The Spanish Labour Market: the quest for flexibility

This article will look at flexibility in the Spanish labour market and why it has been high on the Government and Employers' agendas. It will examine the historical legacy, and compare the situation in Spain with that in the rest of the EU. There will then be a review of the principal reforms that have been introduced to increase flexibility: those associated with the Estatuto de los Trabajadores, the measures introduced by the Socialist Administration and the approach of the PP since 1996. Finally there will be an evaluation of the impact of the approach to flexibility on the overall shape of the contemporary labour market, on Spanish business and on the social dialogue.