According to a study published by the National Trade Union Bloc, the proportion of people working involuntarily under part-time and temporary work arrangements is high and increasing. In 2011, 58% of interviewed part-time workers and 94% of temporary employees stated they had accepted such working arrangements because they had no choice, compared with 55% and 93% respectively in 2008. The figures vary significantly between urban and rural areas, and between men and women.
About the survey
The study, ‘Labour force mobility and social inclusion aspects’, was part of a project by the Office for the Monitoring of the Labour Market and Quality of Workplaces, co-financed from the European Social Fund and developed by the National Trade Union Bloc (BNS). The study was conducted by a group of experts coordinated by Professor Liviu Voinea, Minister of Public Finance and Professor in International Business and Economics at Bucharest’s National School of Political and Administrative Studies. The group’s findings were published in February 2012.
The research involved the processing of secondary additional data collected during the Household labour force survey 2011 (172KB PDF) (RO0910019D), but not included in the annual reports released in 2008–2011.
Two of the indicators quantified during the inquiry and analysed for the purposes of this study were the share of individuals forced by circumstances to accept work in part-time or temporary employment schemes.
Part-time and temporary employment
The data collected for the Household Labour Force Survey (LFS) indicate that, in 2011, part-timers made up on average 10.5% of total employment in Romania (11.5% of employed women and 9.6% of employed men).
Part-timers accounted for only 2.4% of all urban workers but 20.5% of all rural workers.
Similarly, there was a high rate of part-time work among young people (those aged 15–24), with 18.2% of all part-time employment being within this age bracket (19.2% of all employed women compared with 7.5% of all employed men). Some 25.5% of young people in rural areas worked part-time compared with only 7.1% in urban areas.
Temporary workers accounted in 2011 for only 1.1% of all employees with a work contract, distributed as follows: 1.2% among men, 1.0% among women, 0.9% in urban areas and 1.8% in rural areas.
Young people with temporary employment contracts accounted for 4.2% of all employees, with a slight variation from 4.1% among men to 4.3% among women.
Extent of involuntary part-time and temporary work
The authors of the BNS report believe that part-time and temporary employment arrangements bring about uncertainty for workers, mean lower wages compared with similar permanent jobs, and reduce the workers’ chances of vocational training and career advancement because employers are reluctant to invest in them. People working under such contracts may also find it difficult to access welfare schemes.
The authors therefore decided to probe the workers’ perceptions of such atypical work and to find out whether they accept such work arrangements voluntarily or involuntarily.
The study found that a large number of people accept part-time work in the absence of full-time opportunities. This number rose from 55% in 2008 to 58% in 2011 (Table 1).
Table 1: People in involuntary part-time work (% of all part-timers)
| | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Total | 54.9 | 55.3 | 57.3 | 58.0 |
| Urban | 57.2 | 65.9 | 64.6 | 66.5 |
| Rural | 54.6 | 53.6 | 56.2 | 56.4 |
| Men | 69.8 | 69.3 | 70.0 | 70.9 |
| Women | 39.5 | 40.1 | 42.6 | 44.5 |
Source: BNS (2012)
The rates of part-time employment are significantly higher among urban dwellers and among men.
The share of people with temporary employment contracts who accept such schemes because they have no better choice is considerably higher: 93% in 2008 and 94% in 2011 (Table 2).
Table 2: People in involuntary temporary work (% of all temporary workers)
| | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Total | 93.4 | 93.7 | 94.8 | 94.5 |
| Urban | 95.6 | 94.2 | 91.3 | 91.4 |
| Rural | 92.3 | 93.2 | 98.5 | 98.8 |
| Men | 95.4 | 94.7 | 96.5 | 95.8 |
| Women | 90.7 | 92.7 | 91.3 | 92.5 |
Source: BNS (2012)
The differences between urban and rural and between men and women are smaller among involuntary temporary workers than among involuntary part-time workers.
The authors of the BNS study also concluded that temporary and part-time forms of employment are resorted to during periods of peak volumes of work within short periods of time, and mostly concern people with an average-to-low level of educational attainment and qualifications. Such employment offers are generally made to young people, making them particularly vulnerable.
Commentary
The study was developed in the context of the legislative reforms undertaken on the labour market in 2011, mainly through the issuance of a new Labour Code.
The version of the Labour Code version applicable until 2011 meant that open-ended employment contracts were the rule and temporary contracts were the exception. The study points out that most of the workers under unconventional employment contracts accept such terms for reasons beyond their control.
The new Labour Code purports, among other things, to provide more flexibility of employment conditions through unconventional contracts such as part-time and temporary work, which are convenient to workers seeking secondary jobs.
In my opinion, the ratio between flexibility and security of work is often determined by earnings. When salaries are low, people may prefer open-ended employment contracts which, though less rewarding, are safer.
Considering the above, ensuring more flexibility at the expense of security does not seem to be the best option, as long as poorly paid workers account for such a large share of total employment.
References
BNS (Blocul Naţional Sindical) (2012), Labour force mobility and social inclusion aspects, BNS, Bucharest.
INS (Institutul Naţional de Statistică) (2012), Household Labour Force Survey 2011: Quality report (172KB PDF), INS, Bucharest.
Constantin Ciutacu, Institute of National Economy, Romanian Academy