“Making more of the available working time”

Against the backdrop of a sharp rise in the supply of labour coupled with high and rising unemployment and persistently weak economic growth, the issue of the "fair" distribution of the volume of work over working hours is increasingly being addressed. While a general reduction in normal working hours is being propagated in Austria, the international trend is moving in a different direction. A recent Europe-wide survey at company level by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions shows that making working hours more flexible is the right answer to the existing challenges. The results of the study showed that companies with comprehensive flexible working time models have both a better economic performance and increased employee satisfaction. The further development of flexible working time models that take into account the needs of employees and allow existing working time to be used more effectively could make an important contribution to overcoming the existing weakness of the labor market and growth in the Austrian economy.