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Evaluating the impact of a working time regulation on capital operating time. The French 35-hour work week experience

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  • Fabrice Gilles

    (EQUIPPE - Economie Quantitative, Intégration, Politiques Publiques et Econométrie - Université de Lille, Sciences et Technologies - Université de Lille, Sciences Humaines et Sociales - PRES Université Lille Nord de France - Université de Lille, Droit et Santé, TEPP - Travail, Emploi et Politiques Publiques - UPEM - Université Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

According to the literature on work-sharing, productivity gains on capital equipment may increase employment while diminishing weekly working hours. In this article, we evaluate the impact of the French 35-hour working week on capital operating time. We merge the French survey on Capital Operating Time (COT, Banque de France, Central Bank of France; 1989-2004) and administrative Working Time Reduction agreements files (WTR,DARES, French Ministry of Labour; May 2003). We construct shift-work-based capital operating time indicators. Using differences-in-differences econometric models, we show that the implementation of the 35-h our work week did not induce any reduction in COT. Hence, firms increase shift-work to compensate for the decrease in working hours.

Suggested Citation

  • Fabrice Gilles, 2014. "Evaluating the impact of a working time regulation on capital operating time. The French 35-hour work week experience," Working Papers hal-01006765, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:wpaper:hal-01006765
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.univ-lille.fr/hal-01006765
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    2. Fabrice Gilles, 2015. "Evaluating the Impact of a Working Time Regulation on Capital Operating Time: The French 35-hour Work Week Experience," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 62(2), pages 117-148, May.

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