Working conditions: comparing the public and private sectors
Published: 11 December 2003
Five professional groups were examined in Les conditions de travail dans la fonction publique [1], a study by the French Ministry of Employment (research and statistical unit: DARES), published in October 2003. The five groups were: teachers, administrative workers, medical personnel, skilled and unskilled workers, and security professionals.[1] http://www.travail.gouv.fr/publications/p_detailPublication.asp?idTitre=2006
Working conditions are neither better nor worse in the public sector than in the private sector, according to a recent study by DARES. Professional category is what determines the type of working conditions. The study finds that there are many differences between the public and private sectors in terms of flexibility, autonomy and workload.
Five professional groups were examined in Les conditions de travail dans la fonction publique, a study by the French Ministry of Employment (research and statistical unit: DARES), published in October 2003. The five groups were: teachers, administrative workers, medical personnel, skilled and unskilled workers, and security professionals.
Teachers , in both the private and public sectors, usually work regular hours and enjoy a good deal of autonomy in their work. Primary school teachers, however, experience relatively high levels of stress. Teachers working in the public sector are more subject to time pressures and a demanding workload. Their counterparts in the private sector are more likely to cite pressures arising from errors in their work, which impact on the quality of service provided or have financial consequences for the establishment.
Administrative workers in the public sector have less flexibility in terms of organisation of working hours, but work pressures are greater in the private sector: a feeling of pressure, accompanied by frequent work interruptions, affect around 50% of administrative workers in the public sector and two-thirds in the private sector. Managers in the private sector and technicians in the public sector tend to have most contact with the public. The stress factor of working with the public is equal for both groups.
| % of employees engaged in: | Nurses | Auxiliary nurses | Hospital cleaners | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public sector | Private sector | Public sector | Private sector | Public sector | Private sector | |
| Team work | 26 | 10 | 43 | 17 | 23 | 18 |
| Working in excess of the shift hours | 66 | 61 | 47 | 46 | 22 | 13 |
| Night work | 42 | 17 | 27 | 30 | 9 | 9 |
| Working on Sunday | 66 | 40 | 81 | 66 | 59 | 75 |
| Working an irregular no. of days each week | 49 | 33 | 63 | 50 | 39 | 41 |
Source: Dares, Enquête conditions de travail, 1998
Medical staff - taken as a group but excluding doctors, i.e. nurses, auxiliary nurses, hospital cleaners - experience considerable time pressure and stress, as well as having to carry out strenuous physical work. When the number of working hours are compared, the workload demands are much greater in the public sector.
Shift work among medical staff is two to three times more frequent than in all other professions. Nurses in the public sector work more frequently at night and on Sundays, compared with the private sector, and their weekly hours are less regular.
At the same time, nurses in the public sector usually have more autonomy and their work is less strictly defined, but they report that they do not have enough time or information to do their work properly. The study finds that auxiliary nurses in the private sector exercise more control over their work than their counterparts in the public sector, and they also carry out tasks which are reserved for nurses in the public sector. Over one third (37%) of auxiliary nurses say they are responsible for solving issues that arise in the course of their duties, compared with 29% in the public sector.
Skilled and unskilled workers have to perform strenuous physical work and are subjected to higher risks, compared with other professions. These factors are prevalent in both public and private sectors.
Public sector skilled and unskilled workers say that they have greater autonomy in their work and less pressure on their time. Those in the private sector have more atypical and unpredictable working hours (shift work, night work), though Sunday work is more common in the public sector.
Security professionals (firefighters, police, military, security agents, etc.) also perform very physical work and are subjected to risks under very demanding time pressures, firefighters being the most obvious case.
Similarly, security workers have difficult working hours but experiences vary between the sectors. In the private sector, there is stricter control of hours and more night work. In the public sector, Sunday work is more frequent, and there is more stress involved in dealing with the public.
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (2003), Working conditions: comparing the public and private sectors, article.
