E-government: applications in the labor and social security regulatory area

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to primarily address the need for expanding e-government in Greece in the labour market. The authors attempt to analyse e-government initiatives in labour and social security legislation areas and identify whether private sector companies are willing to utilize them. The re-organization of government functions and procedures is discussed as a means of achieving the desired objectives of all interested parties. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on a survey of companies in the area of Heraklion, Crete. A questionnaire instrument was used to collect the data. The authors attempted to identify whether companies would prefer to use either the Integrated Information System (IIS) that the Ministry of Labour has initiated or Payroll Information System (PIS) that is proposed by the authors and provided via a cloud computing platform by the public sector. In addition, the authors use the Delphi technique and a panel of experts consisting of Inspectors of the Ministry of Labour in an attempt to identify which of the aforementioned systems would help make controls more efficient and effective. Findings – The companies acknowledge the need for e-government and about 50 per cent of them would feel positive about using the proposed application (PIS). Small companies are more willing to accept PIS and large companies feel more positive about using the IIS. Furthermore, the panel of experts agree that the adoption of PIS would help the most in the fight against undeclared work. Research limitations/implications – The questionnaires were completed by 75 companies in the area of Heraklion, Crete, Greece. The sample, although representative of the structure of Greek industrial sector, is nevertheless small and expresses only the local culture. This limitation provides at the same time opportunities for further research. Although the need for e-government is recognized, there are concerns about the possible failure of new applications’ implementation. Practical implications – Labour and social security legislation areas are important for modern countries. The paper provides a model of e-government on these areas that if implemented could reduce administrative costs and facilitate public control. Social implications – The proposed model could enhance employees’ protection and effectively reduce undeclared work. Originality/value – This study is a first attempt to analyse e-government initiatives in labour and social security legislation areas in Greece. The main idea is not simply to make procedures electronic but to re-organize and re-define these procedures. Thus, the model that is proposed by the authors as a possible way of e-governance appears to help the most in reducing companies’ administration costs, increasing the protection received by the employees and assisting public services in conducting more effective and simpler controls.