Mobility Of Workers Research Articles

Female community health volunteers' experience in navigating social context while providing basic diabetes services in western Nepal: Social capital and beyond from systems thinking.

The global burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has led to an increased mobilization of community health workers (CHWs) in the prevention and management of NCDs, particularly in resource-poor settings. However, little is known about the experiences of CHWs as they navigate the complex social context while proving home-based NCD management. This study aims to explore the experiences of female community health volunteers (FCHVs) in a community-based pilot project in western Nepal, specially regarding the social challenges they face while delivering basic type 2 diabetes (T2D) services. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, the study conducted two focus group discussions and nine in-depth interviews with a total of 14 and 9 FCHVs, respectively. Social Capital theory was employed to understand the sociological aspects. The findings shed light on the challenges encountered by FCHVs in expanding their social networks, building trust, and fostering reciprocity among T2D intervention recepients. Notably, social trust was a significant challenge, compounded by power dynamics related to gender and socioeconomic status. FCHVs managed to overcome these challenges through their perseverance, self-motivation, and leaveraging their strong bonding and linking social capital. The recognition they received from the community played a crucial role in sustaining their motivation. The study highlights the importance of FCHVs' strong social capital, supported by available resources and personal motivation, in overcoming social obstacles. It is imperative for community health interventions to anticipate challenges across various elements of social capital to ensure the long-term retention and motivation of CHWs. Establishing appropriate support systems that address personal motivating factors and the strengthen social capital is essential.

Investing in general human capital as a relational strategy: Evidence on flexible arrangements with contract workers

AbstractResearch SummaryThis article examines a firm's investment in the general skills of contract workers in flexible work arrangements. It theorizes that this investment may prolong a productive firm‐worker collaboration even when workers’ mobility barriers are low. It also proposes that achieving such benefits requires that the firm frames the relational benefits of the investments both to managers and workers. Such a “relational framing” mitigates worker concerns about subsequent productivity demands and manager concerns about worker mobility. Experimental and non‐experimental studies conducted in a multinational cosmetics direct sales company support the theory. Investments in the general skills of workers—even those in flexible work arrangements—can benefit both firms and workers by deepening the firm‐worker relationship while increasing value creation.Managerial SummaryShould companies train workers in general skills if the workers can easily leave and transfer productivity gains to competing firms? A common answer to this question is “no,” especially when targeting workers hired under flexible arrangements, such as gig workers and direct sales representatives. This article offers a different perspective. It predicts that these investments signal a company's commitment to nurture workers’ development. In turn, workers reciprocate by prolonging a more productive collaboration. Training thus benefits workers and companies. Using relational terms to frame training programs enables the promotion by managers of training opportunities, and uptake by workers. This framing overcomes managerial concerns about worker exit and worker concerns about subsequent productivity demands. Studies conducted in a multinational cosmetics direct sales company support these arguments.

Rehabilitation of Patients with Arthrogenic Muscular Inhibition in Pathologies of Knee Using Virtual Reality.

Arthrogenic muscle inhibition (AMI) refers to muscular alterations that are generated, producing biomechanical motor control and movement problems, leading to deficiencies in strength and atrophy. Currently, there exist methods that involve virtual reality (VR) and have been well perceived by physiotherapists. The present research measured the potential benefits in terms of therapeutic adherence and speed of recovery, through a comparative analysis in a healthcare provider institution, in Medellín, Colombia, with and without the aid of VR. For this purpose, dynamometry, and surface electromyography (sEMG) signal acquisition tools were used. The treatment involved neuromodulation, ranges of motion and mobility work, strengthening and reintegration into movement, complemented with TENS, NMENS and therapeutic exercise, where the patient was expected to receive a satisfactory and faster adherence and recovery. A group of 15 people with AMI who include at least 15 min of VR per session in their treatment were compared with another group who received only the base treatment, i.e., the control group. Analyzing the variables individually, it is possible to affirm that VR, as a complement, statistically significantly improved the therapeutic adherence in 33.3% for CG and 37.5% for IG. Additionally, it increased strength with both legs, the symmetry between them, and decreased the level of pain and stiffness that is related to mobility.

The Hybrid Approach to the Free Flow of Skilled Labour in ASEAN: Analysis and Implications

The free flow of skilled labour, business persons, and talents (referred to as skilled labour) is considered as one of the elements contributing to the foundation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) Economic Community (AEC). The facilitation of ASEAN’s free flow of skilled labour is arguably unsuccessful because ASEAN members have preserved many constraints on the mobility of skilled workers. This research aims to analyse the hybrid approach to the free flow of skilled labour in ASEAN, which combines the liberalization of the movement of natural persons and qualification harmonization in accordance with the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services (AFAS), ASEAN Trade in Services Agreement, ASEAN Agreement on Natural Persons, Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRAs), and ASEAN Qualification Reference Framework). The authors conceptualize the hybrid approach to the free flow of skilled labour in ASEAN to more effectively implement the regional provisions on the free flow of skilled and analyse its appropriateness and limitations. The research concludes that, for the long-term goal of upgrading the skills of ASEAN’s workforce, the hybrid approach is appropriate to ASEAN’s regional labour integration, under the principle of non-interference and the status of shortage of skilled labour. The authors propose several implications for ASEAN’s Member States to take advantage of the hybrid approach, maximize opportunities and reduce impediments from the impacts of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the ‘job polarization’ phenomenon. Free flow of skilled labour, ASEAN, hybrid approach, brain circulation, job polarization, MNP, MRA, AQRF

Scarce resources or damaged goods? On the legitimacy of laid‐off workers following MNC failure

AbstractResearch SummaryWe contribute to theorizing global human resource strategy by analyzing the mobility of workers laid off due to the failure of a MNC employer. The job opportunities of laid‐off workers are affected by their industry legitimacy. Focusing on scarce specialized workers, we propose that prospective MNC employers share an interest in retaining such workers' legitimacy. However, in the light of organizational failure, they may suffer from cross‐border legitimacy loss conditioned by their former employer's MNC structure—specifically, their former organizational units or geographical locations. We present an illustrative case study of traders laid off by a spectacular bankruptcy in the global bunker industry. This inspires a discussion of how MNC top management can manipulate worker legitimacy following an organizational failure.Managerial SummaryStrategic hiring of globally mobile scarce specialized workers is central to global human resource strategy. We analyze what drives the legitimacy and mobility of such workers after being laid off by a bankruptcy of their former employer. We demonstrate that laid off workers experience comparatively high legitimacy loss when they were previously assigned to an MNC organizational unit or geographical location where other workers were suspected of being responsible for failure. This weakens their bargaining position vis‐a‐vis a prospective employer. We present an illustrative case study of traders laid off by a spectacular bankruptcy in the global bunker oil industry.

Employment Mobility in East Java During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The study examines the mobility of workers between the formal and informal sectors in East Java, Indonesia. The potential mobilities of workers are examined, not only from the formal to informal sector and from informal to formal sector, but also the movement of new entrants (who do not have a job in the past) to the formal-informal sector jobs. Using the 2021 National Labor Force Survey (SAKERNAS), the study contributes to the literature by examining the mobilities in the case of developing countries during an economic downturn during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study is essential in supporting the policies in the region with the existence of a large informal sector in the labor market. Using probit regression, the study found that workers who have previously worked in the formal sector are more likely to enter (re-enter) formal sector employment when the economy starts recovering in 2021. In contrast, workers previously employed in the informal sector have a lower probability of moving to the formal sector. The study continues examining the implications of the different income levels of formal and informal sector workers. The results using Heckman's bias correction selection show that new entrants (workers who have no job previously or freshly graduated) earn more earnings than workers who have previously been employed in the formal-informal sector. One possible reason is the role of digitalization and working-from-home activities that might support, particularly young educated people, to work productively during the pandemic.

‘Stability is a foggy concept’: work stability from the perspective of young people with mobility experiences

ABSTRACT Currently, substantial attention is being paid to flexibility in the working life of young people. Stability is a conceptual companion of flexibility; however, its role has been vastly underestimated in the literature on working life. The key aim of this article is to explore the processes of meaning-making concerning work stability among young people with mobility experiences. Focusing on the intersection between career studies, mobility studies, and youth studies, the aim is to answer the following research questions. (1) How do young people with mobility experiences perceive stability in the context of the labour market? (2) What are the roles of spatial mobility and previous work experience in the perception of work stability? Based on qualitative data, the process of defining, redefining, questioning and denying the concept of work stability is discussed, showing that this process is subject to continuous verification and re-evaluation based on previous work experiences.

Freedom of movement versus freedom of work? Coping with the mobility of indigenous workers in a palm oil concession in French Congo (1910-1940)

ABSTRACT In colonial French Congo, one of the main challenges for labor relations was the need to reconcile contradictory efforts to promote the mobility of native workers while also stabilizing (or immobilizing) the workforce. As the interests of colonial employers and officials overlapped and merged, so did the status of indigenous workers evolve according to how administrative and economic leaders categorized indigenous work. Indigenous workers were therefore progressively categorized as migrant workers, deserters or vagrants. The political instruments which were supposed to ensure the circulation of migrant workers particularly (the laissez-passer, worker logbooks, orders regulating the flow of the workforce within the colony, etc.) were perversely used to constrain worker movement. Drawing on the archives of the French colonial administration and the private archives of the Compagnie Française du Haut-Congo, this article tries to grasp the relation between freedom and (im)mobility in the context of a colonial concession. In that context, colonial leaders sought to control of mobility for purposes relating to the construction of a local labor market, the consolidation of governmental rationality and the stabilization of colonial order.

Labour Market Concentration and Worker Mobility: Evidence from Online Vacancies

This paper uses big data on German online vacancies to investigate the impact of local labour market concentration on wages. Herfindahl-Hirschman Indexes are calculated based on the number of vacancies posted by firms in geographic-occupational labour markets. Based on IV results, a 1% increase in labour market concentration decreases posted wages for full-time employees by 0.098%. Workers who can work remotely do not face negative wage effects from labour market concentration suggesting that worker mobility can mitigate the negative wage effects of labour market concentration. While most vacancies occur in competitive labour markets, rural areas exhibit notable concentration.

The role of labor market frictions in structural transformation*

ABSTRACT Growth is closely related to structural transformation, the reallocation of economic activity among sectors. A well-functioning labor market plays an important role in this process by enabling workers to find employment in the growing, more productive sectors. We review the literature on labor market frictions that limit worker flows, slow structural transformation, and trap workers in poverty. The three main areas of focus are the extent of sectoral wage gaps, labor market dynamics, and evidence on specific frictions. Evidence in each area points to the presence of frictions that hinder worker reallocation. The literature also suggests policies that may help remediate frictions and improve worker mobility. We conclude by noting several open questions that provide promising avenues for future work.

Spatial mobility and overeducation of young workers: New evidence from France

AbstractThis paper explores the influence of spatial mobility on the risk of overeducation of French young workers. Mobilizing a survey following a cohort of young graduates entering the labour market from 2010 until 2013, our results reveal that interregional migration decreases the risk of (statistical and subjective) overeducation. We also evidence that migration to an economic centre (the Paris region) has an even stronger negative effect and that more educated workers benefit more from spatial mobility. These results are robust to controlling for self‐selection and the endogeneity of migration, as well as to various specifications of the model.

The role of public-private partnerships in facilitating international migration of semi-skilled workers–A case study of Varanasi and nearby districts

This study focuses on the role of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in addressing skill gaps and enhancing the labor mobility of semi-skilled workers in Varanasi, India. The research aims to explore the impact of PPPs on labor mobility, factors influencing migration decisions, and the role of private agencies in facilitating international mobility. The findings underscore the importance of collaboration between public and private sectors and suggest policy implications such as strengthening skill development, comprehensive information dissemination, pre-departure orientation, institutional support, monitoring recruitment agencies, financial inclusion, cross-cultural training, and promoting returnee entrepreneurship. This study provides insights for effective migration policies benefiting both origin and destination countries by empowering migrant workers.

COVID-19 and the Palm Oil Industry: Navigating recovery

This article unfolds the current state of the palm oil industry following the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the industry being allowed to operate given strict standard operating procedures, palm oil production has depicted a declining trend since 2018. One of the contributing factors is foreign worker shortages for maintenance and palm oil harvesting. Therefore, this article proposes the mechanization and mobilization of local workers, as well as the challenges and the way forward for Malaysia.

An evolutionary multi-task assignment method adapting to travel convenience in mobile crowdsensing

Mobile crowdsensing (MCS) is a powerful IoT sensing model that leverages the mobility of workers and the sensors embedded in smartphones to sense diverse phenomena in the city. The task assignment in MCS is primarily location-based, with workers traveling to the corresponding location to complete tasks. Assigning tasks that are far away from a worker’s destination may cause inconvenience. Thus, this paper shortens remaining distances to improve workers’ travel convenience, which may, however, negatively impact the MCS platform’s utility. To strike a balance between these two objectives, we assign different weights to them and transfer them into a single objective optimization problem. Then we propose an evolutionary algorithm, the Travel Convenience Adaptive algorithm based on Genetic Algorithm (TCA-GA), to solve the objective optimization problem. We determine the appropriate weights for each objective under different experiment settings and conduct an experimental analysis based on synthetic and real-world datasets. The results verify that the proposed algorithm can effectively improve workers’ travel convenience while the MCS platform’s utility is maintained at a high level.

Full Potential Linearized Augmented Plane Wave Calculations of Electron and Positron Energy Levels in TlBr and TlCl

Abstract Theoretical research was conducted on the energy levels of electrons and positrons in zinc-blend TlBr and TlCl using the first-principle full potential linearized augmented plane wave method based on the gradient generalized approximation GGA. The study involved the calculation of electron and positron band structures which provided predictive data on several properties such as positron mobility, positron affinity, diffusion constants, effective masses, and positronium work function.

Structural Change, Services Sector and Intergenerational Occupational Mobility in India: Some Exploratory Evidence

This study investigates into intergenerational occupational mobility of Indian workers towards and within service sectors during globalization. In particular, such mobility of workers is observed in the presence of structural shift of the economy towards service industry, especially towards service trade, and explores whether there is intergenerational mobility towards services and more ­skill-oriented occupations in India during 1999–2011. The Altham measure of relative mobility is applied on the National Sample Survey Organization employment–unemployment survey database to measure the degree of association between occupational choice of fathers and co-resident sons in urban India. An upward mobility among sons is observed between 1999–2000 and 2011–2012. JEL Codes: F14, F16, J62, L80, C46

The persistence of a bad idea - Review: Quinlan Michael, Contesting Inequality and Worker Mobilization: Australia 1851–1880, Routledge Studies in Employment and Work Relations in Context, Francis & Hope, 2020

The persistence of a bad idea - Review: Quinlan Michael, Contesting Inequality and Worker Mobilization: Australia 1851–1880, Routledge Studies in Employment and Work Relations in Context, Francis & Hope, 2020

Health practitioner regulation and national health goals.

The role of health practitioner regulation in ensuring patient safety is well recognized. Less recognized is the role of regulation in addressing broader health system priorities. These goals include managing the costs, capacities and distribution of health professional education institutions; ensuring the competence and equitable distribution of health workers; informing workforce planning and mobilization; enabling the use of digital technologies; and addressing challenges related to the international mobility of health workers. Even where health practitioner regulation is designed to advance these goals, important gaps exist between the potential of regulatory systems and their performance. The response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led many countries to introduce regulatory changes to allow more flexibility and innovations in the mobilization of health practitioners. Building on this experience, we need to critically re-examine health practitioner regulatory systems to ensure that these systems support rather than impede progress towards national health goals. We discuss the role of health practitioner regulation in contemporary health systems, highlighting recent regulatory reforms in selected countries, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. We identify the importance of dynamic, effective and flexible health practitioner regulatory systems in progress towards universal health coverage and health security.

‘God Gave us Legs to Walk!’

Domestic work is a major source of income for many Black African women in South Africa. The experience of domestic workers is mainly shaped along racial and class lines – this is a result of the remnants of the legacy of apartheid, where many Coloured and African women were dependent on employment in the domestic work sphere. This article considers the experiences of a group of Coloured female domestic workers in a coastal town in South Africa. Drawing on ten qualitative interviews, I show how their experiences are framed around issues of mobility – this includes moving to work and moving at work and the consequences of immobility in the world of work. Most research that deals with issues of mobility in domestic work focuses on migration patterns. This novel approach to understanding the notion of mobility for domestic workers contributes to the existing literature on domestic work in South Africa but extends the conceptualisation of movement beyond migration patterns. The article also makes a much-needed contribution to understanding the experience of domestic work in rural settings in South Africa. This is done by exploring the coping strategies that the participants employ to support themselves and their families. Networks and family ties form an essential component of the financial and emotional survival of this group of women. The role of social capital is also investigated as it plays an important role in forging trust and reciprocity among participants of this study.

Роль внутренней трудовой миграции в истории Дацинского нефтяного месторождения (1949–1978 годы)

This paper determines the role of the Chinese state policy in using internal labour migration to ensure accelerated socialist construction of such large industrial facilities as the Daqing Oil Field. The history of the People’s Republic of China from 1949 to 1978 is rich in examples of labour mobilization of military and technical workers as well as young people for the construction and organization of industrial enterprises in adverse climatic conditions. After the discovery of the Daqing Oil Field in the north-eastern province of Heilongjiang in 1959, more than 40,000 military men, engineers and oil workers were relocated to this facility. Chinese workers from the eastern and western provinces took an active part in organizing the process of exploration, drilling, oil extraction and transportation, as well as launching water supply and building storage facilities. Labour migrants were quick to establish new modern settlements in the oil field area under extremely harsh northern conditions. Daqing Oil Field workers steadfastly endured all the hardships, their main slogan being as follows: “Work hard, overcome difficulties, do your best to fight”. The selfless work of internal migrants was highly appreciated by the Chinese government and the Chinese society as a whole. Over 5,000 factories and enterprises throughout China manufactured mechanical and electrical products as well as equipment for the Daqing Oil Field; 200 research and development departments provided technical support to its workers. In the 1960s, an economic campaign “Learn Everything from Daqing” was launched, aimed to share the experience of building this oil field with other regions of China. Party and government officials Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, Dong Biwu, He Long and Chen Yi had repeatedly visited Daqing to inspect the work and evaluate the role of labour migrants from other provinces in the development of the oil industry in Northeast China.