Abstract
The scope and structure of multiple jobholding and its consequences for multiple jobholders are changing in many Western economies. Only limited quantitative empirical knowledge is currently available on the changing features of multiple jobholding and whether the economic vulnerability of multiple jobholders has been changing over time. In this article we focus on the position and trends of multiple jobholders compared with single jobholders in Europe. We study this in terms of working hours, workers’ desire to work more hours, and in-work poverty. To that end, we analyse data since the early 2000s from the EU Labour Force Survey and from the EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions. Our findings show that multiple jobholding is a significant and increasing labour market phenomenon in many advanced economies, with changing characteristics, for example in terms of gender distribution and combinations of contracts. In-work poverty is relatively high among non-standard workers, but the findings do not indicate a deteriorating trend effect. In-work poverty seems to be on the rise among people who are single, for both single jobholders and multiple jobholders.
Highlights
The changes taking place in labour markets today in many advanced economies are accompanied by changing employment patterns
Is multiple jobholding more prevalent among particular individuals or occupational groups? And do multiple jobholders enjoy similar employment terms to those of single jobholders, or are they more vulnerable? We compare multiple jobholders to single jobholders and address the following questions: (ii) what is the pattern of multiple jobholding and how has it evolved over time; (ii) how have working hours and the desire to work more hours changed over time for multiple jobholders and for single jobholders; and (iii) how have atrisk-of-poverty rates and their determinants changed over time?
Is multiple jobholding more prevalent among particular individuals or occupational groups, and has this been changing over time? have working hours and the desire to work more hours, as well as at-risk-of-poverty rates diverged over time for different groups? To explain the changing nature of multiple and single jobholding in Europe, first we focus explicitly on differences in terms of gender and household composition
Summary
The changes taking place in labour markets today in many advanced economies are accompanied by changing employment patterns. On the one hand, changing product and labour markets, diffusion of information technology and participatory management strategies – among other things – may lead to job enrichment and mutual improvements for both workers and employers (Greenan et al, 2013; Handel, 2005) This view is related to post-Fordist theory and the mutual-gain literature, which argues that new systems have improved the quality of work, for instance in terms of intrinsic rewards (such as job challenge and autonomy), working conditions (such as decreased physical workload) and material rewards (such as wages). Previous comparative historical studies have shown mixed results regarding various dimensions of work quality (for example, Clark, 2005; Handel, 2005; Brown et al, 2008; Olsen et al, 2010), but consistent deteriorating trends have been found in the areas of work intensity and physical and emotional strain (Brown et al, 2008; Clark, 2005; Greenan et al, 2013; Lopes et al, 2014)
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