Flexisecurity

1. Flexisecurity Continuous Commitment to the Labor Market

2. Aims of Flexisecruity • Commodification of labour • Promote flexibility and security in paid employment- enable career progression • Provide income security – cash benefits tied to labour market participation • Flexible work contract arrangements • Flexible patterns of work

3. Types of Flexibility • External numerical flexibility – ease hiring and firing • Internal numerical flexibility – working hours, over time, part time • Functional Flexibility- multi-employment, flexible organisation of work at level of firm • Wage flexibility – e.g. performance related pay

4. Types of Job security • Job security - Certainty retaining a job with a particular employer • Employment security – certainty remain in employment • Income security – social security benefits during periods unemployment, living wage • Combination security – certainty of being able to combine work and care

5. Issues • Virtuous - promote flexibility and security • Vicious – promote flexibility but not security • Emphasis on securing economic and employment goals • Gender blind – men and women individual adult workers • Focus on demand side - ignores supply side

6. Comparison Denmark and Netherlands • Both provide for flexibility and security • Denmark – flexibility of employment, continuity of income, provision of parental leave and childcare • Netherlands – internal numerical flexibility (part time jobs), security of part-time jobs

7. Outcomes • Job quality for women • Part time work (mainly) for women • Activation for women • Economic security across life course for women • Career opportunities for women

8. Policy Implications • Gender perspective • Security for women • Attention to supply side as well as demand side

9. What kind of work-family balance package is necessary • Parental leave – men as well as women • Child care services – availability, cost and opening hours • Support for grandparents • Information – consequences of e.g. part-time employment