Working conditions and employment security and employability : report for the European foundation of living and working conditions
Libro
Data di Pubblicazione:
2008
Citazione:
Working conditions and employment security and employability : report for the European foundation of living and working conditions / L. Pacelli, F. Devicienti, A. Maida, M. Morini, A. Poggi, P. Vesan. - Dublin : European foundation for the improvement of living and working conditions, 2008. - ISBN 978-92-897-0828-9.
Abstract:
A key objective of modernising the European social model is ensuring greater social protection for
workers, while also increasing labour market competitiveness in light of globalisation. In the ongoing
debate at European level on labour market and employment policies, the concept of ‘flexicurity’ –
the balance between flexibility and security needs of employers and employees – has emerged as a
central issue.
Against this background, the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working
Conditions has, since 1990, been collecting data on developments pertaining to working conditions
– a key area of life in Europe. The latest of these surveys, the fourth European Working Conditions
Survey (EWCS), provides a comprehensive overview of working conditions across 31 countries in
Europe. Among the central themes of this survey is the debate on flexicurity – a subject which forms
the basis of this current report.
The analysis focuses on the lessons drawn from the results of the EWCS at the worker’s individual
level that could support the discussion on creating and developing flexicurity policies. The report
proposes a set of four new indicators that may contribute to the debate on flexicurity: objective job
insecurity, subjective job insecurity, employability and vulnerability. It also measures how these
indicators are linked to each other at the individual level, as well as how they are linked to
institutional factors at the country level.
The most widespread reform aiming to achieve a more flexible labour market has most likely been
the introduction of temporary employment contracts. This report also looks at what happens after
a worker enters a temporary job. It questions whether temporary jobs are a port of entry towards
permanent employment or whether the workers run the risk of being trapped repeatedly into taking
up temporary jobs. Finally, the report focuses on gender issues, including differences in terms of
employability and wages, with particular attention given to part-time work.
The findings reveal a remarkable variability across countries in terms of the legal, institutional and
political frameworks, and highlight the national differences regarding the indicators that have been
taken into consideration in promoting flexicurity.
As the European Union moves towards implementing the Lisbon objectives, we trust that this report
will contribute to a better understanding of what is required to foster the necessary reforms that can
support an adequate balance between flexibility and security needs, thus improving the employment
conditions and work–life balance of Europe’s workforce
Tipologia IRIS:
05 - Volume
Elenco autori:
L. Pacelli, F. Devicienti, A. Maida, M. Morini, A. Poggi, P. Vesan
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