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Flexible Employment as a Unidirectional Career? Results from Field Experiments

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  • Elisabeth Duetschke
  • Sabine Boerner

Abstract

Although the number of flexible workers is constantly growing, little is known about career paths built up on flexible employment. In this article, we investigate the chances of former flexible workers to be employed in a permanent full-time position. In two field experiments, we asked for employers’ evaluation of applicants with a flexible employment history. Results indicate that former part-time work is in fact perceived as a disadvantage for candidates when applying for a permanent full-time position while other types of flexible work (e.g., fixed term contracts, part-time work, and interorganizational mobility) are not. Implications of these results for individual careers and employers’ understanding of personnel are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Elisabeth Duetschke & Sabine Boerner, 2009. "Flexible Employment as a Unidirectional Career? Results from Field Experiments," management revue - Socio-Economic Studies, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 20(1), pages 15-33.
    • Handle: RePEc:nms:mamere:doi_10.1688/1861-9908_mrev_2009_1_duetschke
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    File URL: https://www.nomos-elibrary.de/10.5771/0935-9915-2009-1-15
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Michael Spence, 2002. "Signaling in Retrospect and the Informational Structure of Markets," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(3), pages 434-459, June.
    2. Burkert, Carola & Seibert, Holger, 2007. "Labour market outcomes after vocational training in Germany : equal opportunities for migrants and natives?," IAB-Discussion Paper 200731, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    3. Brewster, Chris & Mayne, Lesley & Tregaskis, Olga, 1997. "Flexible working in Europe," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 133-151, July.
    4. Oliver Heil & Thomas S. Robertson, 1991. "Toward a theory of competitive market signaling: A research agenda," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(6), pages 403-418, September.
    5. Michael Spence, 1973. "Job Market Signaling," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 87(3), pages 355-374.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    flexible employment; standard employment; contemporary careers; evaluation of CVs;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J53 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Labor-Management Relations; Industrial Jurisprudence
    • M12 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Personnel Management; Executives; Executive Compensation

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