Industrial Relations in Europe 2012 - European Commission - Europa

and not an exact measurement of the public sector. Based on this, in this chapter we use the sections
O, P and Q of the Statistical classification of economic activities of the European Community
NACE Rev.2, from 2008 onwards 35 . These sections include respectively: public administration and
defence, compulsory social security; education; human health and social work activities 36 . The
share of total employment of employees in these activities in 2008 and 2011 for the EU-27
countries plus Norway is reported in Appendix 3.1, while Table 3.1 below, first column, reports the
share of all public sector activities (O+P+Q) of total employment as an average during 2008-2011.
Great variation across countries in the relative size of public sector employment is immediately
apparent. Overall, four groups of countries can be identified (Table 3.2). At the two extreme poles,
those with a very large public sector, with an employment share above 29% of total employment,
and those with a much smaller public sector, with an employment share below 20%. The first group
includes, in decreasing order, three out of four of the Nordic countries - Norway, Denmark, Sweden
- in connection with the traditional large extension of the welfare state, immediately followed by
Belgium, Luxembourg, France, UK, and the Netherlands. The opposite group comprises five of the
former communist, eastern European countries, including Poland, Slovenia, Czech Republic,
Bulgaria, and Romania, plus Cyprus.
35 A similar choice in Vaughan-Whitehead 2012, ch. 1, while in Glassman 2010 only section O (Public administration
and Defence; Compulsory social security) is considered.
36 In detail:
Section O – PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND DEFENCE; COMPULSORY SOCIAL SECURITY
84.1: Administration of the State and the economic and social policy of the community;
84.2: Provision of services to the community as a whole (Foreign affairs; Defence activities; Justice and judicial
activities; Public order and safety activities; Fire service activities);
84.3: Compulsory social security activities;
Section P – EDUCATION
85.1: Pre-primary education
85.2: Primary education
85.3: Secondary education
85.4: Higher education
85.5: Other education
85.6: Educational support activities
Section Q – HUMAN HEALTH AND SOCIAL WORK ACTIVITIES
86.1: Hospital activities
86.2: Medical and dental practice activities
86.9: Other human health activities
87.1: Residential nursing care activities
87.2: Residential care activities for mental retardation, mental health and substance abuse
87.3: Residential care activities for the elderly and disabled
87.9: Other residential care activities
88.1: Social work activities without accommodation for the elderly and disabled
88.9: Other social work activities without accommodation
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