Flexicurity - It takes three to tango
Resource pack
Flexicurity is not an easy subject. While the idea is straightforward enough - employers’ need for flexibility has to be balanced with the workers’ need for security - getting to grips with the different components of flexicurity and understanding the diverging approaches of Member States remains a very real challenge.
The concept of flexicurity has gained new momentum with the advent of the economic crisis. Public and policy discussions are now dealing with the question of whether flexicurity also works during times of economic crisis, or indeed, if it even can be a way out of the recession.
Member States - finding the right approach nationally
Throughout the recession, the support for flexicurity from policymakers, especially at the European level, has continued. The European Commission has promoted flexicurity as a general principle which should be adapted to the particular circumstances of the various Member States. It is not surprising that Member States focused the majority of the identified flexicurity instruments on job creation as well as on fostering transitions into employment, given the stark rise in unemployment due to the impact of the crisis, and that these instruments mainly target employers and the unemployed. Specifically, Member States have introduced measures at national and regional levels targeting young employees and those that are not in employment, education or training (NEETs).
Companies - putting flexicurity into practice
Eurofound's case study research in selected Member States has shown that the primary motivation for putting flexicurity measures into practice is that they will benefit a company economically. There are, however, various factors that have a strong impact on how these measures are implemented, for example the legislative framework in which firms operate, especially when it comes to training and the financing of it. Another relevant factor is company size – large companies have a broader scope for flexicurity measures related to internal mobility, job sharing and rotation or flexibility in job content and working time arrangements, whereas SMEs are more limited in their actions.
Individuals - the impact of flexicurity on workers' lives
A smooth transition between work and non-working life is a crucial element in the quality of work and employment. It is a key factor in enabling more people, especially women, to participate and remain in the workforce, combining paid work with other responsibilities and activities, including family. Flexicurity has the potential to facilitate work organisation arrangements which could benefit both the company and workers with families. The results of the European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) show that women with children are slightly more satisfied with their work–life balance than men. The fact that women have chosen their working time pattern in advance to fit in with their needs can account for this.
Drawbacks - how flexicurity affects vulnerable groups
When the economic crisis surfaced, younger workers were the group most severely hit. This group is typically overrepresented among the workers with more atypical forms of employment. This has resulted in cases of high labour market segmentation in some countries which the flexicurity strategy endorsed by the European Commission tries to address: Flexicurity should reduce the divide between insiders and outsiders in the labour market. Current insiders need support to be prepared for and protected during job-to-job transitions. Current outsiders (including those out of work, where women, the young and migrants are overrepresented) need easy entry points to work and stepping stones to enable progress into stable contractual arrangements. Flexicurity should also support gender equality by promoting equal access to quality employment for women and men, and by offering possibilities to reconcile work and family life as well as providing equal opportunities to migrant, young, disabled and older workers.