Precarious employment in Europe : patterns, trends and policy strategies

Precarious employment in Europe has become an issue of policy concern. In a number of recent resolutions, the European Parliament says that in particular for young people the surplus of labour supply caused by the crisis has led to a decline in the quality of employment. Furthermore, it stresses that recent increases in employment rates have partly been the result of precarious forms of employment, such as zero-hour contracts, bogus selfemployment, and involuntary part-time work which do not provide workers with a decent living and adequate labour rights (e.g. Resolutions of 11 March 2015, of 25 November and of 17 July 2014). In its Conclusions of 9 March 2015, the Council on Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs (EPSCO) points out that 'job quality has come under pressure in recent years', and that 'rising inequality, in-work poverty and social exclusion calls for urgent answers'.