Abstract

Increased unemployment and its banalization provoke different responses from the population than those which occur in periods of full employment. As it becomes scarcer, work appears less as a constraint, while unemployment, by becoming normal, loses its attractiveness and becomes increasingly viewed as a constraint. It is the law of the market. Consequently, it is not advisable to begin by assuming that all decreases of working time would be experienced as social progress by wage-earners. Non-work too can be experienced as a constraint. This is especially the case for the great majority of pre-retirees and retirees. If work is considered as a rare commodity, its regulation is presented in totally different terms than when it was abundant