Changing Employment Patterns Research Articles

The Impact of the Digital Economy on Employment Scale in the Yangtze River Delta Region

Abstract Employment is the greatest livelihood and the most basic support for economic development. In recent years, the scale and scope of digital economy has expanded dramatically, triggering revolutionary changes in employment patterns. Especially in the Yangtze River Delta region. This paper is based on panel data of 41 prefecture level cities in the Yangtze River Delta region from 2011 to 2021. Firstly, the fixed-effects regression model is used to empirically analyze the impact of the digital economy on the employment scale in the YRD region, and the intermediary mechanism model is further used to verify the role of industrial structure upgrading in the digital economy's impact on the employment scale. The study finds that: The digital economy has significantly expanded the employment scale in the YRD region, indicating that the employment creation effect is greater than the employment substitution effect. In the heterogeneity analysis, this impact is more significant in the central cities of the YRD region, areas with higher levels of urbanization and well-developed digital infrastructures. The digital economy can promote the optimization and upgrading of the employment market in the YRD region through the upgrading of the industrial structure, expanding the scale of employment, optimizing the employment structure. Keywords: Digital economy development, Yangtze River Delta region, Employment scale, Industrial structure upgrade.

Trade-offs? The Impact of WTO Accession on Intimate Partner Violence in Cambodia

Abstract We study the impact of trade-induced changes in labor market conditions on violence within the household. We exploit the local labor demand shocks generated by Cambodia’s WTO accession to assess how changes in the employment of women relative to men affected the risk of intimate partner violence. We document that men in districts facing larger tariff reductions experienced a significant decline in paid employment, whereas women in harder-hit districts increased their entry into the labor force. These changes in employment patterns triggered backlash effects by increasing intimate partner violence, without changes in marriage, fertility, psychological distress, or household consumption.

Analysing the Impact of Industrial Revolution 4.0 on Traditional Occupations and Community Adaptation Efforts in Bali

This research investigates the impact of Industrial Revolution 4.0 on traditional occupations in Bali, employing a quantitative approach with Structural Equation Modeling and Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) analysis. A diverse sample of 250 individuals engaged in agriculture, crafts, and tourism provides insights into the multifaceted nature of Bali's traditional job sectors. The measurement model assessment confirms the reliability and validity of latent variables, including technological adoption, changes in employment patterns, income levels, and community adaptation efforts. The structural model analysis reveals a positive influence of technological adoption on changes in employment patterns and income levels, indicating transformative opportunities within traditional occupations. However, challenges arise in maintaining income equity amidst shifts in employment patterns. The study also highlights the proactive response of communities, with technological adoption positively correlating with effective adaptation efforts. The model fit and sensitivity analysis affirm the robustness of the findings. This research contributes nuanced insights for policymakers and community leaders navigating the intersection of tradition and technological progress in Bali's evolving socio-economic landscape.

The COVID-19 pandemic and Google Search Trends

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the association of COVID-19 confirmed cases and deaths with mental health, unemployment and financial markets-related search terms for the USA, the UK, India and worldwide using Google Trends.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients to assess the relationship between relative search volumes (RSVs) and mental health, unemployment and financial markets-related search terms, with the total confirmed COVID-19 cases as well as deaths in the USA, UK, India and worldwide. The sample period starts from the day 100 cases were reported for the first time, which is 7 March 2020, 13 March 2020, 23 March 2020 and 28 January 2020 for the US, the UK, India and worldwide, respectively, and ends on 25 June 2020.FindingsThe results indicate a significant increase in anxiety, depression and stress leading to sleeping disorders or insomnia, further deteriorating mental health. The RSVs of employment are negatively significant, implying that people are hesitant to search for new jobs due to being susceptible to exposure, imposed lockdown and social distancing measures and changing employment patterns. The RSVs for financial terms exhibit the varying associations of COVID-19 cases and deaths with the stock market, loans, rent, etc.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has implications for the policymakers, health experts and the government. The state governments must provide proper medical facilities and holistic care to the affected population. It may be noted that the findings of this study only lead us to conclude about the relationship between COVID-19 cases and deaths and Google Trends searches, and do not as such indicate the effect on actual behaviour.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first attempt to investigate the relationship between the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the USA, UK and India and at the global level and RSVs for mental health-related, job-related and financial keywords.

Modern training methods and technique in the field of occupational safety – a literature review

The growing diversity of the workforce and the changing context of employment in the world present significant challenges for developing and implementing occupational safety and health training. New approaches to content development, format, and implementation need to be developed, as traditional training methods are often not effective with workers or do not account for changes in employment patterns and the way work is organized today. This paper reviews modern training methods from computer games to virtual reality, as found in the specialized literature published in the last 10 years. The article presents the results of a state of art literature review realized with the new version of PRISMA methodology, for systematic reviews, as a part of National Institute for Research and Development for Occupational Safety INCDPM Alexandru Darabont ongoing project "Development of informative content and online training system of occupational safety and health information in the context of intelligent specialization".

Economics of ChatGPT: a labor market view on the occupational impact of artificial intelligence

PurposeThe study investigates the influence of ChatGPT on the labor market dynamics, aiming to provide a structured understanding of the changes induced by generative AI technologies.Design/methodology/approachAn analysis of existing literature serves as the foundation for understanding the impact, while the supply and demand model helps assess the effects of ChatGPT. A text-mining approach is utilized to analyze the International Standard Occupation Classification, identifying occupations most susceptible to disruption by ChatGPT.FindingsThe study reveals that 32.8% of occupations could be fully impacted by ChatGPT, while 36.5% might experience a partial impact and 30.7% are likely to remain unaffected.Research limitations/implicationsWhile this study offers insights into the potential influence of ChatGPT and other generative AI services on the labor market, it is essential to note that these findings represent potential implications rather than realized labor market effects. Further research is needed to track actual changes in employment patterns and job market dynamics where these AI services are widely adopted.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the field by systematically categorizing the level of impact on different occupations, providing a nuanced perspective on the short- and long-term implications of ChatGPT and similar generative AI services on the labor market.

THE IMPACT OF E-COMMERCE ON TRADITIONAL RETAIL: A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, AND POLICY DIMENSIONS

This research aims to investigate the multifaceted effects of the growing e-commerce sector on traditional retail businesses, considering economic, social, and policy dimensions. The study will explore the economic implications for both e-commerce and brick-and-mortar retailers, analyzing factors such as market dynamics, pricing strategies, and consumer behavior. Additionally, it will examine the social consequences, including changes in employment patterns and the overall retail landscape. Furthermore, the research will evaluate the role of government policies in shaping the e-commerce and traditional retail sectors, addressing issues like taxation, regulatory frameworks, and competition policies. By adopting a comprehensive approach, this study seeks to provide valuable insights into the evolving relationship between e-commerce and traditional commerce, offering practical recommendations for businesses and policymakers alike.

Changing Employment Patterns: An Analysis of Rural Labour Force in Punjab

The story of Punjab’s economic development witnessed an asymmetrical shift in the structure of output and employment due to the intensive capitalistic model of production in agriculture. The present study, based on National Sample Survey Office data, examines the patterns of employment and output in rural economy of Punjab during the pre-reform and post-reform period. Rural Punjab witnessed fall of work participation rate and phenomenon of ‘defeminisation’ of the labour force in agriculture during the post-reform period. There is a paradigm shift as the share of non-agriculture employment increased to 59.3% as per Periodic Labour Force Survey 2018; consequently, the non-agriculture sector becomes a major driving force in the state economy. An increase in employment elasticity among all sectors (except construction sector) during the post-reform period is a good sign. But a substantial decline in employment elasticity for all the sectors (except the construction sector) of Punjab is a disquieting phenomenon during the study period. Amidst the agrarian crisis, the rural non-farm sector can emerge as a silver lining, but evangelists of market economy disregarded the rural non-farm sector. Hence, the state should abdicate its neoliberal policies and adopt post-Washington consensus for the development of the rural non-farm sector within a given mode of production. JEL Codes: E24, J16, J43, J46, O11

Current State and Future Direction of Digital Knowledge Management in Small and Medium Enterprises

Systematic knowledge management is a decisive competitive advantage. While large companies can successfully implement knowledge management through dedicated people, tools, and processes, this topic poses major challenges for small and medium-sized enterprises. In this paper, we present the results of a qualitative study of knowledge management practices in different small and medium-sized enterprises. The results show that while on the one hand employees are aware of the importance of strategic knowledge management, on the other hand knowledge management is insufficiently implemented in the companies. Further, we also found that the potential of digital knowledge management is currently untapped. Consequently, there is a threat of knowledge loss due to staff turnover against the backdrop of demographic change and changing employment patterns. This likely loss of knowledge threatens the competitiveness and viability of the small and medium sized companies. Based on our findings, the article concludes with actionable recommendations for companies and future research tasks.

The Impact of Covid-19 on youth employment in Russia

Young people have enormous potential for labour market development of every country. The purpose of this research is to examine the ways in which the Covid-pandemic affected youth employment in Russia by assessing the relevant indicators of the past decade and describing the relationship between the crucial characteristics of three subcategories of youth and the changes in employment patterns in response to the pandemic shock. It also identifies the specific factors that determined the transformation of the Russian labour market during the pandemic. The results can provide policy-makers with guidance on how to cope with youth employment risks and help the young people assess their prospects for employment and manage their career paths.

Search and reallocation in the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from the UK

The impact of the pandemic on the UK labour market has been extremely heterogeneous across occupations and industries. Using novel data on job search, we document how individuals adjust their job search in response to changing employment patterns across occupations and industries in the UK. We observe that workers changed their search direction in favour of expanding occupations and industries as the pandemic developed. However, non-employed workers are more attached to their previous occupations and workers with low education are more likely to target declining occupations. We also observe workers from declining occupations making fewer transitions to expanding occupations than those who start in expanding occupations, despite targeting these jobs relatively frequently. This suggests those at the margins of the labour market may be least able to escape occupations that declined during the pandemic.

Changing Employment Patterns in a Digitalizing World: Threats and Opportunities for Workers on Digital Labor Platforms

Öz 
 Ekonomik ve toplumsal yapıyı derinden etkileyen teknolojik gelişmeler ve yenilikler günümüzde daha önce benzeri görülmemiş bir hızda yaşanmaktadır. 1990’ların başında, bilgi ve iletişim teknolojisindeki ilerleme internetin hızla yayılmasına yol açarak ekonomideki birçok sektörü dönüştürmüş; bölgesel, ulusal ve uluslararası piyasaları yeniden şekillendirmiştir. 2000’li yılların başından itibaren geniş bant bağlantısının yayılması ve yüksek hızlı internetin kullanımı dijital alt yapının hızlı bir biçimde gelişmesini sağlayarak, web tabanlı ekonomik işlemlerin önünü açmış ve dijital ekonominin temelini atmıştır. Dijital teknolojileri, altyapıyı, hizmetleri ve verileri içeren dijital girdilerin kullanımına dayalı bütün ekonomik faaliyetleri kapsayan dijital ekonomide, dijital hizmet ve ürünler dijital platformlar aracılığıyla sağlanmaktadır. Dijital platformlar arasında yer alan dijital emek platformları ise çevrimiçi web tabanlı ve konum tabanlı olmak üzere temelde iki türde faaliyet göstermektedir. İnsan kaynakları uygulamalarını ve iş ilişkilerini dönüştürerek günümüz çalışma dünyasını şekillendiren dijital emek platformları çalışanlar açısından bir takım fırsatlar sunmakla birlikte, önemli tehditleri de beraberinde getirmektedir. Söz konusu tehditler büyük ölçüde dijital platform çalışanlarının bağımsız çalışma statüsünden kaynaklanmaktadır. Bağımsız çalışma statüsü, platform çalışanlarını bireysel ve toplu iş hukuku kapsamındaki düzenleme ve korumaların dışında bıraktığı gibi sosyal güvenlik hakları bakımından da önemli zafiyetleri beraberinde getirmektedir. Literatür taramasına dayalı olarak gerçekleştirilen bu çalışmada, giderek yaygınlaşan dijital emek platformları bağlamında platform çalışanlarının karşı karşıya kaldıkları tehditler ve fırsatların belirlenmesi ve söz konusu tehditlerin giderilmesine yönelik düzenlemeler ve politika önerilerinin incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Çalışma neticesinde, çalışanların korunmasını amaçlayan temel hak ve özgürlüklerin sözleşme statüsünden bağımsız olarak düzenlenmesinin çalışan ve bir bütün olarak toplum refahına hizmet etmesinin yanında, ekonominin sürdürülebilirliği açısından da gerekli olduğu sonucuna varılmıştır.

Retraditionalisation? Work patterns of families with children during the pandemic in Italy

During the COVID-19 pandemic, employment declined and real incomes fell worldwide. The burden of childcare on families increased and, in many countries, women’s employment fell more than men’s. From a couple-level perspective, changing employment patterns

How Will the Future of Work Shape OSH Research and Practice? A Workshop Summary.

Growth of the information economy and globalization of labor markets will be marked by exponential growth in emerging technologies that will cause considerable disruption of the social and economic sectors that drive the global job market. These disruptions will alter the way we work, where we work, and will be further affected by the changing demographic characteristics and level of training of the available workforce. These changes will likely result in scenarios where existing workplace hazards are exacerbated and new hazards with unknown health effects are created. The pace of these changes heralds an urgent need for a proactive approach to understand the potential effects new and emerging workplace hazards will have on worker health, safety, and well-being. As employers increasingly rely on non-standard work arrangements, research is needed to better understand the work organization and employment models that best support decent work and improved worker health, safety, and well-being. This need has been made more acute by the SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic that has resulted in dramatic changes in employment patterns, millions of lost jobs, an erosion of many economic sectors, and widespread disparities which further challenge occupational safety and health (OSH) systems to ensure a healthy and productive workplace. To help identify new research approaches to address OSH challenges in the future, a virtual workshop was organized in June 2020 with leading experts in the fields of OSH, well-being, research methods, mental health, economics, and life-course analysis. A paradigm shift will be needed for OSH research in the future of work that embraces key stakeholders and thinks differently about research that will improve lives of workers and enhance enterprise success. A more transdisciplinary approach to research will be needed that integrates the skills of traditional and non-traditional OSH research disciplines, as well as broader research methods that support the transdisciplinary character of an expanded OSH paradigm. This article provides a summary of the presentations, discussion, and recommendations that will inform the agenda of the Expanded Focus for Occupational Safety and Health (Ex4OSH) International Conference, planned for December 2021.

Increasing Inequality in Long‐Term Earnings: A Tale of Educational Upgrading and Changing Employment Patterns

This paper provides a detailed decomposition analysis of rising long‐term earnings inequality among West German men born between the years 1955 and 1974 based on high‐quality administrative data. Educational upgrading is identified as a leading factor behind increasing inequality in the upper part of the long‐term earnings distribution. The study also reveals a substantial shift from full‐ to part‐time employment and shows this to be an important factor in explaining rising inequality in the lower part. This effect seems to be quantitatively more important than the increasing incidence of non‐employment for the studied cohorts. Overall, increasing inequality in long‐term earnings can primarily be attributed to an increasing inequality in average yearly earnings during times of employment as opposed to changes in the total years of employment. The analysis also reveals similarities with the development in the US by documenting a stagnation in long‐term earnings among the cohorts studied.

Couples' changing work patterns in the United Kingdom and the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Going beyond a focus on individual‐level employment outcomes, we investigate couples' changing work patterns in the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US) during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Analyzing longitudinal panels of 2186 couples from the Understanding Society COVID‐19 Survey (UK) and 2718 couples from the Current Population Survey (US), we assess whether the pandemic has elevated the importance of human capital vis‐à‐vis traditional gender specialization in shaping couples' work patterns. The UK witnessed a notable increase in sole‐worker families with the better‐educated partner working, irrespective of gender. The impact of the pandemic was similar but weaker in the US. In both countries, couples at the bottom 25% of the prepandemic family income distribution experienced the greatest increase in neither partner working but the least growth in sole‐worker arrangements. Through a couple‐level analysis of changing employment patterns, this study highlights the importance of human capital in shaping couples' paid‐work organization during the pandemic, and it reveals the socioeconomic gradient in such organization.

Search and Reallocation in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from the UK

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the UK labour market has been extremely heterogeneous, with strong variation both by occupation and industrial sector. The extent to which workers adjust their job search behaviour in response to this reallocation of employment has an important bearing on the future course of the labour market. At an aggregate level we see evidence consistent with search responding to changes to the state of the economy. In particular, changes to job search by employees are closely linked to changes in vacancies, and we also see ows from unemployment to inactivity peak at the same time as vacancies bottom-out.A key novelty in this paper is that we can additionally see whether the link between job search and changing employment patterns holds at a micro level, using the COVID supplement of the UK Household Longitudinal Survey, which shows the industries and occupations targeted by job searchers. The vast majority of job searchers target growing occupations and industries, which suggests job searchers are responding to conditions at a micro as well as macro level. This is also suggested by the fact that job searchers who were in occupations that expanded in the pandemic seek to switch occupations less frequently than those in shrinking occupations.

Improving estimates of job matching efficiency with different measures of unemployment

Traditional measures of unemployment can mask important changes in the labor market across time. We therefore use broader definitions of unemployment to estimate time-varying job-matching efficiency rates that are consistent with vacancies and hiring activity data for the U.S. Our efficiency rates are then modelled along with employment data to study their dynamic, non-linear relationship. We find that including marginally attached workers and part-time workers for economic reasons helps explain the changes in employment patterns observed after the global financial crisis. This finding emphasizes the importance of accounting for labor underutilization, particularly during the latest economic recovery.

Setting Occupational Health Research Priorities in Europe: the HERA Project

Background: Occupation and employment is a major determinant of health. Despite profound changes in working life there has been little coordinated European health research on occupation. We present first results from the Health and Environment Research Agenda (HERA) project, to set priorities for an environment and health research agenda in the European Union for 2020-2030. Methods: We contacted hundreds of researchers in Europe through an online survey. We also identified major policy needs in the health and environment/occupation nexus by contacting national, regional and European stakeholders representing authorities, intergovernmental organisations, civil society and private sector through surveys and regional meetings. We applied a priori defined criteria to examine novelty, public health importance, importance to the environment, impact on policies, and potential for innovation within the sustainable development goals. Results: Main occupational research gaps identified include: (i) Climate change and worker health; (ii) Ageing workers; (iii) New technologies and chemicals; (iv) Working time; (v) Changing employment patterns and precarious employment; (vi) Mixed exposures and biomonitoring; (vii) Work-life-balance; and (viii) Neglected occupational diseases. In addition, priority actions related to occupation were identified such as commuting to work, tools and infrastructure such as the development of big data, biobanks, large population cohorts with occupational information and occupational cohorts, development of exposome type approaches, and approaches examining societal aspects on employment and productivity. Conclusions: We will discuss challenges in the identification of key areas on occupation and health research that will benefit from new scientific evidence and challenges in strategies to ensure the engagement of stakeholders. This large initiative in Europe has systematically evaluated priorities through the engagement of a wide spectrum of stakeholders across the continent. A longer consultation process will continue over the next 2 years to raise additional research gaps and calibrate recommendations.

Jobs for People With Mental Health Conditions: Trends and Prospects.

For individuals with serious mental illness, work can play an important role in improving quality of life and community integration. Since the 1960s, demand has shifted away from routine cognitive (e.g., clerical work) and manual skills (warehouse picking and packing) toward nonroutine analytical (computer coding), interpersonal (nursing), and manual skills (home health attendant). This study aimed to determine whether individuals with serious mental illness are likely to hold the types of jobs that are in decline and to assess their ability to compete for the types of jobs that have been in increased demand. Using data from the National Health Interview Survey and the Occupational Information Network database on occupational skills (N=387,240 person-year responses), this study explored changes in patterns of employment from 1997 to 2017 for people with mental illnesses. Individuals with any mental health condition experienced a 10.9 percentage point decline in employment in jobs requiring routine cognitive or any manual skills. Much of this decline was offset by an increase in employment in jobs involving nonroutine cognitive skills. However, individuals with serious psychological distress experienced a 7.9 percentage point decline in employment in jobs requiring routine cognitive or any manual skills, and about 75% of this decline coincided with reduced levels of employment rather than a shift toward employment in nonroutine cognitive jobs. These patterns were more striking among men. Likely directions for interventions include renewed efforts at workplace accommodations, greater investment in evidence-based return-to-work programs, and efforts to popularize early intervention programs.