Flexible Work in Europe

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Discuss why part-time

and flexible working

arrangements aremore widespread in

some European

countries than others.



Discuss why part-time and flexible working arrangements are more widespread in some

European countries than others.

Within Europe there is substantial variation in the part-time and flexible working

arrangements from one country to the next, this is due to numerous different causes, some

of which are more prevalent than others. For a start, from one country to the next there are

underlying differences in culture and history affecting not only the society around them but

also the peoples underlying beliefs, attitudes, perceptions and values. These contribute to

everything within an individuals life, from the way they raise a family, their everyday life,

their view on the world and of course what jobs they may desire or value. Of course the

nature of the job market within a country is dependent on the countrys own development

and beliefs, and thus policy formation within it. However, I believe this to be often entwined

with those of its citizens and ultimately over time the policies that are introduced are as a

result of individuals decision making. I am going to explore some of the key differences

between select European countries part-time and flexible working arrangements and hope

to point out some of the major contributors to those differences. Only by analysing the past

can we understand how these countries job market has evolved into what they are today.

Part-time and flexible working arrangements on a large scale are relatively speaking a recent

development. Its generally agreed upon that part-time employment is influenced by supply

and demand and the recent structural shift towards a service and knowledge economy

(Rasmussen, E. 2004). One of the main attractions of part-time work is the flexibility it

offers. This is not just for the employee but also the employer. For the employee their

individual circumstances may make a full time job impossible but still need a form of

income. The ability to work different days each week gives the employee the empowerment

to fit their job around their other commitments, or vice versa. The individual attraction to

part-time work is infinite, there is however often trends that form whereby particular

groups have a higher tendency to seek part-time flexibility such as women, youths, elderly

etc but I will discuss this more later. For the employer again the attraction of a flexible

workforce, or at least partially, entails an array of possible benefits. These will vary from

country to country but some of the common attractions are the ability to choose when they

have more employees working, for example in retail the weekends bring with them much

higher levels of customers. To be able to hire part-time work for when its needed saves



money and therefore increases efficiency. Flexible work allows companies to become more

competitive and thus with its introduction came the re-shaping of the labour force.

The quality of part-time work also varies from one country to the next and is often

dependent on national differences in labour laws, trade unions bargaining power and

strategies as well as welfare policies and rights. Public policy is also a big contributor to the

formation of the working conditions, including welfare benefits, childcare facilities, taxation

and employment regulations (Rasmussen, E. 2004). These can help to overcome some of

the possible negatives associated with part-time work such as the treatment by the

employer. Sometimes companies think less of part-time employees than they might with

full-time ones, as a sort of disposable asset. With proper policy protection part-timers can

be spared from such treatment. Often though the relationship is more of a positive one

whereby both parties appreciate the flexibility in the relationship. The demands of both the

employer and employees private life can be met. Part-time work also acts as an escape

from unemployment whether temporary whist looking for full time work or a long term

basis (possibly involuntarily).

Two countries within Europe that have particularly interesting approaches to part-time work

are that of the Netherlands and Denmark. The data supplied in Divergence in Part-Time

Work in New Zealand, the Netherlands and Denmark written by Erling Rasmussen, Jens Lind

and Jelle Visser, presents interesting differences in their part-time labour markets. In the

Netherlands the number of total jobs available increased by 2% per annum from 1983-2000.

This is four times the EU average and one of the main contributors to this was undoubtedly

the huge increase in part-time work, which consisted of three quarters of these jobs. The

majority of these jobs were taken by women and by 2000 they held 63% of them. Now in

the Netherlands 40% of the total workforce consists of part-time work. From the employers

perspective it meant access to new labour supply that could help to meet extra demand and

meant longer business hours could be worked without having to pay overtime pay to full

time employees. In the 1990s the Netherlands main union confederation, FNV began to

fight for equal rights between part-time and full-time employees, male or female (Passchier

and Sprenger 1997). The gap between part-time and full-time employee benefits began to

shrink. Pension schemes were introduced entitling an individualised pension that is

unrelated to earnings; these were based on citizenship as opposed to employment (Ginn



and Arber 1998). Today over 90% of Dutch workers are covered by such pensions which if

fully matured will equal 70% of the employees final or average salary. With the increasing

attractiveness of part-time work its no wonder it is so popular in the Netherlands.

Employees claim to work part-time for a variety of reasons including the preference for

leisure and study time as well as responsibilities such as motherhood. The earnings

differences between part-time and full-time workers within the same occupation are either

minimal or nonexistent depending if they work in the public or private sector. In Denmark

the situation is very different, although it too is a social democratic welfare state. In the

1960s in Denmark there was a sudden demand for work from females which was satisfied

by an increase in the number of part-time jobs available. However in the 1970s there was a

sudden decline in the number of females in part-time work, this decline continued right up

to the present day. This was a fall from about 48% of the female population right down to

about 16%. This is partly because between the early 1970s to the late 1980s the standard

full-time working week dropped from 44 hours to 37 hours, an attractive 7 hour reduction,

but also as Lind claims because changes in unemployment insurance have made part time

work less attractive (Lind 1998: 13). So working part-time it was difficult to claim

unemployment benefits, but to receive full employment benefits they must work near

enough full-time instead. Another suggestion is that employers were growing an increasing

preference for full-time employee as they are more involved and thus accumulate greater

skills and knowledge which in turn made them more valuable employees (Andersen, 1997).

Legislative changes also contributed to making part-time work less beneficial, but at the

same time unemployment benefits were high and those in lower paid jobs received little

more than if they didnt work at all. It is therefore apparent that social factors might also

play a part in female decision making related to work.

In both countries efforts were made to tackle the negative factors associated with part-time

work, and both have a tendency for females to fill such roles. This female orientated gender

distribution towards part-time employment is however changing as more men and

especially youths fill these jobs. Traditionally men would become involved in part-time work

at the start and end of their careers with the majority middle section full-time. For women it

has typically been the 25-45yr olds that would fil l part-time positions as Motherhood meant

full-time work was no longer an option. Now the 30-50yr old age bracket is the lowest



involvement in part-time work, with either the younger or elder women wanting such

positions instead. In Denmark about 60% of part-time employees are below 30 years old

and 42% are under 24. In the Netherlands 30% are under the age of 24, slightly less. It is

claimed increased participation in further education might contribute towards this youth

driven workforce. After all part-time work is often ideal for students. Whilst having to pay

for education as well as living costs and so on, it can often be found necessary to have a side

income to live off.

From observing the differences between the Netherlands and Denmark its evidential the

State plays a large part in sculpting conditions within the job market. Partly due to the past

negative attitudes often associated with part-time work, it has proved to be somewhat

popular with non-citizens and immigrants who are looking for work. The States policy on

citizenship and immigration can therefore have a direct impact on the market. Countries

such as Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium tend to promote differential exclusion

through policies such as the guest worker program. This however can unintentionally result

in further negative views on part-time work and its claimed the guest worker programs

have resulted in the perception of second rate jobs/workers. Other countries such as

Denmark, France and the UK (in the 1960s) have allowed the assimilation of workers,

whereby immigrants and others are treated more similarly to the rest of the labour

workforce. An example of which in France, their national census data does not record

ethnicity or race. As we have found out from the Denmark/Netherlands comparison, the

States policies on family and work-life balance appear to be large contributors toward

peoples decision to opt for part or full-time work, especially with a large proportion of

females seeking flexible work arrangements. Within the EU there is a general divide

between the more traditional and possibly dated view and those introducing more modern

policy. The more traditional Conservative/Institutional countries such as Germany, France

and Italy provide fewer benefits such as lacking childcare facilities; instead informal unpaid

care is more common. Some even offer financial compensation for mothers to stay at home

instead of looking for work. Other more traditional approaches include that of the UKs

Liberal view where again informal unpaid childcare is prevalent and mothers often have to

choose between part-time work or no work. There are however emerging policies causing a

shift to a more modern flexible job market. Latin Rim countries such as Spain, Portugal, Italy



and Greece also have informal unpaid care as standard, and mothers must choose between

full-time work and unemployment. These seem to be rather less effective at job creation

than the more Liberal or Social Democratic countries such as Denmark, Finland, Sweden and

Norway. Here it is more common for there to be a strong support for childcare facilities

accompanied by more flexible working arrangements such as parental leave. This approach

is much more effective at promoting part-time work and successfully reduces negative

attitudes towards it.

The popularity of part-time and flexible working arrangements as we have established relies

heavily on peoples perceptions of them. Throughout Europe in the past negative

perceptions put people off part-time work, but as emerging economic, technological and

organizational challenges as well as political and legal changes have made these

arrangements easier (ILO 2009), people have and are becoming more accepting towards

the benefits they can present. From comparing the fundamental differences between some

of these European countries, we have established the understanding that the progress

made is heavily dependent on the States cultural and political views. Some of the more

traditional views such as conservative appeared to be less successful at job creation and at

changing peoples negative prejudice. Others such as the Scandinavian States proved to be

adapting to the changing demands from modern lifestyles much quicker. This is reliant on

how well they have managed to improve the rights and benefits associated with part-time

work. The better these are, and more similar they are to that with full-time work, the more

people have been accepting towards part-time options. Often the attitudes of the people

have changed and they understand the advantages of flexible working conditions but the

behaviour of policy makers has yet to take advantage of this, leaving a tendency to choose

full-time jobs instead. In the years to come I believe the acceptance and evolution of part-

time and flexible working arrangements throughout Europe will continue, yet with some

cultures remaining more resilient to change than others, the rate at which will vary from

one country to the next.



References

y Rasmussen, E., J. Lind and J. Visser (2004) Divergence in part-time work in New

Zealand, the Netherlands and Denmark. British Journal of Industrial Relations

42

(4):637-658

y Fleetwood, S. (2007)Why work-life balance now? International Journal of Human

Resource Management , 18(3):387-400

y Passchier,C. E. And Sprenger, W. (1997). Actieve Flexibilisering. Amsterdam: FNV.

y Ginn, J. and Arber, S. (1998). How does part-time work lead to low pension

income?.

In J. OReilly and C. Fagan (eds), P art-Time P rospects. London: Routledge.

y Lind, J. (1998). Trends in the regulation of employment relations in Denmark.

International Journal of Employment Studies, 6: 1-16.

y Andersen, T. (1997). Do institutions matter? Convergence and national diversity in

the restructuring of employment in British and Danish banking. European Journal of

Industrial Relations, 3: 107-24.

y The International Labour Organisation website- visited 07/01/10

http://www.ilo.org/public/english/dialogue/themes/ce.htm

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