This study seeks to identify employment structure trends in major European nations, key drivers of change, and their implications. It analyzes the development of dualization in the European labor market, identifying changes in employment structure by occupation quintile through an occupation-based approach. Analysis used data from the past two decades of European Working Conditions Survey, structured to identify changes in working conditions by occupations with indices on wage, education, and non-pecuniary job quality.
Results suggest a notably large variance between countries in structural changes undergone. Southern Europe underwent a marked dualization trend. Continental Europe also showed partial dualization, and in Northern Europe, Sweden showed a notable degree of deterioration. Provided, significantly different results can be drawn depending on how structural change in occupations is defined. Concerning drivers of dualization, statistical analysis showed little significance, but general trends could be identified: growth was led by demand for higher cognition tasks, and downturn was led by demand for routine tasks. In continental and Northern Europe, demand for social interaction tasks contributed to a decrease in employment.