Shift Work: Facts, Value, and (Hidden) Costs

Nearly one out of five employees in the EU work shifts. Despite being so common and having well-known detrimental effects on health and well-being, shift work is rarely studied by economists. This justifies this research proposal which aims at further initiating economic research on this topic. To this end, I will examine three specific aspects of shift work using a variety of tools, including a vignette experiment and advanced micro-econometric evaluation methods. More specifically, I will (1) document the stylised facts of shift work; (2) determine the value of shift work for workers and firms and; (3) estimate the (hidden) health costs of shift work for workers. The proposed research will provide insights into whether, under which conditions, and for whom shift work matters.