European Interests - newsletter provided by European Social, Organisational and Science Consultancy (ESOSC), Aghabullogue, Ireland. ISSN 1649-1955. Issue 1-2003 Flexible Work in the Province of Modena (Italy) New And Old Flexibilities in the Labour Market
Flexible work in the province of Modena (Italy)
Abstract
New flexible forms of work are an increasingly important component of employment in Italy, namely temporary agency work and the freelance work “coordinated” by an employer (collaborazioni coordinate continuative). The growth of atypical forms of work has attracted the attention of many political parties, prompting a series of proposals for their regulation, such as “Pacchetto Treu” in 1997 and the Libro Bianco (White Paper) during the Berlusconi government. In what way does “atypical” work fit into the economical and social frame of a city like Modena? How do the different sectors react and what are the reasons for the growth of flexible work? Is there a link between these “new flexibilities” and the “old flexibilities” that developed in the 60s? The present research examines the situation of employment in the city of Modena. In this area new forms of flexible work have developed through the interaction between the small and medium enterprises. The work analyses whether the growth of these new forms of work was determined by the end of the Fordism or by the disappearance of a labour model based on dependent employment, linear careers, fixed hierarchies and a social organization that reflected the company organization. Flexible work has economical and social implications. This study tries to analyse the meaning of the word “flexibility”: on the one hand, it has a negative connotation since people tend to associate it with the idea of job insecurity, exploitation of labour or the fragmentation of human relations. On the other hand, it has a more positive connotation since it is linked to the idea of a more flexible and dynamic society, where people “take the risk” and they are prone to accept flexible jobs because they want to improve their professional positions. The analysis focuses on the change of the economical and social environment in the Modena area. This survey has been carried out among some key protagonists of various economical sectors. The following interesting results emerged from the interviews:
The first category, which amounts to 40-50% of the total freelance “coordinated” workers (less the members of company boards) is made up of middle-high professionals. These people seem to be the modern version of the self-employed worker that developed in various economical sectors in the Modena province a few years ago. Different working categories are concerned, from the mechanics to the workers that are employed in the textile-clothing industry. Their level of expertise is different from that of the craftsmen who “started their own business” in the previous decade; however they share the same attitude towards work. These forms of employment are completely different from the structure of the dependent work, since freelance “coordinated” workers act within the frame of a market that demands high quality services. In other words, these “new flexibilities” are the direct outcome of the “old flexibilities” that developed in the previous years. As we have pointed out above, these professionals belong mainly to the advanced tertiary sector. Emilia Romagna is the second Italian region, after Lombardy, where the number of freelance “coordinated” workers is quite high. As a matter of fact, these are the two most industrialized regions in Italy where innovative and modern services are extensively widespread. Emilia Romagna accounts for 8.4% of Italian GNP and the percentage of freelance “coordinated” workers is 10.0%, a higher percentage than other regions such as Veneto and Piemonte. The second category of freelance “coordinated” workers is made up of people who do executive jobs. They work at their customers’ offices and they use the productive tools of their customers. Sometimes “atypical” workers perform the same job as dependent workers and it may happen that the real nature of their working relationship is hidden in order to avoid social security payments. However their situation is different from the one of dependent workers: their commitment and salaries are higher than those of dependent workers since employers pay for the service not for the duration in terms of working hours needed to “produce” the service. This situation applies both for a door-to-door salesperson, and tiler, or a professional who organises a vocational training course and a person who is employed in a supermarket. Temporary agency work is quite distinct from freelance “coordinated” work. When companies require freelance “coordinated” workers they buy a service, since the workers are paid for their expertise and the final service they provide. As far as temporary agency work is concerned, the work organisation is similar to dependent work and people are paid on a time basis. As it is rightly pointed out, temporary agency work is in most cases transformed into open-ended employment relationships while freelance “coordinated” work is rarely transformed into an open-ended employment relationship.
Contact: m.dangelillo@genesis.it Massimo D'Angelillo is economist and works as manager of Genesis. Genesis carries out researches and studies on labour market, local economic policies and new employment opportunities. See for further details http://www.genesis.it/ European Interests - newsletter provided by European Social, Organisational and Science Consultancy (ESOSC), Aghabullogue, Ireland. ISSN 1649-1955. Issue 1-2003 |