part #2 ,,, Study Examines French 35-Hour Workweek Law
Friday June 24, 5:57 pm ET
France's 35-Hour Workweek Law Created 350,000 Jobs From 1998-2002, Statistics Agency Says
PARIS (AP) -- France's 35-hour workweek law led to the creation of 350,000 jobs from 1998 to 2002, the national statistics agency reported Friday.
The new study by the Insee agency comes as France has been grappling with chronic unemployment of about 10 percent, and Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin has made fighting joblessness his No. 1 priority.
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The study found that the shorter workweek, enacted under a Socialist-led government, had not harmed companies and had in fact led to a small increase in productivity among workers.
"For employers, the shorter workweek was the opportunity to introduce or increase flexibility" in the workplace, according to the report in the Insee review "Economie et Statistique" published Friday.
The report found that 350,000 jobs were created from 1998 to 2002 after the workweek was lowered to 35 hours from 39, requiring many companies to adapt -- in some cases by hiring.
However, the figure fell short of the 600,000 new jobs that the law's drafters had expected it to create.
In March, parliament, now controlled by conservatives, effectively abolished the 35-hour workweek by allowing employers to increase working hours.
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