Additional Employment Opportunities Research Articles

Watering the Seeds of the Rural Economy: Evidence from Groundwater Irrigation in India

ABSTRACT This study explores the impact of private investment in groundwater extraction for irrigation on the spatial and sectoral distribution of rural economic activity in India. Exploiting a kink in access to groundwater, generated from an absolute technological constraint on the operational capacity of irrigation pumps with depth of the water table, there is evidence of a significant improvement in agricultural production accompanied with modest consumption gains. Groundwater extraction causes a substantial increase in population density, but has no effect on the employment rate or labor reallocation between sectors of the economy. Furthermore, irrigated agriculture appears to provide additional employment opportunities for waged labor from surrounding non-irrigated villages.

Enhancing quantitative capacity for the health sector in post-Ebola Liberia, a tracer study of a locally developed and owned coding and biostatistics program

Background Despite the demonstrated value of quantitative research in understanding and responding to public health events, analytics capability is not always prioritized or available in settings that would greatly benefit from it. In Liberia, there are no university degree-granting programs in biostatistics or mathematical modeling, promoting dependence on external technical assistance. To address the gap, a local NGO, Quantitative-Data for Decision-Making (Q4D), was founded to enhance capacity and opportunities for analyzing quantitative data among Liberians. Methods To understand the relevance, utility, and impact of the skills being taught at Q4D, a tracer study was undertaken with current and former students. Participants completed an online survey that evaluated how often and in what ways they are applying course skills, as well as any personal or professional advancement they have attributed to their learning of coding and/or biostatistics through the program. Results Among 43 participants, 81% reported a high level of confidence in independently applying skills learned through Q4D classes in their jobs and/or academic programs. Most participants (81%) responded that they were actively demonstrating the skills they acquired; 74% were teaching the skills to others. Among the 83% of employed participants who reported using the skills currently in their jobs, 56% rated the skills they learned as very or extremely useful in their current positions. Several students attributed salary increments, consultancy opportunities, and scholarships to the skills gained through the program. Conclusions Program skills are being applied by students employed in health-related sectors, suggesting that the training content is relevant and useful for addressing some of the workforce’s analysis needs. Moreover, skills built through the program have positively impacted students by preparing them with the skills required for additional employment and training opportunities to advance in-country health research capacity and reduce inequities.

Analysing the competitiveness of industries using the Analytical Hierarchy Process and Porter’s model: A case of Durgapur city

Declining contribution to employment of the steel industry, which used to be the number-one sector in the city of Durgapur (India), leads to a search for alternative employment sources. The article aims to identify the criteria and sub-criteria to reveal the business competence through Porter’s model and ranking of business competence of each industry through the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) for Durgapur. Porter’s Five Forces Framework is used as the methodological basis to find the best alternate industry option based on their competitive position and provides the framework and subsequent criteria to analyse competitiveness. The key research method is the analytical hierarchy process that helps to measure the criteria qualitatively. The empirical evidence comes from the survey of 126 respondents: 36 experts who are well-versed in the industrial development of the city and fixed the weightage of the criteria through the AHP, and 90 industry-specific experts provide the range value for each criterion for each industry, which is used to generate the final value. The paper demonstrates the quantitative framework to establish the competition level of major industries in Durgapur, the strategic framework to support the industrial transition, and a brief about their dual nature of competition. We have figured out nine employment-generating industrial sectors within the city of Durgapur, among which are steel production, information technology (IT), education, healthcare, etc. The IT industry was found to be the most competitive sector that provided additional employment opportunities; it was followed by non-metal production, healthcare, and education.

Is biorefinery establishment enhancing the EU labour market on a regional level?

ABSTRACT The deployment of biorefineries as part of the European Union’s Bioeconomy Strategy aims at contributing to the transition to a climate-neutral economy and creating jobs and growth in rural areas. In this study, we examine the impact of biorefinery establishment on the EU labour market, using the quasi-experimental method difference-in-differences (DiD) by accounting for regional characteristics at the NUTS-2 level. The findings demonstrate that introducing biorefineries to a region can create additional employment opportunities, particularly in primary production and logistics activities. However, the results do not show significant differences in regional gross value added compared with regions without biorefineries. To maximise the positive impact of biorefineries, options for a more tailored and equitable approach are suggested, taking into account regional characteristics.

RESULTS OF MARKETING RESEARCH ON SOCIAL ASPECTS OF THE MARKET FOR PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL LABOR NEEDS

The development of Ukraine as a legal, democratic, and socially oriented state is closely linked to the shaping and evolution of the modern labour market. To achieve this, it is necessary to establish clear and comprehensive mechanisms and systems for accessing this market. Special attention should be given to creating and utilizing additional employment opportunities for individuals with special needs. Currently, individuals with disabilities face significant obstacles to equal competition in the labour market, leading to violations of their right to work, and a lower employment rate compared to the general population. This can initiate a process of gradual exclusion from the sphere of employment, resulting in increased unemployment rates and deepening poverty. The study of international experience in providing employment support for individuals with limited work capabilities is relevant in this context. The focus is on identifying opportunities to apply this experience in Ukraine. Special attention should be given to adapting and implementing technologies, special training programs, and incentivising employers to create an inclusive environment and provide equal opportunities in the labour market. It covers the implementation of measures for workplace adaptation, financial support for employers, and the active involvement of educational institutions and the public in the process of forming suitable infrastructure for inclusive employment. The experience of foreign countries in the field of social protection and employment stimulation for individuals with limited capabilities can serve as a basis for developing and implementing effective national-level strategies that contribute to the inclusion of all segments of the population in Ukraine's active labour force.

Influence of Make in India on Indian Economy

Make in India is a very important and new concept of the Government of India designed to facilitate investment, foster innovation, enhance skill development, protect intellectual property and build best in class manufacturing infrastructure in the country. The primary objective of this initiative is to attract investments from across the globe and strengthen India’s manufacturing sector. It is being led by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. The Make in India programme is very important for the development of India as it aims at utilizing the existing Indian talent base, creating additional employment opportunities and empowering secondary and tertiary sector. The programme also aims at improving India’s rank on the Ease of Doing Business index by eliminating the unnecessary laws and regulations, making bureaucratic processes easier, making the government more transparent, responsive and accountable. Present paper divided in to six sections. Introduction is first section, second section consists objectives of the programme, third section devotes scope of the scheme, fourth section deals with impact of the scheme on Indian Economy, fifth section reveals advantages and disadvantages of the scheme and sixth section concludes the paper.

The Effect of Rural Road Access on Rural Households Livelihood Improvement: Evidence from Selected Weredas in Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia

The development of appropriate road infrastructure is fundamental to economic growth and poverty reduction. Rural roads, especially, are especially important for economic development in rural areas. Against this background, this study aims at investigating the effect of rural road access on rural households’ livelihood improvement. Concerning the methodology, mixed research approach involving descriptive and explanatory designs was used. This study compares (using propensity score matching techniques) households located in Keble’s with road access to suitable controls. The descriptive analysis reveals that rural roads provide enhanced access to markets for inputs such as fertilizers and improved seeds, enable households to sell their produce to nearby markets, and allow to achieve additional non-farm employment opportunities, leading to a rise in income and reduce poverty. The results from econometrics analysis shows that road access positively and significantly improved the livelihood of households as measured by the livelihoods asset capital index. On the basis of their propensity score, the mean difference in the livelihood assets index between households located in Keble’s with road access and non-accessible household’s ranges up to 6% after matching. The results also indicated that women who are employed during road construction, on average, have 25% to 37% higher empowerment level than those who are not employed. This strengthens the argument for making efforts towards gender mainstreaming during rural road construction and greater engagement of women in road planning and implementation.

PRODUCTION FUNCTION FOR MEASURING RETURNS TO SCALE IN THE GARMENT SECTOR: A CASE STUDY OF BANGLADESH

This paper empirically examines whether the production function of the garment sector of Bangladesh is operating under increasing returns to scale. The Cobb-Douglas production function is estimated using the advanced level of econometric techniques based on primary data. GLS estimates indicate that the productivity of labor force is 22.17% and the productivity of capital investment is 61.02%, statistically significant at any significance level. Thus, the production function of the garment sector of Bangladesh is operating under decreasing return to scale. From the GLS estimate of R2 , it is clear that about 99.97% of the total variation of the dependent variable output is explained by the fitted regression equation. Thus, the model fits the data very well. The diagnostic test results show that there are no problems of autocorrelation, heteroscedasticity, autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity and normality of the random error terms. The test results also confirm that the model is correctly specified. It is also found that the average marginal productivity of labor force is 0.0236 and the average marginal productivity of capital investment is 0.5222 in the garment sector of Bangladesh. Since the marginal productivity of labor force is smaller than the capital investment, it can be said that these factories cannot reduce production costs by shifting resources from capital intensive techniques to labor intensive techniques. As a result, this sector cannot generate additional employment opportunities, which is not a good sign. The CUSUM and CUSUMSQ tests results confirm that the preferred production function of the garment sector of Bangladesh can be used for policy decision-making purposes.

43. Trends in Craniofacial Fellowship Career Outcomes: A Call for Expanding Professional Opportunities in Craniofacial Surgery

Background: Limited available pediatric plastic surgery positions fail to accommodate the increasing number of craniofacial fellows trained annually. However, many adult indications have increased the demand for craniofacial expertise. Given new opportunities available to craniofacial surgeons, the authors aim to evaluate career prospects for recent craniofacial graduates and explore additional career opportunities. Methods: Upon approval from the American Society of Craniofacial Surgeons (ASCFS), an anonymous online survey invitation was sent to craniofacial fellows who graduated from 2016 to 2021. Respondents were queried regarding their craniofacial fellowship and subsequent career prospects. Results: A total of 124 eligible participants were identified, of which 30 (24.2%) responded. Craniomaxillofacial case distribution at respondents’ current practices varied, with 42.3% reporting a 50-75% craniofacial case load and 38.5% reporting less than 25%. Craniofacial trauma reconstruction was performed most at current positions (92.3%), followed by general reconstruction (92.3%) and breast surgery (69.2%); least commonly performed was facial feminization (23.1%). Most respondents desired an increased craniomaxillofacial case load (65.4%). 26.9% were unable to secure their current position prior to fellowship completion, and 80.0% cited limited craniofacial job availability. Recommendations to improve fellowship comprehensiveness and increase candidate competitiveness included increased facial feminization, facial aesthetic, and microsurgical experience. Conclusion: To adapt to trends in craniomaxillofacial surgery, ASCFS should encourage developing fellowships that increase exposure to gender-affirming, adult craniofacial reconstruction, orthognathic, and skeletal facial aesthetic surgery. Expanding training beyond congenital deformities can provide additional employment opportunities while maintaining excellence and innovation in facial plastic surgery.

Climate Adaptation in Rain-fed Agriculture: Analyzing the Determinants of Supplemental Irrigation Practices in Nepal

Climate change has severely impacted the rain-fed agricultural production system which is dominant in Nepal. This situation demands implementable strategies like supplemental irrigation for mitigating adverse impacts. In spite of the importance of supplemental irrigation, it is not adopted on a wider scale. Hence, this paper aims to assess perceptions of climate change and identify factors that influence the adoption of supplemental irrigation practices. Climate change impact survey data for Province No. 1 (one of the seven provinces in Nepal) with a sample of 800 households were analyzed by using the probit regression model. The results showed that the majority of the farmers perceived increasing temperature and decreasing precipitation, resulting in climate-induced disasters such as drought. Similarly, only about 27% of the households have adopted supplemental irrigation practices. The significant factors influencing the adoption of supplemental irrigation practices were the household head’s number of years of farming experience and education level, distance to motorable roads, operational size of landholding, membership in community-based organizations, and the perception of changes in summer temperature. Considering the empirical results, it is necessary to undertake research on sustainable practices and develop support measures for scaling up this practice as the adoption of this practice is very low in Province No. 1. The policy and strategy should also emphasize enhancing the capacity of farmers in technical and managerial aspects of supplemental irrigation practices, raising awareness about climate change and its impact, and strengthening community-based organizations for sharing and exchanging knowledge and skills. In addition, creating additional employment opportunities to enhance the income of the farmers for mitigating the capital constraint and increasing investment in infrastructures like roads for improving physical access thereby promoting adoption.

Trends in Craniofacial Fellowship Career Outcomes: A Call for Expanding Professional Opportunities in Craniofacial Surgery.

Limited available pediatric plastic surgery positions fail to accommodate the increasing number of craniofacial fellows trained annually. However, many adult indications have increased the demand for craniofacial expertise. Given new opportunities available to craniofacial surgeons, the authors aim to evaluate career prospects for recent craniofacial graduates and explore additional career opportunities. Upon approval from the American Society of Craniofacial Surgeons (ASCFS), an anonymous online survey invitation was sent to craniofacial fellows who graduated from 2016 to 2021. Respondents were queried regarding their craniofacial fellowship and subsequent career prospects. A total of 124 eligible participants were identified, of which 30 (24.2%) responded. Craniomaxillofacial case distribution at respondents' current practices varied, with 42.3% reporting a 50% to 75% craniofacial caseload and 38.5% reporting less than 25%. Craniofacial trauma reconstruction was performed most at current positions (92.3%), followed by general reconstruction (92.3%) and breast surgery (69.2%); the least commonly performed was facial feminization (23.1%). Most respondents desired an increased craniomaxillofacial caseload (65.4%). However, 26.9% were unable to secure their current position before fellowship completion, and 80.0% cited limited craniofacial job availability. Recommendations to improve fellowship comprehensiveness and increase candidate competitiveness included increased facial feminization, facial esthetic, and microsurgical experience. To adapt to trends in craniomaxillofacial surgery, ASCFS should encourage developing fellowships that increase exposure to gender-affirming, adult craniofacial reconstruction, orthognathic, and skeletal facial esthetic surgery. Expanding training beyond congenital deformities can provide additional employment opportunities while maintaining excellence and innovation in facial plastic surgery.

Decadal Journey of E-Waste Recycling: What Has It Achieved?

E-waste recycling has been a hot topic around the world. This Feature revisits the issues raised by our previous Feature 10 years ago, i.e., the environmental, economic, and social benefits of e-waste recycling, using China as an example. The decadal journey of e-waste recycling has witnessed a giant leap from haphazard disposal initially to regulated disassembly presently. Specific successful stories include cleaned environment and reduced human exposure, significant advantages of urban mining over mineral mining, additional employment opportunities, and improved legislation system related to e-waste recycling. Strict legislation systems related to e-waste management based on the principle of Extended Producer Responsibility are key to the sustainable development of the e-waste recycling sector in China. The experiences and lessons learned in China would provide valuable guidelines for other developing countries.

DISGUISED UNEMPLOYMENT AMONGST FARMERS IN THE UTTAR PRADESH REGION OF INDIA AND THE RELEVANCE OF DAIRY FARMING

The paper has selected the Uttar Pradesh region of India to enumerate the farming conditions and the prevalence of disguised unemployment with the aim of describing the suitability of a comprehensive dairy farming model. The study is based on secondary data collected from various survey reports. Relevant literature is also reviewed to get into the depth of the topic. A linear regression analysis with an ANOVA test is performed to test the hypothesis. The result shows that milk production is positively correlated with employment generation in dairy product manufacturing. Some limitations are observed in the dairy sector with regard to the unorganised setup and supply chain management. A comprehensive dairy farming model is suggested, thereby generating additional employment opportunities for farmers. The need for government assistance in infrastructure and skill development is also emphasised.

LEGAL STATUS OF WORKERS WORKING IN THE BORDER ZONES OF NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES

In the world, recently, the tendency to live in border regions, on the other side of the border and work in more economically developed neighbouring countries continues to increase. On the other hand, as a result of the increase in the border trade in the world, it is indisputable that there are additional employment opportunities, especially for the citizens of more developed countries. This situation for economically more developed neighbouring countries continues to increase. It is a fact that these workers suffer in practice because they are not citizens of the country they are working in. On the other hand, as a result of the increase in the border trade in the world, it is indisputable that there are additional employment opportunities, especially for the citizens of more developed countries. It is clear that border trade, which is a good advantage in providing employment, leads to employment of a large number of people due to the transportation of goods, or to run the businesses of hotels, restaurants, storage centres and customs establishments. Among the workers who have the right to work in the neighbouring country, even temporarily, on the grounds of foreignness; employers must comply with the "obligation of equal treatment" and "prohibition of discrimination" and other ILO standards. Otherwise, it may harm the universal gains of the employees achieved in the last century and provided by international agreements.

Extent and Determinants of Poverty among Rural Non-Farm Workers in Punjab

The economy of Punjab has been undergoing the process of structural change. The share of the primary sector in total employment has declined at a slower rate. Trends have that people are shifting to the non-farm sector as there is little potential in the agricultural sector to generate additional employment opportunities. The number of non-farm workers is increasing continuously in Punjab. In the non-farm sector, most of the regular jobs are being created in manufacturing and services. The non-manufacturing sector is mainly creating casual employment opportunities. In this background, the present paper examines the poverty status of the rural non-farm workers in Punjab. Using a sample of 659 households from the three districts of Punjab, the study reveals that about 19 percent of the non-farm workers live below the poverty line and 5.27 percent are extremely poor. The incidence of poverty is higher among the SC households than other castes. The workers, who are employed in casual jobs, are more prone to poverty. The greatest proportion of those living below the poverty line can be found in the case of the workers employed in brick kilns and in electronics repair works. About 37 percent of those working as construction workers, loaders in the grain market or in MGNREGS, are living below the poverty line. All of the wage workers in these three categories are poor and vulnerable. The proportion of non poor workers increases and that of living below the poverty line declines with the increase in the level of education and increase in the size of land ownership.

Factors in tourists’ food decision processes: a US-based case study


 Purpose
 
 The purpose of this paper is to empirically test an existing conceptual model from Mak et al. (2012a, 2012b) to discern which factors have the most influence on food choices when travelers visit destinations with different options, i.e. local foods, other than those available in their home environments.
 
 
 
 Design/methodology/approach
 
 The quantitative study surveyed 330 travelers and used descriptive analyses of all the variables involved. A hierarchical linear regression was calculated to predict for the dependent variable of local cuisine consumption, based on the independent variables of culture and religion, socio-demographic factors, motivational factors, food trait personality and exposure effect/past experience.
 
 
 
 Findings
 
 Culture, motivational factors and food-related personality traits were consistently significant predictors of local food consumption.
 
 
 
 Research limitations/implications
 
 Limitations include using an English-only online questionnaire and self-reported bias. The impacting delimitation relates to data collection from US travelers and thus limiting generalizability findings.
 
 
 
 Practical implications
 
 The study explained factors involved in travelers’ decision to consume local foods at a destination. Government, tourism-related organizations, producers and service providers gain information to improve products, increase interest, create additional employment opportunities, increase tax revenues that assist local communities and increase consumption of local foods, products and services.
 
 
 
 Originality/value
 
 The limited availability of research on this topic prompted the interest of the researchers. Mak et al. (2012b) provide a conceptual model that was first tested empirically in this study. It presents a five factors impacting tourist food consumption at a destination. Local food consumption of tourists was tested using the aforementioned conceptual model.
 

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POLITICAL RISK AND EMPLOYMENT IN TOURISM: A CASE OF SOUTH AFRICA

Political risk is one of the determinants of employment in the tourism industry. Changes in the level of political risk in a country result in fluctuations in employment in the tourism sector. Countries with a high level of political risk experience a decline in employment whereas countries with a low level of political risk experience an increase in employment. This paper investigates the impact of political risk on employment in South Africa’s tourism industry using quarterly time series data for the period between 2007 and 2017. The study employs the Autoregressive Distribution Lag (ARDL) model to determine the impact of political risk on employment in tourism in both the short- and long-run. The results from the analysis reveal that political risk has both short- and long-run effects on employment in South Africa’s tourism industry. When the level of political risk declines by 1%, employment grows by 5.016% in the long-run whereas employment increases by 1.51% in the short-run when the level of political risk declines by 1%. These results imply that governments have to keep the level of political risk low by avoiding political risk events and actions for the tourism industry to create additional employment opportunities.

Chinese seniors holidaying, elderly care, rural tourism and rural poverty alleviation programmes

In 2005 China commenced significant reforms in the provision of care for those over the age of 60 years. Subsequent developments have created a synergy between (a) senior care, (b) tourism policies that seek to alleviate rural poverty by (c) creating additional employment opportunities and the improvement of medical facilities. However, the success of such initiatives are partially based on the choices being made by Chinese over the age of 60 years as to where they wish to holiday and their preference for rural or urban areas as potential retirement regions. In turn these decisions rest on several factors described in the paper, including the presence of care-home facilities, pensions and other income. Based on a survey of those taking holidays who take into account access to medical care should it be needed, the paper reports holiday preferences and their determinants. Findings indicate that approximately 45% of the sample of Beijing residents would prefer a rural location, but while pensions had little impact on decisions, total income did matter.

Comparative economics of indigenous Kulagar and Integrated Farming Systems under coastal agro-ecosystem of Goa

A study was conducted during 2016-17 at coastal ecology of Goa comprising farmers from different villages in North Goa and South Goa to assess the economic benefit of two prevalent types of farming systems. In this study, Integrated Farming System (IFS) and Indigenous Kulagar Farming Systems (IKFS) were compared; and overall it was revealed that both are useful in enhancing the livelihood of small and marginal farmers, attracted the rural youth through generation of additional income and employment opportunities. There is need to modify the IKFS with integration of high value crops and having high market demand to make the system more remunerative and attractive. The IFS and IKFS have been the mainstay of economy and livelihood of farmers in Goa state. The mosaic structure of Kulagar with variety of crops offers a scope for inbuilt biodiversity as an index of sustainability in agriculture. Besides, both systems are climate resilient and proved potential for adaptation and mitigation to climate change. IFS and IKFS may be promoted in large scale in coastal agro-ecosystem in other parts of the country as an important strategy for enhancing livelihood and climate resilience in agriculture.

Scaling scan for sustainable and intensified agricultural production in Andhra Pradesh

In the recent times the number of farm holdings in Andhra Pradesh has increased amidst the decrease in net sown area resulting in reduction of average holding size from 1.06 ha to 0.94 ha. The organization of the already existing unemployed along with the returned migrant labour into cultivation co-operatives or farmer producer organizations, provision of training in production of agricultural and allied agricultural products, linking these activities with already existing government programmes and schemes could be the action plan to achieve sustainable and comprehensive food and nutritional security in addition to create additional employment opportunities in the rural areas. The scaling scan, a tool developed by PPP Lab and the International maize and wheat improvement center (CIMMYT) in 2017 was used to identify the critical areas that need attention for sustained and intensified agricultural production in Andhra Pradesh. The results revealed that value chain, finance, collaboration, leader ship and management are the scaling ingredients that scored less than three requiring overcoming several challenges in the above areas to reach the ambition of sustainable and intensified agricultural production in the state of Andhra Pradesh.