Current Labor Market Conditions Research Articles

The Farm Workforce Modernization Act and warnings from previous immigration reforms

AbstractImmigrants are vital to agricultural production in the United States, and nearly half the crop workforce is unauthorized. Previous attempts to reform the immigration system have not successfully legalized the farm workforce or caused substantive rise in farmworker incomes. Current proposed legislation would legalize unauthorized farmworkers, streamline the H‐2A agricultural guest worker program, and provide a pathway to citizenship for H‐2A workers while simultaneously requiring agricultural employers to check the immigration status of workers using E‐Verify. This paper discusses proposed farm labor legislation in the context of current farm labor market conditions, outcomes of historical farm labor and immigration policies, and ongoing immigration trends.

Human resource management and community health services outcome - unravelling relationships in public healthcare organizations

Introduction/Objective. Human resource management and related practices represent a broad research arena in the context of healthcare organizations. Adapting human resource management practices to current labor market conditions and achieving organizational goals in the domain of satisfactory health service quality represent significant current challenges and research gap. The aim of the study is to examine the relationship between human resource management practices and health service outcomes of public healthcare organizations. Methods. The research was designed as a cross-sectional study. A structured questionnaire was used as an instrument to collect primary data. The sample consists of 257 healthcare workers employed in healthcare organizations in the public sector. To assess the statistical significance of relationships in the research model, the method of PLS-SEM is used. Results. Our study revealed the competitive salary is negatively related to community health service results (CHSR) (? = -0.177, p < 0.05) of public healthcare organizations. Study results noted that employment security is positively related to CHSR (? = 0.296, p < 0.001), as well as to training and development (? = 0.359, p < 0.001). Conclusion. The results of the study noted theoretical implications through the contribution of human capital theory and resource-based theory of the firm. The identification of human resource practices that positively contribute to health services outcomes provides clear practical implications for managers of public health organizations.

Job Satisfaction in South Africa: The Quest for Job Quality

Job satisfaction is a key determinant in ensuring and maintaining a productive workforce. It is an outcome of the interaction between individual personal characteristics, work values, needs and expectations on one hand and work rewards or outcomes on the other hand. Job quality, in turn, ensures decent working conditions and livelihoods for workers. In this study, we investigated the distribution and determinants of job satisfaction of employed workers in South Africa, drawing on data collected through nationally representative surveys on social attitudes conducted in 2005 and 2015. The findings indicate that what workers seek (value) in a job exceeds their actual experience (outcomes), although the gap between expectation and outcome in the baseline survey has narrowed in the end-point survey. Furthermore, workers tend to favour job outcomes and rewards that are extrinsic in nature over intrinsic ones in current labour market conditions, yet shifts are discernible over time. Where extrinsic needs are satisfied, the importance of intrinsic ones increases.

Case study: Promoting competitiveness of MSMEs in the winemaking sector using a space matrix and CSR principles with emphasis on Generation Y

This paper examines the wine-producing businesses’ competitive positioning. Its main aim, based on a case study, is to propose recommendations on how to consolidate their market position, yield long-term profits and boost competitiveness, taking into account the current labour market conditions. The ensuing recommendations for the two selected wineries are based on an analysis of the external and internal environment and competition mapping of the wine industry. The micro-enterprise (D) should pursue conservative strategies, i.e., market penetration, concentric diversification and cost minimization. The medium-sized company (C) is advised to adopt aggressive strategies such as new product development, diversification and backward, forward, or horizontal integration. The need to implement CSR policies has also been proved. According to the survey conducted, Generation Y respondents expect activities in the fields of work-life balance, above-standard health and safety care and environmental protection.

The Epidemiology and Costs of Disease Intervention Specialist Retention.

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the environment in which disease intervention specialists (DIS) operate, as their skills were in demand beyond STD control programs. Workforce conditions generally have changed in the last 2 years, imposing additional challenges. Retaining STD DIS has become more difficult in the changed environment. We conducted a landscape scan and obtained data from literature and personal observations to characterize current DIS workforce issues. We used published employment data to characterize current labor market conditions and described how cost-effectiveness analysis could be used to assess potential DIS retention interventions. An example illustrating cost-effectiveness concepts was developed. Many STD control programs faced difficulties in retaining STD DIS, because competing positions often could be done without field work. Economic and crime issues posed additional challenges. General workforce turnover has increased 33% since 2016. Turnover varies by age, gender, and education. Cost-effectiveness analysis can be used to assess DIS retention interventions, but data on costs and outcomes are needed on an ongoing basis. Changes in the workforce environment could impact both retention and the effectiveness of retention interventions. Workforce changes have impacted employee retention. Increased federal funding makes expansion of the DIS workforce possible, but the labor market environment will continue to pose challenges to recruitment and retention.

Development and Validation of the Career and Life Development Hope (CLDH) Scale among Non-Engaged Youth in Hong Kong.

Increasing career and life development hope (CLDH) is critical for the career and life pursuits of non-engaged youths (NEY) who face various disadvantages in the school-to-work transition, especially considering current challenging labor market conditions and the impacts of the pandemic. Nevertheless, research that explores the assessment of CLDH among NEY is scarce. To address this gap, this study aimed to develop and validate a CLDH measurement instrument. A total of 1998 NEY aged 13–29 years in Hong Kong participated in our study. Exploratory factor analysis of the 20-item CLDH scale suggested a two-factor structure—career and life development pathways (CLDP) and career and life development agency (CLDA)—which accounted for 63.08% of the total variance. The confirmatory factor analysis results show a good model fit (CFI = 0.934, TLI = 0.926, RMSEA = 0.060, 90% CI [0.055, 0.065], SRMR = 0.042) and all the items significantly represented the corresponding sub-constructs. The results also demonstrate a satisfactory internal consistency for all subscales and the full scale (0.89–0.95). Sub-group consistency across subsamples categorized by gender, age, and years of residence in Hong Kong was indicated. Correlations between the CLDH scale and subscales with other career-related and social well-being outcomes (i.e., youth career development competency, career adaptability, civic engagement, social contribution, and social integration) showed good concurrent validity. Our results support that the CLDH scale is a valid and reliable tool for measuring NEY’s hope for career and life development in the Hong Kong context. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are also discussed.

Criminal Justice Students’ Perceptions of Their Future Careers

This study examines how criminal justice majors taking courses during the COVID-19 pandemic perceive their future careers. These expectations are compared to those of students majoring in lab sciences and non-lab fields. Variation by race and ethnicity are also assessed. Data were obtained from 188 undergraduate students at a single institution in Spring 2021 and Fall 2021 using an online survey. Results indicated that students’ estimates of their future salaries and job availability were accurate to current labor market conditions. Hispanics anticipated higher salaries and more salary growth than non-Hispanics. Criminal justice majors were attracted to jobs based on potential to help others, challenge, job tasks, salary, and the fun, thrill, or excitement of the job. Health majors were more drawn to features like salary and job availability. Criminal justice students were more likely than others to note power as well as prestige, recognition, or status as appealing job features.

Wage determination and the bite of collective contracts in Italy and Spain

In several OECD countries employer federations and unions fix skill-specific wage floors for all workers in an industry. One view of those “explicit” contracts argues that the prevailing wage structure reflects the labor market conditions back at the time when those contracts were bargained, with little space for renegotiation. An alternative view stresses that only workers close to the minima are affected by wage floors and that the wage structure reacts to current labor market conditions. We disentangle between those hypotheses by testing whether wages react more to local contemporaneous unemployment or unemployment at the time of contract renewal in Italy and Spain. The results suggest that most wages in the metalworking industry adjusted to the cycle between 2005 and 2013, and that rigidity generated by lack of renegotiation is confined to wages close to the floors (about 12-15% of the total).

Career development for students with disabilities in an open distance learning institution: A narrative inquiry

The transition from basic education to higher education and, finally, to work, can be difficult to negotiate for any young person. Such a transition can be challenging, particularly within the current labour market conditions accompanying the social and economic changes facing developing industrial nations. Students with disabilities face additional challenges in their career development and school-to-work transition. The Open Distance Learning (ODL) institutions tend to be the first and only choice due to the limitations posed by contact universities. Drawing from the life stories of two female students with disabilities at an ODL institution, this article interrogates how these young women negotiated (and continue to negotiate) their respective career pathways. The students share specific aspirations for their career and life development, their experiences of studying at an ODL institution, as well as their perceived employment opportunities. Also discussed here, are recommendations for practice. Points of interest People with disabilities do not receive adequate career development at school, or even upon entering higher education. Disability can influence how high, how quickly and how realistically young adults set career goals. People’s negative attitudes, have created career barriers for students with disabilities. Students with disabilities can succeed in their careers, if they have formed a solid identity, are determined, have a support network and create an environment which is conducive for their growth. The role of career practitioners is critical in providing the necessary career path materials in accessible formats, opening the conversation with the students with disabilities so that they make informed decisions.

Wage Determination and the Bite of Collective Contracts in Italy and Spain: Evidence from the Metal Working Industry

In several OECD countries employer federations and unions fix skill-specific wage floors for all workers in an industry. One view of those “explicit” contracts argues that the prevailing wage structure reflects the labor market conditions back at the time when those contracts were bargained, with little space for renegotiation. An alternative view stresses that only workers close to the minima are affected by wage floors and that the wage structure reacts to current labor market conditions. We disentangle both models using a novel data set that combines more tan 1,000 signature dates and 15,000 wage floors set in the metal working industry with labor market histories of metal workers drawn from Social Security records in Italy and Spain. An increase in the contemporaneous local unemployment rate of 1 p.p. diminished contemporaneous mean wages by about 0.45 p.p. between 2005 and 2013 in both countries. Instead, a 1 p.p. higher unemployment rate back at the time of contract renewal reduced wages by 0.7 p.p., an impact driven by wages close to the negotiated wage floors. Even though the evidence for earlier periods is mixed in Italy, the results do not support the view that the wage structure reflects labor market conditions at the time of bargaining. The results support the hypothesis that (most) wages respond to local current unemployment rate, although the estimated elasticity falls short of the prediction of an off-the-shelf bargaining model.

The effects of the great recession on college majors

How did the Great Recession affect the college degree fields? Utilizing the geographic variation in the severity of the recession in the US, I answer this question using the differences-in-differences and synthetic controls approaches. To explore these effects systematically, I categorize fields based on their sensitivity to the recession. The results show that there was a shift from recession-sensitive majors towards recession-resistant majors. The effects were immediate and larger for more local institutions. These findings suggest that students’ expectations about future labor market outcomes are affected by shocks to the current local labor market conditions.

Problems of differentiation of labor and civil relations at the level of doctrine and regulatory practice

Problem setting. The imperfection and obsolescence of national labor law raises a range of legal issues related to ensuring the proper implementation of the constitutional right to work and a number of social guarantees for workers’ rights. These problems include, in particular, the widespread practice of civil-law labor substitution, which is usually manifested through the conclusion of so-called civil-law contracts between the employer and the employee, rather than the proper design of relations in the manner prescribed by the Labor Code of Ukraine. The purpose of the research is to reveal the problematic issues of the distinction between labor and civil relations, both from the point of view of the existing doctrine of labor law, and through the prism of the existing rulemaking practice, aimed at improving national legislation on labor. Analysis of resent researches and publications. The issues of the distinction between labor and civil relations have become the subject of scientific analysis in the writings of such scientists as O.V. Zabrodina, L.O. Zolotukhina, M.I. Inshin, R.A. Maidanik, S.M. Prilipko, Ya.V. Svichkaryova, D.I. Sirokha, N.V. Fedorchenko, OM Yaroshenko and others. At the same time, these issues require further research in order to develop comprehensive recommendations aimed at improving labor law. Article’s main body. Among the variety of means of departure from classical labor relations, the two most common types of registration of relations between the employer and the employee in the civil plane can be distinguished: 1) conclusion of a civil contract (provision of services, contract, employment agreement) with an individual; 2) concluding a civil (economic) contract with an individual entrepreneur. The main reasons for the emergence of the practice of changing labor relations in civil law should be recognized as follows: obsolescence of Labor Code of Ukraine, the concept of which does not fully correspond to the current realities of the labor market; the need to optimize the tax burden on employers; lack of definition of labor relations in the legislation. Existing attempts to combat these negative phenomena, in particular the bill proposed by the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine in 2019, raise many objections because they are unable to systematically resolve the problem of the “shadow labor market”. Conclusions. The problem of the distinction between labor and civil relations is of great theoretical and practical importance and needs to be addressed promptly at the legislative level, in particular through the consolidation in the legislation of a clear list of features of labor relations, as well as the definition of types of work, the relationships within which can be solved exclusively at the level. In this context, it is necessary to adopt a new Labor Code, the provisions of which will meet economic realities and current labor market conditions.

Innovative approaches in the implementation of the Aquatic bioresources and aquaculture direction at Kuban state University

The Department of aquatic bioresources and aquaculture of Kuban state University trains students in the direction of 35.03.08 Aquatic bioresources and aquaculture (bachelor's degree), profiles Ichthyology and Aquaculture; 35.04.07 Aquatic bioresources and aquaculture (master's degree), orientation (profile) Ichthyology; 06.06.01 Biological Sciences (training of highly qualified personnel), profile 03.02.06 Ichthyology. An integral feature of a trained specialist, whose qualifications meet the current labor market conditions, is the acquisition of a set of research competencies in the field of fisheries science and production. The increasing inclusion of the research approach in the period of training, production practices and implementation of specialized disciplines, together with the educational approach, allows students to develop the necessary intellectual and creative thinking of students. Individual students with their works became winners and prize-winners in the all-Russian competition of the Final qualifying work’s in the field of Aquatic bioresources and aquaculture.

Schoolchildren Determination in Kazakhstan: Condition Analysis and Project Suggestions

In accordance with data from the labor market formation (nearest past) in Kazakhstan, the prevalence of some jobs over the others can be put into the question. However, the following hypothesis might be stated in advance: do high school students possess a clear vision of current labor market conditions and make their choice consciously with the help of objective information? Judging by the first glance, the hypothesis might be proven false, therefore, a deeper research with respect to both theoretical and empirical evidence is to be analyzed, as is discussed below.Firstly, it should be taken into account, that the question of self-determination has been put into question by various researchers, however, the area remains largely understudied. For example, according to Wrigth, a larger share of schoolchildren demonstrates a tendency towards changing a major for one or more times, however, the explanatory causes of such behavior have been largely uncertain (Wrigth, 2018). It should be noted, that such behavior can be also attributed to Kazakhstan situation, which has further consequences of inappropriate labor market performance. Therefore, the intention of this article is to analyze the situation of schoolchildren determination in Kazakhstan, and to propose potential areas of development. Further, the intention is an attempt to improve the life outcomes of schoolchildren and students via investigation of such factors as major and occupation selection, most important motives and potential outcomes, that could be eventually used for social development, such as higher information policies, enhancement of school and university administration and schoolchildren decisions

Labor Market Analysis of the U.S.A and Eurozone; Similarities, Differences, and Reasons behind Them

The significant amount of well-organized and deeply-researched scholarly articles standing to the macroeconomic theories comes to define the labor market, which is also known as “job market”, a place where the supply side of the model comes from employees seeking for the best job while the demand side represents the employers who are mainly interested in skill-match and productivity of whom they hire for their industry. In the labor market, the equilibrium wage rate is determined at the intersection point of Wage-setting and Price-setting relation which pinpoints the relative wage on the vertical axis and the natural rate of unemployment on the horizontal axis in R^2. In order to comprehensively picture the labor market and its preliminary indicators that can be considered as the unemployment rate, and labor force participation rate, the macroeconomic perspective must be introduced in such a way that the role of investors, policymakers, and participants of the model is imaginable. In view of that, this small-scoped research conducted considers trade reforms, labor market outcomes, foreign competition, and labor market adjustment as well as the effect of the economic and financial crisis to scrutinize the current labor market conditions, similarities, and differences in the U.S.A and Eurozone respectively.

Economic Expectations and Satisfaction with Democracy: Evidence from Italy

AbstractIn this article, we argue that individuals’ expectations about their future economic prospects are a crucial missing determinant of their degree of satisfaction with democracy. To investigate this link, we collected an original, nationally representative data set on young skilled unemployed Italians using the innovative quantitative expectations data methodology (Manski 2004). Controlling for current local labour market conditions with administrative province-level data and for a rich array of individual-level determinants, we show that those expecting greater job insecurity and instability have lower current satisfaction levels with democracy. By better conceptualizing and operationalizing individuals’ expectations, we advance the theoretical framework on satisfaction with democracy and show that expectations are an important and often overlooked determinant of the current level of satisfaction with democratic institutions.

Returns to Chinese College Student Investment of Time in Internships and In-School Learning: A Theoretical Model and Empirical Analysis

Investment of time in internship and in-school learning or study are two ways to accumulate human capital for college students. The authors take I&S input as two impacting faAQctors for graduates’ starting salaries to construct an I&S input allocation model minimizing “psychological cost.” The model inference indicates that the optimal allocation of I&S input relies on three aspects: returns to I&S of the future labor market, graduates’ cognitive attitudes toward the role of I&S, and the comparative advantages of I&S. The authors use the 2015 China College Graduates’ Employment Survey data conducted by the Institute of Education at Peking University to empirically verify the theoretical model. They found that under the current labor market conditions, the time input on I&S does not necessarily bring better returns, and there is a significant difference among student groups between the actual I&S time input and the “theoretically optimal values” predicted by the model. The authors conclude that the failure of allocating the I&S time input will hinder graduates’ successful transition from universities to the labor market. To avoid this time input imbalance, institutions should strengthen the guidance of I&S time input, improve the related management system, and pay more attention to I&S input quality and optimal allocation.

Professional Training of Marketing Specialists: Foreign Experience

Abstract Due to content-based analysis of marketing specialists′ professional training and approaches to development of their educational trajectory, it has been revealed that curricula and their content are given much attention by employers whose demands are focused on meeting current labour market conditions. It has been justified that despite the existing differences various approaches to forming future specialists′ educational trajectory have one thing in common, i.e., an undeniable connection with employers′ demands. The employers′ impact is found at such stages as forming the content of curricula (particular disciplines) and monitoring quality of graduate knowledge gained in higher education institutions. This approach creates certain advantages as for quality performance of universities, correspondence of their curricula with relevant requirements of the labour market. However, most employers usually have little interest in predicting strategic development of the market. It has been proved that content saturation of curricula ensuring adjustment to current labour market conditions concurrently suppresses specialists′ rapid adaptation to different scenarios of the future. Special attention has been paid to expediency of specialists′ generalized training that provides them with some autonomy needed to implement their professional competences in the course of further development of the labour market.

In search of an adequate European policy response to the platform economy

This article contributes to the debate on labour platforms (e.g. TaskRabbit, CoContest, ListMinut) by analysing the potential of such platforms. Although we see potential in online platforms in terms of job creation and providing opportunities to discouraged and disadvantaged people, we also address some of the challenges related to such work. Presenting empirical data, we argue that the current labour market and working conditions created by online platforms resemble 19th century laissez-faire. We thus call for the urgent creation of a regulatory framework taking into consideration the suggestions presented in our article.

PASJA I KREATYWNOŚĆ JAKO DETERMINANTY ROZWOJU ZAWODOWEGO

The current labour market conditions require from active people the skills of distinguishing themselves. This allows for undertaking work giving a sense of accomplishment and positively affecting the quality of life. Hence, passion and creativity have become notable issues. Having these attributes makes it easier to find a career path that allows for use of the possessed abilities and interests to realize one's life plans. This paper presents the essence of both passion and creativity, and their mutual interdependence. This description provides the backdrop for the essential part, in which by using examples of famous people pursuing their career passions, the influence of passion and creativity for career development has been defined.