Employment flexibility and industrial relations arrangements at organisation level: A comparison of five European countries

This paper addresses the impact of institutional industrial relations arrangements at organisation level on the extent and pattern of utilisation of different forms of employment flexibility. In particular, it evaluates the extent to which factors such as union recognition, union density and union influence impact on the diffusion of different forms of flexibility in five European countries (Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Spain and the UK). In assessing the impact of institutional industrial arrangements at organisation level, this paper focuses on three particular types of employment flexibility: temporary working, fixed term contracts and job sharing. A number of hypotheses are identified to help explore the impact, if any, of unionisation, sector and country of origin on the extent of utilisation of both management and employee‐driven flexibility forms.