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Women wanted ! Or: how women should save the Dutch economy. Swedish-Dutch Conference on Gender Equality and Labour Participation The Hague, 21st November 2008. Joop Schippers j.schippers@econ.uu.nl, j.j.schippers@uvt.nl. Three major demographic developments. Dejuvenation (ontgroening)
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Women wanted! Or: how women should savethe Dutch economy Swedish-Dutch Conference on Gender Equality and Labour Participation The Hague, 21st November 2008 Joop Schippers j.schippers@econ.uu.nl, j.j.schippers@uvt.nl
Three major demographic developments • Dejuvenation (ontgroening) • Ageing: growing share of 50/60+ • ‘Double ageing’: growing share of 80/85+
Consequences for the labour market • From a buyers’ market (2nd half of the 20th century; large impact of female participation) ..... • .... To a sellers’ market (1st half of the 21st century), despite current economic problems
Labour force • Changing composition (older, more women and more immigrant workers) • Changing ambitions (higher education/individualization): people want more from their job. They do no live to work, but work to live
Labour market forecasts Till 2020: - net increase in labour demand: > 600,000 workers, in particular in care (500,000) - next to that replacement demand: 2.6 million, in particular in education (260,000 to 420.000)
Development of labour supply Bron: Centraal Planbureau, 2005
Small part-time jobs • Primarily, though not exclusively a matter of low educated. Idem reduction of work hours at the start of family formation • Taskforce DeeltijdPlus: focus on culture • Cie Bakker (and earlier VCE): more hours must pay => too much financial disincentives
What is lacking in the Netherlands? • Interesting career opportunities for female and male part-time workers (= also a matter of making education pay) • General awareness that care is important. Yet, spending time/money on care - and education - is a form of investment Both issues are important to ‘seduce’ men
To conclude • Higher female labour market participation in the Netherlands is a matter of culture, but also of making work pay • Proposals of the Committee for the promotion of labour market participation may help, but often lack the tailor-made approach to include women