IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/iza/izawol/journly2016n249.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Are part-time workers less productive and underpaid?

Author

Listed:
  • Andrea Garnero

    (OECD, France, Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium, and IZA, Germany)

Abstract

About one in five workers across OECD countries is employed part-time, and the share has been steadily increasing since the beginning of the economic and financial crisis in 2007. Part-time options play an important economic role by providing more flexible working arrangements for both workers and firms. Part-time employment has also contributed substantially to increasing the employment rate, especially among women. However, part-time work comes at a cost of lower wages for workers, mainly because part-time jobs are concentrated in lower paying occupations and sectors, while the impact on firms’ productivity is still not very clear.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrea Garnero, 2016. "Are part-time workers less productive and underpaid?," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 249-249, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:iza:izawol:journl:y:2016:n:249
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://wol.iza.org/articles/are-part-time-workers-less-productive-and-underpaid-1.pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: http://wol.iza.org/articles/are-part-time-workers-less-productive-and-underpaid
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Devicienti, Francesco & Grinza, Elena & Vannoni, Davide, 2015. "The Impact of Part-Time Work on Firm Total Factor Productivity: Evidence from Italy," IZA Discussion Papers 9463, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Garnero, Andrea & Kampelmann, Stephan & Rycx, François, 2013. "Part-time Work, Wages and Productivity: Evidence from Belgian Matched Panel Data," IZA Discussion Papers 7789, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Inés Hardoy & Pål Schøne, 2006. "The Part‐Time Wage Gap in Norway: How Large is It Really?," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 44(2), pages 263-282, June.
    4. Síle O'Dorchai & Robert Plasman & François Rycx, 2007. "The part‐time wage penalty in European countries: how large is it for men?," International Journal of Manpower, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 28(7), pages 571-603, October.
    5. Elena Bardasi & Janet Gornick, 2008. "Working for less? Women's part-time wage penalties across countries," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(1), pages 37-72.
    6. Alan Manning & Barbara Petrongolo, 2008. "The Part-Time Pay Penalty for Women in Britain," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 118(526), pages 28-51, February.
    7. Annemarie Künn-Nelen & Andries de Grip & Didier Fouarge, 2013. "Is Part-Time Employment Beneficial for Firm Productivity?," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 66(5), pages 1172-1191, October.
    8. Eleonora Matteazzi & Ariane Pailhé & Anne Solaz, 2014. "Part-Time Wage Penalties for Women in Prime Age," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 67(3), pages 955-985, July.
    9. Barry T. Hirsch, 2005. "Why Do Part-Time Workers Earn Less? The Role of Worker and Job Skills," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 58(4), pages 525-551, July.
    10. François Rycx & Andrea Garnero & Stephan Kampelmann, 2014. "part-time work, Wages and Productivity :Evidence from Matched panel data," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/245672, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    11. Giovanni Russo & Wolter Hassink, 2008. "The Part-Time Wage Gap: a Career Perspective," De Economist, Springer, vol. 156(2), pages 145-174, June.
    12. Andrea Garnero & Stephan Kampelmann & François Rycx, 2014. "Part-Time Work, Wages, and Productivity," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 67(3), pages 926-954, July.
    13. Síle O'Dorchai & Robert Plasman & François Rycx, 2007. "The part-time wage penalty in European countries: how large is it for men?," International Journal of Manpower, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 28(7), pages 571-603, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Boltz, Marie & Cockx, Bart & Diaz, Ana Maria & Salas, Luz Magdalena, 2020. "How does working-time flexibility affect workers’ productivity in a routine job?," ROA Research Memorandum 010, Maastricht University, Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market (ROA).
    2. Huemer, Ulrike & Bock-Schappelwein, Julia & Famira-Mühlberger, Ulrike & Lutz, Hedwig & Mayrhuber, Christine, 2017. "Österreich 2025: Arbeitszeitverteilung in Österreich. Analyse und Optionen aus Sicht der Arbeitnehmerinnen und Arbeitnehmer," Sozialpolitische Studienreihe, Government of Austria, Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection, Vienna, volume 23, number 23.
    3. Marie Boltz & Bart Cockx & Ana Maria Diaz & Luz Magdalena Salas, 2023. "How does working‐time flexibility affect workers' productivity in a routine job? Evidence from a field experiment," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 61(1), pages 159-187, March.
    4. Ulrike Huemer & Julia Bock-Schappelwein & Ulrike Famira-Mühlberger & Hedwig Lutz & Christine Mayrhuber, 2017. "Österreich 2025 – Arbeitszeitverteilung in Österreich. Analyse und Optionen aus Sicht der Arbeitnehmerinnen und Arbeitnehmer," WIFO Monatsberichte (monthly reports), WIFO, vol. 90(11), pages 865-876, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Raúl Ramos & Esteban Sanromá & Hipólito Simón, 2015. "An analysis of wage differentials between full-and part-time workers in Spain," Working Papers 2015/29, Institut d'Economia de Barcelona (IEB).
    2. Kerly Krillo & Jaan Masso, 2010. "The Part-Time/Full-Time Wage Gap in Central and Eastern Europe: the Case of Estonia," Research in Economics and Business: Central and Eastern Europe, Tallinn School of Economics and Business Administration, Tallinn University of Technology, vol. 2(1).
    3. Garnero, Andrea & Kampelmann, Stephan & Rycx, François, 2013. "Part-time Work, Wages and Productivity: Evidence from Belgian Matched Panel Data," IZA Discussion Papers 7789, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Rupietta, Kira, 2015. "How does Part-time Work Affect Firm Performance and Innovation Activity?," Working papers 2015/05, Faculty of Business and Economics - University of Basel.
    5. Andrea Garnero & Stephan Kampelmann & François Rycx, 2014. "Part-Time Work, Wages, and Productivity," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 67(3), pages 926-954, July.
    6. Francesco Devicienti & Elena Grinza & Davide Vannoni, 2015. "The Impact of Part-Time Work on Firm Total Factor Productivity: Evidence from Italy," Carlo Alberto Notebooks 433, Collegio Carlo Alberto.
    7. Collewet, Marion & Sauermann, Jan, 2017. "Working hours and productivity," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 96-106.
    8. Devicienti, Francesco & Grinza, Elena & Vannoni, Davide, 2020. "Why do firms (dis)like part-time contracts?," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    9. Jon C. Messenger & Nikhil Ray, 2015. "The ‘deconstruction’ of part-time work," Chapters, in: Janine Berg (ed.), Labour Markets, Institutions and Inequality, chapter 7, pages 184-208, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    10. Wahlberg, Roger, 2008. "The Part-Time Penalty for Natives and Immigrants," Working Papers in Economics 314, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics.
    11. Collewet, Marion & Sauermann, Jan, 2017. "Working Hours and Productivity," Working Paper Series 3/2017, Stockholm University, Swedish Institute for Social Research.
    12. Fernández-Kranz, Daniel & Rodríguez-Planas, Núria, 2011. "The part-time pay penalty in a segmented labor market," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(5), pages 591-606, October.
    13. Yonezawa, Koichi & Gómez, Miguel I. & McLaughlin, Edward W., 2022. "Impacts of Minimum Wage Increases in the US Retail Sector: Full-Time versus Part-Time Employment," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 47(2), May.
    14. Karabchuk, Tatiana, 2012. "Part-time and temporary workers in Russia: winners or losers?," Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 45(1), pages 23-39.
    15. Marie Boltz & Bart Cockx & Ana Maria Diaz & Luz Magdalena Salas, 2023. "How does working‐time flexibility affect workers' productivity in a routine job? Evidence from a field experiment," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 61(1), pages 159-187, March.
    16. Miežienė Rasa & Krutulienė Sandra & Gruževskis Boguslavas, 2021. "Identifying the Main Determinants of Part-Time Employment in EU Countries," Review of Economic Perspectives, Sciendo, vol. 21(2), pages 151-171, June.
    17. Bachmann, Ronald & Beimann, Boris & Bredtmann, Julia & David, Peggy & Ehlert, Christoph & Kassenböhmer, Sonja & Schaffner, Sandra & Siemers, Lars, 2011. "Studies on flexicurity Lot 1: Study on various aspects of labour market performance using micro data from the European Union statistics on income and living conditions (EU-SILC). Contract No. VC/2010/," RWI Projektberichte, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, number 72620.
    18. Boltz, Marie & Cockx, Bart & Diaz, Ana Maria & Salas, Luz Magdalena, 2020. "How does working-time flexibility affect workers’ productivity in a routine job?," ROA Research Memorandum 010, Maastricht University, Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market (ROA).
    19. Stephan Kampelmann & Benoit Mahy & François Rycx & Guillaume Vermeylen, 2016. "Who is your perfect match? Educational norms, educational mismatch and firm profitability," Working Papers CEB 16-050, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    20. Benoît Mahy & François Rycx & Guillaume Vermeylen & Mélanie Volral, 2018. "Productivity, wages and profits: Does firms’ position in the value chain matter?," Working Paper Research 358, National Bank of Belgium.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    part-time workers; productivity; wage gap; labor market segregation; labor market flexibility; work−life balance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J70 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:iza:izawol:journl:y:2016:n:249. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Institute of Labor Economics (IZA) (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/izaaade.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.