Report investigates spread of wage flexibility

A new report from the European Commission examines the growth of private pension provision and what this can mean for workers in both public and private sectors. A key trend identified by the report is the transfer of risk from governments and employers. However, the only recommendation from the Commission on this is greater financial education for workers. The report also refers to the need to ensure that pension provision is not discriminatory but recent changes can lead to lower pensions for women particularly where there are breaks in contributions. The report also warns of the costs of

The International Labour Organisation has published a new report on working time and work-life balance that reviews working hours and working time arrangements and their effects on workers' work-life balance. It finds that over one-third of all workers are regularly working more than 48 hours per week, while a fifth of the global workforce is at the opposite end of the spectrum working short (part-time) hours less than 35 per week. The report concludes with a summary of the key findings which suggest the need to promote reduced working time and offer flexible working time arrangements, such as