Atypical employment has been of increasing importance in most developed countries. It comprises employment types such as fixed-term contracts, part-time jobs and marginal employment, as well as contract work and temporary agency work, which play a decisive role in the institutional setting of modern labour markets. It has been argued that atypical employment can be beneficial in creating more flexibility for firms and in helping to overcome crises without massive employment losses. Little is known, however, about the consequences of atypical employment on the individual level. On the one hand, concerns have recently been growing that atypical employment positions are only second-best options for workers, compared to regular employment. Atypical positions are associated with detrimental effects on wage growth, on employment prospects and on individual well-being in terms of satisfaction and health. On the other hand, the provision of atypical employment positions might be a response to the demand for flexible work arrangements of specific types of workers in dynamic labour markets. Empirical and theoretical work on the development and consequences of atypical employment can therefore provide valuable evidence for policy-makers regarding the regulation of labour market institutions.
The aim of the workshop is to bring together international researchers in order to present and discuss recent empirical and theoretical contributions regarding the development and consequences of atypical employment.
Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):
- Trends in atypical employment across different types of worker and countries
- Quality of atypical employment
- Dynamic employment and wage effects
- State dependence in the low-wage sector related to atypical employment
- Self-employment as an atypical employment type
- Life-cycle effects of atypical employment
- Individual well-being and atypical employment
- Atypical employment induced by new technologies
- Labour supply and hours constraints
- Atypical employment in the context of household and fertility decisions
- Investigation of the role of firms using linked employer-employee data
- Effects of policy reforms on the consequences of atypical employment
- Atypical employment as a stepping stone to regular employment
- Institutional relationship between unions, minimum wages and atypical employment
- Relationship between unemployment and atypical employment in a job search context
The deadline for submission of full papers or extended abstracts is September 27 2015.
Workshop dates: December 2-3 2015
Location of the workshop: ZEW, L 7,1 D-68161 Mannheim