Labour Market Security Research Articles

The Growth of Temporary Services Work

Temporary services employment grew rapidly over the past several decades and now accounts for a sizable fraction of aggregate employment. The authors use Current Population Survey data to examine the changing nature of temporary work and discuss explanations for its growth. Temps are no longer overwhelmingly female or limited to clerical occupations. They have less labor market security than permanent workers, being prone to more unemployment and more underemployment. Few, however, are in temp positions a year later and the majority transition to permanent employment. Temp wages are approximately 20 percent below permanent workers, but individual and job characteristics explain approximately two-thirds of the gap.

Job Insecurity and Labour Market Lemons: The (Mis)Management of Redundancy in Steel Making, Coal Mining and Port Transport

Redundancy provisions in Britain have failed to promote organizational regeneration or labour mobility from declining to expanding firms/industries. On the contrary, as human resources are wantonly discarded through the (mis)management of redundancy, job security and X‐efficiency in the internal labour market has been severely eroded. In external labour markets, many redundant workers, the so‐called `lemons' of the labour market, are consigned to long‐term unemployment because employers are wary of hiring a worker that another firm does not want. These deleterious outcomes are elaborated through detailed case studies from steel‐making, coal‐mining and port transport, where mass redundancy has proved instrumental in the process of industrial restructuring. In order to re‐establish trust and security in the internal labour market, alternative methods of managing changing labour market requirements, based on reconversion rather than redundancy, are considered in the concluding section.

Institutional foundations for a just society

The author distinguishes between fundamental justice and incremental justice and argues that the Harsanyian/Rawlsian, ex ante, concept of justice is the only concept of justice relevant to the design and evaluation of institutions. Unlike incremental justice for which a concensus as to what constitutes justice is generally not possible the conditions that satisfy the Harsanyian/Rawlsian concept of justice are derived from the assumptions of rationality and aversion to large risks, and the postulate of fairness. A concensus occurs not fortuitously but inevitably. The paper develops eight principles of institutional design that contribute towards a just society and that follow logically from these assumptions and postulates. The paper argues that these principles are by and large needed for social welfare maximization, so that justice is generally consistent with efficiency. The paper applies the theory to the concept of exploitation, crime and punishment, as well as labour market and social security, to illustrate the working of the principles developed.

Institute for Economics of Chuo University (eds), Transformation of Local Labor Market and Economic Security of Farmers

Institute for Economics of Chuo University (eds), Transformation of Local Labor Market and Economic Security of Farmers

Labour market, income formation and social security in the microsimulation model NEDYMAS

The paper presents the labour market module, the income formation module and the social security and tax module of the dynamic cross-sectional microsimulation model NEDYMAS. With this model it is possible to simulate (future) social security benefits and contributions. Comparison with the actual figures shows that the model reconstructs the socioeconomic development in the field of wage income and social security benefits and contributions very well.

From Bermondsey to Canary Wharf: The Social Context of Change in Industrial Relations, 1880–2000

AbstractThis paper presents evidence on some of the key variables that have determined the economic status of different groups in the working population. Economic status is set by the level and security of real income and consumption. These are themselves determined by access to resources in the areas of the labour market, public services and social security, and in housing. The paper reviews the period between 1880 and 1990, and puts forward the likely situation in the year 2000. The century began with an agenda set by the problems of falling real incomes and poverty. It is likely to end with the problems of economic and demographic ageing as the main focus.

Vreemde werknemers, werkgelegenheid en sociale zekerheid

This article gives a survey of the position of migrant workers in the Belgian labor market and social security system. Total employment of migrants has increased from 114,000 in 1954 to 224,900 in 1970.In contrast to overall employment in the Belgian economy, it went on climbing till 1978, up to a 245,900 level. Beyond this year, forecasts point at a slight decrease. Since WWII, the gravity point of the sectoral division of migrant workers has shifted from minig and industry, to industry and tertiary activities. The share of industry in the employment of migrants bas remained relatively stable, in contrast to the tertiary sector, that witnessed a considerable expansion. However, the latter has not contributed substantially to the quality level of the average guest worker's job.On the whole, there is a strong correspondence between the unstable position of migrants in the labor market and their demographic characteristics on one side, their participation in the social security system on the other side. Their young family structure is reflected in a high share in family allowances and a limited appeal to pension funds. Statistical analysis at the aggregate level does not point at discriminatory practices vis-à-vis migrants and their families in social security ; but at thedisaggregate level and through the inspection of laws, regulations and international conventions, it appears that non-EEC nationals, with an unstable professional career, do not have the same rights as Belgians or EEC-citizens having a confortable position in the labor market and the social security system. In order to guarantee the rights of the farmer, the author suggests to establish a citizenship entitling to full social security rights after five years of regular residence in Belgium.

Personnel Planning—A Strategic View

Planning is a matter of reviewing, rather than previewing. In many organizations personnel planning is yet an underdeveloped field. The limited possibilities of the labour market and social security legislation makes staffing a complicated and costly affair; two major impulses for the growing interest in personnel planning. Personnel is the ‘material’ that can be planned, a process comparable with financial and inventory planning. The planning cycles and processes are almost identical. Yet, personnel is a specific type of material, with its own peculiar features. The nature of the ‘material’ provides specific possibilities for the planning process and the results thereof Personnel planning is the planning of human beings by human beings, with positive effects on the planning of other aspects. The experience obtained is scarce, but encouraging.