What is the proportion of employees working in flexible working time arrangements?
Flexible working time arrangements are characterized by a degree of freedom of the employees as to how they arrange the hours they have to work. The flexible part of the arrangement is, for example, the introduction of variable start and finish times, or the implementation of working time accounts.
In a flexi time arrangement, employees are free to choose when they start and finish their working time. They have to be present only at the fixed core hours and fulfill the contractual working hours. With a working time account, the number of hours agreed on have to be worked without precise instructions on the daily working time. Telework is characterized by the fact that employees work partly or completely at home or on the way.
Flexible working hours offer employees opportunities to reconcile their private and working lives. Thus, for example, family responsibilities can better be fulfilled and leisure time used more efficiently. However, employers can benefit from flexible working time arrangements, too: they may lead to an increased motivation and commitment of the employees. Both aspects can have a positive effect on performance.
2017: 38.8% can strongly influence start and end of working time
National data from the “BAuA-Working time survey” supplement the information from the Labour Force Survey 2010 with updated results. This survey offers numerous questions on the topic of working time flexibility. Here, only the results on the influence of start and end of the daily working time are considered.
In total, 38.8% of the employees have a strong influence of start and end of the daily working time. Women (37.4%) can influence their working times less than men (39.9%).
There are also differences in the form of employment: 19.4% of the blue collar workers indicate a strong influence on the start and end of the daily working time. For public officials, the share is nearly doubled (36.7%). The highest share of 43.6% is found for white collar workers.
Persons in managerial occupations show highest share of working time flexibility
Persons in managerial occupations show a share of 70.3% with high working time flexibility. Also professionals (51.9%) and clerical support workers (51.2%) have a strong influence on the start and end of their working day. Craft and related trades workers (21.7%) as well as service and sales workers (21.4%) have a much fewer influence, as their working times are conform to clients’ needs. In the group of plant and machine operators and assemblers only 13.1% of the employees have a strong influence on the start and end of their working day.
| Occupation | in % |
|---|---|
| 1: International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO), Major Groups. / = No response, because numerical value is not reliable enough. Source: BAuA-Working time survey | |
| Managers | 70.3 |
| Professionals | 51.9 |
| Technicians and associate professionals | 46.7 |
| Clerical support workers | 51.2 |
| Service and sales workers | 21.4 |
| Skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers | / |
| Craft and related trades workers | 21.7 |
| Plant and machine operators and assemblers | 13.1 |
| Elementary occupations | 28.7 |
| Armed forces occupations | / |
2010: 38% of employees worked in flexible working time arrangements
In 2010, 37.8% of all employees from 15 to 64 years had flexible working time arrangements. About one quarter of employees used working time accounts, just 10.7% used flexi time in order to adjust the start and finish times of their daily work to their private interests. On the other hand, 60.4% of employees had inflexible working time arrangements with fixed start and finish times of their working day.
The share of employees with flexible working hours differed only slightly between the sexes: 38.6% of the men used working time arrangements, which was a slightly higher share than among women (36.9%).
| Economic sector | % |
|---|---|
| Source: Labour Force Survey. | |
| Agriculture, forestry and fishery | 39.8 |
| Manufacturing (excluding construction) | 25.9 |
| Construction | 38.2 |
| Service sector in total | 28.2 |
| Trade, transport and hospitality | 62.9 |
| Information and communication | 70.9 |
| Financial and insurance activities | 58.1 |
Flexible working hours most frequent in communication and information branches
The share of employees with flexible working hours was largest in communication and information branches with 70.9% in 2010. In trade, transportation (62.9%) and financial and insurance activities (58.1%), more than one half of the employees worked in such arrangements.
In contrast, the employees in industry were, as expected, predominantly exposed to fixed working times. Among them, just 25.9% had flexible working hours. In the service sector, the share was 28.2%.
Information on the Indicator
Description or definition
Percentage of employees (15 - 64 years) working more than ten hours per week with strong influence on start and end of their working time in all employees (15 - 64 years) working more than ten hours per week.
Source
“BAuA-Working time survey” 2017 (Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA)
Description or definition
Percentage of employees (15 - 64 years) working in flexible working time arrangements in all employees (15 - 64 years)
Flexible working hours are given when the following arrangements are possible:
- flexible working hours / working time accounts,
- fixed number of hours worked, but flexible distribution of hours over the day
- variable working time arrangements
Source
Labour Force Survey, Ad Hoc Module 2010
Information for interpretation
In the last few years, the methodology of the labour force survey has been continuously improved in terms of employment status coverage. Therefore comparisons over time are partly limited. Methodological changes affecting the results were performed especially in 2005 and, more currently, for the years from 2011. Consequently, the results for those years can be compared with the results for previous years to a limited extent only.
In the context of the current changes, the extrapolation of microcensus data uses the population figures from the 2011 Census, which was conducted as at 9 May 2011. The results have been revised from 2010 onwards. With effect from the year 2016, the sample is based on the 2011 census data. This transition affects the comparability of the results with previous years.
For more information please refer to Methods: Quality Reports and Explanations (only in German).