According to a research developed in Spain, the Dutch and German cases show that such combination create employment for young people

A report published by Enrique Morales and Eva Fernandez in the Spanish website lainformacion.com, states that the lack of flexibility has turned the Spanish market into one of the less competitive markets, with lower levels of production and higher unemployment rates in Europe.

According to the report, there is a tool which helps to create employment and turn the labour market into a more flexible one. Such tool is applied in Germany and Netherlands, where the unemployment rate is very low. It is the part-time employment, tool through which these countries have achieved having a more competitive labour market, with higher production levels, workers with a better balance between their labour and personal lives and dual formation through which young people are trained and obtain practical skills.

Sandalio Gómez López-Egea, a IESE Business School  professor, has been a clear defender of the form of employment and considers that Spain should aim to achieve that at least one every five workers chooses this type of contract. Professor Gomez believes that there has to be a change of mind, particularly among businessmen and unions, and people must learn about the usefulness of part time jobs to create employment, balance work and family and provide productivity to companies.

The professor says that part time employment, “which may be either temporary or permanent”, must not be precarious and poorly paid. The best example to follow is Netherlands, a country that is a role model on this matter.

In this country, businessmen have come to see how part time jobs allow a more flexible organization of working times while maintaining the productivity and commitment level. Moreover, this flexibility is transformed into motivation among employees.

He also states that unions “must come to realize that this hiring mode in Spain is not precarious if the same economic benefits and social rights offered in other types of contracts are provided here as well. Such is the case of Netherlands and other countries.”

Gomez points out that the government seems to have found in this option an aswer to the demands of a part of the population that wishes to balance their labour and family life.

The Netherlands is the country with highest levels of part time employment. One every two workers is under this hiring mode, which has proven to be very efficient in integrating women to the labour market, as well as in balancing labour life and in increasing companies’ productivity levels, while guaranteeing workers’ rights.

Germany, Austria, United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, and Belgium are above average in part time employment of the EU-28, and are the countries with best functioning labour markets in the Old Continent.

Another important and complementary point is the dual professional educational system, which has been functioning for a few years in Germany. During a three years period, young people learn a trade while working in companies in order to consolidate the theory they learn.

Students work eight hours and switch 50% in theory and 50% in practice. The German dual formation model develops technical and social skills. Experts say that this model and part time employment have been the keys to lower unemployment rates among young people in Germany.

These training models demand the commitment of businessmen, unions and the government in order to create and apply a model based on social dialogue that pursues a clear target: a higher level of employment among young people and more productivity.

Latin America must study these experiences and work following that path in order to grow in productivity and integration.