One in three works flexible hours

Working time banking is an arrangement of flexible daily working hours. Such arrangements are most common among employees in public administration (70 per cent) as well as financial intermediation and business activities (57 per cent). Working time banking is least common in retail trade (15 per cent) and health and social work (18 per cent). The results of the survey show that working time banking is most widespread in professions that require higher education. In addition, it is more common among men than women (37 per cent compared with 30 per cent).

Among employees with contracted working hours, 5 per cent used their credit hours to take hours or days off in the reference week. In more than half of these cases, they took one or more days off.

91 per cent of Norwegian employees have contracted working hours, while 9 per cent say that they do not have such a contract. 4 per cent do not have a regular work schedule and only work when their employer contacts them. This type of work is most common among people aged 16-19 (over 20 per cent) and 20-24 (12 per cent). It is also more common among women than men. If we look at the different industries, such work is most common in hotels and restaurants, retail trade, health and social work.

Employees who do not have a regular work schedule are a subgroup of the temporary employed, which accounted for 10 per cent of all employees in the second quarter of 2004.

Source

The figures are based on an ad hoc module to the Labour Force Survey (LFS) carried out in the second quarter of 2004. The list of variables is in line with similar surveys carried out in the EU and EEA countries and coordinated by Eurostat.