Occupational safety and health in Europe - state and trends 2023 
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work – EU-OSHA 47 
Figure 18: Employment types in EU27, development 2005 to 202265  – Eurostat 
 
The minor deviation of the sum of the different types of employment to the 100% ‘Employed persons’ is due to ‘No 
response’ answers. The data of part -time employees and of employees with a temporary contract are for the full 
year 2019, not for Q4. 
 
The group ‘employees’ is characterised by two major contractual distinctions  that are important for 
OSH: 1) full - or part -time work, and 2) the time limit of the contract (indefinite or temporary). 
Moreover, in many Member States there are major differences between employment contracts of private 
employers in comparison to public employers.  
Definitions Eurostat66 
 
Employers = self-employed with employee: employing one or more employees: persons who work 
in their own business, professional practice or farm for the purpose of earning a profit and who employ 
at least one other person.  
 
Self-employed: not employing any employees (self-employed without employees): persons who work 
in their business, professional practices or farm for the purpose of earning a profit and who employ no 
other persons.  
 
Employees: persons who work for a public or private employer and who receive compensation in the 
form of wages, salaries, fees, gratuities, payment by result or in kind. 
Contributing family workers: persons who help another member of the family to run a farm or 
business, provided they are not classed as employees.