Many regions of Southern and Eastern Europe (mostly) have fallen into a permanent “trap” of job insecurity, with the spread of flexible and informal work on the European continent. Unfortunately, most of the regions of Greece, like many regions of Italy, are “acting” in negative performances. These are the findings of an interesting study by Nikos Kapicinis, Associate Professor of Economic Geography at the University of Copenhagen and Research Fellow at the University of the Aegean, and the e-Aegean ResLab research group at the University of the Aegean. The study examines the situation with precarious work in 205 regions of the European Union separately and in fact in three sub-periods: 2008-2014. after the global financial crisis (2008-09), 2014-2018 during the recovery period and 2018-2018. 2020, capturing the initial effects of the pandemic.

The survey results point to increasing and geographically uneven trends in job insecurity across EU regions. between the two crises (2008/09 and COVID-19). The most unstable regional labor markets are located in the south and east of the EU. and mainly in Italy, Greece, Poland and Spain.

“The study shows that the labor markets in the south of the EU and mainly in Italy, in its southern regions and in Greece, they have fallen into the trap of extremely insecure working conditions. Even at the stage of economic recovery, a model of precarious work is being reproduced, which has deep historical roots in Southern Europe. And the first data we have for 2020, the first year of the pandemic, again shows a disparity in rising volatility across EU regions. Once again, the most flexible and precarious job markets were in the Italian and Greek regions at a time when the work-life balance has shifted due to the increase in teleworking.” – says Nikos Kapicinis “K”.. In 2020, the Italian regions of Calabria, Vasilicata, Sardinia, Molise, Apulia, Sicily were at the top of job insecurity, followed by two Greek regions (Peloponnis, West Macedonia).

“Regions with the most insecure labor markets are more isolated, economically weak and distant from the centers, with historically high levels of informal employment and specialize in tourism and agriculture, sectors that were associated with seasonal and temporary, informal employment,” he said. explains Mr. Kapitsinis. “Tradition also plays a role, but also the pattern of development as tourism, agriculture and services create the conditions for more instability. Another element we have seen is that while informal, flexible or part-time forms of work develop in cities, regions with small urban centers eventually dominate. This can also be seen in Greece, where Attica is the region with the lowest risk index. In addition, insecure labor thrives in economically disadvantaged areas,” adds the assistant professor of economic geography. The study also shows that high unemployment rates, as well as a vast area of ​​youth who are not in school, not trained, not working, but remain inactive because they have not found a way out (NEET), are pushing them to more insecure jobs. “These socioeconomic characteristics generate and reproduce a vicious circle between low-wage work, precarious employment, unemployment, and inactivity in the periphery, which are locked in trajectories of high job insecurity,” the researchers report.

In response to the global financial crisis of 2008–2009, governments and businesses in many countries advocated a restructuring of industrial relations with an emphasis on more flexible work. The pandemic is expected to have similar effects, the study estimates. A total of 94 regions (46% of all regions surveyed) showed a higher value of the instability index in 2020 than in 2018. “However, patterns of labor restructuring are not evenly distributed in space, and regions in the European Union record different speeds. insecurity at work.

Germany and the Netherlands have the most secure job markets

It is very important whether legislation exists and is applied to protect labor in any form. For example: the top ten regions in terms of the number of part-time workers are all in the Netherlands. But at the same time, since there are guaranteed labor rights, they do not show an increased level of insecurity,” explains Mr. Kapitsinis.

According to researchers, Greece, unfortunately, is an eternal example of the opposite. Nine of the country’s 13 regions were among the 50 European regions with the highest job insecurity in 2008. Attica (93rd out of 205 regions studied), Central Macedonia (139th), Western Greece (141st) and Crete. (position 144). The Ionian Islands had the highest rate of job insecurity among Greek regions, ranking 191 out of 205 regions surveyed. In 2014, after the crisis and the interventions of the memorandum, unreliability increased in most regions of Greece. Only Attica and Crete were outside the top 50 European regions at risk (positions 90 and 152).

Four Greek regions made it into the top 15 negative rankings: South Aegean at 194th, Epirus at 195th, the Ionian Islands at 201st and Western Macedonia at 203rd. the labor market is in a highly volatile position,” notes Mr. Kapitsinis. Although the Greek regions in the top 15 have dropped to 3 (East Macedonia-Thrace, 193, Western Macedonia, 195, and the Ionian Islands, 201), only Attica is not among the top 50 most insecure regions (109). Finally, things will get even worse in 2020, highlighting the huge impact of the pandemic. Again, Attica is the only Greek region not in the top 50 most insecure at work, but with a big drop in rankings (from 109th in 2018 to 123rd in 2020). Three regions are included in the group of 15 countries with the highest job insecurity (Ionian Islands – 196th place, Western Macedonia – 198th place and Peloponnese – 199th place).

According to the researchers, the most protected labor markets are in countries such as the Netherlands and Germany, and predominantly in the regions of Gelderland, North Brabant, North Holland, Hannover and Darmstadt, with minor changes in all periods of the study. However, during the first year of the pandemic, employment insecurity also increased significantly in regions of Eastern Europe such as the Polish Lower Silesian and Silesian Voivodeships, as well as in more protected areas such as Helsinki, parts of Germany (Leipzig, Bremen), southern Denmark, etc. . .etc.