Labor Opportunities Research Articles

Effects of Conflicts on Labor Market Outcome and Intimate Partner Violence: Evidence from Nepal

This study investigates the impact of conflict intensity on married women’s employment and intimate partner violence (IPV) in Nepal during and after the civil conflicts. Analyzing five waves of the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey, it reveals a negative short- and long-term effect of conflict on work probabilities for women facing reduced economic opportunities and delayed human capital accumulation. However, this result masks substantial heterogeneity by subgroups. The older cohort experiences a temporary negative effect, while the impact is enduring for younger cohorts. The long-run effect of conflict intensity was more sustained for married women who were children or teenagers at the onset of the war compared to older cohorts. These results hold under IV regressions. Data availability restricts our analysis of IPV to the post-war years. The study does not find a direct impact of conflict on the stated IPV experiences of married women but identifies an indirect effect. HIGHLIGHTS Conflict in Nepal affects women’s employment and intimate partner violence. Women’s employment increased during the conflict but declined post-conflict. Conflict intensity in Nepal reduced long-term employment, particularly for younger women Intimate partner violence shows indirect rise due to reduced women’s employment. The added-worker effect in Nepal was weak, with conflict disrupting labor opportunities.

Causes of Deforestation: Evidence from Top Deforested Countries

This study investigates the causes of deforestation using panel data for top deforested countries from 1995 to 2022. We apply Panel Corrected Standard Error (PCSE) technique. The findings affirm that urbanization and water stress has negative and significant effect on deforestation and unemployment and agricultural exports have positive and significant effect on deforestation. The results of this study serve as the basis for the recommendations presented in the present research strategy such as labour opportunity cost might be increased to reduce agricultural rent. Stabilization and regeneration of the forest cover should be prompted by a greater demand for and a restricted supply of forest products. Labour opportunity cost should be increased to reduce agricultural rent. Stabilization and regeneration of the forest cover should be prompted by a greater demand for and a restricted supply of forest products.

Rediscovering the location of agricultural production: Spatial linkage of farmland use intensity and labor opportunity costs in Central China

Agricultural location theory was the earliest work to reveal the land use and agricultural layout of urban suburbs; however, there is an increasing difference between Dunn's theoretical model and modern agricultural layouts, and there is thus an urgent need to establish new theoretical relationships. In this work, we sought to reveal new patterns of modern suburban agricultural land use using remote sensing data and land economics knowledge. We used remote sensing data to obtain first-hand land-use information while considering the attractiveness of the urban center to labor, and we explored the impact of agricultural opportunity costs on agricultural land use. We found that agricultural land use in suburbs in Central China have four obvious layers: dominance of built-up areas, dominance of single cropping, dominance of double cropping, and dominance of triple cropping. From the perspective of planting patterns, with increasing distance from the city center, the proportion of single-cropping areas decreases from 60% to 20%, that of double-cropping areas increases from 20% to 70%, that of triple-cropping areas always remains below 10%, and the multiple-cropping index increases from 120% to 180%. From the perspective of land economics and considering labor cost, planting profits decrease with increasing distance from the city center. The increasing attractiveness of the urban center to migrant workers significantly weakens farmers' willingness to plant. From the perspective of the circle structure, before 2000, farmers' planting profits were higher than the opportunity costs in all regions; after 2000, farmers with arable land within a 40-km radius of the center may have been more inclined to choose farming, while those with land outside this 40-km radius may have been more inclined to work elsewhere. Under changing agricultural policies, farmers' planting profits increased to a historical high, but profits became negative in all regions after 2015, and the willingness of people to farm reached a historical low. With this work, we continue the development of the hierarchical structure model of The Location of Agricultural Production and summarize new laws of modern agricultural land use from the perspectives of remote sensing data and land economics, supplementing and enriching agricultural location theory.

“She’s a Flagger, and I’m a Panner”: Exploring the Intricacies of Flagging, Panhandling, and Street Economies

ABSTRACT For survival, unhoused community members develop creative and alternative means for generating income, given most are excluded from the formal labor market. Of the various informal activities they engage in, few are more publicly visible than panhandling. Drawing upon 66 interviews with marginalized and street-involved persons in Winnipeg, Canada, we explore participants’ narratives and varied experiences with two distinct begging activities, “panning” and “flagging.” We unmask why participants chose specific activities and illuminate these activities’ structures, norms, and social dynamics. We show that while panhandling is a primarily solitary behavior, flagging is a highly organized and intricate type of informal labor characterized by social networks, cohesion, conflict and control over space. Accordingly, we discuss how social and environmental structures, norms, and dynamics can support and constrict marginalized people’s informal labor opportunities.

Generational Change in Work-Related Agency Beliefs in Poland

In this study we analyze beliefs on work-related agency in two cohorts of Poles, born in 1970–1971 and in 1988–1989. Both institutional environment and labor opportunities set these two generations much apart, as the first one grew up under communism and entered the transforming labor market plagued with high unemployment, whereas the second enjoyed the opportunities set by Poland’s European Union accession. The comparison is based on nationally representative samples and synchronizes the measurement on the same moment in the life cycle (both cohorts were surveyed at 30 years of age). In the analysis we aim to verify whether there are significant differences in beliefs about means to success in career, as well as in the respondents’ own traits and resources in this respect. These differences, in turn, can be related to deeper, long-term changes in socialization and social structure, as this was often presumed in previous research (it implied further convergence with Western societies). Work-related agency is measured using a shortened version of the Control Agency Means–Ends in Adulthood Questionnaire developed by Diewald et al. Results show that there are distinct dimensions in which both generations are similar and in which they prove to be very distinct. The study also uncovers a more profound change in work-related agency in women and confirms the well-established relationship between occupational structure and agency.

Impact of digital economy development on labor force employment

Since the first year of the commercial application of big data, the digital economy has become an important driving force for global economic development and has had a huge impact on the labor employment market. This paper aims to explore how the development of the digital economy reshapes the employment pattern of the labor market. By analyzing the core features of the digital economy, which is highly informative, networked, and intelligent, it reveals the dual effects of the digital economy on the total and structural employment of the workforce and puts forward policy recommendations to address the employment challenges posed by the digital economy. The study finds that, on the one hand, the application of automation technology and artificial intelligence has reduced the demand for traditional low-skilled labor, triggering employment reductions in some industries; on the other hand, emerging digital technologies have created new career opportunities, especially in the fields of data analysis, software development, and digital marketing, which have brought more employment opportunities for high-skilled labor. In addition, the digital economy has given rise to numerous flexible forms of employment.

Labor Borders: Recruitment of Central American Migrants in “Exodus” through Southern Mexico and Indigenous Mexican “Braceros” in the Californian Fields

The article proposes the concept of “labor border” to explore the evolution of migration policies in the Central America-Mexico-USA region by investigating the dimension of work, through two case studies: (1) the US H-2A program for the temporary recruitment of foreign agricultural workers from Mexico; and subsequently (2) the Mexican regularization programs with temporary labor opportunity, implemented by the Mexican government in the context of the so-called “Central American exodus”: Social Emergency Program (Programa de Emergencia Social) and Sowing Life (Sembrando Vida). The objective of the research is to analyze how the political use of a labor border contributes to the social construction of a hierarchy of immigrant workers, as well as to the progressive closure of borders, and the outsourcing of control operations by the USA to the south of Mexico and other Central American countries. The research took place between March 2016 and December 2021, with a combination of mainly qualitative methodologies.

Equal employment opportunity and diversity in restaurant labor: perspectives of restaurant employees and managers in the USA

PurposeThis study was designed to contribute to the extant literature by discovering the perceptions of restaurant employees and managers toward equal opportunities in restaurant labor and working in a diversity-rich restaurant work environment.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative research approach was utilized. Through in-depth interviews, data were collected purposefully from restaurant workers in different positions (e.g. managers, servers, chefs and cooks) in the USA.FindingsAs a result of content analysis, different perspectives emerged on equal employment opportunity and diversity in restaurant labor. While some employees and managers believe that restaurant labor has equal employment opportunities, others think there is a lack of equal employment opportunity and partial equal employment opportunity in the industry. Most participants perceive working in a diversity-rich restaurant work environment as beneficial (an opportunity to learn about different cultures and an opportunity to learn different experiences and approaches).Originality/valueTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper to explore employees' and managers' perceptions of equal employment opportunity and diversity in the hospitality labor context, specifically restaurant labor. Therefore, the research findings will create value for scholars to understand the view on equal employment opportunity and diversity in restaurant labor. Further, it will assist practitioners in designing their labor structure regarding equal employment opportunity and diversity management for the future.

Labor organizing at chokepoints along Amazon’s supply chain: Locating geo-strategic nodes

Amazon seems to be creating a new hybrid model of capitalism combining some elements of classical Fordist vertical integration, or even the over hundred-year-old “Taylorism” of scientific management, with 21st century elements of labor “flexibility” and reliance on gig labor and subcontracting. This hybrid model offers opportunities for organized labor to gain a foothold within some of Amazon’s vertically integrated nodes as the firm lengthens its corporate commodity chain to grow increasingly close to consumers. Building on earlier work on opportunities for, and constraints on, labor in a variety of global commodity chains, our empirical cases examine how Amazon’s corporate strategies may open opportunities for labor in three illustrative cases ensconced in fulfillment centers—the Fordist vertical integration side of the model—in the Inland Empire and Otay Mesa (both in southern California) and Northern Kentucky.

Migrant men and HIV care engagement in Johannesburg, South Africa

BackgroundSouth Africa (SA) has one of the highest rates of migration on the continent, largely comprised of men seeking labor opportunities in urban centers. Migrant men are at risk for challenges engaging in HIV care. However, rates of HIV and patterns of healthcare engagement among migrant men in urban Johannesburg are poorly understood.MethodsWe analyzed data from 150 adult men (≥ 18 years) recruited in 10/2020–11/2020 at one of five sites in Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, SA where migrants typically gather for work, shelter, transit, or leisure: a factory, building materials store, homeless shelter, taxi rank, and public park. Participants were surveyed to assess migration factors (e.g., birth location, residency status), self-reported HIV status, and use and knowledge of HIV and general health services. Proportions were calculated with descriptive statistics. Associations between migration factors and health outcomes were examined with Fisher exact tests and logistic regression models. Internal migrants, who travel within the country, were defined as South African men born outside Gauteng Province. International migrants were defined as men born outside SA.ResultsTwo fifths (60/150, 40%) of participants were internal migrants and one fifth (33/150, 22%) were international migrants. More internal migrants reported living with HIV than non-migrants (20% vs 6%, p = 0.042), though in a multi-variate analysis controlling for age, being an internal migrant was not a significant predictor of self-reported HIV positive status. Over 90% all participants had undergone an HIV test in their lifetime. Less than 20% of all participants had heard of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), with only 12% international migrants having familiarity with PrEP. Over twice as many individuals without permanent residency or citizenship reported “never visiting a health facility,” as compared to citizens/permanent residents (28.6% vs. 10.6%, p = 0.073).ConclusionsOur study revealed a high proportion of migrants within our community-based sample of men and demonstrated a need for HIV and other healthcare services that effectively reach migrants in Johannesburg. Future research is warranted to further disaggregate this heterogenous population by different dimensions of mobility and to understand how to design HIV programs in ways that will address migrants’ challenges.

Workers and generals: military-controlled transitions and labor movements in Brazil and Egypt

ABSTRACT Under which conditions can combative labor in the Global South negotiate state and society relations and constrain the encroachment of their respective militaries on politics? This article argues that the domestic and international legitimacy these militaries enjoy during the transition away from authoritarianism is a key factor shaping labor movements’ organizational and mobilizational capacity, labor alliances with other social classes, and labor’s capacity to negotiate democratic citizenship. The argument is investigated by examining Egypt and Brazil, where labor strikes delegitimized authoritarian capitalism and inspired the rise of independent and anti-corporatist unions and federations. In Brazil, the military lost its legitimacy domestically and internationally, providing opportunities for labor’s democratizing role. Conversely, the Egyptian military held power locally and internationally, thwarting prospects for independent unions to maintain their autonomy from the military and to forge alliances. The research combines historical and archival research with qualitative methods, including interviewing and fieldwork in Egypt and Brazil.

Has the opening of Amazon fulfillment centers affected demand for disability insurance?

An estimated 17.6% of blue-collar, manufacturing jobs were lost in the United States between 1970 and 2016. These jobs, often union-represented, provided relatively generous pay and benefits, creating a path to the middle class for individuals without a four-year college degree. Evidence suggests the closure of manufacturing facilities and resulting decline in economic opportunity increased demand for disability insurance (SSDI) among blue-collar workers. In recent years, the opening of Amazon Fulfillment Centers (FCs) has accelerated around the country, driving a wave of blue-collar job creation. We estimated the extent to which the opening of FCs affected SSDI application rates, including rates of approvals and denials, using a synthetic control group approach. We found that FC openings were associated with a 1.4% reduction in the SSDI application rate over the subsequent three years, translating to 5,528 fewer applications per year across commuting zones with an FC opening. Our findings are consistent with FC openings improving economic opportunities in local labor markets, though our confidence intervals were wide and included the null.

Continuing Education Intervention: Trauma-Informed Pain Management in Labor and Delivery.

There is a gap in the availability of continuing education opportunities for labor and delivery nurses regarding trauma-informed perinatal care. A continuing education module on trauma-informed pain management in labor was created and distributed to 17 nurses in an intrapartum unit at a hospital in the Midwestern United States. Changes in knowledge, attitudes, skills, and intent to use trauma-informed principles were assessed using a pretest-posttest design and paired t test analyses. Change in knowledge (p = .043) and skills (p = .011) was statistically significant. There were no statistically significant changes in attitudes. Continuing education opportunities in trauma-informed perinatal care are needed for health care team members who provide care to trauma survivors in labor. Further research on the effectiveness of trauma-informed pain management in labor and birth is necessary to provide additional resources and recommendations for labor and delivery nurses. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2024;55(1):21-25.].

Concept of human capital in the context of innovative development and its place in the system of related economic categories

Despite its relatively short history, the concept of human capital has evolved into a significant number of different definitions, affecting an increasing number of elements that are inherent in the work of a modern person. The growing importance of human capital in the accumulation of national wealth, the general trends in the humanization of economic science, the peculiarities of labor characteristic of the innovative economy, led to the emergence of new elements describing a person's labor activity and labor opportunities, and the entry into circulation of a number of seemingly overlapping related categories that complemented the already existing conceptual and categorical apparatus in this area. The purpose of the article is to distinguish the main concepts developed by economic theory that characterize human labor capabilities, as well as to determine the place of the category human capital in the system of these related categories. Special attention is paid to new concepts that have arisen as a result of setting the tasks of innovative development. The result of the study is the systematization of the concepts considered in a general terminological field. Such systematization seems necessary both for theoretical clarification of the conceptual apparatus of labor market research, employment, accumulation of human resources, and for practical application in the field of state policy to improve the national education system and labor market regulation in the context of innovative development.

Understanding vulnerability and building resilience in small-scale fisheries: the case of Davao Gulf, Philippines

ABSTRACT Global fisheries face a significant crisis, including overexploitation of fishing grounds, marine pollution, and climate change impacts. This paper aims to assess the effects of climate change impacts and the resilience of small-scale fishers (SSF) in Davao Gulf. It investigates the effects of climate change impacts, vulnerabilities, and resilience of small-scale fishers in Governor Generoso, Lupon, Malita, Sta Maria, Don Marcelino, and Davao City using focus group discussion (FGDs) (N = 9) to identify and understand climate change resilience among participants (N = 135). The results showed that all small-scale fishing communities experienced at least two to three climate hazards i.e. northeast monsoon (Amihan), southwest monsoon (Habagat), and typhoons, which bring fierce winds and heavy rains that cause flooding. Moreover, due to the availability of an alternative non-fishing income such as driving and construction work, carpentry, or other manual labour opportunities, fishers are able to recover and recoup the days lost fishing due to climate-related hazards. The policy analysis suggests that the government should provide social benefits, such as free medical check-ups, medicines, decent housing, and water, to keep fishers and fishing communities productive and healthy. In addition, local government should create seasonal jobs and replacement of fishing gear should be given to fishers to increase their resilience. Highlights Small-scale fishing communities experienced two to three climate-related hazards annually e.g. northeast monsoon (Amihan), southwest monsoon (Habagat), and typhoons; these hazards bring flooding which can result in illness e.g. dysentery, leptospirosis; Fishing communities are disrupted by these hazards and clamour for alternative jobs to ensure their livelihoods, and more inclusive social benefits from the government could deliver large benefits; Community resiliency can be enhanced as a solution to cope with climate change impacts by raising awareness, training and disaster preparedness; stronger local policies can empower affected people and communities to act in a timely way.

Labor elasticities, market failures, and misallocation: Evidence from Indian agriculture

AbstractThis article presents evidence of misallocation across households in rural Indian agriculture. I show that household demographics predict own farm labor demand for smallholder farmers but not non‐smallholder farmers. A simple model of labor allocation predicts a clear consequence of this duality: smallholder farmers will reallocate labor across plots less in response to price changes than non‐smallholders. Detailed household panel data confirms this theoretical prediction. Three additional facts suggest that a lack of off‐farm labor opportunities may be partly responsible for the behavior of smallholders, leading smallholders to over allocate labor to agricultural production. First, smallholders report fewer hours of involuntary unemployment when their own crop prices increase. Second, yield is substantially higher for smallholders on plots of the same size. Finally, estimated marginal revenue products of labor are consistently lower for smallholders.

Tillage conditions or social economy? An analysis of the dominant driving force of farmland marginalization from the farmers' perspective

Farmland marginalization has been one of the main directions of land use transition in the process of industrialization and urbanization in recent years. With the increase in rural labor opportunity costs, the influence of natural resource endowment and socioeconomic conditions on farmers' farmland marginalization behavior at the micro level remains unknown, and the relevant literature is insufficient. In this study, the quantile regression method is adopted to explore the evolutionary trend of the role of tilling-based factors and socioeconomic factors under mild, moderate and severe marginalization levels of cultivated land. The results show that with farmland marginalization aggravation, the influence of tillage-based factors represented by tillage conditions on marginalization weakens while that of socioeconomic factors deepens. This study elucidates various regulation strategies at different farmland marginalization levels. At mild marginalization levels, attention should be given to improving tillage conditions; at moderate and severe marginalization levels, efforts should be made to improve the economic production capacity of farmland and promote the transfer of marginalized farmland to new agricultural business entities.

Urban Smartness and City Performance: Identifying Brazilian Smart Cities through a Novel Approach

While smart city transformation is a remarkably popular topic among urban policymakers across the globe, there is little evidence on how to evaluate a city’s smartness level accurately. This study aims to bridge this knowledge gap by applying a novel assessment framework to a case study context and generating useful insights. To achieve this aim, the study evaluates the smartness levels of 27 Brazilian state capital cities through the indicators of productivity and innovation, livability and well-being, sustainability and accessibility, governance and planning, and connectivity and innovation. This urban smartness analysis is conducted through a smart city assessment framework that brings up three categories of smart city performance types—i.e., leading, following, and developing. The findings of the analysis revealed that the common characteristics of cities with leading smartness performance are having: (a) a strong innovation ecosystem; (b) Specific legislation for developing entrepreneurship; (c) Training opportunities for skilled labor; and (d) Conditions for knowledge-based development and digital transformation offerings and readiness. The analysis identified the smartest cities in Brazil as follows: Florianópolis, São Paulo, Vitória, Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Brasília, Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, and Cuiabá. This study offers insights from the application of a novel method in the Brazilian context for the local authorities to consider adopting for smart city performance and progress analyses and subsequently making necessary interventions to transform their smart city policy and practice to realize their desired goals.

Sand urbanism in Bangladesh transitions of sand extraction and trade in Dhaka-Narayanganj

Sand is shaping and has shaped urban development in many parts of the world. Developing the concept of sand urbanism, this paper aims to understand the recursive constitution of sand extraction and urbanity. We show that sand mining has fundamentally shaped the urban environment, but that the urban environment has equally impacted on sand extraction. Building on literature on the relation between mining and urban development, we show how opportunities and displacement are central to urban relations to sand. Going beyond this literature which has focused extensively on (boom)towns, of which mining is their raison d’être, by looking at large urban centres and sand extraction. Drawing on the concept of sand transitions, we distinguish four phases in the forty-year engagement with sand of our field site in Dhaka-Narayanganj. we focus on sand infilling and the creation of urban land, manual labour opportunities in artisanal mining and bulkhead unloading, as well as cycles of mechanization which have displaced manual labour. We also show that while urban development made on-site sand extraction difficult, the continued demand of sand in the conurbation allowed the transformation of our research site from a sand extraction to a sand trading site, offering connections to new, more peripheral sand boomtowns.

Labor Market Opportunities of Private and Public Education in Colombia


 Colombia has presented high unemployment for the past decade which was worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic. Job inequality among the highly vs. poorly educated has sparked a debate whether employers treat candidates differently based on their high school institution. This experiment explores the present research question: Does graduating from a public or private high school affect a candidate's opportunities of getting employed in Colombia under the circumstances of Covid-19? To circumvent the quandary, a quantitative field experiment on a correspondence testing method was used to investigate minority outcomes in the labor market. To create a realistic representation of the actual employment situation of Colombia, CEOs and business managers of the top companies were part of the experiment. Results reflect differential treatment in labor opportunities favouring private school graduates. It was evident throughout the experiment that the effects of graduating institutions were not as relevant as the level of education. Applicants from public schools can overcome this hurdle by investing in observable skills to the employer, suggesting that educational training programs can contribute to the reduction of the inequality gap Colombia currently faces.