Few attempts have been made at European level to analyse the resulting mult-faceted phenomenon but such is the task here embarked upon by the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI). On the basis of an in-depth exchange with the member organisations of the Council of European professional and managerial staff (EUROCADRES), this study presents an overall view of the situation and of developments underway, seeking to answer a number of questions: how do managerial staff tend to be organised? How are they involved in collective bargaining? What attitude do they display in relation to increasingly diverse forms of work and the associated contracts?

Gathering together strands bearing strong traces of national cultural factors and influences, this report represents a contribution to a European approach to a rapidly expanding group of the working population.