Presentation by Tanja van der Lippe (University of Utrecht, Faculty of Social Sciences) on the occasion of the EESC LMO conference on "Typical and atypical work contracts - advantages and disadvantages from the labour market perspective" in Warsaw, Poland, on 8/9 April 2013.

1. Part-time work in the
Netherlands: advantages
and disadvantages for
employees and employers
Tanja van der Lippe

2. 1. Part-time work: the numbers
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3. 3

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6. A short history of part-time work
• 1960s and 1970s
marginal place of part-time work, small numbers
- low quality of work
- low wages
- no interference of unions
- no social security
• Since 1970s
more part-time work
- increase in level of education
- married women are allowed to have a paid job
- need for additional income in the family
- fewer children per family

7. Characteristics of part-time jobs in
the Netherlands
Note: depends on small or large part-time jobs
-12-34 hours = part-time
-Neither atypical nor flexible
-Most often covered by collective agreements
-Standard jobs
-Written contract
-No earning difference with full-time job, controlling for relevant
indicators; but some difference in extras
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8. 2. Why is working part-time so
popular in the Netherlands:
the perspective of the employee
and the employer
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9. The employee perspective: the
supply
Human capital:
Human capital:
Education
Education
Experience
Experience
Norms:
Norms:
Family life
Family life Working hours
Working hours
Economic
Economic
necessity
necessity
The work
The work
organization
organization
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11. Family life in the Netherlands:
• Focus on nuclear family
• Rather conservative norms with respect to full time working
women. 43% of the women and 41% of the men have
‘little consideration’ for women who work full time (2010)
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12. Norms: % of the Dutch who do not find it
problematic that working women bring their child
to child care facilities
women men
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13. The employer perspective: the
demand side
Fixed
Fixed
costs/flexible
costs/flexible
costs
costs
The sector
The sector
Working hours
Working hours
Norms of
Norms of
employer
employer
The employee
The employee
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15. Norms of Employer
% who agree
Fulltime workers more commitment
towards the organization 30%
Investing in full time workers more
Profitable for the organziation 24%
Fulltime workers have more ambitions 15%
Parttime workers are more productive 16%
Part timers are more efficient 15%
(SCP 2009)
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16. Why organizations offer a small
part time job
• Work organization:
– Costs 40%
– Planning 57%
– Physical reasons 20%
• Employee:
– preference 69%
– Importance of applying certain groups of employees
50%
• You have a right to work part time in the Netherlands
(SCP 2009)
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17. 3. Advantages and disadvantages
of part time jobs
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18. Disadvantages of a part time job
Employee:
•Less income
•Other colleagues work more hours
• Less career options:
– 50% of employers agree that for a career fulltime work
is necessary (Baayens, 2005)
– Often lower status positions, due to the many women in
the job category
•In case of men: not accepted
Organization:
•50% of employers with a high percentage of partime-
workers report more coordination and management
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19. Advantages of a part-time job
Employee:
•Ability to combine work with private life, especially in case
of young children
•Expensive child care facilities, since 2010 more expensive
Work organization:
•Practical reasons (planning, preference of clients)
•Satisfied employees
•Similar productivity of part-time and full-time employees
(NIVEL, at least in medical sector)
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20. The future
• Willingness to work more hours in the Netherland is low
• Dutch society is not organized on two full-time jobs
- child care
- school times
but change is fast:
- all shops are open on Sunday
-child care arrangements before school starts
• Part time work – can be used as flexible work, future option
• Research
-employee, the organization, countries
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