The shorter workweek and worker wellbeing: evidence from Portugal and France

"Mandatory reductions in the workweek can be used by governments to attempt to reduce unemployment, and are usually assumed to improve the well-being of workers. Nevertheless, the net impact of shorter workweeks on worker welfare is ambiguous ex ante and little empirical effort has been devoted...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Lepinteur, Anthony
Institution:ETUI-European Trade Union Institute
Format: TEXT
Language:English
Published: Paris 2016
Paris School of Economics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.labourline.org/KENTIKA-19286568124910047409-The-shorter-workweek-and-worke.htm
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Summary:"Mandatory reductions in the workweek can be used by governments to attempt to reduce unemployment, and are usually assumed to improve the well-being of workers. Nevertheless, the net impact of shorter workweeks on worker welfare is ambiguous ex ante and little empirical effort has been devoted to identify how worker satisfaction changes with mandatory reductions in working time. Using data from the European Community Household Panel, this paper evaluates the impact of the exogenous reductions in weekly working hours induced by reforms implemented in Portugal and France. Difference-in-difference estimation results suggest that reduced working hours generated significant and robust increases in job and leisure satisfaction of the workers affected in both countries, with the rise in the former mainly being explained by greater satisfaction with working hours and working conditions."
Physical Description:46 p.
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