Matching Skills Research Articles

Skill matching and mismatching: labour market trajectories of redundant manufacturing workers

ABSTRACT While re-employment opportunities for redundant workers have been a much-debated topic in economic geography, the characteristics of these new employments and the medium-run effect of major lay-offs constitute a less explored field. The present paper investigates skill matching between the pre-redundancy job and the employment workers have five years after redundancy by studying the distance and direction of their labour market trajectories. By following 670 manufacturing workers made redundant in major layoffs in 2003, the present paper connects patterns of career mobility and underemployment to possible frictions connected to spatial and industrial mobility. The results indicate that moving some distance from the initial point of departure is correlated with upward mobility. This especially concerns moving to a related industry in the same region or moving to a new region, but within the same industry. Moving too great a distance, however, increases the risk of downward mobility. Moving to unrelated industries in general, but also to related industries in new regions, is associated with a higher risk of facing underemployment in the medium run. In conclusion, the longer-run labour market trajectories, in relation to both distance and direction, need to be addressed if we are to assess the outcome of redundancies.

Pandemic as a Driver of Diversification of the Bolt Platform: Launching Food Courier Service in Budapest

Bolt, a ride-hailing company providing “on-location platform-determined work”, became a global platform operator in the personal transport sector within a year after its foundation in 2013. Presently, the company is among the first five fastest growing European firms. The Hungarian operation was founded in 2016. In contrast to the Uber, this company,originally called Taxify but rebranded as Bolt in 2019, respects the country’s regulation on personal transport. The aim of the case study is to identify some key characterists of the platform that allowed the company to adapt to sudden societal shifts caused by the COVID19 pandemic. The paper is structured around five sections: 1) an overview on the ride-haling service globally and than focusing on Bolt itself, 2) an outline of the service diversification of Bolt under the worldwide social-economic and health crisis created by COVID-19, 3) the platform workers’ motivation, earnings, working conditions, skills match, algorithmic mangement/autonomy and employment status, 4) a summary of the practice of representation or the forms of voice of the workers, an 5) an overview ofkey impacts of COVID-19 that have been felt by platform workers. The descriptive analysis is ended by the concluding remarks.

O-Ring Production Networks

We study a production network where quality choices are interconnected across firms. High-quality firms are skill intensive and trade more with other high-quality firms. Using data from Turkish firms, we document strong assortative matching of skills in the production network. A firm-specific export demand shock from a rich country increases the firm's skill intensity and shifts the firm toward skill-intensive domestic partners. We develop a quantitative model with heterogeneous firms, endogenous quality choices, and network formation. An economy-wide export demand shock of 5 percent induces exporters and non-exporters to upgrade quality, raising the average wage by 1.2 percent. This effect is about nine times the effect in a special case of the model with no interconnection of quality choices.

On‐the‐job training: a skill match approach to the determinants of lifelong learning

AbstractA recurrent finding in on‐the‐job training research is the ‘training gap’ in formal training: the positive correlation between initial education and continuing training. This finding is here examined from the perspective of two important distinctions: (i) between employee skill supply and job skill demand and (ii) between formal and informal training. Less‐educated workers may hold jobs with low skill requirements demanding little further formal training because the use of high skills is irrelevant, jobs that moreover provide little informal training. Exploring these issues on representative Swedish survey data using the educational mismatch (overqualified, the rightly qualified and the underqualified) model, we find that job requirements are strongly correlated with the incidence of both formal and informal training. Rather than, as has previously been argued, employee training decisions being the cause of the gap, this suggests that employer decisions regarding how to structure jobs and whom to hire are the primary factors behind the training gap.

How to Optimize an Academic Team When the Outlier Member is Leaving?

An academic team is a highly cohesive collaboration group of scholars, which has been recognized as an effective way to improve scientific output in terms of both quality and quantity. However, the high staff turnover brings about a series of problems that may have negative influences on team performance. To address this challenge, we first detect the tendency of the member who may potentially leave. Here, the outlierness is defined with respect to familiarity, which is quantified by using collaboration intensity. It is assumed that if a team member has a higher familiarity with scholars outside the team, then this member might probably leave the team. To minimize the influence caused by the leaving of such an outlier member, we propose an optimization solution to find a proper candidate who can replace the outlier member. Based on random walk with graph kernel, our solution involves familiarity matching, skill matching, as well as structure matching. The proposed approach proves to be effective and outperforms existing methods when applied to computer science academic teams.

PO-1935: MR-only prostate radiotherapy – how transferable are CT based image matching skills?

PO-1935: MR-only prostate radiotherapy – how transferable are CT based image matching skills?

The utilisation of VERT™ in the training of Image-Guided Radiotherapy for therapeutic radiographers

AbstractAim:The overall aim of this study was to evaluate the use of Virtual Environment for Radiotherapy Training Image-Guided Radiotherapy (VERT™IGRT) as a teaching and assessment tool for 3D image matching competency within the radiotherapy clinical setting and explore radiographer perceptions, experiences and integration of VERT™IGRT as an imaging tool.Materials and methods:A mixed-methods study was utilised to measure clinical image matching competencies in the first quantitative phase through means of a workbook and imaging assessment. Phase II used qualitative semi-structured interviews to explore radiographer perceptions.Results:Workbooks enabled participants to prepare for image assessments. Interview findings were highlighted in three distinctive themes: (1) The need for supervision, guidance and feedback; (2) Experience and practice leads to confidence and competence and (3) Technology supports process but not evaluation.Findings:VERT™IGRT provides a sound platform for training therapeutic radiographer image matching skills, but needs to be delivered with continuous feedback to develop individual decision-making skills. The technology provides opportunities for staff to increase confidence in utilsing image matching technology, but analytical and evaluation skills require supervision and continuous feedback which should be embedded in any educational training programme.

The best person (or machine) for the job: Rethinking task shifting in healthcare

Globally, health systems are faced with the difficult challenge of how to get the best results with the often limited number of health workers available to them. Exacerbating this challenge is the task of meeting ever-changing needs of service users and managing unprecedented technological advances. The process of matching skills to changing needs and opportunities is termed task shifting. It involves questioning health service goals, what health workers do, asking if it can be done in a better way, and implementing change. Task shifting in healthcare is often conceptualised as a process of transferring responsibility for ‘simple’ tasks from high-skilled but scarce health workers to those with less expertise and lower pay, and predominantly viewed as a means to reduce costs and promote efficiency. Here we present a position paper based on the work and expertise of the European Commission Expert Panel on Effective ways of Investing in Health. It contends that this is over simplistic, and aims to provide a new task shifting framework, informed by relevant evidence, and a series of recommendations. While far from comprehensive, there is a growing body of evidence that certain tasks traditionally undertaken by one type of health worker can be undertaken by others (or machines), in some cases to a higher standard, thus challenging the persistence of rigid professional boundaries. Task shifting has the potential to contribute to health systems strengthening when accompanied by adequate planning, resources, education, training and transparency.

PENGGUNAAN MODEL PEMBELAJARAN MAKE A MATCH UNTUK MENINGKATKAN HASIL BELAJAR SISWA MATA PELAJARAN IPS DI KELAS VI SDN 24 PONTIANAK TENGGARA

AbstractStudent learning outcomes of class VI A SDN 24 South East Pontianak shows 11 of 23 students do not reach the minimum completeness criteria. So that a study aimed to find out the improvement of student learning outcomes in social studies subjects in class VI A SDN 24 South East Pontianak through the use of learning models make a match. This research was conducted in two cycles and used two instruments, namely: observation sheet and written test form in the form of filling. The results of Cycle I showed the ability to prepare RPP is 77.94, and the average teacher's skills in applying make a match is 83.33. In Cycle I the pre-test scores showed 12 students had reached the minimum completeness criteria, while the post-test scores showed 23 students had reached the minimum completeness criteria (100%) with an average of 82.39. The results of Cycle II showed that the RPP preparation got a value of 92.64 and the use of make a match skill was 92.64. In Cycle II the results of the post-test showed that the remaining 23 (100%) had reached the minimum completeness criteria with an average of 92.17. Keywords: Classroom action research, Model Make a Match, Social Sciences Subjects, Student Learning Outcomes

Demand-Driven Youth Training Programs: Experimental Evidence from Mongolia

AbstractThe effectiveness of a demand-driven vocational-training program for disadvantaged youth in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia is assessed through a randomized controlled trial. Mongolia, a transitional country whose economic structure shifted from a Communist, centrally planned economy to a free-market economy over a relatively short period, offers a new setting in which to test the effectiveness of market-based active-labor-market policies. Results show short-term positive impacts on self-employment and skills match, while positive but uncertain effects emerge for employment and earnings. Substantial heterogeneity emerges as relatively older, richer, and better-educated individuals drive these positive effects. A second intervention, in which participants were randomly assigned to receive newsletters with information on market returns to vocational training, shows statistically meaningful effects on the length of exposure to the program (i.e., number of training days attended). These positive impacts, however, do not lead to higher employment or greater earnings.

Ensuring skills are available in the right locations: are we there yet? A regional analysis of qualification gaps

ABSTRACT Matching skills supply and demand is critical for economic growth, competitiveness and inclusiveness. Yet, measuring skills is difficult. This paper develops an approach for measuring the gap between demand and supply of skills at the local level in the UK West Midlands region. It uses qualifications as a proxy for skills. By comparing the projected supply of qualifications with the forecast demand for qualifications from occupational forecasts, the analysis reveals significant skill mismatches with potential to constrain regional growth potential. Policy implications for connecting skills, transport and housing policy as part of local industrial strategies are explored.

Impact, Strategies, and Opportunities for Early and Midcareer Cardiovascular Researchers During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Impact, Strategies, and Opportunities for Early and Midcareer Cardiovascular Researchers During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Evaluating task design for skill development in an amateur female cricket team

ABSTRACT Background: Motor control and skill acquisition research have contributed greatly to understanding the learning process in sport, but very little of this knowledge has been applied in practice over the past fifty years. The characteristics of expertise in the two major cricket skills, batting and bowling, are well established but the training environments used to develop them are yet to be characterised. Recommendations on the how the ball is delivered (feed), decision making, task variability and information sources for skill development in cricket have been made previously in research. To promote skills which transfer between the training and performance environments, tasks should maintain the connection between the person, their task and the environment. Coaches have found it difficult to apply complex learning designs to their practice because the underpinning concepts remain unclear. Demystifying evidence-based practice for skill development in cricket is needed to make research knowledge more accessible for coaches. Purpose: Given club level cricket (amateur) is the stepping-stone of the talent development pathway for junior representative players pursuing elite status, it is important to evaluate the effectiveness of skill development practices at this level and identify means of improvement. Methods: A categorical assessment tool was developed to assess 21 training sessions performed during an amateur women’s cricket team throughout the 2018/19 season. We assessed how the ball was delivered (feed), decision making elements, variability and sources of information available to ascertain the representativeness of each training session according to published research on skill development and expertise. The tool featured a scoring range (0–3) with maximum scores per discipline of 12 for bowling and 15 for batting. Key performance indicators (KPI), outlined by the head coach, were also collected during the season to assess game performance and explore any connections with training design. Results: A lack of variability in training design between the 21 sessions performed (<0.5 units on 0–3 scale) did not allow for a correlational analysis with game performance. In contrast, game KPIs were achieved sporadically throughout the season. The most representative training elements were provided for bowling feed (target), decision making and variability, while batting feed (type) and variability also scored well on the assessment tool. The maximum score for representativeness for bowling or batting was not reached, and training design remained largely unchanged throughout the season despite changes in match type, competition phase and consistent low scores in some elements. Conclusions: Some elements of representative learning design were apparent in this amateur cricket setting but only in discrete areas of training. Despite changes in the competition phase and match type, there was a lack of adaptation in training design. Future research is needed to evaluate the principles of representative training design and their effect on cricket skill development and match performance. A more sensitive categorical assessment tool may also be necessary to detect subtle changes in training design.

Is there an association between Perceptual Ability Test scores and color vision acuity?

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is an association between Perceptual Ability Test (PAT) results and color vision deficiency (CVD). Three consecutive classes of first-year dental students (n=291) voluntarily participated in the study. The Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue Color Vision test (FM-100) was administered to students beneath a Macbeth Judge II viewing booth that provided ideal lighting conditions to ascertain CVD. Results of FM-100 test were recorded as total error scores (TES). Color acuity was scored as superior (TES 0-16), average (TES 20-100), or poor (TES>100). Additional information of age, sex, ethnicity, and time to complete the FM-100 was obtained. Multiple linear regression was used to determine the association between PAT and CVD while adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, and time to complete the FM-100 test. TES ranged from 0-244. There were 132 students with superior color acuity, 161 with average, and eight with poor acuity. Females performed better than males on the FM-100 test. Time to complete the FM-100 test ranged from 3:40 minutes to 25:12 minutes. There was a strong relationship between PAT scores and CVD (P=0.0003). A 1-unit increase in PAT scores was found to result in a 9% decrease in TES; indicating that students with higher PAT scores are less likely to have CVD. The PAT may be a preliminary screening instrument to identify students who may have CVD. The FM-100 test can then confirm the presence of CVD. Students with CVD may desire to improve dental shade matching skills through targeted training and education.

Higher Education and the School-Work Mismatch in an Evolving Labor Market

In relation to an evolving labor market, the main focus of this paper is to examine whether the traditional model of higher education is effectively matching graduate skills to labor market demand. In light of a growing student debt burden and proposals for significant expansions in higher education funding aid, this paper also assesses the orthodox view that a traditional college education is a human capital investment that yields a growing college wage premium. The paper reviews the existing literature on the school-work skills mismatch and concludes that there may be a need to rethink higher education policies to prepare future generations for an increasingly dynamic and evolving labor market.

Moving for Better Skill Match

This paper studies the connection between multidimensional skill mismatch and labor mobility decisions, and the implications on the aggregate economy thereof. We show empirically that higher skill mismatch induces workers to move to a better matched job. Moreover, labor mobility helps reduce skill mismatch, especially for those previously with high skill mismatch. An equilibrium search model featuring skill mismatch and on the job search is developed. Quantitatively, we find that (i) skill mismatch has an important role to play in affecting the labor mobility decisions, as well as the aggregate economy, (ii) about two-thirds of the total skill mismatch can be accounted for by search frictions, which explain half of the occupational mobility and cost about 1% of the aggregate output and welfare, and (iii) aggregate productivity growth has positive impact on both the skill mismatch and occupational mobility.

Semantic Node-RED for rapid development of interoperable industrial IoT applications

The evolution of IoT has revolutionized industrial automation. Industrial devices at every level such as field devices, control devices, enterprise level devices etc., are connected to the Internet, where they can be accessed easily. It has significantly changed the way applications are developed on the industrial automation systems. It led to the paradigm shift where novel IoT application development tools such as Node-RED can be used to develop complex industrial applications as IoT orchestrations. However, in the current state, these applications are bound strictly to devices from specific vendors and ecosystems. They cannot be re-used with devices from other vendors and platforms, since the applications are not semantically interoperable. For this purpose, it is desirable to use platform-independent, vendor-neutral application templates for common automation tasks. However, in the current state in Node-RED such reusable and interoperable application templates cannot be developed. The interoperability problem at the data level can be addressed in IoT, using Semantic Web (SW) technologies. However, for an industrial engineer or an IoT application developer, SW technologies are not very easy to use. In order to enable efficient use of SW technologies to create interoperable IoT applications, novel IoT tools are required. For this purpose, in this paper we propose a novel semantic extension to the widely used Node-RED tool by introducing semantic definitions such as iot.schema.org semantic models into Node-RED. The tool guides a non-expert in semantic technologies such as a device vendor, a machine builder to configure the semantics of a device consistently. Moreover, it also enables an engineer, IoT application developer to design and develop semantically interoperable IoT applications with minimal effort. Our approach accelerates the application development process by introducing novel semantic application templates called Recipes in Node-RED. Using Recipes, complex application development tasks such as skill matching between Recipes and existing things can be automated. We will present the approach to perform automated skill matching on the Cloud or on the Edge of an automation system. We performed quantitative and qualitative evaluation of our approach to test the feasibility and scalability of the approach in real world scenarios. The results of the evaluation are presented and discussed in the paper.

User-friendly, requirement based assistance for production workforce using an asset administration shell design

Abstract Future production methods like cyber physical production systems (CPPS), flexibly linked assembly structures and the matrix production are characterized by highly flexible and reconfigurable cyber physical work cells. This leads to frequent job changes and shifting work environments. The resulting complexity within production increases the risk of process failures and therefore requires longer job qualification times for workers, challenging the overall efficiency of production. During operation, cyber physical work cells generate data, which are specific to the individual process and interaction data. Based on the asset administration shell for Industry 4.0, this paper develops an administration shell for the production workforce, which contains personal data (e.g. qualification level, language skills, machine access, preferred display and interaction settings). Using worker and process specific data as well as interaction data, allows supporting, training and instating workers according to their individual capabilities. This matching of machine requirements and worker skills serves to optimize the allocation of workers to workstations regarding the ergonomic workplace setup and the machine efficiency. This paper concludes with an user-friendly, intuitive design approach for a personalized machine user interface. The presented use-cases are developed and tested at the ARENA2036 (Active Research Environment for the Next Generation of Automobiles) research campus.

MR-only prostate radiotherapy – how transferable are CT based image matching skills?

MR-only prostate radiotherapy – how transferable are CT based image matching skills?

Labour market institutions and the challenge of allocating the right people to the right jobs: Evidence on the relation between labour market institutions and optimal skill matching from 28 industrial countries

ABSTRACTThis article provides empirical evidence on the relation between institutional characteristics of labour markets that frame allocation processes, and optimal skill matching at the individual level. We investigate the extent to which skill-based job-worker matches are associated with employment protection legislation (EPL), unemployment benefits, and enforcing and enabling activating labour market policies. Drawing on data of the OECD’s Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), and performing cross-country analyses of 28 industrial countries, we find that EPL can explain variance in the share of optimal skill matching across countries, displaying a positive relation. We also find a negative relation between strict enforcing activating labour market policies and optimal skill matching.