Shrinking Workforce Research Articles

Демографический спад и экономический рост: анализ причин и успешных решений в мировой практике

The article examines the impact of the demographic recession on economic growth, with an emphasis on the experience of foreign countries. In the face of an aging population and a shrinking workforce, many states are grappling with the challenges of sustaining stable economic development. The author analyzes examples from various global economies, exploring strategies employed to mitigate demographic changes, including stimulating innovation, increasing labor productivity, utilization of migration policy resources, and human capital development. Particular attention is paid to developed economies, where demographic issues most acutely affect long-term economic prospects. The author concludes that successful solutions to demographic challenges can be achieved through the implementation of a comprehensive approach and active collaboration among government entities, businesses, and society at large.

Migration of young adults in micropolitan counties

ABSTRACT Nonmetropolitan U.S. counties have historically lagged metropolitan areas in population and employment growth. Population projections indicate that they will face a shrinking workforce in the future, although, immigration and domestic migration by young adults could help offset this trend. The number of young adults (ages 25 to 44) is projected to increase in the next several decades and thus will be a growing proportion of the workforce. However, whether they will be attracted to rural areas such as micropolitan counties and how these counties can attract them has not received much attention in the community development literature. This article uses OLS regression to examine the determinants of the net migration rate for the 25–44 age group in micropolitan counties between 2000 and 2010, adjusting for geographic, economic, and county-level demographic factors.. The discussion then examines approaches that micropolitan areas can use to attract this age cohort.

Strategic Move by a Textile Buying House in Pakistan Coping with Employee Reduction

The team of LF Pakistan are reeling from the shock of the looming downsizing wave. They are afraid of the current demands of the Hub office and have many questions in mind. Who will be let go next? If and how the company will grow with a shrinking workforce? Will LF be the same organization in the future? In addition, most importantly, do they have a future in the organization?

Strategic Move by a Textile Buying House in Pakistan Coping with Employee Reduction

The team of LF Pakistan are reeling from the shock of the looming downsizing wave. They are afraid of the current demands of the Hub office and have many questions in mind. Who will be let go next? If and how the company will grow with a shrinking workforce? Will LF be the same organization in the future? In addition, most importantly, do they have a future in the organization?

Current Labour Market Challenges in the Light of Future Economic and Demographic Developments

Economic growth and GDP growth have been dramatically affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Both indicators are the factors that decisively affect the situation in the labour market, which is currently facing major challenges. One of the challenges is aging population. The number of the working- age population is declining, which may also have a significant impact on GDP growth in the future. The main purpose of the study is to analyse past and predicted GDP growth rates and the past and predicted shares of the working age population in the selected economies. Based on the analyses, the study attempts to identify the factors that are able to stimulate GDP growth while the size of working age population is predicted to shrink in the future. In the opening section of the empirical part, a comparison of the GDP evolution in China, Russia, USA, India, Slovakia and the EU is presented. Subsequently, long-term GDP and demographic forecasts are presented. It follows from the analyses that it is necessary to introduce new technologies to replace the shrinking workforce if sustainable economic growth is to achieve.

Health visitor’s projects for vulnerable families go above and beyond

Health visiting services have been tested to the limit during the COVID-19 pandemic, with staff facing a huge backlog of work that has required prioritisation of the most vulnerable families while operating in a shrinking workforce.

Foreign coworker nationality, cultural distance, and perception of cultural diversity in the workplace

PurposeAs Japan has been slowly opening up to foreign workers to supplement its shrinking workforce, local employees have had to deal with increased diversity at work, owing to the presence of foreign coworkers. This paper aims to investigate the relationship between foreign coworkers’ nationality (specifically Chinese, Korean and those from Western countries) and the perception of the benefits and threats of cultural diversity in the workplace by Japanese employees.Design/methodology/approachA sample of Japanese employees working in Japan, half of which working with foreigners, was used, focusing on those Japanese employees who reported working with foreign coworkers of a single nationality.FindingsThe authors found that Japanese workers’ perceived benefits of cultural diversity at work, but not perceived threats, are significantly impacted by the unique nationality of their foreign coworkers. Specifically, the effect of coworker nationality is most apparent for the two benefits of “understanding of diverse groups in society” and “social environment,” whereby cultural distance is significantly and positively related to these perceived benefits. And more benefits from cultural diversity at work are perceived by Japanese employees in the presence of Western or Chinese, rather than South Korean coworkers.Practical implicationsIn the Japanese context, hiring employees from certain distant and heterogeneous cultures and nationalities could increase the positive perception of multiculturalism at work, therefore facilitating diversity management and fostering inclusion in the culture of the firm.Originality/valueVery little research in Japan has examined perception biases among native employees based on the nationality of their foreign coworkers, which is critical as globally minded Japanese firms are trying to increase their level of internal internationalization.

What Can We Learn from Prolific Researchers? Publication Patterns of the NRF-Rated Library and Information Science Researchers in South Africa

South Africa is facing a shortage of human resource in the knowledge production and research sector which resulted in a shrinking and aging workforce. The youth of the country is not entering the academic workforce hence the key research positions are held by people who are about to retire. This study employed informetric research techniques triangulated by a questionnaire, to investigate publication patterns of prolific LIS researchers with an aim to learn from their craft. The results suggest that while prolific researchers publish mostly in international journals, patterns indicate that most researchers struggled to get published early in their careers. It is concluded that mentorship during the early stages of the researcher’s career is of great importance.

Avoiding the hospitality workforce bubble: Strategies to attract and retain generation Z talent in the hospitality workforce

Survival of the hospitality and tourism industry is highly dependent on a stable workforce to service the tourists and customers. In a shrinking workforce market faced with traditionally high staff turnover and increased departure of older workers, the key focus of this paper serves to provide practical recruitment strategies to attract the next Generation of hospitality talent – Generation Z. This opinion piece provides 10 key talent management strategies on how to appeal to Generation Z and entice them to join the hospitality sector. It presents practical solutions adopted by the industry and innovative recruitment strategies to address the war on talent in hospitality.

Workplace health promotion as a tool for reducing the consequences of ageing of the working population

A significant intensification of the ageing process in Poland, projected for the upcoming years, will have serious socioeconomic consequences. This demographic process at the macro level will result in lower contributions to the state budget (due to decreased workforce) and higher public expenses (on pensions, healthcare and long-term care). Implications at the meso (workplace) level will include the diminishing and ageing of workforce, which will then cause troubles in recruitment. Decreased ageing personnel's productivity due to absence and presenteeism is also probable. One way of coping with such challenges by the state is to support social and occupational activity of the society. One of the tools to be employed within such a policy is workplace health promotion (WHP). In literature there are no thorough elaborations summarizing WHP advantages in this field. The aim of this paper is to outline the scientific evidence of WHP effectiveness in counteracting/reducing the consequences of the ageing process (the shrinking workforce and the declining productivity of the ageing personnel, associated with absence/presenteeism). A narrative literature review was conducted (Polish and English publications identified in the EBSCO/PubMed databases, using the Google engine and a snowball method). The potential of WHP stems from its effectiveness in enhancing employees' health/preventing health problems. A good health condition reduces the shrinking of workforce via sustaining workability/occupational activity. It also mitigates the impact of absence and/or presenteeism. Health problems have the opposite effect. Although the analysis of the WHP effectiveness in strengthening workability, extending occupational activity, reducing absence/presenteeism/related loss of productivity belongs to poorly developed scientific areas, the systematic literature reviews that have been gathered reflect the WHP potential in these fields. Med Pr. 2019;70(5):617-31.

Finland

Recent growth has been healthy, and the unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest level since 2011. However, some underlying weaknesses remain. The rate in which new jobs are created and the “churn” of workers relocating across jobs has not picked up with the recovery, labor productivity growth remains weak, and the outlook for potential growth is constrained by a shrinking workforce. Household debt has been increasing as the economy has recovered, and some borrowers appear vulnerable to interest rate increases.

Possibilities of Using Robots in Agriculture

The spread of robots is a global phenomenon. We can meet them today in different areas of life. Robotization has a relatively long history in industrial production and, in recent years, agricultural robots have emerged. A shrinking workforce mainly inspires the development of agricultural robots. It is a major challenge for developers to work with agriculture, as opposed to industry, with living materials and organisms. Because of these improvements, there are nowadays many successful examples of the use of robots in various agricultural operations.

Vertical and horizontal social inequality and motivation for early retirement

Over the course of the demographic transition with an aging and shrinking work force, work participation of older employees becomes more and more important. Earlier investigations found social groups to be different in work-related and individual aspects, which were shown to be associated with motivation for early retirement. The aim of the study was to investigate the differences between older employees from distinct social groups in the motivation and determinants for early retirement. Within the framework of the prospective lidA cohort study ( www.lida-studie.de ) socially insured employees born in 1959 and 1965 were asked about work, health and work participation. Based on data from the 3961 participants who were employed at the time of both study waves (2011, 2014), associations between variables of horizontal (gender, migration background) and vertical (education) social inequality and motivation for early retirement were analyzed with multiple logistic regression and interaction analysis. There was an educational gradient regarding the motivation to retire in the expected direction. The wish to retire before the age of 65years was less common in male than in female older employees. Employees with alower level of education and with afirst generation migration background wished to retire early significantly less frequently than those without amigration background. Besides the interaction between migration background and education there were no further significant moderating effects of work-related or non-work-related variables on the association of social variables and the wish to retire early. According to the results there are differences between social groups of older employees in the motivation to retire early. The reasons and the final realization still have to be investigated. As aresult, consequences for companies and politics with respect to the preservation of the work force can arise.

Widowhood and Retirement Timing: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study

Abstract The combination of an increasing life expectancy, low fertility rates, and an early effective retirement age creates a pressure to act for governments and organizations. The pay-as-you-go social security systems of many countries are troubled by the increasing ratio of retirees to working people. In addition, many organizations face difficulties caused by a shrinking workforce and the accompanied shortage of skilled workers. To counteract, it is essential to create an environment in which older workers are encouraged to stay in the workforce. Therefore, it is important to understand which factors influence the retirement timing decision of workers. This study analyzes how widowhood and changes in demographic, health-related, and financial factors lead to changes in retirement plans of Health and Retirement Study (HRS) respondents. I compare respondents’ actual retirement age with their retirement plans elicited in the HRS wave prior to retirement. The strongest change in retirement timing is caused by widowhood. Respondents who become widowed retire on average 1.7 years earlier than previously planned. The estimated effect of widowhood goes beyond the deterioration of physical health and mental health. My findings suggest that an intervention in an early stage after widowhood by the employer or by health and social care services can help the widowed employee to overcome the temporary adverse effects of widowhood and to prevent a precipitous retirement decision.

The Importance of Improving Incentives and Employment Opportunities for Farm Households in Poland

Poland is experiencing the first stages of a period where its active labour force will decline steadily over time. This has raised important concerns with how well labour markets in Poland function, especially those in rural areas where there are still large numbers of households on small farms that have only limited engagement with formal work, and whose farm income is too low to provide an acceptable family income. The result is a high level of rural under-employment that imposes a growing burden on the economy and society, both in terms of unproductive labour and in high transfer payments to these families. There is a clear understanding that reducing the number of small full-time family farms in Poland is desirable as a way to: improve household incomes, address the need for more workers in other sectors, and further enhance the competitiveness of farming. Achieving this goal has been problematic, largely because to date there have been few incentives for these farm families to alter their behaviour. Simply put, the vast majority of small farm households do not perceive that they would be better off by engaging in formal employment. This largely reflects limited job opportunities in rural areas and a significant skill mismatch in local labour markets. But, it also reflects the continued existence of a variety of Polish policies that provide considerable financial benefits to these farm households, including a highly subsidized medical and retirement plan and exemption from income taxes, that significantly reduce the incentive to change behaviour. With a shrinking work force the cost of holding these potential workers in their current situation will only increase over time, but changing these longstanding policies remains a major challenge for the government.

Teaching Human Resource Development to Human Resource Management Students: Cultivating the Blending of Management Development Methods in the Online Learning Environment

Historically from the time of the Hawthorne Studies to 21st century, most managerial and business programs of study have focused on the management of employees. However, as businesses and industries have evolved over the years, the needs of employers, as well as the skills of employees have changed. Consequently, there has been a strong focus on employees in a marketplace today which is competing with a shrinking workforce, as predicted by the Hudson Institute [1]. It was predicted that the 21st workforce would have more minorities, people with disabilities, and more females. As more Baby Boomers have retired, American businesses have affected by the shrinking workforce, new employees with limited skills and experience, and changing technology which require a workforce with the ability to think more than physical work for the accomplishment of their organization’s goals. Since the inception of the newer field of Human Resource Development (HRD) founded by Dr. Leonard Nadler, more Human Resource Management (HRM)programs have been incorporating certification and program concentrations in the field of HRD. This paper will focus on the teaching of HRD within HRM programs in terms of blending management teaching methods with the use of the online learning environment.

Expectations and realities in welfare technologies

PurposeThe paper aims to add knowledge on the status of the welfare technology field. Politicians in mature economies expect welfare technologies – especially digital technologies – to contribute to bridging the gap between an increasing number of elderly and a shrinking work force. Theoretically, the paper deals with welfare technologies in a digital infrastructure perspective.Design/methodology/approachA multilevel and comparative study was conducted to understand the interplay of high-level policies and implementation projects and highlight key issues through comparative analysis of different national approaches. Japan and Norway were the chosen countries because they are both in the forefront in the use of welfare technologies.FindingsFindings reveal similarities between the two countries, which are echoed in many other countries: although government expectations are high, the field of welfare technology is still in its infancy and only rather simple solutions (such as safety alarms) are widely used. Key differences in innovation strategies for welfare technology in the two countries are highlighted, where Japan seem to be aiming for a vertical integration through large corporations’ solutions, whereas Norway aims for a more open innovation arena through standardization.Originality/valueFrom a practical point of view, the two countries have something to learn from each other, but, in particular, both countries are recommended – together with other similar countries – a more platform-oriented approach. Theoretically, it is shown that a successful implementation of welfare technologies should adopt a digital infrastructure approach and exploit the generative mechanisms of this approach.

Widowhood and Retirement Timing: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study

The combination of an increasing life expectancy, low fertility rates, and an early effective retirement age creates pressure to act for Governments and organizations. The pay-as-you-go social security systems of many countries are troubled by the increasing ratio of retirees to working people. In addition, many organizations face difficulties caused by a shrinking workforce and the accompanied shortage of skilled workers. To counteract, it is essential to create an environment in which older workers are encouraged to stay in the workforce. Therefore, it is important to understand which factors influence the retirement timing decision of workers. This study analyzes how widowhood and changes in demographic, health-related, and financial factors lead to changes in retirement plans of HRS respondents. I compare respondents actual retirement age with their retirement plans elicited in the HRS wave prior to retirement. The strongest change in retirement timing is caused by widowhood. Respondents who become widowed retire on average 1.6 years earlier than previously planned. This effect seems to be driven by a deterioration of physical health, mental health, and social and morale behavior. My findings suggest that an intervention in an early stage after widowhood by the employer or by health and social care services can help the widowed employee to overcome the temporary adverse effects of widowhood and to prevent a precipitous retirement decision.

From “Made in China” to “Innovated in China”: Necessity, Prospect, and Challenges

After more than three decades of high growth based on its low-wage advantage and relatively favorable demographics—in combination with market-oriented reforms and openness to the world economy—China is at a crossroads with a much higher wage and a shrinking work force. Future growth will depend, by necessity, more on the generation of increased productivity, and domestic innovation will play an important part in this. In this paper, we assess the likelihood that China can make the necessary transition. Using data on expenditure on research and development, and patent applications, receipts, and citations, we show that the Chinese economy has become increasingly innovative. We will argue that rising wages and expanding markets are among the important drivers of China's growth in innovation. On the other hand, we find evidence of resource misallocation in the innovation area: while state-owned firms receive more subsidies, private firms exhibit more innovation results. Innovation can presumably progress even faster if resource misallocation can be tackled.

Extending Demographic Windows of Opportunity: Evidence from Asia

Abstract Population aging and a shrinking workforce creates a significant drag on opportunities for economic growth. Specifically, many economies in Asia will see their demographic windows of economic opportunity close within the next two decades or so. One widely explored policy response among governments has been to encourage longer working lives or delay retirement. This paper traces developments in retirement age policies for rapidly aging Asian economies, and investigates the effect of recent reforms in old-age employment practices on their demographic windows. We find that increases in retirement age based on current policy prescriptions can help these aging economies extend their demographic windows by another two to seven years. Nonetheless, further extensions to working lives are needed to help sustain economic expansion and to provide support for growing elderly populations. Our study also demonstrates that the extent of the time gains from retirement age increases vary depending on how the age structures in each economy is expected to evolve over time. Accordingly, the timing and quantum of future retirement age increases should be suitably calibrated so as to sufficiently offset declines in the working-age population.