Algorithms in Employment Matchmaking: bridging Public and Private Sectors Approaches

Journal title STUDI ORGANIZZATIVI
Author/s Francesco Seghezzi, Diletta Porcheddu, Alessandra Della Vecchia
Publishing Year 2026 Issue 2026/1
Language English Pages 27 P. 149-175 File size 182 KB
DOI 10.3280/SO2026-001006
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The renewed prominence of working time in public debate is often framed in terms of quantitative reduction. This article argues that such a perspective is insufficient to grasp the contemporary transformation of working time as a changing organizational and institutional construct. Building on insights from economic sociology, labour law, industrial relations and organizational studies, the paper conceptualizes working time not merely as a measure of labour input but as a socially regulated order shaped by power relations, collective bargaining and technological change. Empirically, the study adopts an exploratory qualitative design focused on the Italian manufacturing sector. It combines an analysis of the national legislative framework concerning working time and more than 1,000 company-level collective agreements signed between 2022 and 2024 with three focus groups involving HR managers and trade union representatives active in manufacturing firms located in Lombardy, Italy. The findings show that, despite growing attention to flexibility and digitalization, explicit reductions in working time remain rare – with company-level bargaining primarily intervening through multi-period arrangements and schedule redesign. At the same time, management by objectives and remote work contribute to a partial decoupling between performance evaluation and working hours, especially for white-collar profiles. This shift generates a structural tension between outcome-based autonomy and time-based labour protections. The article concludes that the core issue is not simply the number of working hours, but who governs time gains generated by digital technologies and through which institutional mechanisms they are redistributed, protected, or appropriated.

Keywords: Time; work; unions; organization; technology; flexibility

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Francesco Seghezzi, Diletta Porcheddu, Alessandra Della Vecchia, Algorithms in Employment Matchmaking: bridging Public and Private Sectors Approaches in "STUDI ORGANIZZATIVI " 1/2026, pp 149-175, DOI: 10.3280/SO2026-001006