The Flexibilisation of Employment in Europe
Experts in the Social Sciences discuss the consequences of labour market flexibilization in times of globalisation
In recent decades characterised by rising globalisation, there has been an increasing debate about labour market flexibilisation and deregulation. However, so far, little attention has been paid to the question how rising labour market flexibility and employment uncertainty has impacted on the life courses on men and women in Europe. This question was recently discussed at an international conference at the University of Bamberg, featuring scientists from ten different European countries.
The consequences of increasing labour market flexibilisation in times of globalisation were the core topical on May 9-10, 2008 at Bamberg University. Under the heading of "The flexibilisation of European Labour Markets: The development of social inequalities under globalisation", the Jean Monnet Chair for European Studies in the Social Sciences and the European social science network “TransEurope”, funded by the European Science Foundation, joined forces to organise a conference featuring renowned scientists from ten different European countries. Presentations and discussions focused on the question which labour market strategies European countries employ to adapt to the changing demands for employment flexibility and which consequences these developments have for the development of social inequalities in Europe. Based on most recent country studies, national experts analysed the extent and effects of rising employment flexibility for youth entering the labour market, for men and women in the middle of their occupational careers and for older workers' late careers and transitions into retirement.
In contrast to commonly held view, the country studies showed that not all individuals are equally affected by globalization. The conference participants impressively demonstrated how the risk to be adversely affected by globalization varies depending on the respective life phase of an individual. Especially men in the middle of their occupational careers benefits from strong legal protection against labour marker risks and flexibilisation. On the other hand, young labour market entrants can be regarded as the "losers of globalisation". German school leavers, for example, are faced with increasing difficulties in finding a smooth entry into employment.
In addition, there are significant international variations in the extent and the consequences of employment flexibilisation. These variations can be traced back to different nation-specific institutional arrangements, e.g. educational systems or welfare state measures. Especially in countries with highly regulated labour markets, like for example Germany, social inequalities have risen significantly under globalisation while in Scandinavian countries, social inequalities have been largely mitigated by generous welfare state policies. These results indicate that the process of globalisation obviously doesn’t lead to the ‘end of the welfare state’, as has been frequently postulated. In contrast, it is filtered in very specific ways by national institutions. Conference contributions showed that these cross-national differences are themselves reflected in nation-specific 'pathways' in terms of labour market flexibilisation and social inequalities.
A major result of the conference hence was that it is misleading to speak of a universal trend towards increasing labour market flexibilisation and increasing inequalities in all European countries. The conference rather suggested that a more differentiated perspectives on institutional arrangements and life course patterns is needed to arrive at a clearer picture of the effects of globalisation on European societies and to design political measures accordingly.
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