Project

Part-time work in different sectors as part of sustainable working life

The project examines part-time work as a solution for sustainable working life in different sectors. The project responds to a timely need for information by utilising working time data from the service sector, extensive and nationally representative register data and interview data to find concrete best practices for part-time work and shortening working hours.

Timetable

9/2024–1/2027

Objectives

The overall objective of the project is to examine part-time work in various sectors as a part of sustainable working life.

Additional objectives include:

producing information about part-time work in various life situations in various sectors
examining the views of operators in various sectors on part-time work and best practices for shortening working hours at workplaces.

The project aims to bring together representatives of various workplaces and labour market organizations to create a joint statement on the methods and practices of part-time work and shortening working hours to support workplaces in Finland.

Data and methods

Existing working hour data from the service sector (including absences and their causes):
The data can be used to assess different forms of part-time work at the level of work units and individual employees (e.g. fixed-term or temporary work, reduction of daily or weekly working hours or working days [e.g. compressing working weeks to 4 days] or moving from full-time to part-time work) and absences for various reasons (sickness, parental leave, etc.). The data makes it possible to take into account phenomena that coincide with part-time work (such as moving from shift work to daytime work).
'The State of Work Ability in Finland' project data
Existing nationally representative register data contains individual-level information on occupations, sectors, and part-time work based on earned income and realized working days. The detailed data and the long monitoring period facilitate the examination of part-time work in various life situations (such as unemployment or family leave) as part of sustainable working life in various sectors. This data also allows for the monitoring of the number of part-time employees at an individual and organizational level in various sectors until 2021.
Representatives of employer organizations and labour market organizations participating in a group interview
Approximately five public-sector and five private-sector workplaces from different industries and five labour market organisations will participate in the group interview. In the interview section, it is essential to compile opportunities and methods for part-time work and shortening working hours at various workplaces and list organization-level practices, emphasising factors that either promote or prevent the introduction of part-time work.
Joint workshop for labour market organisations and workplaces
In the workshop, we will assess the results achieved in the project and prepare a joint statement on best practices for part-time work and shortening working hours.

Knowledge produced using various methods and knowledge based on data are used in a complementary mixed-methods research design in this study. The interfaces of quantitative and qualitative data and the related analysis and interpretation practices are guided by research questions concerning various data sets, i.e. the integration is guided by research-specific principles.

Results and impact

The study combines knowledge produced by three different data sets, which allows us to offer practical conclusions on various situations and opportunities related to part-time work that can directly benefit workplaces in many sectors in Finland. For example, new information can be used to better target part-time work and other support measures.

We examine part-time work as a working-time solution. The study is based on unique daily working hour data from the service sector (health care and commerce), thanks to which we can compare the role of working time solutions in detail and assess their short-term impact on sickness absences and sustainable working life. In these sectors, employees' coping is affected by common irregular working hours and part-time work. The results of the study will improve our understanding of working time solutions that have a similar impact (e.g. part-time work vs reducing evening and night work) and their connections to sickness absences and sustainable working life.
The project's extensive national register data from various sectors allows us to examine the prevalence of part-time work and monitor sustainable working life in the long term in connection with life situations that have a key impact on part-time work (such as parental leave or unemployment) and separately for young employees. In previous studies, part-time work has been examined specifically through benefits and allowances related to unemployment or parental leave, not as an independent working time solution, and research data is lacking especially from different sectors. We will examine the sector-specific differences regarding what kind of life situations people do part-time work and whether part-time work supports young employees resuming full-time work in the long term.
The study's interview data will shed light on the views of workplaces and labour market organizations regarding part-time work, especially with best workplace practices in mind.

The project will produce a joint statement of the representatives of various workplaces and labour market organisations on the methods and practices of introducing part-time work and shortening working hours to support workplaces in Finland.