Labour market flexibility in the Netherlands:looking for winners and losers

Almost two decades have passed since Dutch employers, unions and the government, in their struggle against unemployment, agreed on a policy to increase labour market flexibility. Over the years the share of flexible jobs in the Netherlands has gradually increased to around ten percent. According to some parties the introduction of more labour market flexibility would lead to more inequality and a division in the labour market between workers with permanent employment and an underclass of women, immigrant workers and poorly educated workers with temporary contracts.The Dutch government has always claimed that a special set of legal rules regarding labour market flexibility would prevent the development of such an underclass. In this article three questions are addressed: Who has a flexible labour contract and who is in permanent employment? What is the pattern of transition to permanent contracts? What are the consequences for wage rates for those on permanent or flexible contracts respectively? The answers to these questions are provided using panel data for the period 1986–96.The results show that labour market flexibility has been introduced into the Dutch labour market without detrimental consequences for specific groups of workers

Size and Causes of the Occupational Gender Wage-gap in the Netherlands

Research from the United States consistently shows that female-dominated occupations generally yield lower wages than male-dominated occupations. Using detailed occupational data, this study analyses the size andcauses of this occupational genderwage-gap in the Dutch labourmarket using multi-levelmodelling techniques.The analyses showthat bothmen andwomen earn lowerwages if they are employed in female-dominated occupations. This especially indicates the signi¢cance of gender inWestern labour markets, since overall levels of wage inequality are relatively small in the Netherlands compared to, for example, the United Kingdom and the United States. Di¡erences in required responsibility are particularly important in accounting for this occupational wage-gap. Nonetheless, we find large wage penalties for working in a female-dominated instead of a maledominated occupation for occupations that require high levels of education, skills, and responsibility.

De toename van vrouwen in leidinggevende functie

Vrouwen in managementposities vormen een terugkerend thema in de media, maar het is nog onbekend of er meer leidinggevende vrouwen zijn dan een aantal decennia terug. Het blijkt dat het percentage vrouwen dat leidinggeeft tussen 1985 en 2008 is gegroeid. Tevens is hun aandeel sterker toegenomen dan op grond van hun gestegen arbeidsdeelname verwacht zou kunnen worden

Organizações "amigas da família". Uma comparação internacional

Este artigo centra-se na análise do desenvolvimento de medidas de apoio à conciliação entre trabalho e família, no âmbito das empresas e organizações, tendo como referência as políticas governamentais de diferentes países. Com base na distinção entre os diferentes tipos de estados-providência, seleccionaram-se quatro países - o Reino Unido, a Holanda, a Suécia e a Itália - para aí se proceder à recolha de dados junto de entidades empregadoras que permitissem dar resposta à seguinte questão: será que países a que correspondem diferentes modelos de estado-providência também diferem significativamente no que respeita às formas de conciliação entre vida profissional e vida familiar existentes nas organizações?In this article we will focus on the development of work-family arrangements within organisations and firms of different countries in relation to the nature of government policy of those countries. Based on the distinction between different types of welfare states, four countries were selected to collect data near private and public organisations - United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands and Italy, in order to answer the following question: do countries which represent different types of welfare states also differ significantly with regard to the existence and nature of work-family arrangements within organisations?Cet article est centré sur l’analyse de la mise en oeuvre de mesures d’aide à la conciliation entre travail et famille, au sein des entreprises et organisations, en prenant pour référence les politiques gouvernementales de divers pays. En se basant sur la distinction entre les différents types d’état-providence, quatre pays ont été sélectionnés - le Royaume-Uni, la Hollande, la Suède et l’Italie - pour y procéder au recueil de données auprès des employeurs, qui permettent de répondre à la question suivante: des pays auxquels correspondent des modèles différents d’état-providence se révèlent-ils aussi significativement différents en ce qui concerne les formes de conciliation entre vie professionnelle et vie familiale présentes dans les organisations?Este artículo se centra en el análisis del desarrollo de medidas de apoyo para la conciliación entre trabajo y familia, en el ámbito de empresas y organizaciones, teniendo como referencia las políticas gubernamentales de diferentes países. Basándose en la distinción entre los diferentes tipos de estados-providencia, se seleccionaron cuatro países, el Reino Unido, Holanda, Suecia e Italia, para procederse a recoger datos en las entidades que dan trabajo y que permitieron dar respuesta a la siguiente cuestión: será que países a los que corresponden diferentes modelos de Estado-providencia también se diferencian significativamente en lo que respecta a las formas de conciliación entre la vida profesional y la vida familiar existentes en las organizaciones

Offering choice in benefits: a new Dutch HRM arrangement

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine what kinds of Dutch organisations offer their employees a choice in the composition of their benefits with the aid of a theoretical model that incorporates insights from rational choice theory, the theory of institutional pressures and the bundles of human resource management (HRM) theory. Design/methodology/approach – To test the theoretical model data were collected from nearly 600 Dutch organisations in the market sector. Multivariate binary logistic regression analyses were used to analyse these data. Findings – The research showed that flexible benefit plans (FBPs) are widespread and show a considerable degree of consistency in the options they offer. FBPs are most likely to be offered by organisations that have freedom to manoeuvre in their benefits, that witness other organisations around them offering such arrangements, and that offer HRM policies and practices that are strongly focussed on the combination of work and family, and on flexibility in working arrangements. Research limitations/implications – Attention to HRM policies in addition to a combination of rational choice and institutional theory proved valuable in explaining the uptake of a new arrangement, and this merits further exploration. Practical implications – FPBs offer Dutch organisations the opportunity to give their employees more choice in the way they are paid, and to adjust this pay to their personal situation. Offering this choice fits in with a family-friendly HRM structure and increases flexibility for both parties. Originality/value – The paper provides useful information on FBPs.Flexible benefits, Human resource management, Organizational change, The Netherlands