ECONOMIC SURVEY OF EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
IN 2012

For the first time since the financial crisis, the number of employee shareholders in Europe didn't increase last year

The percentage of large European companies having employee ownership and employee share plans for all employees is still continuously growing. However, the number of employee shareholders slightly decreased to 9,65 million people last year, and the democratization rate of employee ownership (measured as the percentage of employee shareholders amongst all employees) went back to 28,2%. The share held by employees in the ownership structure of European companies confirmed its growing trend, even during the financial crisis. However, a new differentiation appears between top executives and other employees since the beginning of the crisis. The share held by common employees is continuously decreasing since 2009. At the contrary, top executives increased their share in companies' capital. As a consequence, the average capitalization held by each of the 8.845 top executives in large European companies in 2012 raised to 9,1 million Euro, compared to the average capitalization of 11.500 Euro held by each of the 9,6 million common employee shareholders. This picture of a first decrease in the democratization of employee ownership since the financial crisis may be related to some recent negative political orientations decided in a number of European countries regarding employee share ownership, for instance in Ireland, The Netherlands, France (higher taxation), or even in the UK (maximum savings limits in employee share plans have not been increased since 2000). In addition, nothing effective was made for the promotion of employee share ownership in Eastern and Southern Europe.

Economic Survey 2012 - Full version The full Annual Economic Survey can be ordered now. Content: 130 pages. Main findings of census 2012, more than 50 tables and graphs, evolution of employee ownership in Europe 2006-2012, democratization ratio of employee ownership in various European countries, relative shares of Top Executives and other employees, list of most remarkable companies... Subscription price: 95 Euro (free for the EFES' members) Download subscription form  -  Use PayPal facilities for your payment:

Your comments

  The European Employee Ownership Top 100
The European Employee Ownership TOP 100 is designed with respect to two rankings of Europe's largest companies, considering employee ownership. In the EUROCAP100 ranking, companies are ranked by equity held by employees, in million Euro. In the EUROEMP100 ranking, companies that are 50% or more employee-owned are ranked by number of employees. Both rankings are published in the Economic Survey.

  Database of employee ownership in European companies
The data are available for analysing companies, for benchmarking, for market research, as well as for research work and teaching, and for macroeconomic analysis. The database gathers economic and financial information about employee ownership in the 2.500 largest European companies, including listed and non-listed companies. More information

  Countries
Each European country can easily be compared to others through a specific country file, using a set of 10 graphs, using fully comparable information.

Archives:
  Economic Survey 2011
  Economic Survey 2010
  Economic Survey 2009
  Economic Survey 2008
  Economic Survey 2007

For information and contact
EFES - EUROPEAN FEDERATION OF EMPLOYEE SHARE OWNERSHIP
FEAS - FEDERATION EUROPEENNE DE L'ACTIONNARIAT SALARIE
Avenue Voltaire 135, B-1030 Brussels
Tel: +32 (0)2 242 64 30 - Fax: +32 (0)2 808 30 33
E-mail: efes@efesonline.org
Web site: www.efesonline.org
EFES' objective is to act as the umbrella organization of employee owners, companies and all persons, trade unions, experts, researchers, institutions looking to promote employee ownership and participation in Europe.