Work Sharing During the Great Recession New Developments and Beyond

Work sharing is a labor market instrument based on the reduction of working time, which is intended to spread a reduced volume of work over the same (or similar) number of workers in order to avoid layoffs. If work sharing policies are properly designed and implemented, the result can be a "win-win-win" solution for workers, businesses, and governments. Work sharing programs used during the Great Recession of 2008-09 are analyzed for several European countries (Germany's Kurzarbeit, for example, and measures in Austria, Belgium, France, and the Netherlands) and other countries around the world (Japan, Turkey, the United States, and Uruguay). The volume synthesizes the lessons learned from these recent experiences and their implications for policy. It also considers how work sharing might go beyond being solely a crisis response tool to contribute to improved individual well-being, more sustainable economies, and ultimately more equitable societies. Contributors include Lutz Bellman (Institute for Employment Research, Germany), Andreas Crimmann (Institute for Employment Research), Frank Wiessner (Institute for Employment Research), Jörg Flecker (Forschungs-und Beratungsstelle Arbeitswelt Institute, Austria), Annika Schönauer (Forschungs-und Beratungsstelle Arbeitswelt Institute), Lonnie Golden (Pennsylvania State University), Stuart Glosser (University of Wisconsin–Whitewater), Kazuya Ogura (Japan Institute for Labor Policy and Training), Erinç Yeldan (Bilkent University, Turkey), and María José González Fernández (Universidad Católica Dámaso Antonio Larrañaga, Uruguay). Copublished with Edward Elgar.