Current Labor Market Research Articles

Preferences for Learning and Skill Development at Work: Comparison of Two Generations

The changing economic conditions of the current dynamic and insecure labour market make learning a constant preoccupation of the workforce with view of meeting the growing qualifi cation demands. These demands are likely to infl uence the work preferences of both young people now entering the labour market and older people with established career paths. Research fi ndings suggest that the younger generation exhibits a stronger orientation towards learning and skill development as compared to the older generations. Moreover, studies show that the younger people are more ready to leave the organization when they have better learning opportunities elsewhere. The present study aims at establishing how preferences for learning and skill development in the workplace relate to a number of job and organizational characteristics. Particular focus is placed on the predictive capacity of perceived learning opportunities towards the tendency to leave the organization for either of the two generations. The study addresses work preferences of two generations in the Bulgarian labour market. To this aim, 121 respondents answered a55-item questionnaire consisting of newly developed scales as well as scales based on or adopted from standardized instruments such as the Extended Delft Measurement Kit (Roe et al., 2000). Contrary to fi ndings from previous research done in countries with different cultural and socio-economic background, the older people in our sample were more eager to learn and more ready to leave their organization in pursuit of better opportunities, ascompared to the younger generation. Another noteworthy conclusion is that the preferences for learning and development form different patterns in each of the two age groups and are expressed in a different way for each of the two generations.

Формирование научно-исследовательской компетенции у студентов неязыковых вузов

The article considers issues related to the formation of scientific and research competence in students of nonlinguistic universities by means of a foreign language. Using a foreign language as a tool for obtaining information of a scientific or professional nature is particularly relevant in the current labour market. The distinctive feature of the new federal standard of higher professional education is its focus not only on the accumulation of knowledge, but also on the formation of the ability to apply knowledge in practice, on the development of certain competences. Therefore, it is necessary to switch from the content to the effectiveness of the educational process. Scientific research work is becoming an important part of a student ‘s professional training. This is one of the key factors of development and active formation of the qualities essential for a would be railway specialist. Creation of knowledge-intensive industries in the field of railway transport changes the requirements to the skills of university graduates. Skills in selecting and analyzing of information, applying it creatively, identifying problems and making management decisions are in demand. Project technology is offered as a tool for forming the research competence among students of railway specialties. The feasibility of this method as an effective way of organizing research activities of students of railway and economic specialties is justified.

The Effect of Unemployment Insurance Benefits on (Self-) Employment: Two Sides of the Same Coin?

Although a relevant share of firms is created out of unemployment and current active labor market policies in Europe often subsidize unemployed individuals to start their own businesses, little is known about the role of unemployment insurance (UI) generosity for self-employment. By using Spanish administrative data including so far inaccessible information on self-employment, we exploit a reform-driven exogenous cut in UI benefits to identify its causal effect on general employment and decompose it into the effects on self-employment and re-employment. Exploiting a discontinuity in the UI benefit schedule which changed as a result of the 2012 Spanish labor market reform, we estimate the causal reform effects on the extensive margin of (self-)employment and on unemployment duration. We find heterogeneous effects on the extensive margin: while the job-finding rate increases, the startup rate decreases. Over different time horizons, the negative effect on self- employment (35-50%) outweighs the positive effect on employment (5-33%). Therefore, omitting self-employment as a counterfactual outcome might lead to overestimate general employment effects. Our UI benefit duration elasticity estimates indicate that reduced UI benefits extend unemployment duration for individuals transitioning into self-employment but shorten unemployment for individuals finding re-employment. These results might be relevant for the (optimal) design of UI systems.

Pályakezdőkkel szembeni kompetenciaelvárások és mérésük

THE AIMS OF THE PAPER Employers adjust their competence expectations to their employees in relation to the current situation in the goods andlabour market. However, defining personal attributes that contribute to company success on the market is a difficult managerial task. Thus, research into employer competence expectations involves a number of methodological problems. The aim of the present research is to assess the general competency expectations of employers in the current domestic labour market situation. However, our research experience also contributes to the further development of the related measurement methodology. METHODOLOGY In the framework of a corporate questionnaire survey (N = 100), we examined competency expectations about fresh graduates. For our expert questionnaire, the development of the measuring tool was based on the results of previous in-depth interviews (Tóthné Téglás - Hlédik 2018), which revealed the content-related components of employers' expectations about new graduates and their related way of thinking. Through the expert questionnaire we measured employers' (chronological) preferences for competences along a 54-item competency scale in relation to the processes of both recruitment and work commencement. Competence variables were examined using hierarchical clustering. MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS The analyses helped identify ten competency variables in the employers' system of expectations related to the selection and integration of graduates. In the sample under analysis we found that a high level of expectations at the time of entry was clearly expected by employers and this has expanded further than previously explored. Future success factors identified in labour market forecasts, such as self-study ability, the ability to cope with complex problems, creativity, and the use of new information technologies, however, do not appear as components of the entry expectations towards fresh graduates in the sample of employers under analysis, but only later in relation to their becoming experts. RECOMMENDATIONS Identifying competency expectations for new graduates can represent an important starting point for employment and development issues, in particular for labour market players. However, from a research methodological point of view, we believe that this research into expectations about fresh graduates has helped developed a measurement tool that is better tailored to the practices of employers and enables more accurate measurement.

Full Employment and the Cryptocurrency Economy

Cryptocurrencies present a disruption to financial institutions, investments, and markets. Should governments therefore allow cryptocurrencies or ban them? How will they affect the flow of money? What form of economic justice should the cryptocurrency market adopt? Who should be involved in the determining of the economic justice? I claim that Michael Polanyi’s theories about employment, money, trade, and his overarching sociotechnical vision of society and the economy can help us understand the current labour market challenges and solutions in view of the digital economy.

WORKERS OF THE WORLD, UN-UNITED: A DISCUSSION THROUGH A GENDERED LENS ON WHY STRONGER PROTECTION OF WORKERS IN THE INFORMAL ECONOMY WILL BETTER EQUIP SOUTH AFRICA TO COPE WITH LABOUR MARKET CHANGES OF THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

This article will investigate the readiness for labour legislation to cater for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) by comparing the structure of the current labour market and that of the future, through a gendered perspective. There are two core protections that underpin employee entitlements and rights. The first is the formal recognition of an individual as an employee or worker, which is often formalised through an employment contract. Many South Africans are engaged with work in the informal sector which do not make them privy to most of those rights and entitlements. This is problematic when considering how vulnerable these individuals already are, and that black women are concentrated in this sector. The inadequate protection of informal workers is going to pose challenges for South Africa’s ability to cope with changes brought on by the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the projected shift towards labour flexibility and casualisation. The second is collective bargaining, which empowers other rights to be realised. Collective bargaining is framed through the use of trade unions as its primary mechanism. While they may have been relevant at the time of the Labour Relation’s Act’s (LRA) inception, they have become an inappropriate medium to further workers’ rights and are projected to continue to lose members in the near future, as organisation cannot happen as effectively with a decentralised workspace and an incoherent internal firm structure. I will conclude the piece by offering recommendations which encourage more progressive labour legislation that takes into account both the changing nature of work and the specific interests of women.

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.

Improving the level of training of IT-specialists based on analysis of labor market requirements

Purpose of the study. The aim of the research is to develop new approaches of improvement the level of training of IT-specialists with knowledge and skills that are in demand on the labor market. The proposed methodology for determining the competencies of IT specialists most in demand by employers includes determining the structure of demand for the competencies of IT specialists in Russia in the digital economy using the developed application. The application of the methodology for the analysis of the content of the academic discipline will make it possible to formulate recommendations on the selection of software tools and technologies used to teach students practical skills in this discipline based on the current requirements of the labor market.Materials and methods. The main idea of the research is to develop a universal methodology that allows you to coordinate the content of the theoretical and practical components of academic disciplines with dynamically changing qualification requirements for specialists in the IT industry from employers. The study of existing approaches to determining the qualification requirements for IT industry specialists has shown that the most effective methodology can be based on the analysis of large volumes of statistical data, the use of modern methods of analysis Data mining, Text mining, and the use of databases to store the collected information. The article discusses a comprehensive methodology for collecting and analyzing information collected from the websites of recruiting companies, including: 1) an algorithm for determining the competencies of IT specialists most in demand by employers; 2) a database model for storing information about vacancies; 3) an algorithm for bringing unstructured textual information about a vacancy to a factual database; 4) authoring analytical application based on the Qlik Sence BI system, which allows monitoring vacancies. The novelty of the proposed approaches lies in the possibility of operational updating of the content of academic disciplines based on labor market requirements.It is proposed to define the indicator of the demand for professional competence (demand for specialists who own IT technology) as the ratio of the number of vacancies in which this competency is mentioned to the total number of vacancies in potential areas of graduate work. It is obvious that those competencies that will show the best results and are in demand on the labor market.Based on an analysis of the requirements of employers for applicants posted on the website of the Russian company HeadHunter, an example of determining the current competencies in the field of database technologies is considered. An analytical application developed on the basis of the Qlik Sence BI system was used as a tool. Information was collected using the Datacol parser (module “parser resume hh.ru”).Results. In general, the proposed methodology can be used to analyze the relevance of software tools used to teach students practical skills within the academic discipline. The specific results obtained as a result of the study can be useful in the formation of a workshop for teachers of such disciplines as “Databases”, “Database Management Systems” and other disciplines in this area.Conclusion. In the conditions of the dynamic development of the sphere of information technology, constant updating of the disciplines of this profile is a prerequisite for the quality training of IT specialists. The article proposes a methodology for choosing software products used for teaching students based on current labor market requirements. The article is based on the results of scientific and practical development “Development of new approaches to the preparation of ITspecialists in the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, taking into account the requirements of employers”, carried out as part of an internal Plekhanov Russian University of Economics grant. According to the results of scientific and practical development, a certificate of registration of a computer program was received.

Forming Digital Literacy in Students Based on the Experience of EU Countries

AbstractThe article analyzes the tendencies in the development of digital literacy of citizens of European Union member states in educational institutions. The urgency of the study is driven by the need to develop the skills needed to communicate effectively in the epoch of 4 – the Industrial Revolution. This study focuses on analyzing the approaches needed to build digital literacy, as well as identifying its key development criteria in the education systems of the UK, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Lithuania and Estonia. Attention is drawn to the existing documents and programs that formulate conceptual trendsways for digital literacy across Europe. At the same time, in the European Union there is no common model that reflects the ways and methods of digital literacy, each country defining its priorities for achieving the goals. It is noted that digital literacy is characterized as one of the key skills for developing the professional competencies of a teacher and a competitive specialist. Based on the study of digital literacy experience abroad, it is possible to define a clear public policy focused on high levels of digital literacy and digital skills. The digitalization status of educational establishments and the population of Ukraine, which is defined as low, is compared. The main directions of the concept of development of the digital economy and society of Ukraine for 2018–2020 are described which aim to bridge the “digital divide” in comparison with the developed EU countries. It is concluded that it is precisely the educational institutions need significant reform. Based on the analysis of digital literacy approaches abroad, this study identifies priority areas for reforming education systems in the European Union in line with current labor market and digital society requirements.

Формирование системы подготовки инженерно-технических кадров нефтегазовой промышленности в Татарской АССР в 1950–60-е гг.

Professional activity in any field implies both the appropriate specialized training and the sustenance of the required level of qualification, which becomes relevant on the current labour market oriented towards training of personnel that possesses a necessary set of universal and professional competences. The paper studies the historical experience of local formation of a training system of engineering personnel for oil and gas industry in the 1950–1960s in the Tatar ASSR. The authors investigate the mechanisms of training and professional development training of engineering, technical, and managerial personnel of the Soviet period as exemplified by the operation of “Tatneft” enterprise. They identify the specific features of formation of engineering personnel training system in the conditions of development of the oil industry. The authors conclude that the current organization of effective work for personnel training and professional development training in “Tatneft” takes into account scientific and technological advances in the oil industry and specific local production objectives. This fact has allowed to reach target raw materials output and support the development of oil extraction industry complex of Tataria as one of the biggest and technologically advanced in the whole country.

Potential implications of the Matzak judgment (quality of rest time, right to disconnect)

The present elaboration is dedicated to one of the aspects of the Matzak judgment, where CJEU ruled that a standby time which a volunteer firefighter spends at home with the duty to respond to calls from his employer within a few minutes, very significantly restricting the opportunities to do other activities, must be regarded as working time under the Directive 2003/88. The position of the Advocate General, who suggested that ‘the degree of freedom enjoyed by the worker’ and ‘the quality of time’ while a worker is on standby duty should be assessed, as well as the Court’s opinion, that the temporal and geographical constraints imposed on the on-call worker are of decisive importance, have been analysed. In the Author’s view, the binary relationship between ‘working time’ and ‘rest period’, as provided by Directive 2003/88, does not always meet the requirements of the current labour market. Moreover, in the digital age the ‘rest period’ does not necessarily amount to genuine free time. The Author examines possible further legislative developments concerning the concepts of working time and rest period, including the newly emerging idea of the right to disconnect, i.e. the worker’s ability to disconnect from work, especially by not engaging in electronic work-related communications during his rest period.

Development of Sustainability Competencies for the Labour Market: An Exploratory Qualitative Study

The aim of this paper is to explore the key sustainability competencies increasing the employability of higher education graduates in Poland. Based on the results of a broad literature review on key sustainability competencies, the substantive contribution to a coherent framework of typologies of sustainability competencies will be synthesised. The developed research framework will subsequently be analysed with empirical data, collected by in-depth interviews (IDI) and focus group interviews (FGI) on the relevant employability competencies for the Polish labour market. This enables the elimination of critical gaps in the conceptualisation of the key sustainability competencies of higher education (HE) graduates related to the current and future labour market needs. The results of the analysis can make a contribution to sustainable HE graduate employability literature by exploring the links between employability and sustainability competencies. The results may be relevant to institutional support in the design and review of educational programs and training in order to foster sustainability competencies development.

Crowdworking: working with or against the crowd?

Our current labour market is affected by massive changes like digitalization, automation and globalization, which gives rise to completely new forms of generating income. One such innovative idea is crowdworking, where many people (a so-called crowd) work on individual tasks for a firm in a way similar to a self-employed freelancer. This form of occupation is a recent development but gains acceptance, esteem and relevance quite rapidly. The risk potential for wage dumping and (self-) exploitation is still unknown. A crucial, but often neglected fact about crowdworking is that it exists in many variants which have completely different properties. We investigate how much these distinct versions of crowdworking differ by using an agent-based computer simulation. Wages, job security, workforce composition and other relevant indicators are calculated by simulating the micro scale to gain aggregated information on the macro-scale. We find that there is a significant difference between the versions of crowdworking. Our main finding is that especially variants where the crowdworkers are able to set their own wages are susceptible to wage dumping. Simulations suggest that this phenomenon is independent of the specifics of the labour market but rather a fundamental property of those variants of crowdworking.

Relevance of the Executive Secretary Degree of the Autonomous University of Chiriquí

At present, higher education institutions must take into account the changing nature of the world of work and in this sense, they must analyze the capacities and competencies demanded by graduates of the Universities, before such an unpredictable world, careers must suffer permanent changes that respond to the needs of the current labor market. That is why, in this article, we present the results of a study, which seeks to determine whether the skills acquired by graduates of the Bachelor's Degree in Executive Secretariat of the Autonomous University of Chiriquí correspond to the needs demanded by the labor market. The research is based on a mixed methodology, which enables the integration of quantitative and qualitative approaches, allowing a holistic view of the problem studied. Some of the relevant results of this study were that for employers it is essential the acquisition, command of the English language and management of modern office equipment, for the performance of secretarial work.

Female Underrepresentation in STEM Subjects: An Exploratory Study of Female High School Students in China

In China, there exists many factors such as girls’ socialized gender norms and the values and pedagogy incorporated in the science curriculum that may discourage female students from choosing science courses. In order to ensure that female students have the same opportunities to reach their potential in STEM areas, it is important to understand these factors that influence their choices. This study investigates the potential reasons why female high school students in China are less likely to choose STEM subjects. By conducting qualitative interviews with six female students, from two Chinese high schools, the study discovers several factors behind their decision-making in course selection, including the influence of current science curriculum, teachers, labor market, parents, and peers. The findings of this study enrich existing research on gender equity in Chinese high school education and provide insights about relevant policies to address gender disparities in science programs.

Sistema de Información para el seguimiento a graduados en instituciones de educación superior de Ecuador.

El seguimiento a graduados es una actividad de gran importancia para las instituciones educativas pues permite mejorar la comunicación con los estudiantes que egresan de la misma y la retroalimentación sobre la actualidad del mercado laboral. Se propone un sistema de información para el control de procesos de seguimiento a graduados e inserción laboral en instituciones de educación superior, que contribuya a mejorar los indicadores de calidad. Se aplica una encuesta a graduados y una entrevista a directivos relacionados con esta actividad evidenciando que las instituciones se comunican con sus graduados, pero utilizando fuentes dispersas lo que evidencia la necesidad de contar con un sistema que integre toda la información y facilite la toma de decisiones académicas.

A career mentoring tale: A story of assumptions, assessment and action

In 2009, Thompson Rivers University created a Career Mentoring Program (CMP). The programme mission was to bring career development expertise, from mentors’ personal experiences, to students through career mentoring activities. The initial goals were to teach students networking skills and enhance their understanding of the current labour market. As the programme evolved, so too did the understanding of its impact on students’ career development, and as a result, the goals of the CMP evolved. This paper will outline the evolution of the programme, the mistakes and partnerships that influenced the evolution and how a formal research project solidified the learning programme organisers assumed was happening. The results of conducting this mixed methods research, and using it to improve the programme each year, have had a profound outcome on programme objectives: to increase the career knowledge, confidence and action of students. This paper will demonstrate to other practitioners that programme assessment and research do not have to be difficult or costly. The authors hope that, from this paper, educators will be able to take this experience and tweak or start a relevant and effective programme for students.

Female employment in India: determinants of choice of sector of activity

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the choice of employment sector for women is driven by the structure of the labour market or determined by the household socioeconomic condition. Design/methodology/approach Data for the study were drawn from the National Sample Survey 68th round (2011–2012). The sector of employment was assessed through females’ participation as an unpaid labour, employer/own account worker, informal wage worker, formal wage worker and unemployed. A multinomial logit model was used to examine the factors that determine the sector of employment. Findings Although education increases formal employment among women, most of them are unemployed or entering into informal employment. It indicates that the labour market has not been able to integrate educated women into formal employment. Research limitations/implications Increase in female education accompanied by a slow growth of employment creates the challenge to accommodate the educated and skilled women in formal employment. Originality/value This study examines the factors determining the sectoral participation of employment to assess the responses of the current labour market for the females, especially educated females who have not been adequately addressed. The findings of the study have significant implications for formulating appropriate labour market policies for the educated female labour force.