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The combination of technological innovation with an ageing labor force makes skills obsolescence one of the main themes of current research in labor economics. Related to this issue, we study whether or not employers think their labor force is sufficiently equipped for future demands. For this purpose we use firm-level panel data for the Dutch economy. The results show that both the composition of the work force and firm-specific characteristics explain part of the observed differences between firms. Firms that use advanced technology and are product innovators have the highest probability of experiencing problems due to insufficient competences. The analysis of the dynamics of perceived competence problems shows that these are less likely to be persistent in technologically more advanced firms.

This paper is a cross‐national study of the incidence of part‐time work. The purpose of this paper is to investigate to what extent the difference between Germany and The Netherlands can be explained from the demand side of the labour market.

Several motives of employers for the introduction of part‐time jobs are distinguished. Their relevance is tested by means of firm‐level data for the two countries within the framework of a multivariate analysis.

The study finds that, in The Netherlands, part‐time jobs are more widespread than in Germany. The reasons for this difference are diverse: the difference in industrial structure (more manufacturing in Germany, more services in The Netherlands), less working students in Germany, and probably more reluctance on the side of German employers to meet the preferences of their workers.

The paper fills a gap in the literature on part‐time work, especially about the importance of institutions differing between the countries. This evidence may be useful in designing policies to increase the incidence of part‐time work.