Wages Of Workers Research Articles

Wine as a “Cultural Product”? Ethnographic Notes on Work and Nationhood in the Republic of Moldova

Abstract The Republic of Moldova is one of the largest wine producers in Europe, and winemaking, both domestic and commercial, is deeply embedded in its society. State officials, wine marketing specialists, and subsistence winemakers in their discourses often tie wine and winemaking to a national framework, conceptualizing it as a “cultural product” that is typically Moldovan. The author makes use of ethnographic fieldwork to analyse how national identification becomes something salient among workers in the wine industry—if it does so at all—and what role nationhood plays in winemaking workers’ self-image. That wage work in winemaking means different things to manual workers and managers, and to subsistence winemakers. For the workers, their dependence on low remuneration and the division of the production process makes their work less a matter of national identification and “cultural production” than a purely instrumental activity.

Trade unions in Germany: challenges and solutions

German trade unions traditionally play critical role in securing fair work conditions and wages. However, in the XXI century they are facing significant challenges, caused by effects of globalization, structural changes in the labor market and others. The most prominent problem is gradually declining membership and therefore shrinking resource capacity. Necessity to attract new members encourages them to undertake many different actions: from increasing protest activity to altering their work models. Author considers the cases of German trade unions and how they react to the acute issues and their connection to the protests. Author draws a conclusion that structural transformations of the labor market have been more impactful than changes in their public perception. Worker unions have remained a significant and influential force in political and social fields. Nevertheless, format of their work requires significant modifications to strengthen them as organizations that truly represent workers interests.

Return migration and labour market outcomes in South Asia: a CGE exploration

ABSTRACTThis paper explores the impact of return migration on labour market outcomes, more specifically, wage, consumption and welfare outcomes for workers in South Asia. The unprecedented changes brought about by the pandemic have led to mass upheaval and the return migration of millions of workers over the past two years. This return migration is likely to lead to an expansion of the labour force and employment in South Asia. The impact of this labour force supply shock is evaluated using the GMig2 version of the GTAP model. We find heterogeneous results in terms of labour returns by levels of skill and industry. The sectoral demand composition changes with manufacturing and services gaining demand over agriculture and primary industries.

An Analysis of Gig Workers and Challenges Surrounding Their Employment

The workforce in India comprises about 450 million informal workers, amounting to 92.4% of India’s workforce. In terms of employment, the unorganised sector employs about 83% of the workforce. Interestingly, a new sector of informal workforce has emerged in the last decade famously called the “gig workers” or “platform-based” workers. The term “unorganised worker” has been defined under the Unorganized Workers' Social Security Act, 2008, as a home based worker, self-employed worker or a wage worker. This definition, perhaps does not include gig workers but they fall under the second clause of the definition where the term has not been defined in any of the labour codes. They are addressed as platform workers, as they are employed by corporations via digital applications creating a platform-dependent employment system. Rajasthan was the first state in India to draft a bill, for the protection of gig workers and provide them with adequate regulatory mechanism to prevent exploitation of their freelance. This paper analyses various aspects of gig economy, taking into account the increasing need of platform workers. It also proposes certain measures to address the needs of these workers and suggests a well devised mechanism for smooth relations between worker and the aggregator. Much of the gig economy boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic, where it came in handy for delivery of food, essentials, and transportation services, which was hugely affected during the pandemic. The scope of the research is limited to discussing various issues faced by platform workers (workers employed by aggregators like Swiggy, Ola, Uber etc.) and suggesting certain solutions for the same.

Inequality and vulnerability of informal employment during the pandemic

This study explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on formal and informal workers in the Indonesian construction industry. Based on a questionnaire survey of workers in the province of West Java, it aims to test the view that informal workers are more vulnerable to job losses, wage cuts and the lack of social security safety net. Two research questions were posed. The first was to characterise the impact of the COVID preventative measures on their access to work, work hours, and income levels. The second objective was to examine the implementation of COVID-19 health and safety protocols at project sites and its impact on workers. A survey conducted in November and December 2020 in the province of West Java obtained 261 responses from 21 construction companies. Contingency table testing was carried out to test the hypothesis that the frequencies of occurrence in the formal and informal worker categories are independent of the frequencies in incomes and health and safety protocols. Contrary to job losses and wage cuts report in the literature, construction companies in West Java have resisted cutting the wages of informal workers and instead directed wage cuts to their higher paid formal workers. Compliance to COVID-19 health and safety protocols at project sites was reported to be high. This study makes unique contribution to the understanding of informal work in the construction industry and the impact of the recent pandemic on the incomes and workers’ welfare.

Medical residency in Portugal: a cross-sectional study on the working conditions.

The current European crisis in human resources in health has opened the debate about working conditions and fair wages. This is the case with Resident doctors, which have faced challenges throughout Europe. In Portugal, they account for about a third of the doctors in the Portuguese National Health Service. No studies to date objectively demonstrate the working conditions and responsibilities undertaken. This study aims to quantify the residents' workload and working conditions. Observational, retrospective cross-sectional study which involved a survey on the clinical and training activity of Portuguese residents, actively working in September 2020. The survey was distributed through e-mail to residents' representatives and directly to those affiliated with the Independent Union of Portuguese Doctors. The descriptive analysis assessed current workload, and logistic regression models analyzed associations with geographical location and residency seniority. There were a total of 2,012 participants (19.6% of invited residents). Of the residents giving consultations, 85.3% do so with full autonomy. In the emergency department, 32.1% of the residents work 24 h shifts and 25.1% work shifts without a specialist doctor present. Regarding medical training, 40.8% invest over EUR 1,500 annually. Autonomy in consultations was associated with being a Family Medicine resident (OR 4.219, p < 0.001), being a senior resident (OR 5.143, p < 0.001), and working in the Center (OR 1.685, p = 0.009) and South regions (OR 2.172, p < 0.001). Seniority was also associated with investing over EUR 1,500 in training annually (OR 1.235, p = 0.021). Residents work far more than the contracted 40 h week, often on an unpaid basis. They present a high degree of autonomy in their practice, make a very significant personal and financial investment in medical training, with almost no time dedicated to studying during working hours. There is a need to provide better working conditions for health professionals, including residents, for the sake of the sustainability of health systems across Europe.

Association between commuting time and depressive symptoms in 5th Korean Working Conditions Survey

IntroductionCommuting is an essential activity for workers; however, its potentially harmful effects on depression are yet to be determined. This study explored the possible associations between the length of commuting time and depressive symptoms in South Korea, alleged to have the longest average commuting time and the highest depressive symptoms among OECD countries. MethodsWe used the Korean Working Conditions Survey, a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of 23,415 selected wage workers aged between 20 and 59 years. Patients with a World Health Organization Five Well-Being Index total score < 13 were defined as having depressive symptoms. Associations among commuting time, depressive symptoms, and covariates such as sex, age, education, income, region, marital status, children, occupation, weekly working hours, and shift work were examined. ResultsWhen compared with a short commuting time (< 30 min), a long commuting time (≥ 60 min) was associated with depressive symptoms [odds ratio = 1.16; 95% confidence interval = 1.04–1.29]. Significant associations between long commuting time and depressive symptoms were observed in males 40–49 years and females 20–29 years. Long commuting times were also significantly associated with depressive symptoms when stratified by factors such as low income (male and female), white-collar jobs (male), working 40 h per week (male), without (male) or with (female) shift work, being unmarried (male), and having no (male) or ≥ two children (female). ConclusionsThis study demonstrated differential associations between commuting time and depressive symptoms based on sociodemographic features such as sex, age, and income. Various socio-economic conditions influence commuters' mental health. Tailored approaches suited to these features are needed to mitigate the influence of commuting time on depressive symptoms.

Employment-Weighted Fair Wage Potential: A Social Indicator for the Power Sector

Employment-Weighted Fair Wage Potential: A Social Indicator for the Power Sector

Overcoming the Nursery Industry Labor Shortage: A Survey of Strategies to Adapt to a Reduced Workforce and Automation and Mechanization Technology Adoption Levels

US nurseries are experiencing a workforce shortage that is expected to intensify. A mixed-mode survey of decision-makers representing the US nursery industry was conducted in 2021. The survey assessed practices used in 2020 to elicit a better understanding of nursery approaches to the challenges presented by persistent labor scarcity. We compare our results with survey data collected ∼15 years earlier at container nurseries. Survey responses revealed that nurseries were undertaking strategies that aimed to improve production efficiency, better recruit and retain employees, and secure other sources of labor to overcome this shortage. Specifically, more than 65% of surveyed US nurseries increased worker wages, and more than 55% of respondents adopted automation to address the labor shortage. Strategies in use by ≥23% of respondents may limit future growth or jeopardize long-term nursery survival. These include diversifying tasks of current employees, reducing production of labor-intensive plants, or delaying expansion plans. Survey results suggested that production tasks excluding irrigation were on average 31% automated or mechanized at container nurseries, an increase from 16% during the prior survey. Field nurseries were 35% automated or mechanized in 2020. Newly developed or yet-to-be developed automated and mechanized technology (AMT) that decision-makers perceive as being helpful were reported. This article explores linkages between nursery characteristics and AMT adoption and highlights research and extension programming initiatives that are needed to help growers make informed decisions regarding adopting automation.

Harvesting precarity: The regimes governing migrant labor in Türkiye’s agricultural sector

Migrant labor is widely used in agricultural production in many parts of Türkiye especially during the harvesting season. This article explores the precaritization process of seasonal agricultural labor markets in Türkiye by highlighting how three regimes—migration management, labor bonding and recruitment—work simultaneously to regulate migrant labor supply. By attracting vulnerable and cheap labor of Syrian, Azeri and Georgian workers, the Turkish agricultural sector has extended its reach to the most disadvantaged groups and intensified the precaritization of the labor force. Based on empirical findings from previous fieldworks conducted between 2015 and 2019 in various agricultural sites throughout Türkiye, this paper argues that precaritization is not only a result of working conditions and job characteristics in the agricultural sector but also a consequence of these three regimes working harmoniously as they generate competition among different worker groups for existing jobs. While migration regime and restrictions on migrant labor determine migrant and refugee labor’s living and working conditions, intermediaries and ethnic ties also facilitate the integration of precarious labor into seasonal wage work. The paper provides valuable insights into the dynamics of labor exploitation in the agricultural sector in Türkiye and the need for regulatory mechanisms that protect the rights of seasonal agricultural workers.

Productivity Effect of Efficiency Wages at Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturing Enterprises: the Case of Vietnam

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate whether efficiency wages for production workers have a positive effect on labor productivity in Vietnam's manufacturing SMEs.&#x0D; Design/methodology/approach: The research analyzes the panel data of manufacturing SMEs collected by UNU-Wider in Vietnam in 2011, 2013, and 2015.&#x0D; Findings: The panel-data analysis results for 6,953 observations show that efficiency wages increase labor productivity.&#x0D; Research limitations/implications: The scope of this study is limited to Vietnam's manufacturing SMEs. Future studies should include replicating the research model in the service sectors and other countries.&#x0D; Originality/value: Previous studies on Vietnamese manufacturing SMEs did not disclose the impact of efficiency wages on firm-level labor productivity using the SME panel datasetVietnam's. The novelty of this study is the introduction of the efficiency wages as an explanatory variable forto labor productivity. The study results shed light on organizational behavior in rational salary decisions. Many of SMEs have decided to pay lower than the average sector wage. NeverthelsessStill, the regression analysis indicates that salary growth improves per-worker productivity. This discovery allows researchers to investigate why SMEs have decided not to raise worker wages significantly while wage increases helps boost labor productivity. As a practical contribution, the study result recommends that for higher labor productivity at lower labor costs, manufacturing SMEs can raise their workers' salaries based on the average sector wage instead of benchmarking them with the average nation-level wages.

Islamic social enterprise model at Baitul Maal Wat Tamwil (BMT) Nurul Ummah Ngasem, Bojonegoro Indonesia

Poverty and economic injustice are classic problems that have never been resolved, especially after Covid-19. The economic burden on small communities is getting heavier, wages for agricultural workers are still low, employment opportunities are still tricky, many road access is damaged, and people's daily income needs improvement. This is what the residents of Kwangenrejo Leran Kalitidu Bojonegoro Hamlet experienced. To solve the problems mentioned above, the role of the government and private economic institutions such as Baitul Maall Wat Tamwil (BMT) is needed to encourage economic improvement in society. The National Committee for Sharia Economics and Finance (KNEKS) noted that Sharia microfinance increased national economic growth by 16% and reduced poverty rates. This type of research is qualitative with a qualitative descriptive nature. The approach used in this research is a Case Study. Data collection techniques used in-depth interviews, documentation studies, and participant observation with qualitative descriptive data analysis. The collected data was analyzed, referring to Miles and Huberman's theory of three activities: data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing. Meanwhile, testing the validity of the data was carried out using triangulation techniques, namely a combined technique with various methods used to study the phenomenon of the research object. The findings of this research are: first, the Islamic Social Enterprise Model BMT Nurul Ummah Ngasem Bojonegoro is a business model that combines two instruments, namely commercial business and social business. First, the model is mutually supportive (integrated) of community economic independence and the embedded finance business model. Embedded means a business service that serves customers readily by simply showing their membership card during service.

Threads of Transformation: Exploring the Influence of Systems Leadership on Sri Lanka’s Apparel Industry

By 1990, the agricultural share in Sri Lankan exports had fallen to less than half of what it was fifteen years ago, while the apparel industry's share was expanding threefold. The "Garments without Guilt" campaign, which ensured fair wages and prevented sweatshops and child labour, has reached a pre-COVID earning capacity of $5 billion annually the industry is geared to achieve its revenue goal of US$8 billion per year by 2025. Although the importance of effective leadership has been established as an absolute necessity for the development of an organization, the effects of leaders in other tiers outside the organization have rarely been explored. This study is an attempt to fill this gap in literature using the qualitative case study method to explore the impact of systems leadership (or lack thereof) on the development of the apparel industry in Sri Lanka. The industry has transitioned from its traditional methods of exporting and tailoring garments in the late '70s to the utilization of R&amp;D and innovation to improve designs, production, marketing, logistics, and green garments. Most of the goals have been achieved through systems leadership that addresses a wide range of strategies, such as product and market diversification, improved organizational culture, achieving the highest standards of ethical compliance, and human resource development through a positive and nurturing environment that promotes 'green manufacturing’.

International Remittances and the Labour Market in Peru

International remittances are a relevant source of income in developing countries, with important implications for the labour market of recipient countries. Peruvian international migration is a particular case of Latin America, since it tends to be concentrated in middle-and high-income households and in highly educated people, who display particular preferences in relation to the labour market. Using data from 2004 to 2019, we analysed the impact of remittances on employment, hours worked, and wages of Peruvian workers. Our results show that remittances reduce labour participation by 9.8 percentage points (pp). On average, the effect is greater among dependent workers than self-employed workers (-7.5 pp versus -3 pp). Similarly, we observed an increase in hourly income in both types of work (10.1% and 65%, respectively). In this sense, the Peruvian case offers a new perspective on the effect of remittances on the labour market, where despite having most of its labour force in informal jobs and self-employment, it does not encourage employment in those sectors, as occurred in previous studies.

Analisis Konsep Upah dalam Perspektif Ekonomi Islam

The economy is a very important factor in people's lives. In the economy there are several problems including sources in the economy itself. In economic sources, there are two sources, namely primary sources and secondary sources. Primary primary sources are agriculture, industry, trade, human labor, while secondary sources are tourism, salaries and transportation facilities. Along with the increasing living needs of workers and families that must be met, this has an impact on wage issues. This problem arises because there are multiple perceptions of this problem, wages are very important for workers because wages are a source of morning income for workers to meet their needs, while wages for employers are production costs that must be managed as well as possible so that production activities run optimally. Wages are the price paid for the services of workers in production activities. In other words, wages are the amount paid by the company for services or services provided to the company in production activities. In Islamic economics, compensation or wages are also referred to as ujrah. Determination of workers' wages is very closely related to the principles of justice and adequacy in Islamic economics. Clarity of contracts (transactions) and commitments based on the will to do so. Based on the problems above, the author wants to discuss how the concept of fair wages is where with fair wages no party is harmed either workers or laborers and employers, so the author gives the title analysis of the concept of wages in economic perspective. The research methodology used in this research is library research with a descriptive approach. The data in this research are primary and secondary data. Based on the explanation above, it can be concluded that wages in an Islamic economic perspective, namely salary, are payments given by employers to workers for their efforts to be involved in the production process. In the process of determining wages there are principles that must be considered. The principle in determining wages is fair and proper and also employers must consider the factors in determining wages for workers. The factor that must be considered in determining wages is the contribution made by workers to the company. The higher the contribution given, the higher the wages that must be given. However, in setting wages, workers cannot demand wages above the ability of the company

Association between Work-related Communication Devices Use during Work Outside of Regular Working Hours and Depressive Symptoms in Wage Workers

BackgroundThis study aimed to investigate the relationship between work-related communication devices use during work outside of regular working hours and depressive symptoms in wage workers. MethodsData from 50,538 workers aged 15 years or older who had participated in the 6th Korean Working Condition Survey (KWCS) were used. The final sample was 32,994 wage workers. The questionnaire asked the respondents how often they used communication devices for work during work outside of regular working hours. Depressive symptoms were assessed using WHO-5 Well-Being Index. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the association between work-related communication devices use during work outside of regular working hours and depressive symptoms. ResultsThe rate of depressive symptoms was highest among workers who did not use work-related communication devices during work outside of regular working hours. After adjusting for socio-demographic and work-related factors, the odds ratio of depressive symptoms among workers who used communication devices when working outside of regular working hours was 1.20 (95% CI: 1.09–1.32); the odds ratio of depressive symptoms in the group not using communication devices for free-time work was 1.66 (95% CI: 1.37–2.00), which was higher than that of the reference group, that is, workers who did not work outside of regular working hours, and was statistically significant. ConclusionRegardless of whether work-related communication devices are used, working outside of regular working hours increases depressive symptoms. The use of work-related communication devices during work outside of regular working hours can reduce the rate of depressive symptoms.

Organization of pay of labor in agricultural enterprises

The subject of scientific research is the theoretical and methodological principles of the organization of pay of labor in the agrarian sector of the economy. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the directions of improvement of pay of labor in agricultural enterprises. The data of the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, the results of other scientists' research and own developments were used. The following methods of scientific research were applied: abstract-logical, monographic, historical, statistical-economic, systematic approach, calculation-constructive. The real state and trends of pay of labor in agricultural enterprises, the mechanism of determining its level in the agrarian sector of the economy have been established. On the basis of the analysis of organization of pay of labor in agricultural enterprises, problematic issues were identified regarding the level, structure, differentiation of wages by personnel categories, and the state of concluding collective agreements. In order to solve the problematic issues of the organization of pay of labor in the industry, it is necessary to set up a constructive social dialogue in each agricultural enterprise regarding the development of social and labor relations and periodically conclude a collective agreement. At the same time, for trade unions and representatives of the labor team of enterprises, strong arguments were found for consideration in the process of social dialogue with employers of the issue of redistribution of gross added value in favor of filling the funds of pay of labor in agricultural enterprises and material stimulation of their personnel. On the basis of the analysis of the modern average level of wages and salary in the state, the principles of applying the grad system of pay of labor, as well as the traditional tariffification of work in agricultural enterprises, methodical approaches to the formation of the optimal size and structure of wages for temporary workers by type of work and workers on the hourly form of salary have been developed labor according to typical categories of positions in agricultural enterprises. The proposed directions of improving pay of labor will ensure an increase in the level and performance of wage functions, and an improvement in the quality of working life in the industry. Key words: pay of labor, wage, salary, agricultural enterprise, collective agreement.

Trade Liberalization and Gender Inequality in India: A Task Content of Occupations Approach

Abstract This paper considers the differential impact of input and output tariff liberalization on gender outcomes in India’s labour markets. It is the first to distinguish between occupational categories based on their task content to analyse these effects. Recent evidence suggests that trade induced competition and technological upgradation can reduce gender-employment and gender-wage gaps in labour markets. This paper identifies the occupational categories most affected by these competition and technology adoption effects of trade liberalization. It finds that competition effects of output tariff liberalization increases employment of female workers in routine occupations – both manual and cognitive – and reduces gender-employment gaps in routine manual occupations. On the other hand, input tariff liberalization worsens gender-employment gaps in routine manual occupations. The effect of input tariff liberalization on female workers in routine cognitive occupations, however, is to increase cohort-level employment, and there is some evidence that it increases cohort-level average wages for female workers and reduces the gender-wage gap in non-routine cognitive occupations.

Hubungan Kerja Petani dan Buruh Tani dalam Meningkatkan Kesejahteraan di Desa Klompangan, Ajung, Jember

This research focuses on the employment contract relationship between land-owning farmers and farm workers in Klompangan Village, Ajung District. The goal is to understand how land ownership and management structures affect life and the economy of both. Agriculture in Klompangan Village acts as a provider of employment and a source of income, as well as an important element in the social and economic structure. The research method uses a qualitative approach with case studies, involving field observations and in-depth interviews with farmers who own land and farm workers. The research results show a symbiotic relationship between the two. Farmers who own land need farm laborers to work on land they cannot work on themselves, while farm laborers need access to the land to earn income. This mutual dependence affects the well-being and economy of both, including income, living conditions, and job security. The ultimate goal of this research is to provide insight into how agricultural workers can prosper with fair wage distribution and cooperation between both parties in the rural agricultural sector, which contributes to stability and shared prosperity.&#x0D; &#x0D;

Labor-saving innovations and capital structure

This paper presents evidence that labor-saving technologies positively impact a firm's financial leverage. The results are robust with two different measures of labor-saving innovations: automation and process innovations. The effects are more pronounced in firms facing greater labor input rigidity, such as firms with higher labor intensity, share of minimum wage workers, and union coverage. Our analysis suggests that labor-saving innovations reduce wage rigidity, allowing firms to increase financial leverage.