Flex Work Research Centre

International Conference Flex Work Research Centre 2009

Introduction

The University of Amsterdam has organised, with the support of Eurociett (the European Confederation of Private Employment Agencies), a research conference on “The role of flexible employment and employment intermediaries in buffering the business cycle”. It is part of their cooperation in “flexworkresearch” (www.flexworkresearch.org), the knowledge centre for researchers and policymakers on flexible work. The conference took place in Brussels on November 26-27 at the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts. Some 25 reknowned researchers were invited to share their latest research findings with members of euroCIETT and some policymakers of the EC.

You can now download notes/papers from the presenters in the program below.

Program FLWR Conference 2009

“The role of flexible employment and employment intermediaries in buffering the business cycle”

Thursday 26 November:

13.00 - 13.15 hours Introduction by Els Sol, Program leader Flexworkresearch (University of Amsterdam)
13.15 - 13.50 hours Plenary by Paul Swaim (OECD)
The Economic Crisis and Flexible Employment/Intermediaries: What Are the Implications for Employment and Social Policy?
13.50 - 14.00 hours Annemarie Muntz (President Eurociett)
Agency work in Europe during the economic crisis and thereafter
14.00 - 15.15 hours Parallel workshops first session
1 Market developments and the crisis (chair: Marloes de Graaf-Zijl)
  1. Ernest Berkhout (SEO/University of Amsterdam), Agency work and the business cycle. A theoretical explanation for different phases of the cycle
  2. Elke Jahn (University of Aarhus), The structure of the temp wage differential
  3. Claudia Weinkopf (University Duisbürg-Essen), What stands behind the growth of temporary agency work (TAW) in Germany?
2 Resilience of the non standard employment relationship (chair: Els Sol)
  1. Axel Haunschild (Trier University), What supports the individualized employment relationship? Evidence from the creative industries
  2. Gerhard Bosch (IAQ University of Duisburg), The re-institutionalization of a new flexible standard relationship
  3. Roger Blanpain (KU Leuven), Resilience of nonstandard relationships. Flexwork for current labour markets.
15.15 - 15.45 hours Tea break
15.45 - 17.00 hours Parallel workshops second session
3 Regulation of flexwork: new requirements? (chair: Roger Blanpain)
  1. Bertrand Muller-Schleiden (EC/DG EMPL), The Directive on temporary agency work: issues of implementation
  2. Christian Welz (Eurofound), Temporary Agency Work and Collective Bargaining in the EU
  3. Loredana Zappala (University of Catania), Flexibility and security aspects in the EU directive on temporary agency work
4 Management and organization of agency work (chair: Bas Koene)
  1. Barbara Imperatori and Martina Gianecchini (Catholic University, Milan), How typical are ‘a-typical’ employment contracts? An organizational perspective
  2. Nathalie Galais (Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg), Organizational commitment and the well-being of temporary agency workers: a longitudinal study
  3. Anneke Goudswaard (TNO arbeid) and Bas Koene (Erasmus University Rotterdam), Temporary work agencies and the professionalization of flexible staffing in client organizations
19.30 hours Dinner

Friday 27 November:

9.30 - 10.45 hours Parallel workshops third session
5 Flex employment as tool for social partners (chair: Marloes de Graaf-Zijl)
  1. Jelle Visser (University of Amsterdam), A new Miracle?
  2. Andrea Salvatori (University of Warwick), What do unions do to temporary employment?
  3. Francois Michon (University of Paris 1), French social actors confronting temporary agency work
6 Position and representation of agency workers (chair: Ida Regalia)
  1. Els Sol (University of Amsterdam), Flex work, flex representation?
  2. Nicole Torka (University of Twente), The role of perceived institutional framework quality for agency workers commitment
  3. Daniëlle van Jaarsveld (University of British Columbia), Unions and temporary agency workers
10.45 - 11.00 hours Coffee break
11.00 - 12.15 hours Parallel workshops fourth session
7 Stepping stone theory (chair: Michael Kvasnicka)
  1. Miguel Malo (University Carlos III Madrid), On the stepping stone hypothesis: temporary help agencies and temp-to-perm transitions in Spain
  2. Christoph Ehlert (RWI Essen) and Michael Kvasnicka (RWI Essen), Effects of PilotM – Pilot measure: temporary work for disadvantaged youths
  3. Marloes de Graaf-Zijl (University of Amsterdam), For better or for worse: does the allocation function of temporary work agencies fluctuate with the business cycle?
8 Strategies and possibilities for temporary work agencies (chair: Els Sol)
  1. Ida Regalia (University of Milano), The limits and unexpected potentials of agency work. A contribution to the debate from Italy
  2. Bas Koene (Erasmus University Rotterdam), Conditions for institutional experimentation - comparing the development of TAW in the Netherlands and Sweden
12.15 - 13.00 hours Lunch
13.00 - 13.45 hours Plenary: Wrapping up, speakers:
Paul Verschueren, (President Advisory Board Ciett), Download presentation
Wallis Goelen, European Commission/DG Employment (TBC)
13.45 - 14.30 hours Plenary: Panel discussion on next steps
Panellists: Members Conference’s Program committee and Annemarie Muntz (Eurociett President)