Macro-Social Turn in Labour Market Inequality: An Open Database and A Toolkit of Unpaid Labour

Objective

In my ERC AdG (ResPectMe) I developed a survey module of unpaid labour that was implemented through nation-wide panel surveys in Sweden (Lore), France (ELIPSS), The Netherlands (LISS) & UK (NatCen). With this PoC (ReSTLess) I will harness and maximize the utility of this survey module along three dimensions: time (work hours, incl. time to maintain, prepare, travel for work), material (office spaces, smart phone, software, PCs, other infrastructures), immaterial assets (emotions, feelings, knowledge, skills, competences). Hence the aim of this PoC is to establish a clear pathway from research (ResPectMe) to policy and innovation (ReSTLess) by instigating a ‘macro-social turn’ on labour market inequality due to unpaid labour. This will be achieved through two major deliverables: First, the PoC will create a new Open database (OD) encompassing the cross-national harmonised three dimensions of the ResPecTMe survey module. The OD will cater to identified end-users, namely international & EU-based agencies, such as Eurofound & ILO. It will support them in developing policy recommendations by monitoring shifts in labour market inequality, based upon job quality through the OD providing information along the harmonised unpaid labour dimensions across the indicated countries. A policy & technical report will present recommendations for policy makers & policy research institutes, connecting between unpaid dimensions, their socio-demographic, occupational differences at individual level, and macro-level labour market indicators, variables for each studied country (the ‘macro-social turn’). Second, the PoC will develop a Toolkit of unpaid labour. Based on the OD, the Toolkit will cater to EU-based social organizations end-users, such as ETUI, to train unions, workers representatives on bargaining about working time reduction, and civil society organisation SOLIDAR to empower workers by raising awareness about unpaid labour.