What is the proportion of employees who can cope with high time pressure at work or who have to work at a very high speed or rate? And what is the proportion of employees who often have to learn new things for work?
Work speed, deadline pressure and learning new things are key indicators for recording work intensity. A high level of work intensity can have a negative impact on the well-being and motivation of the employees concerned. Work intensity is therefore an important indicator for measuring the quality of work.
The results are based on the self-assessment of the respondents as part of a Europe-wide telephone survey on working conditions.
54% of employees are often exposed to a high work speed
In 2021, 54% of workers said they always or often work at a fast speed. At 56%, women were slightly more affected than men (53%). The burden of deadline pressure is somewhat lower. 49% of the employees report that they are always or often under time pressure. At 50%, men were affected somewhat more frequently than women (48%). Overall, 37% of those surveyed stated that they were burdened by both a fast pace of work and high deadline pressure.
Accommodation and food service activitives most often burdened by high work speed
Overall, in 2021, the proportion of people who have to work at high speeds was highest in accommodation and food service activitives (71%). Strong deadline pressure was stated most frequently in the sectors of information and communication (61%) and professional scientific and technical activities (64%). Almost half of those employed in professional scientific and technical activities (50%) reported having to work both at high speed and under severe deadline pressure.
| Selected Economic Activities | Very high working speed | Tight deadlines | Very high working speed or tight deadlines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source: European Working Conditions Survey (EWCTS) 2021. | |||
| Manufactoring | 55 | 56 | 42 |
| Energy and water supply | 54 | 44 | 33 |
| Construction | 58 | 53 | 42 |
| Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 56 | 42 | 32 |
| Transportation and storage | 51 | 51 | 35 |
| Accommodation and food service activities | 71 | 46 | 42 |
| Information and communication | 62 | 61 | 47 |
| Financial and insurance activities | 54 | 53 | 38 |
| Real estate activities | 58 | 54 | 42 |
| Professional scientific and technical activities | 61 | 64 | 50 |
| Administrative and support service activities | 43 | 37 | 25 |
| Public administration and defence; compulsory social security | 49 | 47 | 34 |
| Education | 43 | 33 | 24 |
| Human health and social work activities | 60 | 50 | 41 |
Almost 56% of employees regularly learn new things for work
Regularly learning new things can become a burden for everyday work and increase the work intensity accordingly. In addition, 56% of those surveyed stated that they often had to learn new things for work. At 57%, men are affected somewhat more often than women (54%). In terms of economic activities, learning new things is particularly relevant in areas of information and communication (71%) and in professional scientific and technical activities (72%).
Information on the Indicator
Description or definition
Percentage of employed persons (aged 15 or over) with a fast speed or rate of work, high deadline pressure or frequent learning new things in all employed persons (aged 15 or over) with valid information on the questions on working speed, deadline pressure and learning new things. Higher work intensity is given when the respondents stated that they are always or often confronted with a high work speed, high deadline pressure or frequent learning of new things in the context of work.
The combined indicator shows the proportion of employed persons (aged 15 or over) who stated that they often or always work at a high work speed or rate and with severe deadline pressure out of all employed persons with valid answers in both variables.
Source
European Working Conditions Survey (EWCTS 2021)
Information for the interpretation
Results are based on the self-assessment of respondents in the European Working Conditions Survey. (EWCTS).
For more information on the European Working Conditions Surveys (EWCS) and the comparability with results from previous surveys please refer to the website of Eurofound