Low-quality Jobs Research Articles

Gender differences in the hospitality industry: A Job quality index

Employment in the hospitality industry is generally associated with lower quality of employment opportunities than other industries. While women's participation has improved both quantitatively and qualitatively, they continue to encounter a host of barriers attributable to labour market discrimination. A gender-oriented study of job quality is consequently in order.The present paper aims to define and construct a composite index of job quality, compiling objective job security conditions in a single variable that allows the detection of possible gender differences in job quality. Unlike other comparisons of job quality that focus primarily on salary, the composite indicator developed stresses work week duration in an industry in which part-timing impacts women particularly heavily. Findings reveal that women hold lower quality jobs than men and that the gender gap widens with age. Results also show a double adversity for women: a lower job quality in management positions they have not traditionally held, and a wider quality gap in clearly feminized, lower skilled positions.

Determinants of job quality — Evidence for European country groups

Based on a micro-level approach and using data from the European Working Conditions Survey, covering 27 countries, we analyse the determinants of job quality. With cluster analysis applied to 11 dimensional indices, we form three homogeneous country groups and identify, by estimating twice-censored Tobit models, the main determinant factors affecting the individual level of job quality in each group. We verify the relevance of variables related to worker characteristics, firm characteristics, and the country in which the individual works. Among worker characteristics, education and employment status are the factors with the highest impact on job quality, while the economic sector is the most important firm characteristic. The results suggest the existence of important differences among groups regarding the magnitude of the impact of some factors. The highest dissimilarities are found between the group with better jobs (Nordic countries plus Belgium) and the group with lower quality jobs (Central and Eastern European countries plus Portugal and Greece). Variables related to age, education, dimension of the firm, and economic sector are those in which more heterogeneity is found among the groups.

Understanding Employers’ Use of Labor Market Intermediaries in Filling Low-Level Jobs: Attracting Retainable Employees or Replenishing High-Turnover Jobs?

Labor market intermediaries (LMIs) play a key role in helping disadvantaged job seekers secure jobs and potentially escape poverty. This research examines LMI use from the vantage point of frontline human resource (HR) managers in Chicago hotels. Findings suggest that, overall, HR managers are more likely to use LMIs to fill lower- as opposed to higher-quality jobs. When filling lower-quality jobs, managers turn indiscriminately to several LMIs to fill job openings quickly. When filling higher-quality jobs, managers, especially those with autonomy, adopt a targeted approach, engaging LMIs they believe refer retainable workers. Directions for improving workforce development efforts are discussed.

Determinantes de la calidad del empleo de los Afrocolombianos: Comparativo para principales ciudades de Colombia, año 2007

This paper evaluate the hypothesis that race is a determining factor in access to quality employment in Colombia during 2007. Using data from the Large Integrated Household Survey (2007-I), we estimate a generalized ordered logit model. The results provide evidence that individuals self-identified as Afrocolombian have a higher probability of being in a low quality job than other Colombians. This probability is higher by 1.9% in Cali, 3.4% in Bogota, 12.6% in Barranquilla, 1.8% in Cartagena, 1.1% in Medellin and 3.8% overall in these five cities, results that could indicate that there is racial discrimination against Afrocolombians in the Colombian labor market.

The Hidden Cost of Labor Market Entry During Recession: Unemployment Rate at Entry and Occupational Injury Risk of Young Workers

A unique dataset from Italy is used to study the effect of unfavorable business cycle conditions at entry on future workplace safety of young workers. We find that higher local unemployment rates at entry have a positive effect both on severe injuries and non-severe injuries. While the impact of unemployment at entry on severe injuries is constant over time, the effect on non-severe injuries is less pronounced and increases with experience, thus indicating that the reporting behavior is affected by initial conditions. In addition, the same cohorts of workers experience slower wage growth, despite being initially compensated for the occupational injury risk. These results suggest that entrants during recession may be persistently locked into low quality jobs and that the mix of hazardous tasks offered by employers throughout the business cycle can be used to overcome wage and other institutional rigidities of the Italian labor market.

Un regard sur la qualité de l'emploi après le chômage

L’étude porte sur les caractéristiques des emplois retrouvés après le chômage, en exploitant l’enquête « Sortants des listes des demandeurs d’emploi » en 2007 et 2009. Peu de travaux s’intéressent à la qualité des emplois acceptés par les anciens chômeurs, à cette fin, nous avons construit un indicateur synthétique qui prend en compte à la fois la rémunération, la durée du contrat, le temps de travail et les horaires de travail. Nos résultats montrent l’ampleur des emplois de « mauvaise qualité » à la sortie du chômage et permettent d’identifier les facteurs d’exposition à ce risque.

Social Transformation and the Transition from Vocational Education to Work in Hungary: A Differences-in-differences Approach

The ‘dual system’ combining school-based vocational education with employer-provided training is often praised for effectively integrating young people into the labour market and recommended as a model for countries struggling with high youth unemployment. However, without an institutional framework supporting employer involvement, it has proven difficult to elicit or maintain what is essentially voluntary provision of training places by employers. Whenever employers are unwilling to train, school-provided training represents a viable alternative, but to date [the authors] know little about the relative effectiveness of school- versus employer-provided training. This study exploits a rapid shift of training provision from employers to vocational schools that occurred during the Hungarian transformation from socialism to capitalism to analyse how these different ways of organizing training affect the labour market entry of vocational graduates. [The authors’] expectation is that the substitution of employer-with school-provided training has resulted in higher unemployment and lower job quality, particularly on leaving school. Results from differences-in-differences analyses indicate that the shift in training provision from employers to schools between 1994 and 2000 has increased male vocational school graduates’ unemployment rate by 10 percentage points within the first two years after graduation. [The authors] find no effects of training organization on class position.

Parents' employment and children's wellbeing.

Since modern welfare reform began in the 1980s, we have seen low-income parents leave the welfare rolls and join the workforce in large numbers. At the same time, the Earned Income Tax Credit has offered a monetary incentive for low-income parents to work. Thus, unlike some of the other two-generation mechanisms discussed in this issue of Future of Children, policies that encourage low-income parents to work are both widespread and well-entrenched in the United States. But parents' (and especially mothers') work, writes Carolyn Heinrich, is not unambiguously beneficial for their children. On the one hand, working parents can be positive role models for their children, and, of course, the income they earn can improve their children's lives in many ways. On the other hand, work can impair the developing bond between parents and young children, especially when the parents work long hours or evening and night shifts. The stress that parents bring home from their jobs can detract from their parenting skills, undermine the atmosphere in the home, and thereby introduce stress into children's lives. Unfortunately, it is low-income parents who are most likely to work in stressful, low-quality jobs that feature low pay, little autonomy, inflexible hours, and few or no benefits. And low-income children whose parents are working are more likely to be placed in inadequate child care or to go unsupervised. Two-generation approaches, Heinrich writes, could maximize the benefits and minimize the detriments of parents' work by expanding workplace flexibility, and especially by mandating enough paid leave so that mothers can breastfeed and form close bonds with their infants; by helping parents place their children in high-quality child care; and by helping low-income parents train for, find, and keep a well-paying job with benefits.

Factors associated with trajectories of psychological distress for Australian fathers across the early parenting period

Little is known about the course of fathers' psychological distress and associated risk factors beyond the postnatal period. Therefore, the current study aimed to: (a) assess the course of distress over 7 years postnatally; (b) identify classes of fathers defined by their symptom trajectories; and (c) identify early postnatal factors associated with persistent symptoms. Data from 2,470 fathers in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children were analysed using latent growth modelling. Fathers' psychological distress was assessed using the Kessler-6 (Kessler et al. in Arch Psychiatry 60:184-189, 2003) when their children were aged 0-1, 2-3, 4-5 and 6-7 years. Overall, distress was highest in the first postnatal year and then decreased over time. Two distinct trajectories were identified. The majority of fathers (92%) were identified as having minimal distress in the first postnatal year which decreased over time, whilst 8% had moderate distress which increased over time. Low parental self-efficacy, poor relationship and job quality were associated with 'persistent and increasing distress'. Early postnatal factors associated with fathers' persistent distress were identified, providing opportunities for early identification and targeted early intervention.

Multi-Level Perspectives on the Causes of Job Design

High quality job design has been identified as one of the most important determinants of employee well-being and performance, and –hence- firm performance. Although research has settled on the identification of the key job characteristics and their moderating and mediating variables, surprisingly many employees are still working in low quality jobs. Against this background, this symposium draws attention to the determinants or causes of job design. Specifically, throughout the contributions we build a multilevel perspective and tap into (1) job crafting of individual employees, (2) job crafting of coworkers, (3) implicit theories of job designers, (4) organizational values and (5) national institutions as antecedents of job characteristics. This symposium provides theoretical and empirical papers from around the globe, which rely on high quality data and state of the art methodology. Our work therefore invites scholars to take the research on job design to the next level and provides insight in how good job design might be facilitated by taking a multi-stakeholder perspective. Job Crafting: A multi-level Typology and Integrated Framework Presenter: Rachel Nayani; Norwich Business School Presenter: Kevin Daniels; Norwich Business School Presenter: Olga Tregaskis; Norwich Business School How Intrinsic and Extrinsic Organization Values Relate to Job Demands and Job Resources. Presenter: Anja Van den Broeck; KU Leuven Presenter: Yannick Griep; Vrije U. Brussel Presenter: Elfi Baillien; KU Leuven Presenter: Maarten Sercu; External Service for Prevention and Protection at work Presenter: Hans De Witte; KU Leuven Presenter: Lode Godderis; Department of Public Health and Primary Care Enjoyment of Work and Driven to Work as Interacting Motivations to Job Craft Presenter: Gregory Allen Laurence; U. of Michigan, Flint Presenter: Yitzhak Fried; Syracuse U. The Influence of National Institutions on the Quality of Job Design in Europe from 1995 to 2010 Presenter: David Holman; The U. of Manchester Designing Work: What Task Allocations Come Naturally? Presenter: Sharon K. Parker; U. of Western Australia Presenter: Daniela Andrei; U. of Western Australia, Accelerated Learning Laboratory

Non-Standard Contingentt Employment and Job Satisfaction: A Panel Data Analysis

It is widely assumed that contingent forms of employment, such as fixed-term contracts, labour-hire and casual employment, are associated with low quality jobs. This hypothesis is tested using data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, a nationally representative household panel survey covering a country with a high incidence of non-standard employment. Ordered logit regression models of job satisfaction are estimated that hold constant all time-invariant individual differences as well as a range of observed time-varying characteristics.The results indicate that, among males, both casual employees and labour-hire workers (but not fixed-term contract workers) report noticeably lower levels of job satisfaction. Restricting the sample to persons aged 20-59 increases the estimated magnitudes of these effects. Negative effects for women are mainly restricted to labour-hire workers. We also show that the relationships between job satisfaction and contract type vary with educational attainment and the length of job tenure. Working hours arrangements also mediate the relationship.

Non-Standard 'Contingent' Employment and Job Satisfaction: A Panel Data Analysis

It is widely assumed that contingent forms of employment, such as fixed-term contracts, labour-hire and casual employment, are associated with low quality jobs. This hypothesis is tested using data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, a nationally representative household panel survey covering a country with a high incidence of non-standard employment. Ordered logit regression models of job satisfaction are estimated that hold constant all time-invariant individual differences as well as a range of observed time-varying characteristics. The results indicate that, among males, both casual employees and labour-hire workers (but not fixed-term contract workers) report noticeably lower levels of job satisfaction. Restricting the sample to persons aged 20-59 increases the estimated magnitudes of these effects. Negative effects for women are mainly restricted to labour-hire workers. We also show that the relationships between job satisfaction and contract type vary with educational attainment and the length of job tenure. Working hours arrangements also mediate the relationship.

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Interventions to Improve the Employability and Employment of Young People in Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries: A Systematic Review

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Interventions to Improve the Employability and Employment of Young People in Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries: A Systematic Review

Job types and job quality in Europe

This article shows how an analysis of job types can deepen our understanding of job quality and how job quality varies across 27 European countries. First, using the European Working Conditions Survey 2005, a taxonomy of six job types is developed and their quality established. This taxonomy suggests that there are different types of high- and low-quality jobs. Second, institutional theory is drawn on to examine why job quality varies cross-nationally. The results of a multilevel analysis indicate that national differences in institutional regimes (social democratic, continental, liberal, southern European, transitional) result in cross-national variation in both the level of job quality (i.e. the overall proportions of high- and low-quality jobs) and the nature of job quality (i.e. the particular types of high- and low-quality jobs found). It is concluded that institutional theory is able to explain the level but not the nature of cross-national variation in job quality.

Prevalence and Characteristics of Headache in Khoramabad, Iran

Background: Headache is a prevalent and disabling condition affecting people in all age groups worldwide, leading to low job performance and quality of life with a significant economic burden on societies. Objective: We evaluated headache prevalence and characteristics and some probable associated factors in patients referring to neurology specialist clinics. Study Design: Cross sectional study Setting: Clinics of Khoramabad and also those referring to the emergency department of Khoramabad University Hospital. Methods: One thousand patients with a chief concern of headache were assigned to the study. All patients filled out a structured questionnaire to gather demographic information and data on headache characteristics and associated factors, including past medical and psychiatric history, history of oral contraceptive pill (OCP) use, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) overuse, and menstruation. Results: The total prevalence of primary headaches was 78.2%, with migraine (with and without aura) being the most prevalent type with a prevalence of 41.6% followed by tension type headache found in 31.6% of the study population. Primary headaches were significantly more common in women and younger age groups. Factors found associated with a significantly higher prevalence of primary headaches were lower economic level, higher educational level, occupation, OCP use and NSAIDs overuse. Secondary headaches, with a total prevalence of 20.1%, significantly increased in older age groups and higher economic levels and were significantly less prevalent in higher educational levels. Limitations: The study population is not quite representative of the general population of Iran. Conclusion:‍‍ Results highlight the impact of socioeconomic factors on headache epidemiology in a developing country and demonstrate that OCPs and NSAIDs overuse might have an effect on the distribution of primary headaches. Further multicenter studies are needed to evaluate headache epidemiology in the whole country. Key words: headache, prevalance, migraine, tension-type headache

Trade Reform, Job Quality And Wages Of The Working Poor In Egypt: Evidence From Manufacturing Panel Data

This paper examines the impact of accelerating privatization and trade liberalization initiatives on wage and job quality outcomes of the working poor in the Egyptian manufacturing sector. Determinants of wage and job quality are estimated using panel and quantile regression methods and utilizing newly available labor survey data, merged with trade variables that capture decreased protection and increased competitive pressures over the period 1998-2006. Although the results indicate that trade reform in the form of lower tariffs and increased export promotion exert a small positive influence on the incomes of the poor, this might come at the expense of higher incidence of low quality jobs. Trade-related variables in general exert a minor influence on labor rewards for the poor in comparison to private sector employment and gender, which remain the main segmenting factors in the labor market. These findings underscore the importance of social protection and gender specific safety nets during the process of privatization. As trade liberalization progresses, policies that promote higher labor standard and „decent jobs. need also to be addressed.

Quality and Inequality of Jobs Created in MENA Region: The Case of Labor Market in Jordan

Using micro-level data sets, the current study constructs a Job Quality Index (JQI) for Jordanian wage and salaryworkers. Due to the unavailability of data for some years, the study covers only the period 2000–07. FactorAnalysis is utilized to compile the index based on the following four dimensions: adequate earnings;underemployment and overemployment (which together represent adequate working hours); and social security.The main findings of the study are as follows:(1) The JQI appears to have improved in 2007 compared to the mid-2000s, reaching similar levels of thoseprevailing in 2000. (2) There exists a persistent gender gap in favor of male workers, whose jobs arecharacterized by a higher JQI. This finding does not change even when taking into account other interveningvariables, particularly a worker’s age. Good jobs as a percentage of total jobs held by females appear to declinein 2007, unlike males, whose share of good jobs has grown in the same year. Therefore, no sign of convergencein job quality between males and females is detected. (3) JQI varies across education levels, however, lessobviously. Workers with basic education and lower are found to obtain considerably poorer jobs and jobsgenerally characterized with lower JQIs. (4) The JQI differs across age groups. New entrants to the labor marketand workers on the verge of retirement are more likely to have lower job quality in comparison with otherworkers belonging to age groups in the middle of their work lives. (5) The quality of jobs in agriculturalactivities is found to be on average lower than other activities. On the other hand, real estate activities tend tohave higher job quality ratings than other sectors, especially in 2007.

Quality of employment in Spain: analysis of the discourse of social agents

The aim of this paper is to present some of the results of our research in the quality of employment in Spain, in particular the study of the quality discourses of trade unions and employers and in general, the quality of employment discourse representing an outlet for union action, which is otherwise thwarted by market globalisation and deregulation. At the same time, it links and combines new discourses, e.g., on conservation or responsible consumers. Employers claim that workers in Spain lack the training needed for quality employment, but they do not accept any responsibility for this inadequacy. Instead, they use it as an excuse for the current low-quality jobs, and maintenance of the status quo until training deficiencies are corrected.

Social Network and Job Quality: Evidence from Cameroon

Using Cameroonian data, this paper investigates the effects of social network on job quality. Social network is measured in terms of using friends and relatives while looking for a job. As regards to job quality, two aspects have been taken into consideration: monetary job quality which is captured by wage and non monetary job quality which is captured by a combination of social protection and job security. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of social network as regard to job quality, we make use of both Heckman selection model and Ordered Logit model. Our findings contrast with previous studies. Job seekers who make use of social network do not necessarily get a good job. More precisely, while the users of social networks exhibit a wage premium, they also exhibit a low job quality in terms of social protection and job security. We also find that social network contributes to explain job quality differential according to gender and institutional sectors (formal versus informal).

Depression Risk among Mothers of Young Children: The Role of Employment Preferences, Labor Force Status and Job Quality

This study examines how desire for employment, employment status, and job quality associate with depressive symptoms among mothers of infants and toddlers. We use the longitudinal NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD) to estimate regression models with a variety of controls including prior depression. We find that employment in high-quality versus low-quality jobs is associated with reductions in depressive symptoms, both for mothers who do and do not desire employment. Furthermore, non-employed mothers have elevated depression levels only if they desire employment. Our results demonstrate that neither employment nor non-employment is best for all mothers of young children; rather mental health depends on mothers’ employment preferences and, when they do work for pay, job quality.