Decline In Labor Productivity Research Articles

Stabile Beschäftigung durch flexible Arbeitszeiten / Steady employment by flexible working-times

Abstract Der Beitrag zeigt, dass der Arbeitsmarkt in Deutschland trotz der schärfsten Konjunkturkrise in der Nachkriegszeit weitgehend robust geblieben ist. Diese sowohl im internationalen Vergleich als auch gegenüber früheren Konjunkturabschwüngen außerordentlich günstige Entwicklung ist vor allem Arbeitszeit verkürzenden Maßnahmen zu verdanken. Die Hauptlast tragen Arbeitszeitkonten und tarifliche Korridorregelungen gefolgt von der öffentlich geförderten Kurzarbeit. Außerdem haben zahlreiche Betriebe offensichtlich aus Sorge, bei einem neuerlichen Konjunkturaufschwung unter einem Mangel an Fachkräften zu leiden, Arbeitskräfte gehalten. Gelitten hat hierunter die Arbeitsproduktivität.

Conspicuous consumption and generation replacement in a model of perpetual youth

This paper investigates household decisions in an overlapping generations model in which individual utility depends on a weighted average of consumption of one's peers. In contrast to representative agent economies, the consumption externality generally affects savings and growth rates. The effects critically depend on the rate at which labor productivity changes with age. For a high (low) rate, the externality lowers ( raises) the steady state propensity to consume out of total wealth. The optimal allocation can be decentralized by a (reverse) unfunded social security system if the rate of labor productivity decline is high (low). In contrast to discrete time OLG models, the optimal steady state capital income tax is zero, in spite of the externality.

Conspicuous Consumption and Overlapping Generations

This paper investigates household decisions, and optimal taxation in an overlapping generations model in which individual utility depends on a weighted average of consumption of ones peers - a keeping up with the Joneses'' consumption externality. In contrast to representative agent economies, the consumption externality generally affects steady state savings and growth rates. The nature of the externality's impact, however, critically depends on the rate at which labor productivity declines with age. For a (strongly enough) declining labor productivity (or when people gradually retire), the consumption externality lowers the steady state propensity to consume out of total wealth. The opposite holds for a constant labor productivity. The optimal allocation can be decentralized by a (reverse) unfunded social security system if the rate of labor productivity decline is high (low). In contrast to previous results, the optimal steady state capital income tax is zero, in spite of the consumption externality.

Disease dynamics and economic growth

HIV prevalence dynamics are introduced into a three sector, neoclassical growth model. The model is calibrated to South African national accounts data and used to examine the potential impact of HIV/AIDS on economic growth. Projections portend that, if left unchecked, the long run impact of HIV/AIDS could cause South African GDP to be about 60% less than would be the level of GDP in the absence of the disease. In spite of a relatively high death rate, the disease is also found to decrease the per capita level of GDP, due mostly to a decline in labor productivity and a corresponding slower growth in capital deepening.

Capital Productivity in the Informal and Formal Manufacturing Sectors - A Disaggregated Study

The levels of productivity are important parameters used to measure the contribution of a sector to the economy relative to the resource that it uses. It has often been accused that the productivity levels in the Informal Manufacturing Sector are very low. Hence, policy-makers are often tempted to ignore this sector, hoping that with time it will transform itself into 'formal' sector. However, that has not happened in India, and the informal sector has been an important component of the manufacturing sector. It is now accepted that it is here to stay. Moreover, it is found that the labour productivity, though low, is steadily increasing over time for all the segments of the informal sector. The only exceptions have been the urban DMEs and urban NDMEs, which suffered a decline in labour productivity during 1984-89, but recovered thereafter and in 1994 overtook the 1984 figures also. Barring a few exceptions, per enterprise productivity are also increasing over time. The most important aspect however, is that whereas the labour productivity levels are not satisfactory, the informal sector exhibits satisfactory levels of capital productivity, indicating efficient use of capital. This has greater significance in light of the capital scarce nature of our economy. In fact, it may be postulated that the informal manufacturing sector has greater efficiency in using capital resource than their formal counterparts. The present paper studies the validity of this hypothesis. The structure of the paper is as follows. The next section discusses the Data sources and the Methodology used. The subsequent sections deal with - A general overview of Productivity levels in the Informal manufacturing sector in India; Comparative analysis of capital productivity levels in the informal and formal manufacturing sectors, and the Conclusion.

Performance Impact of the Elimination of Direct Labor Variance Reporting: A Field Study

Using a field study approach, we examine two competing perspectives on direct labor variance reporting: some argue that direct labor variance reporting is costly and cumbersome, and should be eliminated; whereas others contend that without direct labor variance information, managers will not be able to monitor workers effectively, causing workers to shirk and worker productivity to decline. Specifically, we investigate the productivity and quality impacts of eliminating direct labor variance reporting with panel data containing 36 months of data from seven experimental plants that eliminated direct labor variance reporting and 11 control plants that did not. The experimental plants experienced a significant decline in labor productivity compared to the control plants. Also, the experimental plants showed an improvement in product quality, indicating that workers reallocate their efforts to other tasks as a result of the change in the information set available to evaluate them.

A computerized system for measuring knowledge work

Defining and measuring the work performed by knowledge workers, a group traditionally considered unmeasurable, is an imperative if we are to reverse our current decline in labor productivity. Not only is a structured approach needed, but also a means of implementing this approach. A microcomputer-based system has been developed to meet this need.This information system includes a database and a spreadsheet. The database defines the work and provides input for the spreadsheet. The LOTUS spreadsheet accepts the measurement results and the calculated “target” completion time for the work, and then graphically compares this time and the actual time.This paper describes the methodology and the information system.

Sources of Labor Productivity Variation in the U.S. Surface Coal Mining Industry, 1960-1976

Our paper analyzes the sources of labor productivity variation in U.S. bituminous coal surface mining from 1960 to 1976. The coal mining industry was among the first to experience a prolonged decline in labor productivity in the post-World War II period. In surface mining nationally, labor productivity in 1977 was 26.6 tons per worker-day, or 28 percent less than the peak of 36.7 tons per worker-day achieved in 1973. Moreover, in several major coal-producing states, the decline began much earlier and was more dramatic. For example, in West Virginia (the first state to experience declining productivity) the loss in productivity between 1965, the year in which productivity in the state peaked, and 1976 was nearly 52 percent. Eastern Kentucky experienced an even larger drop of 56 percent between 1967 and 1976. It was only the expansion of surface mining to western states in the 1970s that delayed the appearance of a national decline in productivity until the early 1970s. The industry has thus foreshadowed the labor productivity declines that subsequently occurred in other industries.

Stagflation and Productivity Decline in Canada, 1974-82

The MACE model of Canada employs a nested production structure in which there is a vintage bundle of capital and energy that is combined with efficiency units of labour to define potential output for given quantities of employed factors. The actual level of output is derived from an estimated utilization-rate equation, in which the ratio of actual to potential output depends on unexpected sales, profitability, and the gap between actual and desired inventories. Using this production structure, it is possible to attribute 30% of the decline in labour productivity between 1973 and 1982, relative to a steady growth case, to desired substitution of labour for energy, one-third to unexpectedly low demand, and one-fifth to low profitability. The unexplained residual is less than one-fifth. The macroeconomic structure of the model is then used totrace the underlying reasons for the differences between steady growth and actual history. It is concluded that most of the changes in factor proportions, demand, and profitability in Canada were due to the changes in world oil prices and the parallel changes in inflation and real output in other industrial countries.

Sources of Deep Coal Mine Productivity Change, 1962-1975

The purpose of this article is to investigate the causes of labor productivity decline in bituminous deep mines during the 1970s. Prior to 1970, coal mining was a leading industry in productivity growth: average deep mine labor productivity increased from 5.8 tons per miner per shift in 1950 to 15.6 tons per miner per shift in 1969. Since 1969, average labor productivity has fallen every year to a 1977 level of 8.7 tons per miner per shift.