Involuntary non-standard employment: evidence from Italian regions

Using European Union Labour Force Survey data on over 2.5 million workers in Italian regions for the period 1999-2010, we investigate the determinants of involuntary non-standard (temporary and part-time) employment (INE). We find that regional differences significantly affect the probability of workers being involuntarily employed in non-standard jobs, with higher probabilities for workers in the southern and insular regions than in the rest of the country. Women, young individuals, and low-skilled workers are particularly at risk of INE. The same holds for graduates, whose chances of finding satisfactory full-time permanent jobs are lower than those of individuals with diplomas. Finally, we find that INE follows a counter-cyclical behaviour, with it more likely to be higher when GDP growth is low and unemployment high.