Constrained flexibility: Which European countries have the highest job insecurity?

This is according to Eurofound, the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions.

Being in INE means people are stuck jumping from one part-time, fixed-term or gig-economy job to the next, because they can’t find stable alternatives, like a permanent, full-time contract.

Eurofound says the real number of people in INE could be even higher than one in 11, with young workers particularly affected.

Europe appears to be split into three distinct groups when it comes to INE.

The countries with the most unstable job markets, in that sense, are all in the Mediterranean area, except for Finland.

Italy tops the list, with almost one in five workers involuntarily on temporary or part-time contracts, and the largest EU-wide growth in this type of employment since 2006 (+6%).

Spain follows closely in overall INE jobs, with 17%, while Cyprus, Portugal and Greece all come in above 12%.

The lowest rates were found in a central-eastern European bloc with relatively recent EU members. Then there is a cluster of wealthier countries – Austria, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Ireland – with a more balanced ratio ranging between 4% and 5%.