The 35-hour workweek in France: Straightjacket or welfare improvement?

Author (Person) ,
Series Title
Series Details No.55, July 2008, p417-464
Publication Date July 2008
ISSN 0266-4658
Content Type

Abstract: Workweek reduction laws may be beneficial if market interactions do not fully take into account the preferences reflected in declining secular trends in working hours. The most recent law in France shortened the workweek from 39 to 35 hours in 2000 for large firms, and in 2002 for small firms. Analysing differences between large and small firm employees before and after the law, we find that aggregate employment was unaffected but labour turnover increased, as firms shed workers who became more expensive. Survey responses indicate that the welfare impact of the law was different across groups of workers: women but not men may have benefited from coordination to a shorter workweek, and there is also evidence of negative welfare effects for managers, possibly due to the law's administrative burden.

Source Link http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ecop.2008.23.issue-55/issuetoc
Related Links
La Tribune, 4.1.11: 35 hour working week under attack, still (via PressEurop) http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/news-brief-cover/447951-35-hour-working-week-under-attack-still
Deutsche Welle, 4.1.11: Top French socialist breaks party protocol over 35-hour week http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,14750246,00.html
France24, 4.1.11: Socialist maverick calls for end of 35-hour week http://www.france24.com/en/20110104-socialist-maverick-manuel-valls-calls-end-35-hour-week-primaries-france
Wikipedia: 35-hour workweek http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/35-hour_workweek
BBC News, 24.7.08: MPs scrap France's 35-hour week http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7522659.stm

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