Study on wage setting systems and minimum rates of pay applicable to posted workers in accordance with Directive 96/71/EC in a selected number of Member States and sectors : final report

Wages differ between countries due to differences in the costs of living, productivity, the working environment, and in the overall (im)balance between the supply of and the demand for labour. Sectoral minimum wages are typically the results of the overall collective bargaining processes and thus directly connected to the overall wage developments. In contrast, universal minimum wages are more indirectly connected to the overall wage developments. With regards to patterns and trends of posting in the EU the study confirms the gaps between quantitative data and statistical figures. Where national data and monitoring instruments exist, it becomes evident that the PD A1 data structurally underestimates the actual amount of postings and the number of posted workers. The inquiry amongst stakeholders in nine EU member states also showed that the knowledge about overall numbers of postings and certain employment characteristics of posted workers is very limited, including at the sector level. With this context in mind, the study identifies a number of qualitative features of posting in the EU and in regard to the four focus sectors, e.g. the overall important role of posting in the construction sector for Belgium, Denmark, Germany and France, a strong increase in the number of postings in the road transport sector and the quite varied overall situation and sectoral patterns with regards to the posting by temporary agency workers. In the health and care services sector, sectoral stakeholders were not able to provide any significant information or assessments.