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The 35-hour workweek in France: Straightjacket or welfare improvement?
[‘L’evolution des rythmes de travail entre 1995 et 2001: quel impact de l’ARTT?’]

Author

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  • Marcello Estevão
  • Filipa Sá

Abstract

Workweek reduction laws may be beneficial if market interactions do not fully take into account the preferences reflected in declining secular trends in working hours. The most recent law in France shortened the workweek from 39 to 35 hours in 2000 for large firms, and in 2002 for small firms. Analysing differences between large and small firm employees before and after the law, we find that aggregate employment was unaffected but labour turnover increased, as firms shed workers who became more expensive. Survey responses indicate that the welfare impact of the law was different across groups of workers: women but not men may have benefited from coordination to a shorter workweek, and there is also evidence of negative welfare effects for managers, possibly due to the law's administrative burden.—Marcello Estevão and Filipa Sá

Suggested Citation

  • Marcello Estevão & Filipa Sá, 2008. "The 35-hour workweek in France: Straightjacket or welfare improvement? [‘L’evolution des rythmes de travail entre 1995 et 2001: quel impact de l’ARTT?’]," Economic Policy, CEPR, CESifo, Sciences Po;CES;MSH, vol. 23(55), pages 418-463.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:ecpoli:v:23:y:2008:i:55:p:418-463.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/j.1468-0327.2008.00204.x
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Cyprien Batut & Andrea Garnero & Alessandro Tondini, 2023. "The employment effects of working time reductions: Sector‐level evidence from European reforms," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 62(3), pages 217-232, July.
    2. Costa-Font, Joan & de Miera Juarez, Belen Saenz, 2018. "Working Times and Overweight: Tight Schedules, Weaker Fitness?," IZA Discussion Papers 11702, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Cieplinski, André & D'Alessandro, Simone & Dwarkasing, Chandni & Guarnieri, Pietro, 2023. "Narrowing women’s time and income gaps: An assessment of the synergies between working time reduction and universal income schemes," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    4. aus dem Moore, Nils & Kasten, Tanja & Schmidt, Christoph M., 2014. "Do Wages Rise when Corporate Taxes Fall? - Evidence from Germany's Tax Reform 2000," Ruhr Economic Papers 532, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    5. Stéphane Carcillo & Alexander Hijzen & Stefan Thewissen, 2024. "The limitations of overtime limits to reduce long working hours: Evidence from the 2018 to 2021 working time reform in Korea," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 62(1), pages 98-126, March.
    6. Stéphane Carcillo & Alexander Hijzen & Stefan Thewissen, 2024. "The limitations of overtime limits to reduce long working hours: Evidence from the 2018 to 2021 working time reform in Korea," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 62(1), pages 98-126, March.
    7. Tito Boeri & Jan van Ours, 2013. "The Economics of Imperfect Labor Markets: Second Edition," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 10142.
    8. Costa-Font, J.; & Saenz de Miera Juarez, B., 2021. "Working the Weight Out? Working Time Reduction and Overweight," Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers 21/18, HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York.

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