Employment Restructuring Research Articles

Impact of Digitalization on Employment Pattern in India

Digital enablement has proved to be a game changer all over the world. Earlier the concept of Information and Communication technologies (ICT) was confined mainly to services sector in India, however, with the initiation of Digital India programme in 2015, digitalization has entered in all the walks of human life. Studies round the world depict that digitalization has positive impact on economic growth of a nation by driving entrepreneurial innovation and productivity. Though it has impacted various economic parameters, but the present study will try to analyze its impact on employment in India, with special reference to restructuring of employment and changes in job composition in the aftermath of digitalization. On one hand, it leads to creation of new skilled jobs and on the other hand, it also leads to replacement of routine work and other cyber security risks. Thus, an attempt is made to evaluate the change from the perspective of labor markets and ability of people to adapt to the changing employment pattern in the country and responsibility of education sector to reform according to the changes in required skill sets demanded by the industry. Introduction of digital skill set in higher education curriculum can help in enhancing efficiency and flexibility in labor markets and bridging the digital skill gap in India. The study shows that digitalization has the potential to reduce gender gap in employment and also provide vocational training opportunities to youth which can help in harnessing the benefits of demographic dividend. The Government should aim at reducing digital divide by improving accessibility to internet in both urban and rural areas.

On the road to regional ‘Competitive Environmental Sustainability’: the role of the European structural funds

ABSTRACT We construct a novel indicator of regional competitive sustainability based on the movements over time of employment sectoral shares across all the regions of the European Union. The indicator accounts for shifts in employment towards greener and more productive sectors over the 2008–2018 period. The mapping of the indicators shows considerable regional heterogeneity in terms of both competitiveness and environmental sustainability, as well as interesting dynamics over time. We also present an econometric analysis of the determinants of these sectoral shifts. It appears that the European structural funds are positively associated with the transition to a more competitive and sustainable economy at the regional level. This is particularly true for the competitive dimension of the transition, with the funds being positively associated with a regional employment restructuring towards more productive sectors.

Exploring variation of length of haul and associated freight transport emission of Indian establishments: A survival analysis approach

Rise in length of haul (LOH) of business establishments and the associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are a major concern for planners and policymakers, require extensive investigation. This paper quantifies various factors like business age, gross floor area, employment, the build environment variable on LOH, and associated GHG emission using EBFS data. Survival analysis has been utilized for the analysis. The aggregated LOH model provides a comparative analysis of LOH across different industry sectors and demonstrate that gross floor area, business age, and employment are positively associated with LOH. Subsequently, disaggregated LOH models are reveal the influencing parameter of LOH of a particular industry category. Lastly, GHG models show the influence of fleet ownership level on GHG emissions across different industry sectors. The outcomes will be beneficial for planners and policymakers to develop industry-specific regulations on land use, employment restructuring, and subsidies for owning different types of commercial vehicles.

Human resource management in recession: Restructuring and alternatives to downsizing in times of crisis

AbstractIn just over a decade two global crises have created significant instability across the world and plunged many national economies into recession. While studies of HRM during economic downturns are limited, the global impact of COVID‐19 on employment adds impetus to the debate. Though downsizing and mass layoffs attract most attention, redundancies are just one potential response to challenging economic conditions, and various other employment adjustments might be viewed as complements or alternatives to workforce reductions. However, little is known about the implementation of HR practices or enactment of HR strategies during recession. Drawing upon 56 in‐depth interviews, this article presents three case studies of recessionary restructuring in British manufacturing firms. The cases share a concern with mitigating redundancies and highlight the importance of actor agency as well as institutional and organisational context in shaping restructuring outcomes. The article contributes to HR theory regarding HRM in recession and employment restructuring.

항공관광전공 대학생이 지각하는 사회적 지지가 그릿(Grit)과 진로성숙도에 미치는 영향

In the rapidly changing economic and industrial environment in the era of the 4th industrial revolution, job loss and employment restructuring have resulted in the unemployment of college students becoming an important problem that affects the nation and society beyond an individual problem. In particular, in the case of the aviation industry, recruitment of flight cabin crew members is in a serious situation due to the prolonged COVID-19, and as a result, it is difficult for college students majoring in aviation tourism to choose and decide their career path due to uncertainty about their career path. Therefore, this study aims to verify the effect of social support perceived by college students majoring in aviation and tourism on grit and career maturity. The subjects of this study were 376 students from 4 two-year colleges and four 4-year colleges offering aviation tourism among university educational institutions, and SPSS 25.0 was used for statistical analysis. The results of the analysis were first, that social support had a significant positive effect on grit. Second, it was found that the social support had a significant positive effect on career maturity. Third, grit was found to have a significant positive effect on career maturity. A study on the effects of social support perceived by aviation tourism college students on grit and career maturity can be seen as an important way to improve maturity.

The Benefits and Burdens of High and Low Social Approval Assets in Employment Restructuring

Prior research remains divided whether social approval assets are a benefit or burden when external observers make sense of firm behavior. By drawing on expectancy violation theory in the context of announcements of different types of restructuring decisions (i.e., downsizing and upsizing), we examine the conditions under which high and low social approval assets provide a benefit and burden. We do so by assessing the corresponding media coverage about these decisions. Our results of all restructuring announcements of firms in Germany between 2006 – 2019 suggest the following: high social approval firms face a burden in negatively perceived situations (i.e., downsizing announcements), whereas low social approval firms enjoy a buffer as media coverage is not as negative. In contrast, in positive situations (i.e., upsizing announcements), high social approval is of benefit as it translates into more favorable media coverage, whereas low social approval is a burden. The results of this study contribute to the discussion about the equivocal effects of social approval assets on external observers sensemaking. Our theorizing and empirical results explain in which situations, high or low social approval can be beneficial and burdensome for the same organization. Specifically, the context in which a high or low social approval actors are evaluated by external observers helps explain which mechanisms is more dominant.

The Impact of Digital Economy on the Economic Growth and the Development Strategies in the post-COVID-19 Era: Evidence From Countries Along the "Belt and Road".

The digital economy is considered as an effective measure to mitigate the negative economic impact of the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic. However, few studies evaluated the role of digital economy on the economic growth of countries along the “Belt and Road” and the impact of COVID-19 on their digital industries. This study constructed a comprehensive evaluation index system and applied a panel data regression model to empirically analyze the impact of digital economy on the economic growth of countries along the “Belt and Road” before COVID-19. Then, a Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) model was used to examine the impact of COVID-19 on their digital industries and trade pattern. Our results show that although there is an obvious regional imbalance in the digital economy development in countries along the “Belt and Road”, the digital economy has a significantly positive effect on their economic growth. The main impact mechanism is through promoting industrial structure upgrading, the total employment and restructuring of employment. Furthermore, COVID-19 has generally boosted the demand for the digital industries, and the impact from the demand side is much larger than that from the supply side. Specifically, the digital industries in Armenia, Israel, Latvia and Estonia have shown great growth potential during the epidemic. On the contrast, COVID-19 has brought adverse impacts to the digital industries in Ukraine, Egypt, Turkey, and the Philippines. The development strategies are proposed to bridge the “digital divide” of countries along the “Belt and Road,” and to strengthen the driving effect of the digital economy on industrial upgrading, employment and trade in the post-COVID-19 era.

APPROPRIATENESS OF USING THE THEORY OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT IN EMPLOYMENT LAW

The Author considers that it is reasonable to use the theory of personel management to interpret the provisions of employment law. This primarly concerns the issue of forms of employment. This should be applied both with regard to flexicurity and in line with the concept of a flexible company. In accordance with HRM theory, the process of job evaluation should be used when defining the principles of remuneration. At the same time, if the remuneration were to be of a market nature (and thus implement three basic features: attract, motivate and retain), then the evaluation must be carried out in accordance with one of the universal methods. This gives the basis for comparison between different organizations. As far as employment restructuring is concerned, its efficiency, according to the Author, comes from the substantive knowledge of employees` representatives about management processed. So such a partner should be trade unions with expert resources or, in the absence of such organisation, a work council.

Incentives and disincentives for employment growth in the Russian small and medium-sized enterprise sector

Subject. I investigate the specifics of the State support impact on changes and structure of employment in the Russian sector of small and medium-sized businesses. Objectives. The aim is to identify factors and conditions that have a stimulating and limiting effect on changes in employment indicators in the said sector. Methods. The hypothesis of the study is that the change in the formal employment scale in the medium-term is determined by factors in the external business environment and the costs-benefits ratio of activities in the informal sector. To test the hypothesis, I perform a comparative analysis of scientific research results, study the data of the Federal Tax Service of Russia, and surveys of small businesses. The article employs the classification of business regulation methods, which can be divided into support measures and incentive instruments of direct and indirect influence. Results. The analysis confirmed the hypothesis in general, and made it possible to identify the factors of the dynamics and restructuring of employment. During 2016–2019, insufficient market demand and high degree of risk influenced the dynamics of the number of employees of SMEs more than indirect effects of government support measures. Public policy instruments stimulating employment were targeted, primarily, at sole proprietors and self-employed. In 2020, the government used new instruments to encourage and support employment, which proved to be efficient. Conclusions. It seems realistic to achieve the national target of the number of employed in the considered sector by 2024.

Institutionalized insecurity: post-war employment restructuring and the symbolic power of the local business climate

Abstract This article investigates an early case of the institutionalization of insecurity by examining labor-management struggles over capital mobility at the General Electric Company (GE) in Schenectady, NY during the 1950s and 1960s. During this period, GE expanded production in the US South and Southwest, reducing employment in Northern plant communities. In the union stronghold of Schenectady, GE’s strategic use of the emergent ‘business climate’ concept undermined union power to resist employment restructuring by reshaping the local politics of employment security: it mobilized community actors against labor’s framing of the problem and enhanced the Company’s ability to present its position as non-political or disinterested, which aided its operation of symbolic power. This article advances our understanding of the sources of legitimacy in claims-making and shows how cultural processes can contribute to change in the distribution of workplace rewards.

Technological unemployment, robotisation, and green deal: A story of unstable spillovers in China and South Korea (2008–2018)

The growing use of robots in the current ICT revolution has sparked a serious debate about the potential threat robots pose to human labour. In parallel, the convergence towards a more sustainable economy has caused a transformation of firms and a consequent restructuring of employment. In this article we investigate the problem of technological unemployment and environmental rebound effect by looking at how relationships between jobless growth, industrial robots usage, CO2 emissions, and renewable energy consumption changed over time in China and South Korea. Findings from a competition model based on differential equations for the period 2008–2018 show that robots do not always increase unemployment growth. On the other hand, the type of relationship between unemployment and sustainable use of energy changes over time, questioning the possibility of a smart green new deal.

The impact of COVID-19 on gender inequality in the labor market and gender-role attitudes

ABSTRACT COVID-19 and ensuing changes in mobility have altered employment relations for millions of people across the globe. Emerging evidence shows that women may be more severely affected by this change. The pandemic, however, may have an impact beyond the immediate restructuring of employment and shift gender-role attitudes within households as a result of changes in the division of household labor. We analyze a representative sample of respondents in the U.S., Germany, and Singapore and show that transitions to unemployment, reductions in working hours and transitions to working from home have been more frequent for women than for men – although not to the same extent across the three countries. We also demonstrate that among couples who had been employed at the start of the pandemic, men express more egalitarian gender-role attitudes if they became unemployed but their partners remained employed, while women express more traditional attitudes if they became unemployed and their partners remained employed. These results indicate that gender-role attitudes might adapt to the lived realities. The long-term consequences will depend on how both men and women experience further shifts in their employment relations as economies recover.

INDUSTRY 4.0 AS THE CHALLENGE FOR EMPLOYMENT CHANGE AND FOR RESTRUCTURING PROCESS

Industry 4.0 is next big technological change. Technological changes always result in employment changes. Industry 4.0 is based on full automation of production and using industrial robots in the production. The publication is the beginning of the discussion on employment restructuring in the Industry 4.0 ( I 4.0). The work was based on a study of literature, including industrial reports. The completed literature study was the basis for scientific dissertation about the place of employment restructuring in the Industry 4.0. The aim of this study is presentation of changes in employment and in the restructuring process in the Industry 4.0.

Changes in HR in the Polish Steel Industry Over the Last Thirty Years

The publication presents changes that took place in human resource structures and human resource management in the Polish steel industry over the last thirty years. Changes in the structure and management of human resources in Poland are part of the global process of economic development that has been taking place worldwide over the past few decades (especially in Central and Eastern Europe). The Polish steel industry underwent repair restructuring during the transformation of the Polish economy (1990s). A restructuring process was implemented extensively. It encompassed ownership and property, products and technology, and employment and management. Upon the conclusion of recovery restructuring, steel companies began to build a competitive advantage on the market. Human resources are one aspect of competitiveness. Since the beginning of the transition in the Polish economy, efforts to rationalize employment as well as changes in human resource structures and management demonstrate the increasing adaptability of Polish companies with respect to world market competition requirements. The publication characterizes changes in structures and human resource management in the Polish steel industry. The choice of scope of analysis was dictated by the large scale of changes implemented as well as knowledge concerning employment restructuring in the Polish steel industry as held by the author of the publication.

After the social crisis: the transformation of employment relations at France Télécom

Abstract This article contributes to debates on the conditions for strengthening collective worker voice in financialized organizations. It examines change in employment relations at France Télécom/Orange (FT) following a social crisis associated with employee suicides in 2007–2009. FT’s labor unions developed creative approaches to study and publicize the negative effects of employment restructuring on workers’ psychosocial health. The common framing they developed became a source of ‘communicative power’, used to influence how the suicides were interpreted both within the firm and in the media. This power was deployed to encourage substantive social dialogue that institutionalized worker participation in management decision-making. Findings demonstrate the potentially transformative role of discursive strategies that assert the legitimacy of worker well-being as both a measure of and input to organizational performance.

Brexit, foreign investment and employment: some implications for industrial policy?

ABSTRACTInward investment in the UK is likely to be negatively impacted in a number of ways in the event of a ‘hard Brexit’ via tariff barriers, but even ‘softer’ forms of Brexit such as the current potential agreement are likely to cause customs delays, limits to the ability of firms to relocate staff, and to coordinate ‘servitization’ activities. In addition are the the negative impacts of currency depreciation. In the context of already existing job market polarisation, inward investment flows in advanced manufacturing, food technology and financial services, which can bring ‘good quality’ jobs, are especially vulnerable under Brexit to frictions in global value chains. After highlighting the case of the auto industry, the paper moves on to stress the links between inward investment, employment restructuring and job quality given the employment opportunities foreign firms create.

Spatial restructuring and uneven intra-urban employment growth in metro- and non-metro-served areas in Copenhagen

This paper addresses the wider benefits of major investments in urban transport and discusses the relevance of giving attention to time and geographical scale in the analysis of employment growth before, under and after the introduction of new urban transport infrastructure. Using descriptive statistics in combination with OLS modelling, the paper analyses the intra-urban employment growth by workplace in regard to the opening of the Copenhagen Metro in 2002. The study identifies strong employment growth in the case of Copenhagen and higher employment growth in metro-served areas compared to non-metro-served areas in the first ten years after the opening of the Metro. The study also finds that when zooming in on the local scale, employment growth has been unevenly distributed along the metro corridor leading to a spatial restructuring of intra-urban employment patterns. This highlights that geographical scale and time is of critical importance when addressing the development of employment in areas that have witnessed investment in infrastructure. Moreover, the paper shows that especially the existing urban structures of the built environment, supporting planning policies, the local economic context and the preconditions for the development seems to be of great importance when assessing intra-urban restructuring of employment.

(Development and Restructuring of Employment in Bulgaria)

Russian Abstract: Особенности перехода к рыночной экономике и лет европейской интеграции следует рассматривать в контексте экономических и социальных изменений в болгарском обществе, в частности, реструктуризации занятости и развития рынка труда. Роль государства анализируется в регулировании занятости и рынков труда и развития социальной политики. English Abstract: The peculiarities of the transition to a market economy and in the years of European integration are scrutinized in the context of economic and social changes in Bulgarian society, in particular restructuring of employment and labor market development. The role of state is analyzed in the regulation of employment and labor market and elaboration of social policies.

(Development and Restructuring of Employment in Bulgaria Since the Beginning of the Transition to the Market Economy and in the Years of European Integration)

Russian Abstract: В этой публикации исследуется состояние рынка и его развитие труда и занятости в нашей стране в годы перехода к рыночной экономике. Через сравнительный анализ исследуемого района в годы централизованная плановая экономика в начальный переходный период индустриальное и постиндустриальное общество и функционирующий рынок экономика, отмеченная процессами глобализации, и глобальная экономический кризис последних лет XXI века характерные черты болгарской модели трансформации на болгарском рынке труда и занятости по сравнению с другими странами Центральной и Восточной Европы. Изучены факторы безработицы в его разновидностях (очевидно, скрытые, неявные) и на этой основе проблемные области занятости и производительности труда, которые поддерживают защиту претензий авторов на создание активной модели на рынке труда и занятости, соответствующих рынку труда. English Abstract: This publication explores the state of the market and its development labor and employment in our country in the years of transition to a market economy. Through the comparative analysis of the studied area in the years of centralized planned economy, in the initial transition period industrial to post-industrial society and functioning market an economy marked by globalization processes and the global one the economic crisis of the last years of the 21st century are evolved the characteristic features of the Bulgarian transformation model on the Bulgarian market labor and employment relative to other Central and Eastern European countries. The factors of unemployment in its varieties have been studied (apparent, hidden, implicit) and on this basis the problematic areas of employment and labor productivity that supports defensiveness of the authors' claims to build an active model on the market labor and employment corresponding to the labor market.

Restructuring and Changes in Occupational Mobility in U.S.

This study aims to estimate the impact of US restructuring during the late 1990s and the early 2000s on workers’ career trajectories, in terms of changes in patterns of occupational mobility. In this study, I introduce various middle range theories that emphasize specific aspects of restructuring and test whether their predictions regarding the impact of restructuring on workers’ careers accurately account for observed patterns of occupational mobility. Based on estimation from the Survey of Income and Program Participation, the result shows that the career trajectory of U.S. workers has significantly changed since 1990 and, more importantly, the profiles of the changes have been remarkably different between internal mobility and external mobility. Most notably, occupational immobility has increased among workers who stayed in the same firm and decreased among workers who switched firms. To conclude, employment restructuring in the U.S. appears to have proceeded in a way that incorporates both functional flexibility and numerical flexibility, creating polarized groups of “organizational insiders” and “organizational outsiders.” As a result, workers’ career trajectories have been significantly transformed both inside and outside organizations.