Moonlighting: Understanding the quality and consequences of working multiple jobs (MOONLIGHT - ERC project)

This project studies the quality of work and wellbeing of contemporary multiple jobholders.

Working in the new economy is increasingly of a flexible and fragmented nature. Multiple jobholders [MJHs], or so-called moonlighters, can be considered emblematic of how work fragmentation and combinations affect the quality of work and total worker wellbeing. MOONLIGHT researches the quality of work in first, second and other jobs and how this translates into total worker wellbeing. We study MJHs through comparative research in seven advanced economies: Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States - countries with increasing levels of MJHs, but different welfare state traditions, regulations and norms. The research relies on new comparative cross-national and dynamic data. A unique and crucial feature of the programme’s empirical approach is the development of an app for dynamic quality and wellbeing assessment.

The MOONLIGHT project is funded by a European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant of €2.1 million to Wieteke Conen for 5 years from 2024 (Grant No. 101117716).

More information about this project can be found here

Hybrid Work (Legal and organisational issues in hybrid working)

Hybrid working, or combining forms of work that is independent of place and time, has quickly become a widely accepted working approach. Alongside its benefits and potential, it also presents drawbacks and challenges. This study delves into inquiries such as: How is hybrid working experienced by employees and employers and what factors influence their experiences (spanning individual, organizational, and legal dimensions)? To what degree do employers and employees come to shared understandings? And where might governmental intervention be deemed necessary?

The project is funded by Instituut Gak for a period of two years, starting in November 2023.

More information about this project can be found here

Value of Work

The Value of Work project, which has been implemented since 2016 with the support of the Goldschmeding Foundation, aims to provide new knowledge into the value of work among the Dutch population. An important part of this project is the Value of Work Monitor – a large-scale, national survey study into the value of work in the Netherlands.

The main goal of the fourth edition (2023-2024) is to gain more insight into the conditions under which workers can perform sustainable and valuable work and contribute to the transition to a sustainable economy. Attention is also paid to the inclusive nature of sustainable and valuable work. The project aims to provide important societal stakeholders with tools for a more substantiated policy and to inform the broader public about important trends surrounding the value of work.

More information about the project can be found on the project’s website: www.valueofwork.eu

For all project publications, see: https://www.waardevanwerk.eu/en/publications/

• De Beer, P.T. & Conen, W.S. (2022). De waarde van werk in Nederland: resultaten van de Waarde van Werk Monitor 2021. Amsterdam: AIAS-HSI
• Intermediate results of the 'Value of Work Monitor' are published in the series 'Kort & Bondig' (in Dutch), such as: 
  • Waardevol en waardeloos werk in Nederland (2023)

Multiple jobholding in Europe: Structure and Dynamics

• Conen, W.S. & De Beer, P.T. (2022). Kwaliteit van combinatiebanen: Nederlandse multi-jobbers in Europees perspectief, Tijdschrift voor HRM 25(2), pp. 43-58.
• Special issue 2 (2021) in Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research:
  • Conen, W.S. & Schulze Buschoff, K. (2021): Introduction to the special issue: multiple jobholding in Europe,  pp. 141–147
  • Conen, W.S. & De Beer, P.T. (2021): When two (or more) do not equal one: an analysis of the changing nature of multiple and single jobholding in Europe, pp. 165–180
  • Conen, W.S. & Stein, J. (2021): A panel study of the consequences of multiple jobholding: enrichment and depletion effects, pp. 219–236
• W.S. Conen (2020). Multiple jobholding in Europe. Structure and dynamics. WSI Study 20, Düsseldorf: Hans-Böckler-Stiftung.

Self-employed without personnel

• Conen, W.S., & Schippers, J.J. (Eds.) (2019). Self-Employment as Precarious Work: a European perspective. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
• Conen, W., & Schulze Buschoff, K. (2019). Precariousness among solo self-employed workers: a German-Dutch comparison. Journal of poverty and social justice, 27(2), 177-197. https://doi.org/10.1332/175982719X15478021367809
• Hershey, D. A., van Dalen, H. P., Conen, W., & Henkens, K. (2017). Are “Voluntary” Self-Employed Better Prepared for Retirement Than “Forced” Self-Employed? Work, Aging and Retirement, 3(3), 243-256. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2827522
• Conen, W.S., Schippers, J.J. and Schulze Buschoff, K. (2016). Self-Employed without Personnel – Between Freedom and Insecurity. WSI Study 5, Düsseldorf: Hans Böckler Foundation.

I am Wieteke Conen, a Senior Researcher at the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies - Hugo Sinzheimer Institute (AIAS-HSI) within the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. I am a scientific coordinator and researcher for various projects, including ‘Value of Work’, ‘Hybrid work’ and ‘Moonlighting: Understanding the quality and consequences of working multiple jobs’.

My expertise lies in exploring the transformations of work within advanced economies, with a particular focus on enrichment and depletion effects. Holding a PhD in Economics, I have developed proficiency across diverse fields such as labour economics, organisation studies, sociology of work and occupations, industrial relations, and labour law. My analytical toolkit encompasses a wide range of quantitative and qualitative techniques, including cross-national survey research, panel data analyses, and semi-structured interviewing. I thrive in multidisciplinary environments and possess the ability to communicate effectively across various disciplinary ‘languages’.

Beyond my primary role, I am actively engaged in additional professional activities. These include serving as a Board Member of the Dutch Labour Market Conference and contributing as a member of the Expert Committee 'Labour' for Statistics Netherlands. Furthermore, I hold the position of Associate Fellow at the Digital Futures at Work Research Centre and provide thesis supervision for the Applied Economics Research Course at the School of Economics, Utrecht University, the Netherlands.