Work Flexibility in Eight European Countries: A Cross-National Comparison

Abstract

Flexibility is often attributed to the extent of deregulation or 'atypical' work, such as part-time employment, fixed-term contracts & self-employment. Based on a study carried out in 2001 that compared flexibility in 8 countries (UK, the Netherlands, Sweden, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Romania, & Bulgaria) using a representative sample survey of people aged between 18 & 65 (N = 10,123) & on a study of policy frameworks, the article develops new ways of looking at flexibility, which focus on the actual work practices of people in the labor market & how they undertake flexibility of time (working hours), place (where the work takes place) & conditions (contract). The article argues that, based on these definitions, there is in fact a great deal of flexibility in European labor markets, which goes beyond 'atypical' employment alone. It explores this in the context of the different regimes of regulation found in different European countries. Furthermore, the article identifies good flexibility, associated with highly educated people being able to regulate their own working time, & bad flexibility, associated with people with low education, low income, & often with young workers & those found in rural areas. Some types of flexibility were more typical for men & some for women.