← Overview Database of Innovative Social Policies in Europe
Workability Monitor
Country of implementation
General short description of the innovation
The Flemish Workability monitor is a tool to monitor the workability of work (stress at work, well-being at work, learning opportunities, work-family balance), and is developed at the initiative of the social partners in cooperation with the Flemish government. The monitor is a survey instrument with scientifically validated indicators and compiles its data from a representative group of Flemish employees and self-employed.
Type of Policy
Duration of the policy
The first survey was conducted in 2004. The survey is conducted every three years. Up to now 4 surveys of 20.000 salaried employees in Flanders were organized (2004, 2007, 2010, 2013). The policy is still ongoing.
Scope of innovation
Scope: structural
Number of intended beneficiaries: not applicable
Spatial coverage: Flanders
General description of (intended) objectives and strategies
The issue of stress and well-being at work has received broader attention over the last few years. The Workability Monitor tries to outline the evolution of workability. The purpose of the survey is therefore to calculate the percentage of working people with high quality jobs. The workability of jobs has an impact on indicators such as sick leave, rotation of personnel and eventually on participation in the labour market overall (p.e. the extent to which workers expect to work until their pension age). Also labour productivity is strongly related to the workability of jobs. The government and social partners agreed on target figures for the amount of workable jobs, these were included in the Pact 2020.
Type of ideal-typical strategy for the innovation
encompassing security
Type of innovation
new policy, practice or measure
New outputs
Intended target group
(Jobs of ) wage earners and self-employed entrepreneurs
Working age population
main source of income: paid work
Actors involved in policy-making/implementation and/or evaluation
employees (organised or individual) (organised: Economic and Social council of Flanders (SERV) - policy making)
employers (organised or individual) (organised: Economic and Social council of Flanders (SERV) - policy making)
Clarification of the role of various actors
The Flemish workability monitor was initiated by SERV, a consultative body of the Flemish employer and employee unions. The Foundation of Innovation and Labour developed this tool to outline the evolution of workability, and conducts the survey every three years. The elements included in the monitor were agreed upon by academia, experts of social partners and the Government of Flanders.
Intended output
others (job quality)
Clarification of outcomes in terms of impacting resilience and labour market inclusion
In comparison with 2004, the ?workability rate? increased from 52.3% to 54.6% in 2013. This implies that this share of employees has a high-quality job as regards to the four aspects (not suffering from stress at work, having a job which motivates them, providing sufficient learning opportunities and having a healthy work -private life balance). Consequently in 2004, 47.7 % of all Flemish employees scored one or more workability problems and therefore runs the risk of functioning at a lower level and/or exclusion from the labour market. Work- related stress is the most reported workability problem. The combination of work and private life is the least frequently reported workability problem1. / / Year Workability / 2004 52.3% / 2007 54.1% / 2010 54.3% / 2013 54.6% /
Copyright © 2016 INSPIRES | Disclaimer: The views expressed in this website do not necessarily reflect the views of the E.C.