When flexibility diversity becomes socially acceptable : The case of the French hospital industry

The aim of this article, which is mostly based on case studies of public and private French hospitals, is to analyse the employment of nurse assistants (NA) and unqualified health care workers (agent des services hospitaliers or ASH), focusing particularly on questions of flexibility. First, the article shows that in French hospitals, the cleaning and basic health care tasks are performed by a relatively stable core group of employees and by a more flexible workforce. From the hospital perspective, the need for flexibility is related to the growing trend towards rationalization. But employees see the demands for flexibility from a different angle, depending on their professional histories. The article also shows that the nurse assistants and unqualified health care workers who work under these unstable conditions may see this situation as a transition period and as a gateway to permanent jobs. Consequently, and despite the difficult working conditions, the job opportunities offered by hospitals may be attractive to women with few or no qualifications.