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A recent research paper reveals that the Portuguese ICT sector is characterised by hierarchical inequities and sexual segregation among its workforce. Call centres, in particular, represent a ‘computer taylorism’ type of work organisation.
The study has examined the results of a survey of Portuguese companies in the information and communication technologies (ICT) sector. It reveals that the main changes in companies’ human resource strategies reflect the growth of the services sector, feminisation of the labour market, and increasing prevalence of flexible forms of employment.
The results of this study contradict the thesis of the ‘new economy’ ideologists, who aspire to the flattening of employment posts and the spread of ‘smart and flexible work’. The authors conclude that there are, in fact, significant differences between managers, specialists and some technicians, and call centre operators. The tendency is for managers to gain more and more advantages, while call centre operators become more disadvantaged.
Managers and specialists are to be found mainly in a stable employment situation, supported by promotion, training and professional development; whereas call centre operators, despite their high education, are in a precarious situation and seek a more stable employment status
The study also refutes another thesis, according to which inequalities in employment conditions between men and women tend to disappear in the new economy. In fact, the authors conclude that the ICT sector is characterised by strong sexual discrimination: the work carried out by men is concentrated in the more valued, highly paid and contractually stable occupational segments.
In terms of employment contract status in the ICT sector, the male workforce is in a favourable position: 52% of male workers have a permanent contract, while the proportion of women working on a temporary basis through temporary work agencies is twice that of men. The female workers with precarious employment contracts are mostly call centre operators.
With regard to working time, the differences between male and female workers are particularly striking: while 6.8% of male workers work part time, this percentage rises to 20.4% for female workers. Almost four out of five part-time workers (79%) are women.
Working time ranges from a minimum of five hours per day (in the call centres) up to a maximum of 55 hours per week (in the software/computers sector). This illustrates the trend of very long working hours in ICT businesses, where the time spent working is considered a reflection of commitment to the job and company.
Source: Dublin Foundation
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