In the past year, the number of part-time workers whose job was their primary income increased by 1,536, three times the increase in new full-time jobs. JAMES DEBONO asks whether part-time work is a lifestyle choice or a sign of working conditions
Two unions, two stories. The secretary-generals of the two largest unions in the country give very different reasons for the increase in the number of workers depending on a part-time job. Union Haddiema Maqghudin secretary-general Gejtu Vella contends that part-time jobs are on the rise because the traditional family structure, where the male is the sole breadwinner, is changing.
On the other hand, General Workers Union boss Tony Zarb says workers are resorting to part-time jobs because they are not finding full-time jobs. “The loss of full-time jobs, especially in the manufacturing sector is leaving workers no choice but to seek employment as part-timers.”
NSO statistics show the number of full-timers engaged in manufactured dropped by 1,696 this year, and according to Zarb, these are finding it difficult to find alternative full-time employment.
But Gejtu Vella says the increase in part-time workers is a global phenomenon caused by changes in the family structure. “The traditional family is changing and both men and women prefer working part-time for some time in their life, so that they can take care of family responsibilities,” Vella said, who sees no risk in deteriorating working conditions caused by the increase in part-timers.
Referring to changes in the law that have granted part-timers the same benefits as full-timers on a pro rata basis, Vella insists it is no longer the case that employers resort to part-timers simply because these have no rights for leave or bonuses.
This view was reiterated by Joe Farrugia, director-general of the Malta Employers Association, who refers to the law granting part-timers equal treatment as full-timers on issues of pay, leave, sick leave and other benefits. “An employer cannot discriminate between part-timers and full-timers. Part-timers also have seniority rights in cases of redundancies, and they can apply for promotions and training opportunities as much as any full-timer”.
But Zarb presents a completely different picture. “Part-time workers simply get less pay and in practice have poorer conditions than full-time workers.”
Farrugia concurs with Zarb: part-time is a second-best option for a number of workers who would prefer a full-time job. But he claims that this is preferable to having such persons on the unemployment register, since their chances of full-time employment are better if they work part-time for some time.
One major factor which could contribute to poorer working conditions in this sector is weak trade union representation. Tony Zarb accuses certain employers of misinforming part-timers by telling them that they have no right to join a trade union. “This is leading to more exploitation,” he contends.
But Joe Farrugia contends that cases of exploitation are mainly encountered in the informal economy, where the employees “by choice or by circumstance, are not covered by the law because their work is not even declared.”
Precariousness or lifestyle change? The increase in part-time jobs has been interpreted as a sign of increasing job precariousness, or precarity, by both the Labour Party and left-wing organisation Zminijietna, both of which associate the increase of part-time dependent workers with deteriorating working conditions and increased exploitation of workers.
While Labour has refrained from making any concrete proposal to counter the trend, Zminijietna has proposed that when bidding for government contracts, contractors should also declare what conditions of work they are offering to their staff to ensure that workers are not offered precarious conditions.
But labour relations expert Godfrey Baldacchino warns against equating part-time work with job precariousness: “This is a common misconception, and a sample of male prejudice, bred from an implicit but faulty understanding that a good job must be a full-time job.”
He notes that in Malta, the part-time option remains especially attractive to women with young children, especially single parents who can still claim social security benefits if working at least eight hours a week.
The NSO statistics show that females constitute 60% of the 27,574 workers whose primary job is part-time. “An increasing number of individuals prefer to have part-time employment: for reasons of work-life balance, other life interests, and complementarily to either another full-time or part-time job or that of a partner,” Baldacchino says.
The part-time option is also becoming more attractive after retirement, since it no longer leads to a reduction in people’s pension receipts. This could partly explain the increase in the number of men relying on a part-time job for a living.
Joe Farrugia contends that the increase in part-time employment is partly due to a demand for more flexible work-time agreements by both employers and employees. “Employers are generally responding favourably to demands of sectors like working mothers and pensioners who wish to remain in the labour force, but not necessarily dedicating the same working hours as before.”
This could potentially contribute to an increased labour activity rate in the coming years, says Farrugia, who notes that although the number of part-timers is rising it is nowhere near the levels reached in the Netherlands where part-timers actually outnumber full-timers.
Young people face precariousness However according to Godfrey Baldacchino, job precariousness could increasingly be a problem for new entrants to the labour market, and for those who have lost their job and are seeking to re-enter the labour market.
This difficulty is evidenced by a “slow but steady” increase in the unemployment rate in Malta in recent months: from 6% in June 2008 to 7.3% in June 2009, and by a youth unemployment rate of 15.4%, which is more than twice the national average across all age cohorts.
“It is likely that newcomers to the job market are finding it more difficult to land full-time jobs,” Baldacchino says.
These newcomers include both MCAST and University of Malta graduates, as well as other school-leavers and workers returning, after some absence, to the labour market “without possessing the skills in demand”.
“These categories must be having an especially hard time to secure employment – especially full-time this year,” adds Baldacchino.
But the current global recession has not led to massive losses in employment in Malta. Indeed, the NSO figures for March 2009 report an increase in the employment levels of both full-time and part-time workers when compared to the same month in 2008. Other than in the manufacturing sector – whose competitiveness is being sorely tested, “business have been wary of shedding labour” since “good trained employees are hard to find.”
If the recession is relatively short, as predictions continue to claim, companies must be ready to ‘hit the ground running’ and be able to resume former levels of output within a short period of time to remain competitive and maintain market share.
26,947 The number of workers depending on a part-time job for a living. They constitute 15.7% of all salaried employees
16,002 Women depending on a part-time job, 25.7% of all female employees
10,945 Men depending on a part-time job, 10% of those male employees
5,296 Number of workers solely depending on part-time work in the retail and wholesale sector. Of these, 3,484 were women. The numbers of these workers increased by 8% in the past year
4,898 The number of workers depending on a part-time job for a living working in hotels and restaurants, 27% of all workers in this sector. Of these 55% were women and 45% were male employees
2,761 Workers depending on a part-time job in the educational sector. Of these 72% were women
4,124 Number of part-time, self-employed persons which increased from 2,836 in December 2000 to 4,124 in November 2008
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