WP5: Ad hoc module on telework

The general aim of this work package is to fulfil the need for reliable, valid and internationally comparable indicators for the measurement of telework. The main problems with surveys on telework relate to their international comparability and their cost efficiency, as well as to the difficulty of developing clear, exclusive and exhaustive definitions and indicators of telework.

To overcome these problems, this work package will develop common indicators of telework rather than standardised phrasing of common questions as such. These indicators should be translatable into concrete questions, which can be added to an existing survey, taking into account the specificity of the surveys and the cultural diversity of each country. To guarantee the validity and reliability for the actual implementation of a telework module, the nationally developed set of questions will be pilot-tested. A feasibility study will be set up to investigate the conditions under which this module can be added on to Labour Force Surveys, and on to the Community Labour Force Survey in particular. In doing so, active use will be made of the wealth of experience possessed by the expert subcontractor who has already applied this methodology in the US.

The establishment of national user-groups and a European user-group to monitor the proceedings in this work package will underpin the usefulness and effectiveness of the telework module from the point of view of science and policy.