Higher Percentage Of Workers Research Articles

Navigating occupational balance and identity in the platform economy: Perspectives from immigrant workers

ABSTRACT Gig work, or platform work, refers to short-term jobs acquired through digital platforms and constitutes a growing share of Canada’s economy (Jeon et al., 2021). Compared to Canadian-born individuals, immigrants make up a higher percentage of workers in the gig economy (Statistics Canada, 2024). There is a literature gap concerning how immigrants’ engagement in the gig economy shapes their occupational identity and sense of occupational balance. This study explores the experiences of immigrants working in the gig economy to develop an understanding of gig work through a perspective centering occupational, rather than economic, perspectives that are dominant in the literature. Using an instrumental case study approach, a secondary thematic analysis of 10 qualitative interviews with immigrants currently employed in different forms of gig work in Metro Vancouver, Canada was completed. Findings highlighted three main themes. First, a balancing act illustrates ways that gig work is often balanced with other occupations in participants’ lives given the flexibility and autonomy it offers. Second, shifting identities addresses how gig work helped participants navigate shifts to their identities following their immigration. Third, beyond the dollar discusses participants’ motivations for engaging in gig work beyond the income it generates. Gig work is nuanced and people’s motivations to engage in this type of employment are diverse. As immigrants experience a shift in their occupational identity and balance a variety of occupations, they may be drawn to this form of employment due to its unique characteristics and perceived benefits given other challenges they may face during their economic integration.

Neighborhood-Level Social Determinants of Health and Presenting Characteristics for Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachments

Functional outcomes after repair of rhegmatogenous retinal detachments (RRDs) are highly dependent on baseline visual acuity and foveal status. Adverse social determinants of health (SDOH) can present barriers to timely presentation for repair and limit vision outcomes. To evaluate the association between neighborhood-level SDOH with baseline severity (visual acuity and fovea status) of RRD. This was a retrospective cohort study that included adult patients 18 years and older who underwent primary repair of uncomplicated RRD at the Wilmer Eye Institute from January 2008 to December 2018. Study data were analyzed from December 2023 to April 2024. The census block group of patient home addresses were matched to multiple neighborhood-level SDOH including the Area Deprivation Index (ADI), per capita income, percentage of renters, percentage of rent burden, percentage of people using a food assistance program, percentage of uninsured individuals, mode of transportation to work, distance to the nearest transit stop, total road density, National Walkability Index, Index of Medical Underservice score, and aggregate cost of medical care. Odds of presenting with vision worse than 20/40 or fovea-involving RRD using multivariable logistic regression adjusting for age, sex, race and ethnicity, and insurance. A total of 700 patients (mean [SD] age, 57.9 [12.4] years; 432 male [61.7%]) were included. Every decile increase in ADI, indicating more socioeconomic disadvantage, was associated with an increased odds of presenting with worse visual acuity and fovea-involving RRD (odds ratio [OR], 1.14; 95% CI, 1.04-1.24; P = .004 and OR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.04-1.22; P = .005, respectively). Each $1000 increase in per capita income was associated with lower odds of presenting with worse vision (OR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.98-0.99; P = .001). Every 1% increase in percentage of workers who drove to work was associated with an increased odds of presenting with worse vision and fovea-involving RRD (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.03; P = .005 and OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 1.00-1.03; P = .04, respectively). Results of this cohort study suggest that patients with a residence in neighborhoods with more socioeconomic deprivation or a higher percentage of workers who drove to work were more likely to present with more severe RRD even after accounting for multiple individual-level characteristics. These findings support consideration of public policy changes to address the barriers faced by patients residing in certain neighborhoods who seek prompt surgical intervention for RRD to reduce health disparities in RRD outcomes.

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF GRIEF SUPPORT AND BURNOUT AMONG NURSING HOME STAFF

Abstract A half-million older adults die in U.S. nursing homes (NHs) each year. However, only a few studies have been conducted on the experiences of the nursing home (NH) staff who provide this care. This study collected data from 555 NH workers in Fall 2022 and examined how their experiences with grief support affected burnout. Grief support was measured by the Grief Support Health Care Scale. Burnout was measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory, which includes 3 subscales: exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal achievement. Findings indicate that 95% of sampled workers were exposed to at least one death at work; yet 31% percent of the sample never received any formal grief training. Examining the comparative dimensions of burnout, the highest percentage of workers with exhaustion and depersonalization ratings were RNs, nurse practitioners, and physicians, followed by CNAs. The lowest ratings of personal accomplishment were by direct support workers (maids/janitors housekeeping and laundry food service workers). Controlling for NH and individual characteristics, multivariate logistic regression showed that compared to workers who received low grief support, those who received high grief support were more likely to report high personal achievement and low feelings of depersonalization (i.e., impersonal response to residents). This research provides valuable information about the importance of grief support for nursing home workers to reduce feelings of burnout. In addition, findings indicate that there is a difference in grief support and burnout between different categories of nursing staff and there is a need to provide increased grief support to frontline workers.

The Prevalence of Mental Health Service Use in Australian Workers with Accepted Workers' Compensation Claims for Low Back Pain: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Low back pain (LBP) is a leading cause of disability globally and interferes with work performance and quality of life. For work-related LBP, Australian workers can receive workers' compensation and access funded healthcare to promote recovery, including mental health services, as there are strong links between chronic LBP and mental health. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of funded mental health services for workers with compensated LBP. Claims and services data from four Australian workers' compensation jurisdictions were analysed. Prevalence of accessing at least one mental health service was reported as a percentage of all claims overall and by duration of time loss, age group, sex, financial year of claim lodgement, jurisdiction, socioeconomic status and remoteness. Odds of accessing at least one service was determined using logistic regression. Almost 10% of LBP claims accessed at least one mental health service (9.7%) with prevalence increasing with time loss. Prevalence was highest in Victoria however a higher percentage of workers with LBP accessed mental health services earlier in Queensland. Odds of accessing services was highest with longest time loss duration, among females and in Queensland. Lower odds were observed in regional areas and among those aged over 56 years. Findings suggest opportunities for workers' compensation regulators and insurers to provide greater access to appropriate mental health services alongside physical treatment as standard practice, such as those in more remote locations or earlier in a claim, to improve recovery outcomes for workers with LBP.

Disparities in job characteristics by race and sex in a Southern aluminum smelting facility.

Former workers at a Southern aluminum smelting facility raised concerns that the most hazardous jobs were assigned to Black workers, but the role of workplace segregation had not been quantified or examined in the company town. Prior studies discuss race and gender disparities in working conditions, but few have documented them in the aluminum industry. We obtained workers' company records for 1985-2007 and characterized four job metrics: prestige (sociologic rankings), worker-defined danger (worker assessments), annual wage (1985 dollars), and estimated total particulate matter (TPM) exposure (job exposure matrix). Characteristics of job at hire and trajectories were compared by race and sex using linear binomial models. Non-White males had the highest percentage of workers in low prestige and high danger jobs at hire and up to 20 years after. After 20 years tenure, 100% of White workers were in higher prestige and lower danger jobs. Most female workers, regardless of race, entered and remained in low-wage jobs, while 50% of all male workers maintained their initial higher-wage jobs. Non-White females had the highest prevalence of workers in low-wage jobs at hire and after 20 years-increasing from 63% (95% CI: 59-67) to 100% (95% CI: 78-100). All female workers were less likely to be in high TPM exposure jobs. Non-White males were most likely to be hired into high TPM exposure jobs, and this exposure prevalence increased as time accrued, while staying constant for other race-sex groups. There is evidence of job segregation by race and sex in this cohort of aluminum smelting workers. Documentation of disparities in occupational hazards is important for informing health interventions and research.

Risk factors for stress in professionals at the North emergency care unit in Palmas, Tocantins, Brazil.

Emergency care units provide intermediate complexity care services, are open 24 hours a day, and are frequently required to attend to high levels of demand, especially so during the Covid-19 pandemic. On-duty shift work at emergency care units is highly conducive to causing excessive stress. To identify the risk factors for excessive stress among workers at the North emergency care unit, in Palmas, Tocantins, Brazil. A questionnaire was administered covering basic information and data on lifestyle to the workers at the unit, in addition to the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and a single-item instrument for diagnosis of stress. It was possible to recruit 44 participants. It was observed that 57% of the participants exhibited stress and 31.82% had excessive sleepiness. Having more than one job, drinking alcohol, having attended higher education, and having excessive sleepiness increased the likelihood of exhibiting stress. There was a statistical significant association of very large magnitude between performing housework and exhibiting symptoms of stress (p = 0.028; rɸ = 0.36). The high percentage of workers with stress found among the study participants reveals a need for measures to review their working processes, such as creating space for dialogue between workers and management or implementing shared management, with the objective of minimizing development of work-related disorders, with benefits both for the workers and the Unit.

MOBILI] QUALI[DADE] URBANA: EIXO DE TRANSFORMAÇÃO EM GUAIANASES, SÃO PAULO-SP

There is in the city of São Paulo, since its urbanization in the 19th century, the railway as a structuring element that distinguishes two regions -east and west -under physical and social aspects. Between them, it is evident the unfavorable position of the East Zone in relation to the distance from the center, being the first region to be occupied by the popular, who crossed the territory through the railroad and the great road works of the city, which, since its formation, despised the space available for pedestrians. Today, 2020, in the far east is the district of Guaianases, occupied by the low-income population who, thirty kilometers away from the center, have the train as their main means of access to the east. In addition to the low employment and quality of transportation, the neighborhood has a high percentage of workers who spend more than one hour moving house-to-work; factors that characterize the place as a dormitory neighborhood. In this context, the Station Area appears, located in the axis of neighborhood structuring and which, responsible for configuring the daily displacements of the local population, is assumed as the starting point for the transformation of its space. Therefore, surveys were conducted around the Guaianases station area which, through quantitative and qualitative analysis, made it possible to identify the temporal, physical, and social conditions of its space; in additionto the revision of the current pertinent legislation which, linked to the principles of sustainable transportation, make it possible to explore instruments and policies aimed at local development of the neighborhood and, later, the city.

Digitalisation in Construction as an Educational Challenge for Universities

Digitization in the construction industry has become a reality, and universities have incorporated it into their curricula. There is currently a high percentage of workers in the construction sector who are not familiar with the digital processing of documentation. The Institute of Technology and Business in České Budějovice responded to this demand with a research project of intergenerational education, which is being tested in a large construction company. Research results so far show that construction companies can be helped to educate their workers by guiding the sharing of skills and competences. The paper deals with testing the intergenerational sharing of IT competences in construction production. Testing the managed transfer of IT competences brings a new dimension to the education process that will enable accelerated adaptation of staff to the new conditions. It will help companies to reduce their training costs and enable targeted training for a specific worker. The role of the university is in the professional guarantee of the transferred competences and the management of their transfer process. The article brings experience with this new educational methodology.

Current trends in the sanitary-epidemiological situation on the incidence of occupational brucellosis

Introduction. Brucellosis belongs to zooantroponoses, the relevance of which is connected with widespread in several regions of the Russian Federation and the unfavorable employment outlook for cases of persons.Material and methods. Based on updated data, the modern trends of the sanitary-epidemiological situation on the incidence of occupational brucellosis in the Federal districts of Russia, including occupational cohorts, conditions, diagnosis, and occupational prognosis were analyzed. Results. In the period from 2011 to 2017, 412 cases of occupational brucellosis (OB) were shown to be registered in rural regions. OB was proved to rank third in the nosological structure of accumulated occupational pathology (14.6%). Despite the downward linear trend in the frequency of detection of OB, its prevalence in the nosological structure of the primary occupational morbidity of the working rural population did not undergo statistically significant changes and was within the range of 10.28 - 17.16%. Most often, the disease was detected in workers in occupations as follows: animal breeder, veterinarian, milker/operator of machine milking, and veterinary paramedic, infected during industrial contact with cattle. The North-Caucasus, Siberian, and Southern Federal districts were the most disadvantaged regions of the Russian Federation in terms of the OB incidence. In 96.6% of cases, OB was represented by a residual form, diagnosed in 88.5% of cases with self-treatment. The late diagnosis of OB and the high percentage of workers with primary established loss of performance (59.5%) could be related to both the virulence of Brucella abortus and the low quality of periodic medical examinations and limited availability of primary occupational pathology care in rural regions.Conclusion. Reducing the level of the OB incidence is not possible without strictly controlling the timeliness, completeness of coverage and regulated volume of periodic medical examinations, increasing the level of awareness and awareness of occupational risks, compliance with sanitary and veterinary rules for the prevention and control of infectious diseases common to humans and animals.

Modeling determinants of ridesourcing usage: A census tract-level analysis of Chicago

Ridesourcing services provided by companies like Uber, Lyft, and Didi have grown rapidly over the past decade and now serve a sizable portion of trips in many metropolitan areas. An understanding of these services (e.g. to whom, where, when, and for what purposes do they provide service?) is critical for regulating, planning, and managing urban multi-modal transportation systems effectively. Unfortunately, little is known about ridesourcing travel because private companies providing ridesourcing services were not previously subject to data sharing requirements. Fortunately, the city of Chicago recently collected and released spatially (census tract) and temporally (15-minute interval) aggregated data on ridesourcing trips collected from private companies. This study analyzes the Chicago ridesourcing data to examine factors influencing ridesourcing usage. The study employs a random-effects negative binomial (RENB) regression approach to model ridesourcing usage. Determinants considered in the model include weekend vs. weekday and weather variables as well as census tract socio-demographics and commute characteristics, land-use variables, places of interest, transit supply, parking features, and crime. The model results indicate ridesourcing demand is higher on days when temperatures are lower, there is less precipitation, and on the weekend, as well as in census tracts with (i) higher household incomes, (ii) a higher percentage of workers who carpool or take transit to work, (iii) a higher percentage of households with zero vehicles, (iv) higher population and employment density, (v) higher land-use diversity, (vi) fewer parking spots and higher parking rates, (vii) more restaurants, and (viii) more homicides. The results also demonstrate a non-linear (and insightful) relationship between ridesourcing demand and transit supply variables. The paper discusses the implications of these model results to inform transportation planning and policymaking as well as future research.

Labour migration in ASEAN: Indonesian migrant workers in Johor Bahru, Malaysia

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to explain and share about labour migration for employment purposes issues from the perspective of a sending and receiving country in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (Indonesia; sending state and Malaysia; receiving state) on managing the international labour migration between the two countries.Design/methodology/approachThe research adopting “mixed methods”, mixing of quantitative and qualitative data within a single investigation or sustained programme of inquiry. The activity includes collecting primary data in two countries. Data collection is done by distributing questionnaires to migrant workers in the receiving states and used indepth interview to 10 stakeholders in the sending states.FindingsThe protection of migrant workers in Johor Bahru is still weak. The graph shows that Indonesian migrant workers in Johor mostly have their documents kept by their employer. Fisheries sector has the highest percentage of workers whose documents are retained by the employer. Meanwhile the sector in which the worker mostly do not get a weekly one day off is the domestic worker. Overall, this means that Malaysia has to put more attention on the existing regulation in order to create a more comfortable working environment.Originality/valueThis paper observe three parameters such as working hour, who keep the passport of the Indonesian migrant workers and weekly one day off relate to working condition of Indonesian migrant workers.

Hepatitis A Outbreaks Associated With the Opioid Epidemic in Kentucky Counties, 2017-2018.

Objectives. To describe county-level socioeconomic profiles associated with Kentucky's 2017-2018 hepatitis A outbreak that predominately affected communities affected by the opioid epidemic.Methods. We linked county-level characteristics on socioeconomic and housing variables to counties' hepatitis A rates. Principal component analysis identified county profiles of poverty, education, disability, income inequality, grandparent responsibility, residential instability, and marital status. We used Poisson regression to estimate adjusted relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).Results. Counties with scores reflecting an extremely disadvantaged profile (RR = 1.21; 95% CI = 0.99, 1.48) and greater percentage of nonmarried men, residential instability, and income inequality (RR = 1.15; 95% CI = 0.94, 1.41) had higher hepatitis A rates. Counties with scores reflecting more married adults, residential stability, and lower income inequality despite disability, poverty, and low education (RR = 0.77; 95% CI = 0.59, 1.00) had lower hepatitis A rates. Counties with a higher percentage of workers in the manufacturing industry had slightly lower rates (RR = 0.97; 95% CI = 0.94, 1.00).Conclusions. As expected, impoverished counties had higher hepatitis A rates. Evaluation across the socioeconomic patterns highlighted community-level factors (e.g., residential instability, income inequality, and social structures) that can be collected to augment hepatitis A data surveillance and used to identify higher-risk communities for targeted immunizations.

HEALTH INDICATORS IN CERTAIN OCCUPATIONAL GROUPS OF WORKERS

Introduction. Occupational health enforcement in workers as a part of corporate social programs remains an urgent challenge for business entities. Public benefits and economic efficiency of programs for health preservation/disease prevention depend on whether they are arranged well enough with regard to the health status of individual workers and occupational groups. Meanwhile, the regulation of personal data protection limits the ability of business entities to access information about the health status of their employees. Material and methods. We analyzed the physicians’ statements obtained in regular medical examinations of industrial workers for a 5-year period. Results. We identified occupational groups/units with the highest percentage of workers who need sanatorium-resort treatment (SRT). Electric gas welders and furnace operators were estimated to need SRT the most, twice as frequently vs the rest of the workers. Conclusion. Medical check-up examinations not only provide information about the workers with a high risk of occupational diseases, but they also allow identifying occupational groups with a high risk of temporary disability due to common non-communicable diseases. Information obtained from these statements can be used for indicative health assessment in occupational groups of workers. This may be used in detecting prior groups of individuals when planning health-promoting activities and other measures.

Индикаторы здоровья в отдельных профессионально-производственных группах

Introduction. Occupational health enforcement in workers as a part of corporate social programs remains an urgent challenge for business entities. Public benefits and economic efficiency of programs for health preservation/disease prevention depend on whether they are arranged well enough with regard to the health status of individual workers and occupational groups. Meanwhile, the regulation of personal data protection limits the ability of business entities to access information about the health status of their employees. Material and methods. We analyzed the physicians’ statements obtained in regular medical examinations of industrial workers for a 5-year period. Results. We identified occupational groups/units with the highest percentage of workers who need sanatorium-resort treatment (SRT). Electric gas welders and furnace operators were estimated to need SRT the most, twice as frequently vs the rest of the workers. Conclusion. Medical check-up examinations not only provide information about the workers with a high risk of occupational diseases, but they also allow identifying occupational groups with a high risk of temporary disability due to common non-communicable diseases. Information obtained from these statements can be used for indicative health assessment in occupational groups of workers. This may be used in detecting prior groups of individuals when planning health-promoting activities and other measures.

Modeling Ridesourcing Trip Generation: Chicago Case Study

Ridesourcing services provided by companies like Uber, Lyft, and Didi have grown rapidly over the past decade and now serve a sizable portion of trips in many metropolitan areas. An understanding of these services (e.g. to whom, where, when, and for what purposes do they provide service?) is critical for regulating, planning, and managing urban multi-modal transportation systems effectively. Unfortunately, little is known about ridesourcing travel because private companies providing ridesourcing services were not previously subject to data sharing requirements. Fortunately, the city of Chicago recently collected and released spatially (census tract) and temporally (15-minute interval) aggregated data on ridesourcing trips collected from private companies. This study analyzes the Chicago ridesourcing data to examine factors influencing ridesourcing usage. The study employs a random-effects negative binomial (RENB) regression approach to model ridesourcing usage. Determinants considered in the model include weekend vs. weekday and weather variables as well as census tract socio-demographics and commute characteristics, land-use variables, places of interest, transit supply, parking features, and crime. The model results indicate ridesourcing demand is higher on days when temperatures are lower, there is less precipitation, and on the weekend, as well as in census tracts with (i) higher household incomes, (ii) a higher percentage of workers who carpool or take transit to work, (iii) a higher percentage of households with zero vehicles, (iv) higher population and employment density, (v) higher land-use diversity, (vi) fewer parking spots and higher parking rates, (vii) more restaurants, and (viii) more homicides. The results also demonstrate a non-linear (and insightful) relationship between ridesourcing demand and transit supply variables. The paper discusses the implications of these model results to inform transportation planning and policymaking as well as future research.

Ensuring access to high-quality resources reduces the impacts of heat stress on bees

Pollinators are experiencing declines globally, negatively affecting the reproduction of wild plants and crop production. Well-known drivers of these declines include climatic and nutritional stresses, such as a change of dietary resources due to the degradation of habitat quality. Understanding potential synergies between these two important drivers is needed to improve predictive models of the future effects of climate change on pollinator declines. Here, bumblebee colony bioassays were used to evaluate the interactive effects of heat stress, a reduction of dietary resource quality, and colony size. Using a total of 117 colonies, we applied a fully crossed experiment to test the effect of three dietary quality levels under three levels of heat stress with two colony sizes. Both nutritional and heat stress reduced colony development resulting in a lower investment in offspring production. Small colonies were much more sensitive to heat and nutritional stresses than large ones, possibly because a higher percentage of workers helps maintain social homeostasis. Strikingly, the effects of heat stress were far less pronounced for small colonies fed with suitable diets. Overall, our study suggests that landscape management actions that ensure access to high-quality resources could reduce the impacts of heat stress on bee decline.

Physiological Changes And Clinical Findings In Females Textile Factory Workers

About 60 million people worldwide work in the textile or clothing industry. The conditions of working and the dust that produced from processing of cotton in industries can cause many morbidities to the health of workers. Many recent studies have found a high ratio of chronic diseases especially chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in those workers. This study was done to assess the effect of working in textile industry from physiological and clinical points of view. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 75 randomly selected textile factory workers, all subjects were females. Information was collected through interview, in addition to physical examination and some needed investigations were performed including: packed cell volume (PCV),white blood cell count (WBC), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), random blood sugar (RBS), blood urea (Bur), serum creatinine (Scr), serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), electrocardiography (ECG), echocardiography, chest x-ray (CXR) and general urine examination (GUE), in addition to pulmonary function tests (PFTs) using portable medical spirometer. The results of this study was shown that the mean duration of exposure of workers to cotton dust was 15.67±4.86 years, the higher percentage of workers had low back pain (LBP) (85%), while lower percentage of them had contact dermatitis (27%), urinary tract infection (23%), while 2% of workers had left ventricular hypertrophy as revealed by ECG and echocardiography. Regarding the mean values of blood parameters, the study showed no significant difference between workers and control groups apart from ESR changes (26.8 ± 15.95 vs. 8.3 ± 3.3 with P ≤ 0.05). Regarding the respiratory findings, the highest percentage of workers complained from shortness of breath (45.3%), some of them had no symptoms (17.3%), severity of symptoms was moderate restriction in most workers (24%), the study also showed negative non-significant relation between duration of exposure and severity of respiratory impairment (r = 0.1, P= 0.2). In conclusion; this study provides evidence of a strong relationship between exposure to cotton dust and respiratory impairments, also there was a considerable percentage of workers had muscular and dermatolo

Work-Life Programs, Demographic Composition, and Organizational Outcomes

Institutional theory and resource based view suggest different mechanisms and organizational outcomes associated with work-life programs. The current study combines divergent arguments by examining the interactive effects of work-life programs and organizational demographic composition on different types of organizational outcomes. Our analysis of a longitudinal dataset of Japanese public companies shows that work-life programs, in combination with a high percentage of women, are negatively associated with turnover and positively associated with return on equity (ROE). We also find that work-life programs are positively associated with productivity in companies with a high percentage of workers with disabilities. The findings extend the existing understanding of institutional theory, resource based view, and work-life programs.

Occupational Dermatoses among Cottage Industry Workers of Kashmir Valley in North India.

Introduction:Cottage industry is usually a small-scale industry operated from home by family members using their own equipment. Kashmir has a unique cottage industry of its own which deals with production of many handicrafts, which may lead to a peculiar pattern of skin diseases in these artisans. Aim: The aim of this study was to find out the pattern of skin disorders in the cottage industry workers of Kashmir valley, with primary focus on the occupation-related dermatoses and to identify the most common cutaneous manifestation in these workers.Materials and Methods:This was a cross-sectional descriptive study in which 1062 cottage industry workers engaged in different crafts were screened. A detailed history taking and examination was carried out in each worker and the diagnosis was made on clinical grounds. Wherever deemed necessary, relevant investigations were done to establish the nature of the disease.Results:A total of 1062 workers were evaluated for the presence of skin disorders. The male-to-female ratio was 1:1.5. The mean age of the study group was 30.3 years ± 10.79 years, with maximum number of workers (164) belonging to the crewel embroidery industry. The mean duration of work was 6.4 ± 2.08 hours/day. A total of 953 workers (89.7%) had cutaneous manifestations, with callosities being the most common finding seen in 371 workers (35%), followed by cumulative insult dermatitis seen in 201 workers (19%).Conclusion:Cottage industry of Kashmir valley is a unique occupational group where a high percentage of workers had cutaneous manifestations related to their occupation, with callosities being the most common finding. Information and better knowledge regarding these dermatoses are important in devising strategies to improve the health scenario of these workers. Simple measures such as proper use of instruments, use of protective gloves, guarded use of chemicals, and hand washing may be very beneficial in reducing the burden of health problems in these workers.

Evaluation of the impact of remittances of Egyptian workers abroad on the Egyptian economy for the period (1990 - 2014)

workers' remittances is gaining increasing importance to Egypt as one of the most important labor-exporting countries in the world. That comes as part of the leading countries in the world in terms of the size of the recipient transfers, and they are in the top ten countries in the world in terms of the volume of remittances. Where workers' remittances inflows occupied second place among all sources of foreign exchange after commodity flows and advanced on tourism revenues and Suez Canal and foreign direct investment and official aid during the period of search . The highest percentage of workers ' remittances in Egypt used to cover daily living costs reflecting a negative indicator for the development process in Egypt and this may be due to poor and underdeveloped investment environment in Egypt
 The workers' remittances are different from the rest of its stability relative financial flows and the trends adverse to the business cycle in the economies of countries receiving them. This means that workers' remittances may rise when a decline in the level of economic activity as a result of a financial shocks, natural disasters or political conflicts in the receiving of remittances countries, and this is what has been observed in the high volume of Remittances in the years 2012 - 2014 in Egypt, which has seen political situations and economic bad.