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Working time regulation in France from 1996 to 2012

Author

Listed:
  • Philippe Askenazy

    (PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, PSE - Paris-Jourdan Sciences Economiques - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

France, which is often seen as an unusual country with a rigid 35-hour working week, has experienced massive changes in its regulation of working time in recent decades, including a progressive removal of 35-hour working week laws. These changes have affected and continue to affect workplace organisation, working conditions, job creation, productivity and wages. The 35-hour working week policy represents a reduction in working time as well as a complex package that restructured French labour law and that opened up a great deal of space for social bargaining. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the evolution of working time regulation and its political roots. It discusses the studies evaluating the 35-hour working week and examines some of the basic consequences of reversing this policy since 2002. It also highlights unexplored lines of research on this topic.

Suggested Citation

  • Philippe Askenazy, 2013. "Working time regulation in France from 1996 to 2012," Post-Print hal-00812893, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-00812893
    DOI: 10.1093/cje/bes084
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    Cited by:

    1. Lukács, Bence & Antal, Miklós, 2023. "The practical feasibility of working time reduction: Do we have sufficient data?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 204(PA).
    2. Dora Tuda, 2020. "Desired hours worked over the business cycle: stylised facts for European countries," Trinity Economics Papers tep1320, Trinity College Dublin, Department of Economics, revised Aug 2020.
    3. Benedikt Lehmann & Zoltán Kmetty & Miklós Antal, 2025. "Too good to be true: the English-language discourse of working time reductions and its implications for environmental sustainability," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-11, December.
    4. Kentaro Asai, 2022. "Working Hour Reform, Labor Demand and Productivity," PSE Working Papers halshs-03728157, HAL.
    5. Jean‐François Fagnart & Marc Germain & Bruno Van der Linden, 2023. "Working time reduction and employment in a finite world," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 125(1), pages 170-207, January.
    6. D’Alessandro, Simone & Distefano, Tiziano & Spinato Morlin, Guilherme & Villani, Davide, 2025. "Exploring policy responses to labour-saving technologies: An assessment of basic income, job guarantee, and working time reduction," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 49-63.
    7. Berniell, Inés & Bietenbeck, Jan, 2020. "The effect of working hours on health," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 39(C).
    8. Hana Urbancová, 2019. "Benefits of Age Management in Agribusiness," Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, Mendel University Press, vol. 67(2), pages 597-607.
    9. Marie-Louise Leroux & Gregory Ponthiere, 2018. "Working time regulation, unequal lifetimes and fairness," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 51(3), pages 437-464, October.
    10. Kentaro Asai, 2022. "Working Hour Reform, Labor Demand and Productivity," Working Papers halshs-03728157, HAL.
    11. Dimitris Pavlopoulos & Katja Chkalova, 2022. "Short-time work: A bridge to employment security or a springboard to unemployment?," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 43(1), pages 168-197, February.
    12. Glória Rebelo & Catarina Delaunay & Alexandre Martins & Maria Fernanda Diamantino & António R. Almeida, 2024. "Women’s Perceptions of Discrimination at Work: Gender Stereotypes and Overtime—An Exploratory Study in Portugal," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-14, August.
    13. James Harrigan & Ariell Reshef & Farid Toubal, 2016. "The March of the Techies: Technology, Trade, and Job Polarization in France, 1994-2007," NBER Working Papers 22110, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    14. Zwickl, Klara & Disslbacher, Franziska & Stagl, Sigrid, 2016. "Work-sharing for a sustainable economy," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 246-253.
    15. Daniele Checchi & Cecilia García-Peñalosa & Lara Vivian, 2016. "Are changes in the dispersion of hours worked a cause of increased earnings inequality?," IZA Journal of European Labor Studies, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 5(1), pages 1-34, December.
    16. Anthony Lepinteur, 2021. "The asymmetric experience of gains and losses in job security on health," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(9), pages 2217-2229, September.
    17. Bei Liu & Hong Chen & Xinru Huang, 2018. "Map Changes and Theme Evolution in Work Hours: A Co-Word Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-15, May.
    18. Cieplinski, André & D'Alessandro, Simone & Guarnieri, Pietro, 2021. "Environmental impacts of productivity-led working time reduction," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    19. Simone d’alessandro & Tiziano Distefano & Guilherme Spinato Morlin & Davide Villani, 2023. "Policy Responses to Labour-Saving Technologies: Basic Income, Job Guarantee, and Working Time Reduction," JRC Working Papers on Social Classes in the Digital Age 2023-09, Joint Research Centre.
    20. Nur Nahar Yasmin, 2024. "Four-day workweek in corporate sector: post-pandemic work arrangement for Bangladesh," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 4(7), pages 1-26, July.
    21. 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).
    22. Hana Urbancová & Miroslava Navrátilová, 2016. "The Organization Of Working Hours Of Selected Employee Categories In Czech Businesses," Economic Annals, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Belgrade, vol. 61(211), pages 99-116, October -.
    23. Klara Zwickl & Franziska Disslbacher & Sigrid Stagl, 2016. "Work-sharing for a Sustainable Economy. WWWforEurope Working Paper No. 111," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 58684.
    24. Inés Berniell & Jan Bietenbeck, 2019. "The E↵ect of Working Hours on Health," Asociación Argentina de Economía Política: Working Papers 4210, Asociación Argentina de Economía Política.

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