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Workshop 2.4 : Diversity of forms of employment: combining flexibility with job security

One of the main features of globalisation is that it results in profound changes in forms of employment and labour relations. The constraints of international competition and changing patterns of consumption have led to upheavals in the production chain and to a "just in time" economy which imposes on companies a constant effort to be reactive, to innovate and to adapt quickly to changes in workload, while at the same time requiring ever shorter delivery times and lower prices. To meet this challenge, companies resort to the "modularisation" of production on a global sc ale, thereby shifting the risk to a large panel of suppliers, each in charge of a segment of production and dependent on the others.

This globalised organisation of production has had a huge impact on employment. In the OECD countries, the share of jobs in large corporations and public organisations is declining, with a shift to medium, small and even very small businesses. In large corporations in industrialised countries, we see more recourse to temporary and short-term contract employment, which is producing more social insecurity. Countries of Central and Eastern Europe have seen fast growth in "independent" or "subordinated" types of employment in which workers rarely benefit from real social protection. Up to a quarter of the working population in these countries finds itself in this situation. In many developing countries, the “parallel” economy represents a large share of jobs, whereas those who work for foreign companies may benefit from work conditions similar to those in Europe and the United States.

At the same time, workers must constantly adapt their know-how and skills to new technologies and modes of production. And because of economic changes, they may need to hold several jobs and even change profession in the course of their working lives. But the investment required to adapt to these changes is difficult to plan for, given the uncertainty of employment.

Looking at various examples, this workshop will ask the following questions:

• What type of measures for employment would help find a balance between the interests of employers and job security for workers?
• How can basic social protection be made more accessible (health coverage, retirement and unemployment benefits …) in countries where they are not standard?
• How can training be made more accessible to employees so that they are prepared to hold different types of jobs throughout their working life?
• How can retraining be made systematic, so that employees in sectors undergoing restructuring can more easily find new jobs?

This Workshop has been prepared in coordination with Danielle Kaisergrüber, Director of Danielle Kaisergrüber Recherche et Conseil (DKRC).

Speakers

Chair: Maurizio Beretta, Director General, Confindustria, Italy

Workshop Moderator: Danielle Kaisergruber, Director, DKRC, France

Case Study Presenters

• Thomas Nygren, Director, Industrikompetens, Sweden
• Domenico Paparella, Secretary General, Centro di Studi Economici Sociali e Sindacali (CESOS), Italy
• Jean-Christophe Sciberras, Human Resources Director, Engineering, Renault

Discussants:

• Peter Auer, Head, Employment Analysis and Research Unit, Department of Economic and Labour Market Analysis, Employment Sector, International Labour Organization (ILO)
• Jacky Fayolle, Director, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES), France
• Martine Le Boulaire, Director, Entreprise et Personnel, France
• Philippe Marcel, President, ADECCO France
• Govindasamy Rajasekaram, Secretary General, Malaysian Trade Union Congress, (MTUC), Malaysia
• Bernard Thibault, Secretary General, Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT), France
• Jean-Rémi Touze, Director for Human Resources, Siemens France

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