Exploring Terra Incognita: Operating Hours in the Service Sector

Abstract

This article provides the first international comparison of the duration and composition of operating hours in the service sector, which was conducted within the project EUCOWE 'Working Times and Operating Hours in Europe'. The specific structures of the service sector are exposed, and the theoretical discussion of measurement of operating hours in the service sector is retraced. Using descriptive statistics and multivariate analyses, it is shown how company size, country-specific factors, and working time patterns impact on the duration and composition of operating hours in the various branches of the service sector. Therein, it is differentiated between trade and company-related, social and person-related, and public and private-business services. (IAB)

Cite article

Bauer, F. & Groß, H. (2009): Exploring terra incognita: operating hours in the service sector. In: L. Delsen, F. Bauer, G. Cette & M. Smith (Hrsg.) (2009): Comparative analyses of operating hours and working times in the European Union, p. 83-115. DOI:10.1007/978-3-7908-2185-7_4