Work Autonomy at Different Occupational Skill Levels: Recent Trends in Europe

Widening income inequality and growing employment at both ends of the wage distribution (employment polarization) have caused concerns that work autonomy might be undergoing analogous processes. We find that the distribution of work autonomy in eleven EU countries did not become more polarized in 2005–2015, and that information and communications technology use at work positively affects work autonomy, regardless of the skill level in occupations. Nevertheless, workplace size, part-time work, and the ownership of organizations may have the potential for a polarizing impact on autonomy. Some specifics of the included CEE countries were found, notably a decline in autonomy of high-skilled employees.