditions in the 13 acceding and candidate countries.

The report is the first in a series of Foundation publications and events over the coming months, aimed at increasing knowledge, data and analysis on living and working conditions in the new enlarged Europe.

The average working week in the ACC is 44.4 hours per week compared to the EU average of 38.2.

According to the survey, one in five of the workforce in the ACC is involved in agriculture, compared to only one in 20 in the EU.

Considerably fewer people in the ACC (47 per cent) are employed in the services sector than in the EU (66 per cent). 51 per cent of the workforce in the ACC is over the age of 40, compared to 47 per cent in the current EU member states. Some 40 per cent of ACC workers believe their health and safety is at risk due to work, compared to only 27 per cent in the EU.

The Foundation's fourth European working conditions survey, planned for early 2005, will cover working conditions in the 25 EU member states as well as candidate countries and selected third countries.

The survey is based on face-to-face interviews with a representative sample of a total of 11,000 workers - 1,000 workers to each country, except for Malta and Cyprus where 500 persons were interviewed.

The European Foundation is a tripartite EU body, whose role is to provide key actors in social policy making with findings, knowledge and advice drawn from comparative research.