Flexibility, But For Whom? : A New Approach To Examining Labour Market Flexibility Across Europe Using Company Level Data

Labour market flexibility continues to be one of the key issues in the reform of labour markets in welfare states. The way in which various countries adapt to this need differs according to their institutions and prevailing strategies. Despite the vast numbers of studies addressing this issue, labour market flexibility has been examined predominantly by concentrating on the arrangements that firms adopt to adjust to market fluctuations. Thus flexibility arrangements are perceived to exist only to facilitate employers' or companies' needs. However, flexibility in the labour market also enables individuals to accommodate various needs that occur throughout their life course and to facilitate one's work-life balance. As companies adapt to business cycles with labour market flexibility, workers adapt to life cycles with it.