EcoAustria study

“New Work” can mobilize new workers

According to the study, new forms of work enable better "matching" between employees and employers.

(Bild: TarikVision - stock.adobe.com)

Flexible forms of work can improve job placement and mobilize new workers. This is the conclusion of a study conducted by the business-oriented think tank EcoAustria on behalf of the Young Economy in the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber.

According to the study, new forms of work, which can be summarized under the collective term "New Work", enable better "matching" between employees and employers. This also makes the working hours of existing employees more productive.

The study defines "new work" as new forms of work or employment relationships that differ from established forms of work. These include teleworking, but also flexible working hours that do not follow a fixed framework, employment with several employers or cross-border working, as in the case of "digital nomads".

The study sees a lot of potential for the labor market through flexible forms of work. People who were previously unavailable to the labour market due to caring responsibilities could be mobilized if they could arrange their working hours freely or work from any location. People who would otherwise have to travel long distances could work from home, the study cites another example.

Employees with special qualifications are no longer tied to just one employer. Conversely, companies could source workers from a globally networked market.

Not transferable to every profession
"Overall, New Work offers the prospect of an increase in operational and systemic competitiveness, higher employment, better export opportunities and easier integration of Austrian companies into international value chains," says study author Monika Köppl-Turyna. The prerequisite for this is that, in addition to the established forms of work, space is also created for flexibility in terms of time and location.

This could also only affect individual roles in companies, as New Work is not transferable to every profession. The author of the study expects that digitalization, the move away from hierarchical corporate cultures, demographic developments and the shift in social values towards a better work-life balance will promote new forms of work.

"For us, New Work is not a fashionable topic, but an approach to sustainably strengthen the competitiveness of our companies through more flexibility and new technologies," says Bettina Dorfer-Pauschenwein, Federal Chairwoman of Junge Wirtschaft.

Better framework conditions required
The latter is calling for better framework conditions for more flexible working. Specific demands include the nationwide expansion of all-day childcare, a tax-deductible education premium for further training, the creation of a legal framework for flexible working time models and a digital nomad visa for third-country nationals.