Employment Options Research Articles

An exploration of how nurse education practices may influence student nurses’ perception of working in aged care as a registered nurse: A Foucauldian discourse analysis.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, fewer than two percent of graduating nurses identify aged care as a preferred employment option. Influences contributing to this statistic are multifactorial, ranging from societal norms and values, to health, education and economic policies. In this article, we argue that undergraduate nurse education is a contributor to this issue by constructing working in aged care as having lower status or less value than working in other health care areas. Foucauldian discourse analysis permitted us to examine this issue by exploring the dominant discourses being deployed in relation to clinical experience in aged care. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 10 senior academic staff members from Aotearoa New Zealand tertiary institutions. Interview data were analysed and revealed how a ‘nurse education discourse’ and a ‘work ready discourse’, were shaping perceptions of aged care as a clinical experience in a variety of ways. These two discourses constructed aged care either: as a convenient learning space for developing foundation skills, or as a learning space to access only when other more desirable spaces were unavailable. Aged care was also promoted as a place of employment for the less able nursing student on graduation. Findings suggest that how and why aged care is utilised as a space to learn a range of nursing skills has the unintended effect of devaluing and discouraging employment in aged care settings. This article argues there is a collective need to go beyond curricula and uncover what is actually conveyed through the educational process to students about working in aged care.

COVID-19 in China: A Rapid Review of the Impacts on the Mental Health of Undergraduate Students.

Public health crises pose challenges for governments and health systems, and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has presented major challenges to humans worldwide. In the context of COVID-19 in China, we explore the impacts of the pandemic on the mental health of undergraduate students. We examine pandemic prevention and control measures in Chinese universities through a rapid review and use our findings to explain the difficulties that undergraduate students face. Moreover, our analysis examines the impacts on five aspects of mental health: emotional aspects, personality, interpersonal relationships, learning behavior and employment options. Additionally, we provide implications in four areas based on the application of the study: strengthening psychological intervention, promoting government information disclosure, improving family communication and adjusting self-awareness.

"Livelihood Security of Migrated Farm Labours during COVID-19 Lockdown: Evidence from North Karnataka Region"

"During the COVID-19 pandemic, migrant workers encountered a number of obstacles. As a result of the country’s lockdown, millions of migrant workers have lost their jobs, income, and food. The response of migrant labour to livelihood security during the covid-19 outbreak was explored in North Karnataka. This study looked into the alternative employment options available to migrant workers who went home to avoid the outbreak. The purpose of this study is to apply logistic regression and path analysis to see what factors influenced agricultural migrant households’ livelihood security when they returned home following the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. The factors impacting livelihood security, according to the results of logistic regression, were family size, household income, and income from non-agriculture, dependency ratio, migrating reason, and average age of migrants. This study looks at the socioeconomic conditions of migrant workers as well as the factors that affect their capacity to earn a living."

Questioning the role of information poverty in immigrant employment acquisition: empirical evidence from African immigrants in Canada

PurposeSkilled, well-educated African immigrants arrive in Canada with aspirations for more opportunities and a better life, but too often end up with few employment options and precarious jobs. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the experiences of African immigrants attempting to locate suitable, well-compensated employment in Canada. More specifically, this paper reveals how long-standing information poverty frameworks from the field of information behavior are inadequate for understanding intersectional and broader socio-cultural forces influence access to information and employment precarity among African immigrants.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through semi-structured interviews with twenty-five African immigrants in Metro Vancouver. Qualitative content analysis was used to explore participants' employment information seeking and perceptions of information availability using Britz's information poverty framework.FindingsParticipants encountered a range of difficulties when seeking information related to employment, including content, process and identity-related challenges, in alignment with Britz's framework. However, the framework did not fully encompass their information seeking experiences. Limited access to relevant information impacted participants' ability to make timely career decisions, and there was evidence of information inequity resulting from a mismatch between information provision and participants' multifaceted identities.Originality/valueThis research applied Britz's information poverty approaches and provided a map of participants' responses to information seeking challenges. Participants did not fit into the category of information poor as defined by Britz. The findings suggest that the discourse on information poverty would benefit from considerations of the diverse backgrounds of information seekers and the incorporation of cultural dimensions to understandings of information access, information poverty and technology use for information seeking.

Losing talent by partnering up? The impact of R&D collaboration on employee mobility

Firms frequently enter collaborations with other organizations for the purpose of innovating. In this paper, we argue that engaging in R&D collaboration can have the unintended consequence of increasing the mobility of highly skilled personnel. We investigate our research question using a representative dataset that combines information from the Swedish Community Innovation Survey (CIS) with employer–employee registry data. Our econometric analysis shows that R&D collaborations by firms are associated with higher levels of outgoing mobility among skilled employees, particularly among those with technical (“STEM”) education and master's or doctoral degrees. We also find support for the interpretation that R&D collaboration augments employees’ general human capital, subsequently increasing their outside employment options. We discuss important implications for firm collaboration strategies.

Rising Glaucoma Burden in Pakistan: A Wake-up Call for Nationwide screening?

A significant rise of 55% in blindness and vision impairment in Pakistan has been reported over the last few decades, with blindness being the third most common eye disorder in the country1. Among its different causes one of the leading cause is glaucoma, with an age standardized prevalence of 0.14 million1. Glaucoma comprises a group of diseases that can result in irreversible damage to optic nerves and vision loss, it affects 3.1 million people around the world2. The occurrence of glaucoma in elderly has increased in the last few decades and a significant rise in the burden of eye diseases, including glaucoma, in Pakistan, is predicted by the year 20251. Primary open-angle glaucoma is the most common form of glaucoma; it is asymptomatic in the early stages and patients usually present after significant damage to nerve fibres. One of the major risk factors for this disease is advancing age, being most prevalent in people over 40 years of age1. Moreover, a study conducted in Pakistan reported a high prevalence of primary open angle glaucoma in individuals over the age of 503. While glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness, the risk of blindness posed may be profoundly diminished with early diagnosis; a study suggests a marked decrease in blindness due to glaucoma owing to early diagnoses4. In Pakistan, however, health seeking behaviour is already suboptimal. Additionally, a significant lack of awareness about glaucoma has also been reported in Pakistan, specifically in populations over the age of 455, which is the age group at the greatest risk of development of glaucoma. Proper access to eye health has been associated with employment prospects and economic productivity, especially in developing countries like Pakistan2, while loss of vision can lead to poor quality of life, especially in a country with very few options for meeting the needs of those who are visually impaired, leaving them with limited options for employment, hence forcing them to be dependent on others. This can collectively have a negative impact on a developing nation’s economy. Considering the aforementioned factors, it goes without saying how incredibly imperative it is to devise a thorough strategic plan for screening, prevention and diagnosis, coupled with necessary awareness programmes to curb and reduce the instances of glaucoma and glaucoma-associated complications as a whole.

The Role of Climatic and Non-Climatic Factors in Smallholder Farmers’ Adaptation Responses: Insights from Rural Ethiopia

This paper discusses how climatic and non-climatic factors, either separately or together, shape the adaptation responses of smallholder farmers in the Raya Azebo district of Ethiopia. Their adaptation responses included adjusting planting periods, crop diversification, changing crop types, adopting improved seeds, using irrigation, conducting migration, participation in wage employment, selling local food and drinks, and owning small shops. These adaptation responses were motivated by various climatic (e.g., drought and rainfall variability) as well as non-climatic factors (e.g., market conditions, yield-related factors, land scarcity, labor shortages, soil fertility issues, crop diseases, and limited local employment options). We therefore argue (i) that successful adaptation requires a broader understanding not just of climatic factors but also of the various social-ecological factors that shape smallholder farmers’ adaptations; and (ii) that the successful design and implementation of locally appropriate planned adaptation interventions require the inclusion of both climatic and non-climatic factors.

Biosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles from Cymbopogon citratus Leaf Extract and Evaluation of Their Antimicrobial Properties

Background: Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are toxic to microorganisms and can potentially kill multidrug-resistant bacteria. Nanoparticles can be synthesized in many ways, such as physical or chemical methods. Recently, it has been found that plant molecules can perform the same reduction reactions necessary for the production of nanoparticles but in a much more efficient way. Results: Here, green chemistry was employed to synthesize AgNPs using leaf extracts of Cymbopogon citratus. The effects of different parameters such as temperature, pH, and the volume of plant extract were also tested using their absorbance pattern at different wavelengths. The Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) changed with the changes in parameters. Changes in temperature from 20 °C to 60 °C have changed the highest absorbance from 0.972 to 3.893 with an SPR of 470 nm. At higher pH (11.1), the particles become highly unstable and have irregular shapes and sizes. The peak shifts to the right at a lower pH level (3.97), indicating a smaller but unstable compound. We have also investigated the effect of the volume of plant extracts on the reaction time. The sample with the highest amount of plant extract showed the most absorbance with a value of 0.963 at λmax, calculated to be 470 nm. The total formation of the AgNPs was observed visually with a color change from yellow to brownish-black. UV-visible spectroscopy was used to monitor the quantitative formation of AgNPs, showing a signature peak in absorbance between 400 and 500 nm. We have estimated the size of the nanoparticles as 47 nm by comparing the experimental data with the theoretical value using Mieplot. The biosynthesized AgNPs showed enhanced antibacterial activity against several multidrug-resistant bacteria, determined based on the minimal inhibitory concentration and zone of inhibition. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that an aqueous extract of C. citratus can synthesize AgNPs when silver nitrate is used as a precursor, and AgNPs act as antimicrobial property enhancers, which can be used to treat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Hence, mass production and green synthesis of AgNPs from C. citratus will be able to increase the overall health of the general population. Moreover, it will enormously reduce the costs for drug development and provide employment options in the remotely located source areas. Finally, our findings will influence further studies in this field to better understand the properties and applications of AgNPs and ultimately contribute to improving planetary health by increasing immunity with high biocompatibility and less drug toxicity.

Growing Gigs: A Conceptual Report on Job Autonomy and Work Engagement on Gig Workers’ Performance

Gig workers are becoming increasingly prevalent in the workforce, which has fuelled the growth of project-based and freelance employment options. Gig workers are people who work as independent contractors or freelancers on a temporary basis, usually in the service industry. This concept paper begins by addressing the rise of the gig economy, notably in Malaysia, and then goes on to analyse how job autonomy and work engagement influence the performance of gig workers. This paper employs the job demand resources (JD-R) model, which is a critical model for describing how demands and resources interact and forecasting important organisational outcomes. Job autonomy is examined in relation to work engagement and gig workers’ performance. It is assumed that these relationships reflect motivational processes of the JD–R model. Additionally, we emphasised the need for further investigation to show that gig workers' performance is influenced by their job autonomy and work engagement. We will construct a viable research agenda based on the review, which will include opportunities for theoretical advancement as well as empirical findings in gig economy studies. As a result, both employers and practitioners may benefit from fostering job autonomy and engagement in order to improve performance among gig workers.

Home-based work or non-home-based work? Factors influencing work choices of women in the informal sector

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to determine the factors influencing the job choices of Indian women working in the informal manufacturing sector. The informal sector has always played a significant role in emerging and developing countries. This study investigates the effect of social cultural norms influencing women informal workers in the manufacturing sector to participate in home-based work (HBW) or non-home-based work (non-HBW) .Design/methodology/approachBoth Quantitative and Qualitative methodology have been used. In accordance with descriptive statistics, a multinomial logistic regression model was employed to assess women's likelihood of participation in home-based activities. To gain a more in-depth insight, semi-structured interviews were used to collect the perspectives of both men and women workers. The data were analysed using narrative analysis.FindingsThe findings reveal that a high fixed cost is a key driver of HBW. Workers prefer to work from home when the loss of joint household production due to working outside is substantial. Social and cultural standards play a significant effect in job selection for women. These conventions limit women's employment options, and the current study demonstrates that strong social and cultural standards limit women to home-based jobs only.Social implicationsEnhancing women's involvement in the public realm is critical and may be accomplished by affirmative action; but, for women to be treated equally in their homes and in society, an attitude shift is necessary. Despite the government's initiatives and regulations aimed at protecting informal women workers, many of the programmes and legislation fall short. The position of women in this environment cannot be improved until and unless the norms of society are flexible and liberal for Indian women. The first step would be to educate people and make them aware of the need to abandon outdated practices and embrace new progressive ideals. It will not be achievable just via government efforts; rather, both the government and society must work together to achieve the same goal.Originality/valueThe author hereby declares that this submission is their own work and to the best of their knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. The author would like to undertake the above-mentioned manuscript has not been published elsewhere or under editorial review for publication elsewhere; and that all co-authors have agreed to have seen and approved the manuscript for submission.

Creating and Optimizing Employment Opportunities for Women in the Clean Energy Sector in Canada

Women are a minority in the energy sector everywhere in the world—and Canada is no exception. Concerns about climate change and fossil fuel insecurity have ensured significant interest in Canada in the technologies and financing for transitioning to clean energy, but far too little attention is being paid to the employment equity implications of such a transition. Despite growing awareness that renewables like wind, solar, and bioenergy generate a much larger volume of employment than fossil fuels, even organizations committed to advocating for social justice in debates about environmental sustainability in Canada have never specifically mentioned gender inequity. This article identifies opportunities and constraints for women’s employment in the renewable and clean energy sector in Canada. Broad findings from this research suggest that women can gain optimal traction from clean energy initiatives only if there are wider socially progressive policies in place. Since women’s ability to take advantage of new energy-related employment options is often constrained by social barriers that limit their access to certain types of education, training, and employment, it is crucial social equity policies go beyond energy sector planning to optimize economic opportunities for women. The conversation about gender equity in Canada’s green economy is currently incipient and tokenistic. Raising awareness is therefore urgent and critical.

Australian pharmacy student perceptions of employment in the pharmaceutical industry

AbstractBackgroundIn Australia, the predicted oversupply of pharmacists is contributing to concern regarding employment prospects. Traditionally, there have been low numbers of pharmacists employed in the Australian pharmaceutical industry and a lack of data on pharmacy students’ perceptions of employment within this sector.AimTo determine pharmacy students’ understanding and perceptions of the pharmaceutical industry as an employment option.MethodAustralian pharmacy students graduating in 2018 were invited to complete an online survey. Participants were recruited via Facebook sites for the National Australian Pharmacy Students’ Association, the Early Career Pharmacists group of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) and through intern training networks of the PSA, the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and Chemist Warehouse. Australian universities were also approached via e‐mail to assist in distribution of the survey to their 2018 graduates.ResultsComplete responses were received from 124 students, representing 17 universities. Most respondents perceived the pharmaceutical industry as a good employment option (61%). However, they generally lacked understanding (77%), information and sufficient exposure to industry to fully comprehend the potential employment opportunities available. Furthermore, placements in the pharmaceutical industry are not universally available to pharmacy students, and less than 20% had undertaken such a placement. Respondents desired industry placements (81%), education (86%) and more exposure to this career option during their studies (86%).ConclusionFurther research is needed on how Australian universities, the pharmaceutical industry and the pharmacy profession can collaborate to raise awareness of industry as a career option and equip graduates for these employment opportunities.

Prospects of Agriculture as a Lifelong Livelihood Option for Young Indian Rural Population

There is a huge untapped reservoir of employment opportunities in agriculture which requires cultivating the young generation of farmers, food entrepreneurs, etc. Due to agricultural innovations made at the global and national level, the young population can leverage technology, leading to increase in productivity, efficiency and output and addressing the issue of food security. For promoting employment for youths in agriculture and making farming a remunerative economic activity, initiatives have been taken by FAO and by Government of India. The present study focuses on demographic profile of the youth, explores agriculture as an economically viable livelihood option for the youth and highlights the Indian Government policy measures and technological interventions for making agriculture an attractive employment option; discusses the initiatives taken by FAO for promotion of employment in agriculture and finally paper concludes by examining the role of rural youth in addressing the challenge of food security at the national level.

Are Technology and Engineering Educator Programs Really Declining? Reexamining the Status and Characteristics of Programs in the United States

Decades of research have reported declining trends in undergraduate industrial arts, industrial technology education, technology education, and technology and engineering (T&E) teacher preparation programs (TPPs) (Love et al., 2016; Moye, 2017; Scott & Buffer, 1995; Volk, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2019). Numerous reasons have been cited for this declining trajectory, such as steep costs associated with program materials and equipment, not replacing faculty upon retirement, political action by education departments, lucrative competing industry employment options, negative perceptions of teaching as a career, and other outside factors (Volk, 2000, 2019). However, there are several certification, degree, and coursework pathways preparing T&E educators beyond traditional undergraduate TPPs. Past studies have not accounted for these other preparation pathways and programs. Therefore, this study used content analyses and descriptive statistics to identify active programs offering certification coursework or degrees related to T&E education in the United States (U.S.). Additionally, this study examined various characteristics of those programs. The findings revealed more T&E educator-related undergraduate and graduate programs than reported in previous studies, and there was an increase in the number of bachelor’s degrees conferred. The study also found a noticeable difference among program characteristics in areas such as title and focus. This study provides implications for higher education institutions, state departments of education, teacher educators, and researchers to reevaluate the supply of T&E teachers in the U.S. while also reflecting on the focus and characteristics of T&E educator programs.

Veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom: Employment Status Following Traumatic Amputation.

The population of veterans experiencing traumatic amputation grows at a rate disproportionate to the general population. This study explores the current employment experience of veterans living with traumatic amputation and the relationship among demographic, health and amputation related characteristics, employment status and service utilization, and perceived barriers to employment. Survey data from veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) were gathered on health and amputation, employment, service utilization, and perceived barriers to employment. Pearson chi-square tests, Fisher's exact tests, and one-way analysis of variance were used to compare these measures between the employment categories. Education level, annual household income, and disability benefit income were significantly related to employment status. Pain was found to significantly, negatively relate to employment status. Level of amputation and prosthesis use did not relate to employment status. Given the role of employment and the impact of an amputation on functional and psychosocial well-being, comprehensive supports to include pain management, exploration of one's sense of meaning and achievement, including how veterans may contribute to their community, educational or skill-based opportunities, greater education on Veteran disability benefits, support utilization, and employment options including workplace accommodations should be considered and offered to veterans in a customized manner.

The effect of seasonal work visas on native employment: Evidence from US farm work in the Great Recession

AbstractEvidence on the labor‐market effect of immigration focuses on permanent migrants, though a large share of international labor mobility is temporary and seasonal. This paper estimates the marginal native employment effect of policy restrictions on foreign seasonal farm workers in the United States. It exploits two natural experiments: a legal requirement to give hiring preference to natives, and an exogenous change in natives' next‐best employment options during the Great Recession of 2007–2008. The local elasticity of natives' occupational labor supply is 0.0015, implying a minimal marginal effect of seasonal work visa restrictions on native employment.

Impact Of Rural Development Program On Agriculture Production and Rural-Urban Migration In Indonesia

Indonesia is a very fertile agrarian country. Agriculture almost provides 40 per cent of jobs for the population. Ironically, agriculture is often identified with poverty. Farming is often engage with underemployment and become the last employment option for the job seeker. On the other hand, the ever-increasing numbers of Indonesian demand on food should be a potential market for the agricultural industry. However, domestic production and supply are often inadequate, forcing the government to import. The government is very vigorous in the construction of various infrastructure to support the development of agricultural field. Starting from the construction of supporting physical facilities such as irrigation to various training programs and capital. Therefore, this study will analyse the impact of various rural development programs that the Indonesian government has made on agricultural production in Indonesia. This study used two types of control variables to control the impact of the infrastructure development program. The first type is derived from the characteristics of farmers such as, various demographic characteristics and risk behaviour. Second is the control variable derived from the natural state such as geography and weather characteristics. The analysis used is panel data regression analysis on IFLS data. Based on the results of the analysis, we find that there is not enough solid evidence that various government programs are able to increase agricultural production. However, other results indicate that there is a tendency for people not to move to urban areas compared to before the program. This indicates a future opportunity to improve and resume various programs that have been implemented.

Gender and educational decisions in basic vocational training: discussions and experiences in Spain

ABSTRACT Basic vocational training (BVT) represents a new opportunity within the Spanish education system to reduce the school drop-out rate and ease the transition into the workplace. However, this educational route is highly male-dominated and presents a high degree of segregation by gender and pathways. It was therefore necessary to carry out a gender-based analysis and investigate the processes, options and reasons behind students’ decisions to opt for a particular professional category. To achieve this, we carried out 35 in-depth interviews at educational centres that teach BVT in the Valencian Community, Spain. Our main findings were that BVT is not only highly male-dominated, but that the female-dominated branches are few and far between, are still subject to strong stereotypes, enjoy less prestige and have fewer job prospects. Therefore, BVT and its impacts are far from gender neutral. In addition, this negatively influences future training and employment options and choices, especially for females, which obviously has a direct impact on their professional careers and life courses.

Practice purchase and private employment options for the new graduate with student debt: A projected scenario analysis for loan repayment

BackgroundWhen attracting talent to dentistry, graduates need educational costs justified by future financial outcomes. The authors provide insights into how career choices (employee versus practice owner) and student loan repayment plans (principal-based versus income-driven) can be made to work. MethodsFive loan repayment and career choice combinations were assessed using spreadsheets (Microsoft Excel) to rationally model monthly budgets and financial decisions during a projected 40-year work life. ResultsEven with high levels of student loan debt ($292,169 average for new graduates), it is still possible, but increasingly difficult, to achieve desirable career, lifestyle, and financial outcomes. Outcomes are highly sensitive to rates of investment returns and inflation. On the basis of the 5 scenarios of projections of debt and income levels to 2060, assuming reasonable levels of investment return and stable inflation, career and repayment choices can make a difference of more than $5 million in lifetime earnings and more than $3 million in retirement savings (2020 dollars). ConclusionsThe new reality of high educational debt requires graduates to budget and plan before beginning their careers. Use of loan servicers, consultants, brokers, attorneys, certified public accountants, and financial advisors is needed. Working for a dental service organization is a valid option for developing dental and practice management skills. Owning a practice is still a viable career path. Practical ImplicationsDental graduates should choose a student loan repayment that minimizes the size of monthly payments, balance budgets, practice frugality, obtain a practice purchase loan at lowest rates, and heed financial advisors.

MS JobSeek: A pilot randomized controlled trial of an online peer discussion forum for job-seekers with multiple sclerosis

BACKGROUND: Peer-facilitated interventions have been successfully used in chronic disease management. Less is known about their application in vocational rehabilitation. OBJECTIVE: To pilot-test an online peer discussion forum to improve exploration of employment options in job-seekers with long-term multiple sclerosis (MS). METHODS: Twenty-nine persons with relapsing/progressive MS (4–27 years since diagnosis) were recruited online and randomly assigned to an 8-week discussion forum led by peers and a moderator, MS JobSeek (n = 14), or an active control group (n = 15). Forum engagement and user satisfaction were examined, as were pre-post self-evaluations of job search behaviour, efficacy, and quality of life. RESULTS: A high (43%) attrition rate was noted, although intervention completers acknowledged and valued online mentors’ guidance and expertise. Group and time effects were not significant (p < 0.05), with both MS JobSeek and control participants reporting positive (e.g., increase in job search activities) and negative (e.g., lowered self-efficacy) change. CONCLUSIONS: The pilot findings suggest that online peer support is feasible, however more can be done to promote peer-to-peer communication. Recommendations for improving forum engagement and satisfaction in a future controlled trial, including strategies to better support mentees’ individualised needs, are offered.