Recent Job Research Articles

Job Loss and Food Insecurity During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Nutritious eating habits contribute to a stronger immune system necessary for prevention and easier recovery from illnesses. A job loss, experienced by millions of Americans during the Covid-19 pandemic, is expected to negatively affect food security of families. This research explores the effect of a recent job loss during the Covid-19 crisis on food sufficiency. The findings suggest that a job loss in the family is associated with greater food insecurity, reduced likelihood that a family has a sufficient amount of food, and deteriorated child nutrition. There is also a differential effect between currently employed and unemployed job losers, with the latter group being more adversely affected. The negative effect is primarily driven by Hispanic and low-educated individuals. These results have policy implications in the context of identifying vulnerable groups that are most likely to benefit from programs designed to provide sufficient nutrition to the population.

Accredititis: More Than 10 Years of Overzealous Hiring Practices for Business Faculty Based on AACSB Accreditation

Business schools in the United States have experienced improvements related to processes of institutional accreditation. Accreditation standards set forth by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) have influenced the recruitment and hiring practices of faculty members. We bring attention to and reflect on such practices to examine potential distortions in qualification standards for hiring new business faculty. In the current study, we analyzed recent job advertisements for business faculty identifying properties related to degree qualifications and other criteria. We found trends indicating many business schools specify preferences or requirements that candidates possess degrees from AACSB accredited schools.

Employment recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic’s impact on the U.S. labor market is unprecedented. This article reviews economic research on recent pandemic-related job losses in the United States in order to understand the prospects for employment recovery. The research examines telework use, the incidence of job loss, disruptions in labor supply, and progress toward recovery. Massive temporary layoffs drove a spike in unemployment, and subsequent recalls of unemployed workers drove a rapid but partial recovery. The prospects for full recovery are murkier, both because the fraction of the remaining unemployed expecting to be recalled is decreasing and because the pandemic’s future course remains uncertain.

Is Environmental and Occupational Particulate Air Pollution Exposure Related to Type-2 Diabetes and Dementia? A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the UK Biobank.

Human exposure to particulate air pollution (e.g., PM2.5) can lead to adverse health effects, with compelling evidence that it can increase morbidity and mortality from respiratory and cardiovascular disease. More recently, there has also been evidence that long-term environmental exposure to particulate air pollution is associated with type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and dementia. There are many occupations that may expose workers to airborne particles and that some exposures in the workplace are very similar to environmental particulate pollution. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the UK Biobank cohort to verify the association between environmental particulate air pollution (PM2.5) exposure and T2DM and dementia, and to investigate if occupational exposure to particulates that are similar to those found in environmental air pollution could increase the odds of developing these diseases. The UK Biobank dataset comprises of over 500,000 participants from all over the UK. Environmental exposure variables were used from the UK Biobank. To estimate occupational exposure both the UK Biobank’s data and information from a job exposure matrix, specifically developed for UK Biobank (Airborne Chemical Exposure–Job Exposure Matrix (ACE JEM)), were used. The outcome measures were participants with T2DM and dementia. In appropriately adjusted models, environmental exposure to PM2.5 was associated with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.02 (95% CI 1.00 to 1.03) per unit exposure for developing T2DM, while PM2.5 was associated with an odds ratio of 1.06 (95% CI 0.96 to 1.16) per unit exposure for developing dementia. These environmental results align with existing findings in the published literature. Five occupational exposures (dust, fumes, diesel, mineral, and biological dust in the most recent job estimated with the ACE JEM) were investigated and the risks for most exposures for T2DM and for all the exposures for dementia were not significantly increased in the adjusted models. This was confirmed in a subgroup of participants where a full occupational history was available allowed an estimate of workplace exposures. However, when not adjusting for gender, some of the associations become significant, which suggests that there might be a bias between the occupational assessments for men and women. The results of the present study do not provide clear evidence of an association between occupational exposure to particulate matter and T2DM or dementia.

Changing Nature of Work and the Gig Economy: Theory and Debate

This article explores the changing nature of work across the globe, specifically in India, with the emergence of the gig economy. It discusses the theoretical background debates on work with technological change and highlights how India’s recent job market trends are rather disappointing, with rising unemployment and a decline in new jobs. In this scenario, the gig economy is fast emerging as a respite, offering employment opportunities for millions of Indians. This article also explores the prospects and challenges of gig work in India and the ways in which it can prove to be a provider of decent work opportunities for people. Finally, the article provides some important future-policy suggestions for the growth and improvement of work in the gig economy.

What is the literacy supportive role of the school librarian in the United Kingdom?

Building students’ literacy skills is a key educative purpose of contemporary schooling. While libraries can play a key role in fostering literacy and related reading engagement in schools, more needs to be known about school librarians’ role in promoting these goals. To this end, this article seeks to identify the nature and scope of the literacy supportive role required of the school librarian in the United Kingdom. It also investigates how this aspect is situated within the broader competing role requirements of the profession. Using a hybrid approach to content analysis including both qualitative and quantitative methods, this article presents in-depth analysis of 40 recent job description documents recruiting school librarians in the United Kingdom to investigate these research aims. The vast majority of documents (92.5%) included literacy supportive roles or characteristics of a school librarian, and recurring salient components included supporting literature selection, having a broad and current knowledge of literature, promoting and modelling reading for pleasure, devising and supporting reading and literature events, promoting a whole-school reading culture, working closely with students to support reading and literacy skill development, and implementing and supporting reading programmes. This literacy supportive role was found to sit within a potentially highly complex and diverse work role which may compete with the literacy supportive role for time and resourcing in school libraries. This research suggests that the role of school librarians in the United Kingdom is both complex and evolving, and that school librarians in the United Kingdom have a valuable literacy supportive role to play in their school libraries.

INDEKS KOMPOSIT PEKERJAAN TIDAK LAYAK (IPTL) DI INDONESIA

The open unemployment rate in Indonesia was 5.50 in August 2017. This figure was the lowest level in comparison to rates in previous years. The declining rate of unemployment over the past decade was in line with the increasing trend of risky work. This situation may indicate recent job opportunities are likely to be risky or categorized as non-decent works. To understand the conditions of non-decent work in Indonesia, a composite index measurement, which is currently not available, is needed. Thus, this study aims to develop such a composite index called Non-Decent Work Index (NDWI) to fill this gap. The method applied for the composite index formation is factor analysis. The findings indicate three factors of NDWI. It is also found that NDWI has a significant relationship with human development index and labor productivity. Therefore, Indonesia government needs to address the problem of inadequate employment conditions in this country. It is because decent work is the central aspect of efforts to reduce poverty

School Librarians as Literacy Educators Within a Complex Role

Librarians in schools are expected to play an important role as literacy educators, and have a positive impact on young people’s literacy learning. However in the context of their diverse workload, relatively little is known about how this aspect of their role sits within its competing demands, and the exact scope of the literacy educator requirements. Using a hybrid approach to content analysis, this article analyses 40 recent job description documents to identify the nature and prevalence of different aspects of the role, and to explore the literacy educator aspect of this profession. Findings suggest that while the literacy educator aspect is one of the most common role requirements, it sits within a complex workload, and the literacy educator aspect is itself multi-faceted and demanding.

Excessive Media Consumption About COVID-19 is Associated With Increased State Anxiety: Outcomes of a Large Online Survey in Russia

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has potentially had a negative impact on the mental health and well-being of individuals and families. Anxiety levels and risk factors within particular populations are poorly described.ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate confidence, understanding, trust, concerns, and levels of anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic in the general population and assess risk factors for increased anxiety.MethodsWe launched a cross-sectional online survey of a large Russian population between April 6 and 15, 2020, using multiple social media platforms. A set of questions targeted confidence, understanding, trust, and concerns in respondents. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was used to measure anxiety. Multiple linear regressions were used to model predictors of COVID-19–related anxiety.ResultsThe survey was completed by 23,756 out of 53,966 (44.0% response rate) unique visitors; of which, 21,364 were residing in 62 areas of Russia. State Anxiety Scale (S-Anxiety) scores were higher than Trait Anxiety Scale scores across all regions of Russia (median S-Anxiety score 52, IQR 44-60), exceeding published norms. Time spent following news on COVID-19 was strongly associated with an increased S-Anxiety adjusted for baseline anxiety level. One to two hours spent reading COVID-19 news was associated with a 5.46 (95% CI 5.03-5.90) point difference, 2-3 hours with a 7.06 (95% CI 6.37-7.74) point difference, and more than three hours with an 8.65 (95% CI 7.82-9.47) point difference, all compared to less than 30 minutes per day. Job loss during the pandemic was another important factor associated with higher S-Anxiety scores (3.95, 95% CI 3.31-4.58). Despite survey respondents reporting high confidence in information regarding COVID-19 as well as an understanding of health care guidance, they reported low overall trust in state and local authorities, and perception of country readiness.ConclusionsAmong Russian respondents from multiple social media platforms, there was evidence of higher levels of state anxiety associated with recent job loss and increased news consumption, as well as lower than expected trust in government agencies. These findings can help inform the development of key public health messages to help reduce anxiety and raise perceived trust in governmental response to this current national emergency. Using a similar methodology, comparative surveys are ongoing in other national populations.

Does self‐verifying behavior in job interviews help secure job offers, even if it reveals negative information about the self?

AbstractAlthough research demonstrates that self‐verification striving can have positive outcomes in the hiring process, it remains unclear how this drive to present oneself authentically manifests in candidates’ behavior during job interviews. We examine whether self‐verifying behavior, including revelation of negative information about the self, is related to success in job interviews. Study 1 showed that self‐verification striving among 112 MBA students predicted their self‐verifying behavior during mock job interviews, which in turn led to success in converting interviews into actual offers 6 months later. Using a sample of 102 recent job seekers, Study 2 showed that self‐verification striving was associated with the extent to which candidates disclosed negative information about themselves during real job interviews, ultimately predicting their interview success.

The Long Shadow of Job Loss: Britain's Older Industrial Towns in the 21st Century.

This article takes a long view of economic change in Britain's older industrial towns, drawing on the authors' accumulated research into labor market trends in the places and communities most affected by deindustrialization. It begins by documenting the industrial job losses over the last 50 years and their impact on unemployment, economic inactivity and welfare benefit claims, highlighting the diversion onto incapacity benefits triggered by job loss that remains a major feature of the towns. It then looks at the evidence on the present-day labor market in the towns, identifying job growth at a slower pace than in the cities and continuing weaknesses in terms of earnings, qualifications and occupational mix. These are the on-going problems the authors describe as the ‘long shadow of job loss’. The evidence also shows that despite years of job loss, industry remains a key component of the towns' economy and that the towns are increasingly connected to surrounding areas, including nearby cities, by strong commuting flows.

Thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness explain the associations of COVID-19 social and economic consequences to suicide risk.

ObjectiveThe social and economic consequences of COVID‐19 and related public health interventions aimed at slowing the spread of the virus have been proposed to increase suicide risk. However, no research has examined these relations. This study examined the relations of two COVID‐19 consequences (i.e., stay‐at‐home orders and job loss) to suicide risk through thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and loneliness.MethodOnline data from a nationwide community sample of 500 adults (mean age = 40) from 45 states were collected between March 27 and April 5, 2020. Participants completed measures assessing thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, loneliness, and suicide risk, as well as whether they (a) were currently under a stay‐at‐home order and (b) had experienced a recent job loss due to the pandemic.ResultsResults revealed a significant indirect relation of stay‐at‐home order status to suicide risk through thwarted belongingness. Further, whereas recent job loss was significantly correlated with suicide risk, neither the direct relation of job loss to suicide risk (when accounting for their shared relations to perceived burdensomeness) nor the indirect relation through perceived burdensomeness was significant.ConclusionsResults highlight the potential benefits of interventions targeting thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness to offset suicide risk during this pandemic.

Cumulated and most recent job control and risk of disability pension in the Danish Work Life Course Cohort (DaWCo).

BackgroundPrevious studies have found low job control to be associated with a higher risk of disability pension (DP). Most studies have measured job control only at one time-point, and there is a lack of knowledge regarding the role of exposure duration. This study examines the prospective association between job control and DP measuring exposure both cumulated throughout work life and most recent.MethodsWe included 712 519 individuals (about 4.5 million person-years) from The Danish Work Life Course Cohort which follows young employees in Denmark from their entry into the labour market. Job control was assessed with a job exposure matrix and DP with register data on public transfer payments. We adjusted for several potential life course confounders, including physical demands at work and parental socioeconomic position and psychiatric and somatic diagnoses.ResultsEmployees in occupations with low job control had a higher risk of DP. There were effects of both cumulated and most recent job control when mutually adjusted. Fully adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) were 1.14 [95% confidence intervals (CIs) 1.11–1.17] and 1.15 (95% CI 1.02–1.29) for cumulated and most recent job control, respectively. Without mutual adjustment, estimates were 1.15 (95% CI 1.13–1.18) and 1.55 (95% CI 1.39–1.72) for cumulated and most recent low job control, respectively.ConclusionsLow job control predicts a higher risk of DP, even after adjustment for physical demands at work. The results indicate both gradual and short-term effects of low job control on DP risk.

Determining Optimal Skillsets for Business Managers Based on Local and Global Job Markets: A Text Analytics Approach

ABSTRACTWe are experiencing a significant shift in management practices—moving from intuition, experience, and gut‐feeling driven decision‐making to one that is driven by data, evidence, and computational sciences. This shift, which is often called the analytics revolution, is not only changing the business landscape from a practical perspective but also redefining the white‐collar job market. The goal of this study is to employ a data‐ and analytics‐driven approach to analyze a large and feature‐rich dataset (which is composed of the recent job postings and the extant published literature) to characterize the state of the current business job market, especially to magnify the analytics related features and expectations including the geographic (i.e., local vs. global) differentiators. Using several graphical and tabular representations, in this paper we report on our thought‐provoking findings that collectively illustrate the changing face of knowledge, skills, and abilities required by the current local and global business job markets.

Context and Validation of the Korean Subjective Underemployment Scale (K-SUS): 한국의 불완전 취업 실태 및 주관적인 불완전 취업 척도 타당화

Underemployment is a multidimensional construct that captures various suboptimal work statuses. Although recent economic depressions and insecure job markets in Korea have increased underemployment, no appropriate scale exists to measure underemployment in a Korean context. Therefore, the aim of this study was to translate the Subjective Underemployment Scales (SUS) into Korean and validate the Korean SUS (K-SUS) with a sample of 427 Korean employees. We found that a bifactor model fit the data best, suggesting a different internal structure from the English version. Scores from the K-SUS were also invariant across gender, age, income, and employment status. In addition, we found evidence for construct validity by relating scores from the K-SUS to similar constructs and indicators of well-being. Findings from the current study help describe Korean employees’ experiences of subjective underemployment and suggest how psychologists, employers, and policy makers can address structural and psychological issues related to underemployment.

Returning to Work After Sick Leave – The Role of Work Demands and Resources, Self-Efficacy, and Social Support

Returning to work after sick leave is a process that begins with the initial steps of functional recovery and results in full vocational capacity. Different personal and situational factors could influence an employee’s well-being after returning. The following research was conducted in order to examine how occupational demands and resources, self-efficacy, and social engagement contribute to the return-to-work process. A total of 256 employees took part in the study, who were later divided into two groups: short- (less than 30 days), and long-term (more than 30 days) sick leave. We measured their self-efficacy at the workplace, recent job demands and resources, social engagement, and work satisfaction after returning to work after sick leave. The results showed that personal (gender, age, and self-efficacy), social (social engagement), and occupational (job demands and resources) factors are associated with the duration of sick leave. Participants who were on shorter sick leaves reported being more satisfied with their work after returning than those returning from long-term sick leave. The research presents important insights that could help employers better understand the needs of employees who are returning to work after sick leave.

Occupation as a predictor of prostate cancer screening behaviour in Canada.

If prostate cancer screening practices relate to occupation, this would have important implications when studying the aetiological role of workplace exposures on prostate cancer. We identified variations in screening by occupation among men in Montreal, Canada (2005-2012). Prostate specific antigen testing and digital rectal examination (ever-screened and frequency of screening, previous five years) were examined among population controls from the Prostate Cancer & Environment Study. Face-to-face interviews elicited lifestyle and occupational histories. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of ever-screening for the longest-held occupation, adjusting for potential confounders. Negative binomial models were used to examine relationships with screening frequency. Among 1989 controls, 81% reported ever having had a prostate specific antigen test, and 77% a digital rectal examination. Approximately 40% of men reported having a prostate specific antigen test once a year, on average. Compared with those in management or administrative jobs, men in primary industry (odds ratio 0.26, 95% confidence interval 0.10-0.65), construction (0.44, 0.25-0.79), machining (0.45, 0.21-0.97), and teaching (0.37, 0.20-0.70) were less likely to have undergone prostate specific antigen screening. Results were similar when considering the most recent job. Our findings highlight substantial variations in prostate cancer screening by occupation. Men in occupations where carcinogen exposures are more common are less likely to participate in prostate screening activities. This could be an important source of bias, and occupational studies of prostate cancer should account for screening practices.

COVID-19’s Socioeconomic Impact on Low-Income Benefit Recipients: Early Evidence from Tracking Surveys

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has introduced manifold dislocations in Americans’ lives. Using novel survey data samples of Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients and U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey data, the authors examine the incidence of COVID-19-induced hardships among low-income/benefits-eligible households during the early months of the crisis. Five repeated online surveys of SNAP recipients measured perceived and realized housing insecurity, food scarcity, new debt accrual, and recent job loss. These data were supplemented by creating parallel measures among all low-income households from Household Pulse Survey. Food insecurity and debt accrual grew more prevalent between from April to June 2020, and job losses compounded. Although the magnitude of racial differences varies across indicators and data sources, black respondents fared consistently worse than non-Hispanic whites in both survey data sets, and Latinx respondents fared worse than whites in the Household Pulse Survey. These results provide early systematic evidence on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on poor Americans and racial disparities therein.

How Should We Think about Environmental Policy and Jobs? An Analogy with Trade Policy and an Illustration from U.S. Coal Mining

Public discussions of environmentally motivated policies include much confusing talk about job loss. Does job loss in a polluting industry mean that others should endure dirty air or that complementary policies are needed? To clarify the jobs issue, I use concepts from research on international trade policy and its effects and apply them to recent job loss in the U.S. coal industry. The case of coal illustrates the economic adjustment that could arise from an environmental policy as well as the equity, efficiency, and political issues that adjustment raises. I show that for each coal job lost, earnings in the surrounding county fell by nearly $100,000, and that one-third of those who lost jobs did not move and remained unemployed. On average, the losses affected poorer counties and exacerbated income disparities between counties. Concurrently, coal county voters shifted toward pro-coal candidate Donald Trump in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, helping him win Pennsylvania. More broadly, I argue that environmental adjustment assistance of some form may improve the equity and political feasibility of environmental policies that benefit many but harm some. However, the how and when of such assistance requires further study.

740: Shining a light on Perinatal Depression: Predictors of antepartum depression in Pune, India

Our objectives were to: (1) describe the prevalence of antepartum and postpartum depression; (2) identify predictors of both antepartum and postpartum depression; and (3) quantify adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes in women with antepartum depression. We conducted a prospective cohort study of pregnant women in Pune, India. Sociodemographics, medical and obstetric history were collected at baseline. PHQ-9 depression scale was administered during pregnancy and 6 months postpartum. Demographics and adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes of women with and without antepartum depressive symptoms were compared using chi-square. Logistic regression was used to determine predictors of both antepartum and postpartum depressive symptoms. Of 235 pregnant women enrolled, 136 (58%) reported at least one symptom of depression with 21 (15%) having moderate or severe depression scores (PHQ-9 score≥ 10). Compared to antepartum women, significantly fewer postpartum women reported depressive symptoms (20% vs. 58%, p< 0.001). Of 188 postpartum women, 34 (18%) had depressive symptoms prior to delivery, but only one had more severe depression scores postpartum. Intimate partner violence before or during pregnancy was predictive of both antepartum (OR: 6.23 (2.52-15.41), p=< 0.001) and postpartum depressive symptoms (OR: 4.47 (2.02-9.86), p=< 0.001). Personal financial instability, defined as recent homelessness, recent job loss or trouble paying the bills, was also predictive of both antepartum (OR: 6.29 (2.69-14.68), p< 0.001) and postpartum depression (OR: 3.90(1.81-8.42), p=0.001). The cohort overall experienced low rates of intrauterine fetal demise and (1%), hypertension (6%). Many Indian pregnant women in our study reported symptoms of depression. Most women with antepartum depression experienced improvement in their mood postpartum, which contrasts with patterns of perinatal depression in developed countries. Intimate partner violence and personal financial instability needs to be addressed before and during pregnancy in order to decrease depression in these settings.View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download (PPT)