The INFO-POW project brought together research institutions from five EU Member States (Austria, Belgium, Italy, Slovakia, and Slovenia) as well as public authorities and social partners at both national and EU levels to identify and assess new as well as existing challenges and needs of construction companies in accessing and using relevant information regarding the process of posting workers. The project methods included the mapping of existing information channels on posting, interviews with information-providers, such as representatives of the public authorities, social partners, and private companies, and an original pilot survey on the experiences and perspectives of the posting and user companies in the construction sector. The results of the project contribute to the debates on the posting of workers by filling a gap in understanding how transnational posting companies and user or receiving companies find and use information in their interaction with national institutions and how that affects their overall performance in terms of the correct application of the posting rules and the protection of labour and social standards.

Source: De Schmedt et al., 2023

The results of the survey clearly demonstrate that seeking information on posting is a common practice and a need among both posting and receiving companies. The main topics consulted by all respondents include seeking information on the issuing of PDs A1, the calculation of wages, and prior notifications. At the same time, the need for additional information is reported by more than three-quarters of the respondents, most frequently on wages, allowances, and working conditions. While each country has its own landscape of information dissemination channels, certain commonalities emerge, such as the dominance of online channels in information provision, the fragmentation of information on posting across multiple channels, the persistent issue of language barriers, and the need for enhanced accessibility and clarity in disseminating information on posting. Our project findings underscore the complexity of the information landscape and the necessity for a multifaceted approach to address diverse informational needs.

Figure 2: Main elements that would help companies to better comply to the applicable wage and working conditions for posted workers

Source: De Schmedt et al., 2023

Read more:

• E-book Access to information on the posting of workers. Construction companies’ practices and challenges

• Comparative report of the survey on posting and receiving companies in the construction sector 

• Survey manual of the survey on posting and receiving companies in the construction sector

• Policy brief Cross-national gaps in information provision for companies in posting

• Policy brief Access to information on the posting of workers: Are we blinded by the importance given by EU legislation to the single official national website?

• Policy brief Fragmentation of information on the posting of workers in Slovakia

• Policy brief Company size and resources as determinants of access and use of information on the posting of workers – Evidence from Slovenia

• Policy brief Challenges and good practices in the provision of information on the posting of workers

• Technical report Information channels mapping tool cross-national dataset

• Country report Austria / Country report Belgium / Country report Italy / Country report Slovakia / Country report Slovenia