A recent Korn Ferry report focused on a major crisis looming over economies and organizations worldwide: the supply of qualified workers isn’t keeping up with the demand. The report’s authors claim that the global talent crisis could cost nations trillions of dollars and shift the global balance of economic power by 2030 if not addressed.
The nine-to-five workday is rigid, arbitrary, and increasingly outdated, having remained unchanged for over 100 years. However, suppose an employee wants to reduce their hours to part-time. In that case, they often risk losing promotion opportunities, finding themselves on the slippery slope of working over 20 hours a week for more flexibility but less pay.
In response to this, job sharing entered the arena in the 1960s. Job sharing is a schedule convenient for working parents, those searching for work-life balance, and those who want to combine work and study.
This type of work schedule has become especially popular in Switzerland, where a third of the workforce works less than full-time.
Let’s define job sharing and how companies can benefit from it, including how different people’s skills can be combined to create an excellent skillset for a position.
Job sharing is a modern work pattern that involves two employees sharing the same role in the company. Each job sharer works a different but complementary schedule to complete the job collectively. Job sharing is an excellent option for teams looking for flexibility in their work, such as balancing working from home and working shifts in the office. It’s not a traditional way of working, but it benefits employees and businesses.
“Two people by default always provide more competence than one person.” — Nina Prochazka, collaboration & new work, knowledge manager at B’VM.
Unlike part-time work, job sharing is when two people split full-time hours and actively delegate duties, so the position is staffed in the same way as other full-time positions.
Part-time work is limited to roles that can be completed with reduced hours. Job sharing opens the potential to share all job types, as the position itself is full-time.
Statista states that job sharing is becoming less common in today’s companies. For example, there were 101,000 workers on job-sharing contracts in the UK in 2022, down from 124,000 in 2021. However, this type of contract may become more popular again in 2023 due to a new wave of employee shortages.
Job sharing has become necessary during complex upheavals in the talent and business market. The popularity of job sharing usually increases during economic crises and pandemics, and it increased in 2022 when another global economic crisis emerged. Job sharing can solve the talent shortage problem.
Let’s analyze why job sharing came in handy decades ago.
Job sharing was first developed and discussed in the 1960s to provide professional workers with more flexible employment options. In the 1970s and 1980s, job sharing spread to the private sector.
In the 1990s, 47% of organizations reported they offered job sharing to their employees as an option for part-time jobs. This type of contract was more common in healthcare and the public sector than in other industries.
In 2018, Australia and New Zealand faced near-crippling shortages of skilled workers, and the demand for flexibility pushed both governments to implement job sharing. Afterward, the Australian platform Gemini3 shared that this decision led to a 30% increase in the productivity of job-sharing partners.
Kate McCleary, CEO at Anstey and McCleary, wanted to resume work after taking a career break to care for her children. However, she found that the part-time opportunities didn’t match her previous experience and skills, and even though plenty of full-time jobs suited her needs, she did not want full-time employment. So she tried job sharing.
“Higher-level professionals looking to wind down their careers, or workers looking to start a business but keep a secure paying job, are likely candidates for spin-off positions. And with an aging population and workforce, job sharing will become more popular shortly.” — Kate McCleary, CEO at Anstey and McCleary
Here are common reasons people choose job sharing:
