Working-time during the economic crisis
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2015 |
| Type | Article in Proceedings |
| Conference | Proceedings of the 13th International Conference "Economic Policy in the European Union Member Countries" |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | http://www.ekf.vsb.cz/hpveu/en/09-proceedings/2015-proceedings/ |
| Field | Economy |
| Keywords | Working-time; economic crisis; short-time work |
| Attached files | |
| Description | This paper explains why working-time temporarily increased during the recent economic crisis in the Czech Republic when at the same time the majority of OECD countries encountered the opposite development (i.e. a reduction in working-time during the crisis). The empirical analysis supports the hypothesis that companies responded to the economic crisis in 2009 by reducing their numbers of employees (which led to an increase in unemployment) and later, when the economy recovered, these employers did not hire workers again (the unemployment rate remained high) but instead stretched the working schedules of their employees. This paper further documents significant improvements in working-time arrangements in the Czech Republic. In comparison to 10 years ago, fewer people work in the evenings, nights or over weekends. The incidence of overtime has decreased, and more people work close to their desired working hours. Results suggest that the promotion of flexible work practices may improve job stability and further reduce the incidence of long working hours. |
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