Labor Employment Research Articles

Inflation stabilization and normal utilization

This paper presents a model of inflation and distribution that examines the relationship between the employment of labor and the utilization of capital. It features a structural difference between the wage Phillips curve and the price Phillips curve that gives rise to persistent changes in the real wage whenever the inflation-neutral level of activity fails to utilize the existing capital stock at its normal level. Assuming an inflation-targeting central bank that is obliged to run the system around its inflation-neutral level, these changes will reduce the gap between the inflation-neutral level and normal utilization by moving the system along a stable wage curve. In the end this implies that the inflation-neutral level of employment and full or normal utilization of capital will tendentially coincide, lending some support to the Duménil-Lévy thesis that monetary policy makes normal utilization a long-run center of gravity.

Prevalence of dry eye disease among visual display terminal office users in Uyo, Nigeria

Context: Dry eye disease (DED) results from loss of tear film homeostasis. Increase use of visual display terminals (VDT) by individuals and professionals increases the risk of DED.
 Objective: This study is aimed to determine the prevalence of dry eye disease among office workers who use visual display terminals in Uyo.
 Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study of VDT office workers aged 19-65 years. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to recruit participants. Self-administered Impact of Dry Eye on Everyday Life (IDEEL) questionnaire and ocular examination was done to gather data; such data was analyzed using SPSS version 22.0
 Results: Prevalence of dry eye disease (DED) was 5.8% (95% CI 3.44 - 8.16). Mean Schirmer’s 1 was 21.60 ± 9.29mm, mean TBUT was 9.74 ± 2.48s, mean IDEEL score was 76.15 ± 25.47. There was a statistically significant association between DED and educational level 7.56(p-value 0.02), hours of visual display terminal use per day 10.72(p-value 0.013), and use of air conditioning 7.66(p-value 0.006). Multivariate regression analysis to identify predictors of dry eye was statistically significant for module 1(Symptom bother) of the dry eye questionnaire (p-value 0.01, odds ratio 12.71,), tear break up time in the left eye (p-value 0.00, odds ratio 38.67), and Schirmer 1 test in the right eye (p-value 0.00, odds ratio 30.83)`.
 Conclusion: The prevalence of DED increases with the number of hours spent on VDT Periodic medical and psychological evaluation of VDT users to identify office workers most at risk should be carried out by employers of labour.

Trade Implications on Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIS) Due to COVID-19 Pandemic and India China Altercation

ABSTRACT: India's pharmaceutical sector has been one of the largest manufacturers of generic drugs globally. During the pandemic, most countries were dependent on imports of generic drugs from India. However, India has been relying on resources from China for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) which are the raw material for preparing generic drugs. We considered, in our analysis, branded product groups of Paracetamol and Amoxicillin due to their extensive use in the treatment of COVID-19. From a thorough market analysis of both the drugs, we conclude that firms have a monopoly over their brands but compete within the same product group and operate in their respective market under varying prices within certain bandwidths which resembles the feature of monopolistic competitive market. We have introduced compensating function a la Helpman (1981) in the pharmaceutical goods market with the assumption that an 'ideal product' exists among the pharmaceutical goods. Given the framework, this paper explores a general equilibrium model set in a monopolistic competitive product market for branded drugs. We concluded through our propositions that expanding the pharmaceutical sector will increase the employment of unskilled labor under no capacity constraint. We will observe an increase in wages of unskilled labor only under full employment conditions wherein we would observe that the expansion of pharmaceutical good will increase wages in the unskilled labor market. However we obtain an intriguing result wherein we obtain that despite instances of limiting trade dependence on China through implementation of policies like 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' and 'profit linked incentive schemes', yet to maintain the status quo in the global market for generic drugs, India's dependence on China would increase, owing to API imports due to the pandemic crisis. While India can grab the opportunity in the form of increased demand for pharmaceutical goods to increase the employment level of the economy but this improvement in welfare is also dependent on the degree of dependency of API India has on China. The Indian government has recognized the same through the incorporation of 'Covid-Suraksha' and PLI schemes to minimize import dependency, and accelerate the development of APIs and the production of indigenous drugs.

The Pacifying Power of Wages in the Domestic Work Domain

Historically, scholarship on domestic work in Africa has characterised the sector as oppressive. As an integral part of the oppressive nature of the domestic work domain, this article investigates the contradictions associated with the admirable act of employers paying their domestic workers more than recommended minimum wage in Eswatini. Previously known as Swaziland, Eswatini is a small, interlocked country between South Africa and Mozambique. The country’s recommended minimum wage for domestic workers is E 1,246.00 (USD 73.20) per month. Interviews were conducted among ten live-in domestic workers from Tubungu, Eswatini, who earn E 3,500 (USD 205.63) or more per month. This article relies on in-depth interviews to establish the dynamics at work in this act of constructive remuneration. The study’s findings challenge the assumption that higher paid wages in the domestic sector are always a well-intentioned and successful achievement of one aspect of the ‘decent work’ agenda. Findings show that higher wages subtly increase domestic workers’ tolerance of employers’ disregard of other working conditions. This is at the expense of the domestic workers’ well-being and pacifiers their ability to challenge their employers about other working conditions as their entitlement. The study shows how both liberating and oppressive experiences, not just oppression, coexist within the domestic work landscape in Eswatini. This points to an interesting ambiguity in the domestic work field. Finally, the study shows how these contradictory oppressive and liberatory experiences both inform and sustain domestic work in the country. This is in a context where women are part of a labour market with high unemployment, with domestic work being a convenient source of employment for less-skilled labour.

Staged pain or systemic crisis? Research on the employment effect of enterprise green transformation

The green transformation is a necessary path for industrialization to reach the advanced stage. Currently, achieving a win-win situation between green transformation and stable employment for residents has become a common concern for theoretical researchers and policymakers. This paper analyzes the influence mechanism of enterprise green transformation on employment using the partial equilibrium model. Furthermore, the employment effect and mechanism of enterprise green transformation are empirically verified with panel data from companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges. The results indicate a dynamic non-linear relationship between enterprise green transformation and employment. As the transformation deepens, its impact on employment changes from negative to positive. Mechanism analysis reveals that enterprise green transformation has the potential to induce output growth and employment virtuous cycle. Additionally, environmental protection investment and labor employment in the transformation have a factor complementary effect. There is heterogeneity in the employment impact of enterprise green transformation, especially for production personnel, low-skilled labor, non-state-owned, heavy-polluting, and medium-low-tech enterprises, which experience stronger employment deprivation.

An assessment of the impact of emotional labour and burnout on the employees’ work performance

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to identify and assess the factors that influence the work performance of employees in the service sector of Mauritius during the post-COVID-19 period. Factors like emotional labour, burnout, job satisfaction and psychological health of employees have been identified as those potential factors influencing the work performance of employees.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts the survey-based approach for data collection. Employees from the service sector were targeted, that is, those who have direct contact with the customers. A response rate of 197 was recorded. The partial least square structural equation modelling has been used to run the data analysis.FindingsTen hypotheses were proposed, and four hypotheses were accepted. Job satisfaction appears to positively influence the work performance of employees in the service sector. Emotional labour, burnout and psychological health of employees appeared not to significantly affect the work performance of employees.Practical implicationsFrom a practical perspective, the author recommends that employers need to provide more support in terms of employee counselling, more job rotation for the employees to avoid burnout. Other support mechanisms as a supportive supervisor/manager where the employees can voice their concerns. It is also recommended that employers should have a more humane way to handle their human resources despite they are having the pressure to maximise profits. Employers need to understand that commercialisation of emotions demand a lot of emotional pressure on the employees and job re-design might be a solution to provide employees with more autonomy in the workplace. The level of flexibility also needs to be reviewed and employees should be more trusted.Originality/valueThis study acknowledges that a lot of research has been done in identifying and assessing factors that significantly impact employees’ work performance. Nevertheless, this study brings together two theories, namely, the social exchange theory and the psychological contract theory to better understand the relationship between the variables. This study also brings a methodological contribution with second-order factor analysis of factors like emotional labour and burnout which enabled better assessment and understanding of the factors and their effect on work performance. Some practical recommendations have also been made.

A Study of the Effect of Trade Openness on Population Health: Empirical Evidence from China

Currently, the international economy is experiencing profound and intricate transformations, while economic globalization is encountering unprecedented challenges and witnessing a surge in counter-globalization sentiments. Critics express concerns over the potential detrimental effects of trade liberalization on the welfare of low-income groups, particularly in developing countries. China, as the largest developing country, also holds the status of a major trading nation. Using panel data from 285 prefecture-level cities across China during 2000–2019, this study examines how trade openness affects population health to assess the welfare effects of trade openness, providing new theoretical perspectives and empirical evidence to further promote economic globalization and improve human health and well-being. The results show that trade openness can significantly promote population health. And, a series of robustness tests show that the above conclusion is still valid. Trade openness has a greater positive impact on the health of the population of the eastern and central regions, the coastal cities, and high-trade-openness cities. An analysis of the mechanism reveal that trade openness mainly promotes population health through channels such as labor employment, wage income, public health investment, and personal health investment. However, trade openness can also lead to environmental pollution, which has a significant negative impact on population health. Additionally, through threshold effects analysis, it becomes evident that the relationship between trade openness and population health is nonlinear. This implies that there are critical thresholds related to the economic development stage, investment in environmental governance, and environmental infrastructure construction. Falling below or exceeding these thresholds may lead to different interval effects on the impact of trade openness on population health.

Settler Sensibilities and Environmental Change

Malaria eradication arrived in Nepal in the 1950s as part of a global initiative to make malarial landscapes available for land reclamation and universal settlement. This article situates period reports from World Health Organization personnel involved in the Nepal Malaria Eradication Organization alongside testimonies from two malaria eradication workers from the country's Farwestern Tarai region to disentangle the socioecological and political effects of Nepal's malaria eradication project in its formative years. By concentrating on the labor of malaria eradication—focused on geographic reconnaissance and indoor residual spraying and the employment of laborers of diverse caste and ethnic backgrounds—the author argues that the project helped generate a settler sensibility toward the Nepal Tarai, transforming the forests and grasslands into a domesticated, development-ready village landscape. Applying insights from settler studies to a formally non-colonized nation-state, Nepal, the article highlights settlerism as a practice extending beyond the geography of European-American imperialism and embeds Nepal's malaria eradication program within the colonial landscape of Northern South Asia.

Relationship Among Teachers’ Occupational Interests, Job Satisfaction and Performance in Government Secondary Schools in North Central Nigeria

This study investigated the relationship among teachers’ occupational interests, job satisfaction and performance in government secondary schools in North-Central Nigeria. The study adopted descriptive survey design using teachers in government secondary schools in the North-Central Geopolitical zone of Nigeria. A sample size of 384 teachers comprising 153 males and 231 females participated in the study through stratified random sampling procedure. Three instruments were used for the study – Vocational Interests Inventory (VII) Job Satisfaction Inventory for Teachers (JOSIT) and Teachers Job Performance Inventory (TEJOPI). The reliability of the instruments was determined through test re-test method using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient which yielded reliability indices of 0.92, 0.84 and 0.81 for VII, JOSIT and TEJOPI respectively. One research question and three hypotheses guided the conduct of the study. Data generated was analyzed using mean scores and standard deviation for the research question. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for hypotheses one and two while Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was used to test hypothesis three. The findings revealed that teachers in government secondary schools in North-Central Nigeria were dissatisfied with their jobs as reflected in the sectional mean of 2.712. The findings further revealed that a significant relationship existed between occupational interests and job satisfaction but not with job performance. The findings further indicated that there was no significant relationship between jobs satisfaction and Job performance. The researcher recommended among other measures, that government as the major employer of labour should ensure periodic improvements in the working conditions of teachers to enhance their job satisfaction and boost productivity.

TRANSPARENCY, COMPLIANCE AND SUSTAINABILITY OF CONTRIBUTORY PENSION SCHEME IN NIGERIA

Policymakers have taken cognisance of necessity to improve the transparency and compliance level among parameters of pension reforms. Empirical literature found positive roles of transparency and compliance toward the achievement of pension reform objectives such as sustainability. However, the level of transparency and compliance of pension fund managers and employers of labour under the contributory pension scheme in Nigeria leaves much to be desired. Thus, this study examined the effects of transparency and compliance on the sustainability of the Nigerian contributory pension scheme. Data was collected with the use of survey questionnaires administered on purposive sampling method on the managerial level staff of contributory pension operators and active participants enrolled in the scheme. The data collected was analysed using partial least square structural equation modelling with the aid of Smart PLS statistical application. The results showed that transparency has positively significant effect on the sustainability of contributory pension scheme in Nigeria while compliance has positive but insignificant effect. The study recommends the need for National Pension Commission as the regulator of the contributory pension scheme to strengthen its capacity to enforce adequate transparency and compliance level among the operators and employers of labour in contributory pension scheme in order to achieve not only the sustainability but other objectives of contributory pension reform.

WORKING CONDITION AND PERFORMANCE BONUS ON EMPLOYEES’ PERFORMANCE AMONG SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES IN DELTA STATE

The study investigated relationship between working condition and performance bonus on employees’ performance among small and medium enterprises in delta state. The study adopted correlational design, while a multi stage sampling techniques was used to arrive at a sample size of 387 respondents from the population of 12,503 employees of 78 registered bakeries in Delta State. The instrument for data collection was a researcher structured questionnaire tagged: “Performance Bonus and Working Condition on Employees’ Performance Questionnaire. “PBWCEPQ”. Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to determine the relationship of the instrument and it yield a coefficient of 0.71. The method of data analysis includes the use of frequencies and percentages for research questions while Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to test the hypotheses of the study at 0.05 level of significance. Findings of the study revealed that a significant relationship exist between working condition and employees job performance, also a significant relationship exist with performance bonus and employees job performance. The researcher recommends that Employers of labour must provide basic for employee and create a healthy work environment also, budgeting for performance bonus should be made mandatory by employers of labour and same should be maintained regularly to serve its purpose in the workplace amongst others.
 Keywords: Working Condition, Performance Bonus, Employees’ Performance, Small and Medium Enterprises.

The Current Situation and Insights of Human Rights Due Diligence Implementation in Chinese Multinational Enterprises: The Case Study of Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Co., Ltd.

In the global cobalt supply chain, the illegal employment of child labor by multinational companies is a very common phenomenon, and child laborers are often exposed to poor working conditions, which are extremely harmful to their physical and mental health. And behind these phenomena, it indicates that the international community has not been successful in ensuring adequate implementation of human rights due diligence for multinational corporations. This paper will take the supply chain human rights crisis and response measures of Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Co., Ltd. in China as an example, and use case study method and literature research method to explore the current situation and insights of human rights due diligence implementation in Chinese multinational enterprises. It has been discovered through research that Chinese multinational corporations face several challenges in carrying out human rights due diligence, such as the lack of an institutionalized human rights due diligence mechanism and insufficient understanding of human rights risks. Based on this, this paper proposes the following recommendations: accelerating the formulation of human rights due diligence standards and norms; bridging the gap between domestic and foreign mandatory human rights due diligence laws; raising the awareness of human rights protection within enterprises; and strengthening human rights risk management in the supply chain.

Employer Vs Union Characteristics and Unions Organising Effectiveness in Nigeria

The two broad classes of factors influencing unions organising effectiveness, are namely internal (controllable) and external (uncontrollable). However, it is not conclusively known how potential members’ characteristics, trade unions’ characteristics and employers’ characteristics interact with organising effectiveness (dependent variable) in Nigeria. Using questionnaire instrument, generated data were analyzed with simple percentages; and chi-square, regression and ANOVA were utilized to draw inferences. It was found that potential member’s age, gender, occupational type, educational status and employment type directly relate to unions organising effectiveness; unions’ characteristics including financial investment had an effect, however, both internal democracy and solidarity had no effect respectively, and uncooperative attitude of employers, employer’s sizes and ages positively related with organising effectiveness; while competitiveness level among employers had no effect. It was concluded that unions’ growth and relevance in Nigeria depend on channeling of unions’ capacity to leverage and boost internal and external effects that are essential to wade off negative forces working against their growth. It is recommended that unions be more attentive to effects on unions organising effectiveness in Nigeria to reverse the decline in union densities and loss of unions’ relevance to working people, their dependents, employers of labour and the broader society.

The nexus of employers demands and employability skills in Oyo state Nigeria: implications on Japa syndrome

This study examines the required employability skills and how important is such employability skills to an employer of labours in Oyo State, Nigeria. Two research questions were answered. The study adopted the sequential mixed methods research design. The multi-stage sampling procedure was used in this study. The economic sectors were stratified into seven sectors in Ibadan Metropolis. 20 employers of labour were selected from each sector using a convenience sampling technique. A total of 140 employers were used for the study. 10 human resources managers were purposively selected as Key informants for interview sections using an interview guide. Two validated instruments of reliability of 0.75 and 0.78 respectively were used to collect the data. Quantitative data were analysed using the descriptive statistic of frequency count, percentage, mean, and standard deviation while qualitative data were content analysed and thematically interpreted. The results obtained revealed that employers strongly agreed that communication, Information Communication and Technology, Problem-Solving, Analytical, Personality, Adaptability, Team Work, and Leadership skills were essential for graduates to have in order to be employable. It can therefore be inferred that the possession of a certificate is only to attest to the fact that someone has been trained in formal settings. Job seekers should display good communication skills, organisation skill, creativity, teamwork, planning, and so on, which are in high demand by the employers of labour. Among others, some recommendations were made that the management of various educational institutions should put more emphasis on experiential learning to gain practical experience through service learning, internships, volunteer work, teaching practice, or part-time jobs to expose learners to employability skills in terms of, organisation skill, creativity, teamwork and, planning. Also, counselling section should be put in place to re-orientate the graduate on Japa syndrome among others.

Manufacturing tariff liberalisation and the sectoral reallocation of employment in local labour markets: evidence from South Africa

This paper examines the impact of trade liberalisation on the sectoral reallocation of workers, particularly from manufacturing to services. It empirically assesses this relationship using local labour market level data for South Africa, a country that experienced significant reductions in manufacturing tariff protection and declining shares of manufacturing in employment from 1996 to 2011. The empirical analysis draws on population census data covering 234 municipalities fors 1996, 2001 and 2011. Contrary to expectations, employment in both the services and manufacturing sectors grew more slowly in municipalities where manufacturing workers faced large reductions in tariffs. We demonstrate that the relative decline in services employment was, in part, driven by negative spillover effects arising from lower derived demand for services inputs, income and infrastructure investment linked to the weaker growth in manufacturing from tariff reductions. These spillover effects diminished the absorption of labour by the services sector and contributed towards declining participation in the labour force in municipalities where manufacturing workers were exposed to large reductions in tariff protection relative to other municipalities. Tariff reductions have a stronger effect on the employment of women in manufacturing, while the adverse spillover effects on service employment are stronger for men.

Affective News, Affective Labor: Chinese Female “Little Editors” of WeChat Official Accounts in Australia

In Australia, WeChat Official Accounts is known as a hub for the production and distribution of affective news, or sensationalized content, among Chinese migrants. This article aims to address: Who/What is responsible for this form of content production on WeChat? Who are the people (re)producing news information for WeChat Official Accounts in Australia? How and why do they engage with such activities for Australia-based WeChat Official Accounts? And how do they shed light on our digital culture, economy, and platform labor? To address the questions, from 2019 to 2022, I conducted 27 semi-structured interviews with Chinese-Australian media professionals at both managerial and staff levels as well as conducted a longitudinal ethnographic observation with more than 200 Australia-based WeChat Official Accounts that translate news stories for the Chinese diaspora. The article argues that in Australia affective news on WeChat is the news story that conveys emotional resonance to Chinese migrant readers; it is predominantly produced by Chinese female little editors who work as affective labor. The employment of affective labor, that is, Chinese female international students or postgraduates, has led to the concentration of precarity, exploitation, and alienation among the groups of Chinese female little editors who are vulnerably exposed to the double exclusion coming from both neoliberalism in Australia’s dominant society and patriarchal normativity embedded in the Chinese migrant economy. The research findings shed light on the intensifying social inequality based on one’s race, ethnicity, gender, and social class that has been imposed and further normalized by digital technologies.

Opportunities and challenges in preserving intellectual and human capital: strategies for readiness in a complex socio-economic context

The study aims to develop measures to reduce the outflow (migration) of young people and improve human capital in the face of global complex socio-economic landscape. The paper determines strategic priorities for state regulation of youth migration processes. It is concluded that instruments for regulating youth migration and preserving intellectual and human resource potential should be directed toward reducing the level of positive migration aspirations among student and apprentice youth, ensuring employment and effective remuneration of labor. The system of preventive public policy instruments for managing youth migration includes efforts to increase employment, develop the micro and small business sector, raise the level of readiness of migrant youth to re-emigrate, enhance the competitiveness of the educational sector, and create international projects to develop human capital. Additionally, the study advocates for improving the competitiveness of the educational sector and fostering international projects that contribute to human capital development.

Voluntary or Mandatory Corporate Social Responsibility Engagement? A post-2000 Analysis of China-Zimbabwe Economic Relations

The quest for economic development in Africa's emerging economies like Zimbabwe is an uphill undertaking that necessitates multi-stakeholder contribution. Since 2000, China and Chinese firms have played a considerable role in contributing to the Zimbabwean economy and community well-being through CSR programmes. However, in the absence of a CSR regulatory framework, it is not clear whether Zimbabwe harnesses the full social-economic potential of CSR arrangements. Existing research on CSR in the country provides sketchy evidence and mainly from a foreign perspective. This paper analyses Chinese corporations’ engagement in promoting the socio-economic progress of communities in a non-mandatory CSR environment and presents a case for a regulatory framework in Zimbabwe. It applies interpretivism to desk review evidence from sources published between 2017 and 2022 and reveals that, despite voluntary CSR arrangements, Chinese firms have contributed to the socio-economic well-being of communities by investing in some development projects. This notwithstanding, a voluntary CSR engagement has provided a leeway for Chinese firms to neglect environmental concerns, violate employee labour rights, and threaten community displacement, especially in mineral-rich areas. The paper concludes that Zimbabwe’s economic hardships push the country to prioritise economic over social and environmental concerns of communities in fear of losing the scarcely available Foreign Direct Investment. However, mandatory CSR arrangements provide mutual benefits to both Zimbabwe and China, thus an opportunity to legislate CSR without jeopardising Sino-Zimbabwe's economic and political relations.

Platform Rhetoric and Fan Labour as the Building Blocks of <em>LEGO Ideas</em>

Platform Rhetoric and Fan Labour as the Building Blocks of <em>LEGO Ideas</em>

Employment Effects of the Internet on Rural Residents in the Context of the Digital Village

Promoting the employment of rural labor is an important way to improve the living standards of farmers and narrow the income gap between urban and rural areas, as well as a key measure to comprehensively promote rural revitalization. Based on the 2017 China General Social Survey (CGSS) data, the impact of Internet use on rural residents' employment and its mechanism of action were validated and tested using the Probit model and KHB method. The study finds that Internet use can significantly promote the employment participation of rural laborers, and the "digital dividend" of the Internet can rely on human capital to play an effective role, and the mediating effect of healthy human capital is stronger than that of educational human capital. In addition, the effect of the Internet in promoting employment is more obvious in the youth group and the sample with a low level of social trust. Therefore, in the process of promoting rural revitalization and the employment and entrepreneurship of the rural population, it is necessary to use the Internet dividend to continuously optimize the employment structure of rural residents, and to strengthen the skills training of rural residents in the use of the Internet. It is also necessary to help them improve their professionalism and accumulate human capital, so as to strengthen the promotion effect of digital empowerment on non-farm employment.