Working time flexibility components and working time regimes in Europe: using company-level data across 21 countries

Abstract

Working time flexibility comprises a wide variety of arrangements, from part-time, overtime, to long-term leaves. Theoretical approaches to grouping these arrangements have been developed, but empirical underpinnings are rare. This article investigates the bundles that can be found for various flexible working time arrangements, using the Establishment Survey on Working Time and Work–Life Balance, 2004/2005, covering 21 EU member states and 13 industries. The results from the factor analyses confirmed that working time arrangements can be grouped into two bundles, one for the employee-centred arrangements and second for the employer-centred arrangements, and that these two bundles are separate dimensions. We also tested the stability of the factor analysis outcome, showing that although we find some deviations from the pan-Europe and pan-industry outcome, the naming of the components as flexibility for employees and flexibility for employers can be considered rather stable. Lastly, we find three country clusters for the 21 European countries using the bundle approach. The first group includes the Northern European countries along side Poland and Czech Republic, the second group the continental European countries with UK and Ireland, and lastly, the southern European countries with Hungary and Slovenia.

Keywords:

• company survey
• cross-national study
• flexible working time arrangements
• latent components
• working time regimes

Notes

1. Although there are differences between companies and establishment, in this paper we use the term interchangeably.

2. For a more details see Chung (2009).

3. In 2000, the Netherlands introduced in their working time legislation a right to decrease working hours (Wet Aanpassing Arbeidsduur: WAA), and in 2005, in the UK this right was also introduced for parents with children under the age of 6 in the Work and Families Bill which has been extended to those with children under the age of 17 in 2009 (European industrial relations observatory on-line (EIRO) 2005; see http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/employment/employees/flexibleworking/dg_10029491).

4. This method chooses the number of factors that has the eigen value over 1. If a factor has the eigen value of less than 1, this means that the factor does not explain as much as the equivalent of one original variable added.

5. Results can be provided upon request.