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The Determinants of Part-Time Work in EU Countries: Empirical Investigations with Macro-Panel Data

Author

Listed:
  • Buddelmeyer, Hielke

    () (Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research)

  • Mourre, Gilles

    () (European Commission)

  • Ward-Warmedinger, Melanie E.

    () (European Central Bank)

Abstract

This paper aims to identify the contribution of the business cycle and structural factors to the development of part-time employment in the EU-15 countries, through the exploitation of both cross-sectional and time series variations over the past two decades. Key results include that the business cycle is found to exert a negative effect on part-time employment developments. This is consistent with firms utilising part-time employment as a means of adjusting their labour force to economic conditions. Correspondingly, involuntary part-time employment is found to be countercyclical, being higher in troughs of economic activity. Splitting our sample reveals a very significant effect of the business cycle on the rate of part-time work for young and male prime-age workers. Conversely, the effect is very weak for women and insignificant for older workers. Institutions and other structural factors are also found to be significant and important determinants of the rate of part-time employment. Changes in legislation to part-time employment are found to be effective, having a strong and positive impact on part-time employment developments. Moreover, employment protection legislation is positively correlated with the part-time employment rate, which is consistent with the use of part-time work as a tool for enhancing flexibility in the presence of rigid labour markets. Less robust evidence suggests the presence of unemployment traps for some potential part-time workers. Cross-country evidence also indicates that the lower labour costs borne by firms when employing part-time workers has a large and positive influence on the part-time employment rate.

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  • Buddelmeyer, Hielke & Mourre, Gilles & Ward-Warmedinger, Melanie E., 2004. "The Determinants of Part-Time Work in EU Countries: Empirical Investigations with Macro-Panel Data," IZA Discussion Papers 1361, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp1361
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    Cited by:

    1. Klinger, Sabine & Wolf, Katja, 2008. "What explains changes in full-time and part-time employment in Western Germany? : a new method on an old question," IAB Discussion Paper 200807, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    2. Jeroen Horemans & Ive Marx & Brian Nolan, 2016. "Hanging in, but only just: part-time employment and in-work poverty throughout the crisis," IZA Journal of European Labor Studies, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 5(1), pages 1-19, December.
    3. Emmanuel Vazquez & Hernan Winkler, 2017. "How Is the Internet Changing Labor Market Arrangements? Evidence from Telecommunications Reforms in Europe," CEDLAS, Working Papers 0210, CEDLAS, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.
    4. Bachmann, Ronald & Bauer, Thomas K. & Kröger, Hanna & Schaffner, Sandra & Schmidt, Christoph M., 2012. "Tarifsystem stabilisieren: Drucksache 17/8148. Stellungnahme zur Anhörung des Ausschusses für Arbeit und Soziales des Deutschen Bundestages am 6. Februar 2012," RWI Projektberichte, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, number 72592.
    5. Agnieszka Gehringer & Stephan Klasen, 2017. "Labor Force Participation of Women in the EU – What Role do Family Policies Play?," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 31(1), pages 15-42, March.
    6. Joanna Abhayaratna & Les Andrews & Hudan Nuch & Troy Podbury, 2008. "Part Time Employment: the Australian Experience," Staff Working Papers 0805, Productivity Commission, Government of Australia.
    7. Pfeifer, Christian, 2005. "Betriebliche Determinanten von Teilzeitarbeit, Mini- und Midi-Jobs; Eine theoretische und empirische Analyse mit niedersächsischen Betriebsdaten," Hannover Economic Papers (HEP) dp-324, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät.
    8. Euwals, Rob & Hogerbrugge, Maurice, 2006. "Explaining the Growth of Part-Time Employment: Factors of Supply and Demand," CEPR Discussion Papers 5595, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    9. Helena Corrales Herrero & Beatriz Rodríguez Prado, 2011. "El empleo a tiempo parcial entre los jóvenes: Puente o trampa," Investigaciones de Economía de la Educación volume 6,in: Antonio Caparrós Ruiz (ed.), Investigaciones de Economía de la Educación 6, edition 1, volume 6, chapter 42, pages 677-692 Asociación de Economía de la Educación.
    10. Sabine Klinger & Katja Wolf, 2009. "Disentangling sector and status effects in German employment growth," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(8), pages 1257-1278, September.
    11. Mourre, Gilles & Buddelmeyer, Hielke & Ward-Warmedinger, Melanie, 2005. "Part-time work in EU countries: labour market mobility, entry and exit," Working Paper Series 460, European Central Bank.
    12. Bachmann, Ronald & Baumgarten, Daniel & Kröger, Hanna & Schaffner, Sandra & Vorell, Matthias & Fertig, Michael, 2010. "Study on various aspects of labour market performance using micro data from the European Union Labour Force Survey," RWI Projektberichte, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, number 69936.
    13. Buddelmeyer, Hielke & Mourre, Gilles & Ward-Warmedinger, Melanie E., 2004. "Recent Developments in Part-Time Work in EU-15 Countries: Trends and Policy," IZA Discussion Papers 1415, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
    14. Pfeifer, Christian, 2007. "Eine theoretische und empirische Analyse der betrieblichen Determinanten von Teilzeitarbeit, Mini- und Midi-Jobs (A theoretical and empirical analysis of the company determinants of part-time work, mi," Zeitschrift für ArbeitsmarktForschung - Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 40(1), pages 65-76.
    15. Lei Delsen & Jos Benders & Jeroen Smits, 2006. "Choices Within Collective Labour Agreements "à la Carte" in the Netherlands," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 44(1), pages 51-72, March.
    16. Rob Euwals & Maurice Hogerbrugge, 2006. "Explaining the Growth of Part-time Employment: Factors of Supply and Demand," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 20(3), pages 533-557, September.
    17. Lei Delsen & Erik Poutsma, 2005. "Labour market institutions and economic performance in the Netherlands," International Economic Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(2), pages 169-196.
    18. Carone, Giuseppe & Denis, Cécile & Mc Morrow, Kieran & Mourre, Gilles & Röger, Werner, 2006. "Long-term labour productivity and GDP projections for the EU25 Member States : a production function framework," MPRA Paper 744, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. Jeroen Horemans & Ive Marx, 2013. "In-work poverty in times of crisis: do part-timers fare worse?," ImPRovE Working Papers 13/14, Herman Deleeck Centre for Social Policy, University of Antwerp.
    20. Bachmann, Ronald & Bauer, Thomas K. & Kröger, Hanna & Schaffner, Sandra & Schmidt, Christoph M., 2012. "Tarifvertragssystem stärken - Allgemeinverbindliche Tariflöhne und branchenspezifische Mindestlöhne erleichtern. Stellungnahme zur Anhörung des Ausschusses für Arbeit und Soziales des Deutschen Bundes," RWI Projektberichte, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, number 72615.
    21. repec:iab:iabzaf:v:40:i:1:p:65-76 is not listed on IDEAS

    More about this item

    Keywords

    part-time employment; working time organisation; business cycle; labour supply; labour market policies; institutions; regulations;

    JEL classification:

    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J68 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Public Policy

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