Fixed-term Contracts Research Articles

The availability of essential medicines in public health facilities in Afghanistan: navigating socio-political and geographical challenges.

During the past two decades, the Afghan government, along with international community, has developed a system aimed at improving access to essential health services under Afghanistan's challenging socio-political and geographical circumstances. In 31 provinces, non-state actors competed for fixed-term contracts to implement a predefined package of health services. In three provinces, the government organised the provision of health services. An independent third party monitored service provision, including access to medicines. This study examines the availability of essential medicines in Afghanistan's public health facilities and how this is shaped by socio-political challenges, geographical barriers, and the organisation of the health system. Between March and July 2021, enumerators collected data at 885 health facilities across Afghanistan. For our analysis, we combined data about medicine availability and the functioning of the health system with publicly available information about geographical and socio-political factors, including security incidents. Using regression analysis, we identified facility, district, and province-level factors related to medicines availability in public health facilities. On average, 70% of 31 selected essential medicines were available in 2021. The availability of medicines varies significantly between provinces and was considerably higher in those where services were contracted out to non-state actors (n=34; 91%) compared to provinces where service provision was organised by the government (n=3; 9%). The most important drivers of variation in medicine availability included geographical barriers, securing and allocating funds on the provincial level, and organising and sustaining physical capacity on the facility level. Insecurity was not a key factor driving variation in medicine availability. Despite the socio-political challenges in 2021, the availability of essential medicines in public health facilities was relatively high. The results suggest that decentralized procurement of medicines by non-state actors and timely payment of funds contribute to medicines availability. Strategies to improve medicines availability should target hard-to-reach areas and lower-level facilities.

Examining gender and ethnic segregation in Italy’s labour market: Are women and migrants more segregated than men and natives?

In Italy, migration is a new phenomenon, with non-native women and men constituting roughly equal shares of the workforce. However, their employment sectors differ significantly: non-native women often work in the same sectors as native women, while non-native men are employed in distinct sectors compared to their native counterparts. This paper examines gender segregation by analysing individuals’ backgrounds—distinguishing between native and non-native workers—and the impact of contract types, specifically fixed-term versus open-ended contracts. The study aims to determine whether the prevalence of these contract types influences the level of gender segregation across sectors. Findings indicate that the type of employment contract significantly affects gender segregation. Increased use of fixed-term contracts is associated with a reduction in sectoral segregation, suggesting that women are increasingly willing to enter male-dominated fields, while men tend to gravitate towards female-dominated sectors. This dynamic underscores the complexities of gender roles within the context of migration and employment.

Social Security and Compensation: Analyzing the Protection of Fixed-Term Employment Contract Workers under the Omnibus Law on Job Creation

Social Security and Compensation: Analyzing the Protection of Fixed-Term Employment Contract Workers under the Omnibus Law on Job Creation

Legal Protection for Fixed-Term Employment Contract Patterns based on Law No. 6 of 2023 on The Stipulation of Government Regulation in Lieu of Law No. 2 of 2022 on Job Creation

Legal Protection for Fixed-Term Employment Contract Patterns based on the Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 6 of 2023 concerning the Stipulation of Government Regulation in Lieu of Law No. 2 of 2022 on Job Creation into Law is an interesting topic to study to provide the public with information regarding Fixed-Term Employment Contracts. This is because the sector of Fixed-Term Employment Contracts plays a very important role for workers in determining their welfare. The research method used is qualitative, with secondary legal sources utilizing normative and empirical legal research. The data obtained from the research show that both the government and society play a crucial role in shaping and supervising labor law policies. Legal protection for workers in Fixed-Term Employment Contracts must be fair and balanced between Fixed-Term and Permanent Employment Contract Workers. However, in the government's efforts to protect the workforce, there are still obstacles. It can be concluded that the regulation of Fixed-Term Employment Contracts in various laws and regulations reflects the government's ability to protect its people. These regulations must continuously be improved in accordance with the changing times, and oversight from the public is necessary as a control function to ensure that the latest regulations aim for the welfare of the people.

Initial labor market conditions and subsequent fertility behavior

The conditions upon which young adults enter the labor market have been demonstrated to affect various later-life employment and family formation outcomes. After the 2008–2009 Global Financial Crisis, a thick strand of the literature has shown that precarious initial employment leads to postponed childbearing and higher ultimate childlessness. However, it is not only individual conditions that matter. Broader macroeconomic conditions upon entry also matter. The “scarring” literature has illustrated the consequences of entering the labor market during a recession on later life outcomes. Speaking to both strands and using detailed employment and birth histories of labor market entrants in Germany, this paper examines the effects of initial conditions, operationalized using fixed-term employment and recession year entry, on subsequent fertility behavior. To partly address bias from endogenous selection into initial conditions, we employ a two-step estimation strategy combining a non-parametric optimal full matching step and a parametric event history modeling step using the matched data. Results suggest that entering the labor market with a fixed-term contract is persistently and negatively associated with first births up to a decade after entry, and this pattern is pronounced only among women, whereas entering during a recession has persistent negative associations only among men.

Devolution of New Zealand Research to a Gig Economy

In 2005 the New Zealand Tertiary Education Commission’s (TEC) put out a call for academic feedback on their Strategic Review of the Tertiary Education Workforce. Authors on this review provided a comprehensive review of the increasing reliance of tertiary institutes, particularly universities, on fixed-term contract staff, and the inherent risks for New Zealand science of relying on staff with unstable career structures and funding support. We explored some of the causes behind the transformation of the workforce from permanent to fixed-term, and recommended a suite of potential pathways to help address the challenges. This current review reports that nearly 20 years on very little has changed, and indeed the situation has gotten worse, with more researchers than ever before now on fixed-term contracts, even at senior levels. We have failed to establish and fund a career fellowship system. There has been a lack of substantive increases in funding for grants like Marsden and HRC that can sustain employment of research staff, and grant funding has not kept up with inflation. The net result is that we have essentially created a gig economy for research staff, with reliance on repeated contracts over many years, with few if any opportunities to transition to permanent positions. Researchers must write more and more grants to sustain their salaries as grants are insufficiently funded due to lack of investment leaving staff with either reducing the contract time or without a full salary for the full duration. Low funding rates due to lack of investment make it increasingly difficult to get funding to pay their salaries. Researchers see a bleak future, and the brain drain has begun. Students do not see a career in research as attractive and thus our capacity to develop the next generation of Kiwi scientists is at risk. This crisis threatens our ability to undertake and deliver science, technology and innovation that is essential for the growth of our economy. Urgent action is needed to address this fundamentally flawed approach to how we fund university based research and how we fail to support sustainable research careers.

Fixed-term contracts and firm productivity: Do workers’ skills and firm conversion rates from fixed-term to permanent contracts matter?

PurposeWe aim to elucidate the relationship between fixed-term employment and firm productivity by examining workers’ skills and considering how firm-level conversion rates influence this relationship.Design/methodology/approachWe use longitudinal employer-employee data between 2011 and 2017 in the Netherlands to estimate a nonlinear regression derived from a production function proposed by Addessi (2014) and Castellani et al. (2020).FindingsThe contribution of fixed-term contracts to firm-level productivity is less than that of permanent contracts. However, this contribution is greater when firms exhibit a high conversion rate from fixed-term to permanent positions. The effect of the conversion rate is more substantial for high-skilled fixed-term workers than for low-skilled ones.Originality/valueOur results suggest the extent to which firms benefit from fixed-term contracts when these are used for screening high-skilled workers for permanent employment.

Key organisational barriers to effective knowledge risk management in South African public sector enterprises

Purpose: The aim of this study was to delve into the obstacles preventing the effective management of tacit knowledge risks in South African public sector enterprises (PSEs) from the perspectives of human resource management (HRM) and knowledge management (KM).A perusal of the literature reveals that most South African PSEs are grappling with significant challenges related to potential tacit knowledge loss risks.Design/methodology/approach: The research utilised a mixed methods exploratory sequential design, collecting qualitative data through interviews with 20 HR managers in 9 PSEs and survey data from 585 questionnaires. The reliability of the data was tested, and thematic analysis was performed using Atlas.ti software.Findings: The study identified key barriers to effective tacit knowledge loss risk management in PSEs, including a silo mentality, organisational red-tape, knowledge as a power source, lack of recognition and rewards, KM awareness, cultures and structures, employment equity, fixed-term contracts, competing priorities for leadership, knowledge hoarding, HRM practices, and inadequate KM technologies and systems. These pressing issues need to be addressed to improve knowledge risk management (KRM) efforts in PSEs.Research limitations/implications:The exploration of organisational barriers was only limited to the tacit knowledge loss risks category, induced by human resource turnover in country-specific PSEs. Future studies could explore the organisational barriers and factors affecting other types of knowledge risks in PSEs or similar knowledge-intensive business enterprises across the globe using different samples and populations. Other similar studies could include strategic sectors of the economy such as energy generation, civil aviation, defence, mining and rail. The study contributes to the knowledge-based view and knowledge stickiness theories, and proposes an interdisciplinarity approach using mixed methods for future research on tacit knowledge loss.Practical implications: The research findings conclusively indicate that PSEs face the aforementioned barriers that hinder the effective implementation of the KRM system. This study identifies that key organisational barriers were mainly due to a lack of knowledge-driven HRM strategies in KM. To address these barriers, HR managers and other stakeholders must collaborate to ensure effective knowledge management and mitigate the negative impact of knowledge loss risks on organisational performance.Social Implications: The study highlights the importance of removing key barriers for improved KRM in PSEs. The improved KRM can enhance public service delivery efficiency, transparency and the accountability of PSEs by addressing socio-economic developmental issues in developing economies.Originality/value: Using South African PSEs as a case to address this challenge, the paper sought to explore key organisational barriers to effective knowledge loss risk management in organisations with a view to shaping discourse, policies, research, theories and practices in KM and HRM. Organisational barriers affecting the management of such risks remain unexplored in the extant body of knowledge and practice.

Nurse academics and the teaching of undergraduate nursing numeracy: A cross-sectional study of self-reported confidence and anxiety

BackgroundNumeracy and mathematics are terms that can cause anxiety, not only in students, but this emotion can also be experienced in teachers. Anxiety can inhibit teacher performance and is correlated with low self-confidence. The anxiety felt by school teachers when teaching mathematics is widely reported, however, the self-reported confidence and anxiety levels of nurse academics when teaching numeracy concepts to undergraduate nursing students has never been studied. AimTo explore and analyse Australian nurse academics' self-reported confidence and anxiety levels when teaching nursing numeracy to undergraduate nursing students. DesignCross-sectional survey. SettingAustralian universities that provide an undergraduate nursing degree leading to nursing registration. ParticipantsAustralian nurse academics employed either permanent full time or part time; casual /sessional; or on a fixed term contract, who teach nursing numeracy and medication calculations to undergraduate nursing students. MethodsA combination of convenience and purposive sampling was used to recruit Australian nurse academics (n = 170). Data were collected between Nov 2023 and Feb 2024 using an online survey platform. ResultsAlmost 50 % of participants self-reported feeling either not confident or somewhat confident and very or somewhat anxious when teaching nursing numeracy. There were no significant differences in overall confidence and anxiety based on demographic variables, indicating this is a widespread issue. A non-significant trend towards level A academics experiencing higher anxiety and less confidence was noted. ConclusionsA significant proportion of students are being taught nursing numeracy by nurse academics who lack confidence and experience anxiety, which can be transferred to students, affecting learning and performance. The downstream consequences are potentially poor numeracy skills in students and compromised patient safety. Strategies that have been effective in reducing school teachers' anxiety could be used to support nurse academics.

Bankruptcy of the employer as a consequence of his insolvency

The article considers some issues related to the bankruptcy of the employer, which arises as a result of his insolvency, in particular, the issue of employee protection. It is noted that bankruptcy affects both employers and employees differently. Thus, the employer may be liable both to third-party creditors (financial institutions, suppliers, landlords) and to be in debt to the employees, if the salary or its part has not been paid, as well as the remuneration due to the employees. At the same time, it can have negative consequences for the workers, since their livelihood and their families can be completely dependent on such salary or remuneration. It was concluded that the issues of employee protection in case of employer’s insolvency have always been important and needed to be resolved, since employees are the least protected subjects of labor relations, who need guarantees of protection of their rights from both the employer and the state. Since the bankruptcy of the employer negatively affects both the social and financial situation of the employees, it leads to the termination of the employment contract concluded with them both for an indefinite period and a fixed-term employment contract before the expiration of its validity period. It was concluded that the adoption by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of new legislative acts on the protection of the rights of employees in case of bankruptcy of the enterprise is a positive step, especially today, when the country is in a state of war against the Russian aggressor. It is noted that the implementation of the proposed norms will contribute to the approximation of Ukrainian legislation to European labor standards and will make it economically unprofitable for the employer to withhold salary, will create conditions for reducing the amount of existing debt for its payment, will increase the level of economic protection of the employee in case of late payment of work, and will also ensure the creation of a mechanism wage compensation in case of insolvency of the employer.

‘I just feel very dispensable’: Exploring the connections between precarity and identity for academic literacy developers

Precarious employment is a well-established feature in academia, with many lecturers, tutors and professional services staff on forms of fixed-term contract. It is especially a feature of academic development spaces, such as English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programmes, and academic staff and student development programmes. Precarity results in high staff turnover and undermines staff credibility and capacity; these issues may impact student success. Further, for lecturers and tutors themselves, there are implications for their professional identity and sense of legitimacy within their role, department, and university. Using data from qualitative surveys and interviews with academic literacy practitioners in South Africa, this article explores how being precariously employed affects agency and the development of a professional practitioner identity for those on fixed-term contracts. Using aspects of Archer's social realist framework to theorise agency, we show how precarity impacts a sense of purpose and professional self within the university in relation to other academics and students.

Boomers of the Bonn Republic in university research and teaching. An essay on academics with fixed-term contracts.

Boomers of the Bonn Republic in university research and teaching. An essay on academics with fixed-term contracts.

Employment outcomes of refugee women and men: multiple gender gaps and the importance of high-skill jobs

ABSTRACT Refugee women face significant challenges when seeking employment in Western host countries. To advance gender-sensitive perspectives within migration and refugee research, this study examines differences in employment outcomes between refugee women and men. Specifically, this study provides a nuanced picture of six indicators of employment outcomes, including pay, fixed-term versus permanent employment contract, overqualification, career prospects, an at-home feeling in the workplace and the ability to talk to colleagues about personal problems. The study also shows that individuals’ occupational status plays a role in gender disparities. Our findings, based on a recent survey of refugees working in Austria, reveal several gender gaps, with an especially significant gap regarding fixed-term employment contracts. Refugee women, who are more likely to be disadvantaged in employment outcomes, benefit disproportionately from working in high-skill jobs. The findings underscore the complex nature of gendered patterns in labour market integration of refugees and imply specific policies addressing gender inequality in this setting.

The role and legal significance of fixed-term labor contracts in the socio-economic conditions of modern Russia

An employment contract is not just a formal agreement on paper between an employer and an employee, but a document that establishes the specifics of employment. In Russian law, there are a number of well-known types of employment contracts (contracts), which differ in their nature and duration. The authors characterize the features and duration of employment contracts of certain types. The paper presents a comprehensive synthesis of the concept and polymorphism of labor contracts in the Russian Federation on the basis of current labor legislation and the practice of law enforcement.

The discontinuous fixed term contract and its renewed impact on temporary employment agencies

En este trabajo se aborda la relevante modificación legislativa introducida por la Reforma Laboral de 2021 respecto de las modalidades de contratación, singularmente del contrato fijo discontinuo. En especial, este estudio se focaliza en la relevancia y los cambios que esto ha implicado en la extensión del ámbito de aplicación de esta modalidad contractual en el marco de las ETT

The politics of pro-outsider labour market reforms: a configurational study

AbstractOver the past decades, the level of regulation of fixed-term contracts has been in flux. Many reforms deregulating these contracts were followed by a regulatory countertrend, a puzzling finding considering influential theoretical expectations like the ones developed by the dualization and liberalization literatures. This paper draws on the comparative employment relations and comparative political economy literatures to identify the drivers of pro-outsider reforms. Furthermore, it develops an innovative argument claiming that governments may rely on support from a ‘domestic coalition’ including workers in permanent contracts, or they can leverage the European link to support their intention of conducting a pro-outsider reform. Each of these paths relies on the assemblage of distinct pro-reform coalitions of policy actors. To test our argument, the paper uses fsQCA. We compare 38 reforms enacted in 16 European countries between 1985–2019. After the fsQCA analysis, we conduct a qualitative discussion of the different paths.

The Implementation Of The Principle Of Freedom Of Contract In Providing Legal Protection For Workers Under Indefinite-Term Employment Contract At CV Soloarsi Studio

The establishment of worker protection arises from the contractual agreement between employers and employees. The legal relationship between these parties is constituted through an employment contract. The principle of freedom of contract, as stipulated within Article 1338 paragraph (1) of the Civil Code, is embodied in employment contract. Employment contracts that adhere to this principle can prevent the commodification of workers. However, within its practical endeavor, the principle of freedom of contract is frequently compromised in employment contract, leading to an imbalance of rights and obligations between workers and employers. CV Soloarsi Studio, a limited liability company, distinguishes between two types of employment agreements: fixed-term employment contract (PKWT) and indefinite-term employment contract (PKWTT). The aim of this research is to investigate and comprehend the application of the principle of freedom of contract in providing legal protection for workers under indefinite-term employment contract (PKWTT) at CV Soloarsi Studio. The research employed normative methodology, involving the examination of library materials and secondary data. The findings of this research indicate that legal protection for workers can be categorized into three types: economic, social, and technical protection. CV Soloarsi Studio, through its indefinite-term employment contract (PKWTT), has provided legal protection across these three categories. This compliance is evidenced by the allocation of rights and obligations to workers in alignment with the provisions stipulated by Law of Republic of Indonesia Number (No.) 6 of 2023, which ratifies Government Regulation of the Republic of Indonesia in Lieu of Law of Republic of Indonesia Number (No.) 2 of 2022 concerning Job Creation into Law of Republic of Indonesia (UU 6/2023).

Legal Position of Employment Agreement after the Enactment of Government Regulation in Lieu of Law (Perpu) Number 02 of 2022 Concerning Manpower

The government has replaced Law Number 2 of 2022 on Job Creation, eliminating derivative provisions from Law Number 11 of 2020 on Employment and citing the principles of Legal Certainty and Protection. The terms of employment contracts are predominantly governed by Law Number 13 of 2003 on Manpower, with specific provisions from Law Number 11 of 2020 remaining intact, such as the conversion from Fixed-Term Work Agreements/ Perjanjian Kerja Waktu Tertentu (PKWT) to Permanent Work Agreements/Perjanjian Kerja Waktu Tertentu (PKWTT). Meanwhile, Government Regulation Number 35 of 2021 has been rescinded by the newly implemented Regulation, posing challenges for legal status adjustments in district courts. This investigation aims to scrutinize and elucidate the execution of converting PKWT to PKWTT before enacting the Government Regulation in Lieu of Law (Perppu) and the Omnibus Law. Subsequently, the aim is to explore and clarify the conversion of fixed-term work contracts such as PKWT into permanent work contracts such as PKWTT following the implementation of the Perppu. This study adopts a normative/doctrinal approach. The consulted literature encompasses various legal documents, including Government Regulation Number 35 of 2021. Then, it was found that the significance of regulations concerning the PKWT to PKWTT conversion was underscored in offering clarity to workers in their daily tasks. The Manpower Law imposes restrictions on work agreements with employees, mandating written contracts in Indonesian and prohibiting multiple extensions beyond the stipulated limit.

Consequences of the Expiration of an Employment Contract: Theory and Practice

On the example of judicial practice, the theoretical issues of the implementation of labor law norms on a fixed-term employment contract are considered.

‘You’re working, but you’re not working:’ academic precarity, ambivalence and the use of researchers as factotums

This article explores an important aspect of academic precarity: the use of fixed-term contract researchers as factotums within universities. The practice can be defined as the taking-on of tasks that are outside of core research activities, including substantial amounts of time spent teaching, supervising students and preparing research proposals, often at the behest of tenured staff members, reflecting existing power dynamics within the organisation. At a theoretical level, it is argued that this aspect of academic precarity reflects various forms of ambivalence in researchers’ lives, creating tensions in addition to expanding their workloads. Using evidence from 54 interviews with researchers of at least five years’ experience and based at research units in Portugal, conducted during 2022 and 2023, it is possible to illustrate various aspects of academic precarity and ambivalence, with different responses from researchers including acceptance of and resistance towards the factotum role.