Fewer people work against the clock

In 2003, 28 percent of workers in the Netherlands had to work under pressure on a regular basis. This percentage has been decreasing since 1999, for both part-time and full-time workers. The percentage of people working at a computer screen continues to increase. The percentage of workers who do heavy physical work or dirty work remained about the same in the period 1999-2003, according to figures on working conditions just released by Statistics Netherlands.

Pressure at work decreasing

The percentage of people who regularly have to work under pressure has decreased. In 2003, 28 percent of the employed labour force reported they regularly had to work against the clock. This percentage has been decreasing since 1999, when 33 percent of employees reported high pressure of work. Another aspect of work pressure is having to work quickly . This has been stable for years now. In the period 1999-2003 around 40 percent of workers said they had to keep up a high work pace.

Lower pressure for part-timers

Relatively fewer part-time than full-time employees report having to work under pressure. Just over 30 percent of people who work for 35 hours a week or more said they experienced pressure at work. For people with jobs of between 12-34 hours a week this was less than 23 percent. High work pressure has decreased for both full-timers and part-timers.

Work at computers continues to increase

The presence of computers in the labour process continues to increase. In 2003 47 percent of the employed labour force reported that they regularly worked at a computer. This is again more than in the previous year. In 1997 it was still only 41 percent. Relatively more women work at a computer than men, although the difference is not large.

Heavy and noisy work unchanged

The percentage of people doing physically heavy work has remained stable since 1999. In 2003 around 20 percent of workers reported they regularly had to use their strength during their work. Working in noisy or dirty circumstances also remains unchanged: 9 percent of workers said they have to raise their voice to make themselves heard in the workplace because of noise, while nearly two in ten people said they did dirty work.

Relatively more men than women do physically demanding work. 26 percent of men and 18 percent of women regularly have to use physical strength at work. Also, one third of 15-24 year-old workers had to use their muscles.

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