Structure Of Labor Force Research Articles

Immigration et évolution de la structure de la main-d'œuvre au Sud de l'Union européenne

Résumé Dans un contexte de très forte croissance des flux d’immigration, cette note vise à analyser les évolutions de la structure de la main-d’œuvre en Espagne et à les comparer avec celles des autres pays méridionaux de l’Union (la Grèce, l’Italie et le Portugal) et de la France (vieux pays d’immigration internationale). On examine les dynamiques à l’œuvre dans chaque secteur d’activité, en distinguant ceux dans lesquels il existe une substitution de la main-d’œuvre étrangère à la main-d’œuvre autochtone, ceux qui sont caractérisés par une croissance conjointe des deux groupes, et ceux qui apparaissent davantage réservés aux actifs nationaux. Les résultats montrent que l’Espagne, l’Italie et la Grèce partagent des caractéristiques similaires – et différentes des modèles représentés par la France et le Portugal – qui s’expliquent notamment par le fait que dans ces pays, la hausse du niveau d’instruction des jeunes générations et de la participation des femmes au marché du travail comparativement aux générations précédentes a été particulièrement importante.

Structural Interrelationship between Community Farming and Rural Community and their Labor Force Structure

Structural Interrelationship between Community Farming and Rural Community and their Labor Force Structure

Immigration and changing labour force structure in the Southern European Union

Dans un contexte de tres forte croissance des flux d’immigration, cette note vise a analyser les evolutions de la structure de la main-d’œuvre en Espagne et a les comparer avec celles des autres pays meridionaux de l’Union (la Grece, l’Italie et le Portugal) et de la France (vieux pays d’immigration internationale). On examine les dynamiques a l’œuvre dans chaque secteur d’activite, en distinguant ceux dans lesquels il existe une substitution de la main-d’œuvre etrangere a la main-d’œuvre autochtone, ceux qui sont caracterises par une croissance conjointe des deux groupes, et ceux qui apparaissent davantage reserves aux actifs nationaux. Les resultats montrent que l’Espagne, l’Italie et la Grece partagent des caracteristiques similaires – et differentes des modeles representes par la France et le Portugal – qui s’expliquent notamment par le fait que dans ces pays, la hausse du niveau d’instruction des jeunes generations et de la participation des femmes au marche du travail comparativement aux generations precedentes a ete particulierement importante.

PROBLEMS OF IDENTIFYING AND REGULATING THE STRUCTURE OF THE LABOUR MARKET IN DEPRESSIVE LITHUANIAN REGIONS

In order to identify labour market problems in the depressive regions of Lithuania and to provide guiding lines in the search for their solution, it is necessary to conduct a systematic analysis of the structure of employable population encompassing the characteristics of segments of employed and unemployed persons as well as individuals not registered with the official labour market. Correlation and factor analysis of eighteen macroeconomic indicators investigating into indicators of all municipalities of the country and depressive regions separately (20 municipalities where the unemployment rate exceeded the average in the country by 1,5 times in 2004) enabled evaluation of the significance of employment and unemployment indicators as well as impact thereof on other indicators chosen for the analysis to feature the trends of social and economic development on national level and in depressive regions in 1996–2004. Apart from special sociological research, characterization of the structure and peculiarities of labour force is confined to assumptions of logical analysis, but the invented technologies give grounds to maintain that dynamics of the employment indicator reflects the trends and outcomes of the development of economic activities only to a certain limited extent. Relation of the unemployment indicator, particularly that of long‐term unemployment, with other macroeconomic indicators is much tighter. However, as we can see from the analysis, relevantly big share of employable individuals not participating in the labour market has been little analysed by the structure, though most probably this share consists of the following basic groups: unemployed “volunteers”, “labour migrants”, unofficially employed individuals and persons employed in in‐kind farms. Yet, the analysis of statistical data shows that this is not an idiosyncrasy of depressive regions of the country. In the analysis of the structure of the labour market, the following problems extremely important in the depressive regions of Lithuania may be singled out: long‐term unemployment trap determines emigration of youth and better skilled labour force; consequently this results in prevalence of senior and pension‐age population, unskilled labour force and out‐of‐skill individuals in the structure of employable population, and in unofficial, ineffective “survival” employment in small, quasi‐in‐kind farms that have become a traditional way of life of rural population.

An Econometric Study of Education,Labor Market and Human Development In The State of Kuwait

Kuwait’s economy has witnessed a number of up and down swings since the 1970. A remarkable economic boom arising from oil prices upsurge in 1973 and 1979 was followed by sluggish growth in 1980s and 1990s. A heavy reliance on a single exhaustible resource, distorted labor force and population structure, low share of private investment, a strong role of the government in guiding economic activity and substantial outflow of capital due to limited domestic investment opportunities are all examples of market inefficiencies and imbalances. When the labor market is inefficient, the wage rate is unable to perform its mediating role in matching the demand and supply of labor which has a negative impact on resource allocation and economic growth. The objective of this study is to shed light on the working of the labor market through a better understanding of wage determination and its links to human capital (education) in Kuwait. Unfortunately, there are not many studies of wage determination in Kuwait, partly because data availability on wages and earnings is relatively recent and limited. The study found that return to education for the Kuwaitis in the public sector is 9.4 per cent and the return to experience is only 4 per cent. However, for non‐ Kuwaitis, the return to education was 11.7 per cent and the return to experience is only 2.8 per cent. As for the levels of education, completing secondary school education was found to give the highest returns for both Kuwaitis and non Kuwaitis, about 30.4 per cent and 19.9 per cent respectively. Moreover, by gender, Kuwaiti males earn, on the average, more than their female counterpart for all levels of education and experience.

Changing gender differences in commuting in the Tokyo metropolitan suburbs

Studies concerning gender differences in commuting activities in cities have been carried out as related to gender geography in the various English-speaking countries. These studies have noted that the average commuting distance for women tends to be shorter than for men (Madden, 1981; Fox, 1983; Hanson, 1985), and they refer to the importance of household related factors. Blumen (1994) explains the shorter commuting distances of married women by their "dual roles" resulting from the combination of household responsibilities and engagement in paid work. According to Ericksen (1977) the age of the youngest child and marital status are important factors in the explanation of gender differences in commuting distances. Hanson and Pratt (1988) pointed out that men tend to decide the location of their home after selecting the place of employment, while women tend to select their place of employment after selecting the location of their homes. Hanson and Pratt (1991) emphasized that power relations between husband and wife in the family, gender differences in social life and gender differences in jobsearching activities are key factors that cause gender differences in workplace selection. A number of studies report on gender differences in commuting in Japan. Kawaguchi (1992) has shown that the suburbanization of employment in metropolitan areas causes changes in labor force structure and, in particular, in the tendency for women to enter the labor market. Studies that mention commuting activities of women in metropolitan areas have pointed out the importance of household-related factors. Kawase (1997, 1999) has examined residential areas in metropolitan suburbs, noting gender differences in commuting activities of married persons. Most studies refer to married men and women only and explain the shorter commuting distances of women by the gender roles of husbands and wives within families. Few studies deal with the specific commuting differences between sons and daughters. Aritome and Ogata (1997) point out that the average commuting distance of young women is as long as or even longer than of young men. But they do not clarify the factors behind these gender differences. It is impossible to understand gender differences in commuting activities in e ropolitan suburbs without examining the employment and commuting activities of sons and daughters. The purpose of this paper is to clarify gender differ nces in commuting activities by marital status of inhabitants of Tokyo Metropolitan suburbs: it focuses especially on the relationships between parents and their children and highlights the generation differences in commuting behavior.

Occupational lung disease in China.

Occupational lung disease has been a major public health problem in China. The recently transformed industrial structure and expansion of the industrial labor force, accompanying the rapid industrialization and economic growth, pose both tremendous challenges and opportunities for occupational health policy and research. New occupational health problems are emerging, while the traditional occupational lung disease continued to occur. Simultaneously, relevant scientific research and professional activities have accelerated notably. The progress and achievement in occupational health research are creating more powerful forces in eliminating industrial hazards and protecting workers' health in China.

The Situation of High-quality Well-educated Intellectuals in Germany

The present article drafts the changes that have taken place in German labour-force structure and labour market in the recent decades. Notwithstanding former trends, the number of university graduates started to decrease in the last five years. As reasons for this the author marks three main factors: demographic trends, decreasing interest in university carriers and the growing ratio of drop-outs. Considering vocational groups, he points out that indirect services and manufacturing cum maintenance services are on the rise, while regarding qualification groups he puts emphasis on the spreading of dual vocational education. In connection with this, the concept of “high-quality well-educated intellectuals” is revised, broadening the category to include also higher educational forms else than university and college education. The article also includes a comparison with an earlier prediction, concluding that automation had greater effects on the structure of labour than formerly expected.

Intermetropolitan Variation in the Labour Force Participation Rates of White and Black Men in the United States

We decompose the variance in black and white male labour force participation rates across US metropolitan areas in 1990 into three effects: that due to variation in labour force participation within labour force categories across metropolitan areas (local labour market effects); that due to variation in the distribution of those categories across metropolitan areas (labour force structure effects); and that due to the covariation between these two effects. Variation in labour force participation rates within labour force categories (local labour market effects) accounts for 56 per cent of the variance in labour force participation rates across metropolitan areas for white men but over 75 per cent for black men. Variation in the frequency of membership in each labour force category is a relatively unimportant factor for both groups. The covariance between labour force effects and local effects is negligible for black men but accounts for 25 per cent of the intermetropolitan variance in white male participation rates. This covariance is a measure of how well adjusted the labour force characteristics of metropolitan areas are to local economic conditions; our results indicate that this adjustment is greater for white men than black men. We also use this decomposition to identify the causes of variation in the difference between black and white labour force participation rates. Black-white differences in response to local labour market effects conditions generate most of this variance. These different local labour market effects are greatest among young single men with less than a high school education.

From Heavy Industries to a High-Tech Centre: Mobility of Educated Labour in Tampere

The paper concentrates on the changes of the industrial structure and mobility of labour force in Tampere. The city of Tampere with a population of 195.000 is the second largest urban agglomeration in Finland. The Tampere urban area has a population of about 300.000. Tampere has been a forerunner especially in the heavy processing industries, such as large textile and clothing industries, leather industries, paper mills, cardboard factories and metal works. Along with a general industrial change in the country, Tampere lost a great part of its heavy industries in the 1970s and 1980s. The volume of labour force in the sector plummeted to less than a half causing a high unemployment rate, which was worsened by a severe depression in the country in 1991-1994. After the depression the city experienced an unexpected rapid development to become one of the major high-tech centres. These developments have created new demands for skilled workers. The paper analyses industrial changes and labour migration and their interconnections in the Tampere urban area..

Comment: Controversies and Evidence in the Market Transition Debate

Despite repeated attempts to integrate competing perspectives (Szelenyi and Kostello 1996; Nee and Matthews 1996), the ongoing market transition debate has shown no signs of resolution. Instead, the 1996 AJS market transition symposium seems to have created more controversy than it settled (Nee 1996; Xie and Hannum 1996; Oberschall 1996; Parish and Michelson 1996; Walder 1996; Fligstein 1996; Szelenyi and Kostello 1996). And subsequent studies continue to reach nearly opposite conclusions (cf. Bian and Logan 1996; Gerber and Hout 1998; with Brainerd 1998; Nee and Cao, in press). When arguments become polarized, it often signals that divisions are falsely drawn (Bates 1997). Although originally made in another context, this observation is applicable here. As principals in this lively debate, we believe that clarification and reevaluation are essential for moving toward a reconciliation of competing viewpoints. In this comment we therefore identify the central issues in the controversy and provide an overall assessment of existing empirical evidence

Another Classical Approach to the World Economy

The consistency and revitalization of capitalist development had been focused in recent academic and journalistic arguments. And there: is growing interest in exploring more effective international contestability along with regulatory reform program or structural adjustment policy. However, the primitive accumulation process, which occurred at early phase of capitalist development in each country's socio-economy, and the relative surplus (labour force) population, which occurred in capitalist development itself, had little attention in those arguments. In this paper, I will analyze labour force structure and its change by applying Marx's analytical framework with reference to international comparative data. Then, reconsidering the characteristics of contemporary stage of world economy.

Workplace Flexibilities in the Producer Services

The concept of flexibility is now widely used in describingcontemporary production systems in manufacturing, but has yetto be extensively measured in the producer services. In thisarticle we explore several aspects of flexibility in a sample ofproducer service businesses. We document the structure of thelabour force in these businesses, and how this labour forcestructure is changing over time. We also focus on the degree offlexibility in the organisation of the production process, and onthe dynamic nature of the service being produced. In addition toexploring why firms are changing their offerings of services overtime, we also present information on their utilisation of outsidespecialists, and on the prevalence of collaboration with otherbusinesses.

The labour market in Switzerland: the end of a special case?

This paper presents a general survey of the Swiss economy. It emphasises the various factors that have been put forward to explain the very low unemployment rate recorded in Switzerland up to the beginning of the 1990s. It also analyses the factors which may be held responsible for the dramatic reversal of the Swiss labour market situation, by considering the modification in the employers’ and workers’ behaviour in Switzerland as well as the changes observed in the structure of the foreign labour force. It comes to the conclusion that the unemployment observed since 1991 is not simply a consequence of a deterioration in the functioning of the Swiss labour market compared with earlier periods, but rather a result of changes in immigration policies and also the reflection in the statistics of a truer picture of the labour market imbalance created by the restructuring of the economy.

INDUSTRIALIZATION AND WAGED WORK IN SALONlCA AT THE END OF 19th CENTURY

This article analyses evolution (development) of the industrialization and the situation of the waged work in Salonica at the end of 19th century. Salonica was a very important city of the Ottoman Empire which was experiencing important inustrial developments during 1870\'s and 1880, tended to increase its available capacity in 1890\'s. As a result of industrialization, the structure of labor force of the city began to change in favor of industry and women became an important part of the wage earners.

Toward a Multilevel Model in Longitudinal Studies on Computerization in Offices

The theoretical framework of longitudinal field studies on office automation has expanded from the stress paradigm to the implementation and planning of chance. Research has started to focus on the design processes of both the computer applications and work organizations simultaneously as opposed to the earlier descriptions of the effects of automation stress and well-being. New technology should have a variety increasing rather than a variety-decreasing effect on operations, by supporting flexible and adaptive work organizations instead of formalized hierarchical control and tight standardization of work routines. The goals of planning, the ways of organizing it, and leadership styles are decisive, as regards the benefits and quality of changes. In addition, assessment of possible new health and safety risks at the worksite level should be organized. One future risk factor is information overflow in a multimedia environment with increasing productivity demands. In this article, key psychological questions concerning the studies of new technology implementations in office settings from the health and safety perspective are discussed. A conceptual review of some previous studies is presented, with special emphasis on longitudinal research. The focus is more on research questions and methodology than on the presentation of empirical results as such. A multilevel process model for the study of change is presented that combines technological, organizational and psychological change processes on both organizational and individual levels. Concerning the continuous change of information technology, work organization, and the age structure of labor force, future research needs are discussed.

Flexibility, Job Security and Self‐Employment in the UK Construction Industry

Does flexibility in employment relations necessarily mean a polarisation into desirable and undesirable jobs? The Core/Periphery labour force structure was developed as the model which would facilitate the attainment of numerical, financial and functional flexibility. In particular, numerical flexibility is achieved via the expansion of the peripheral workforce as variations in the supply of non‐firm specific activities occur in response to the demands of the firm.

Emigration Dynamics from and within South Asia

This review of current knowledge about emigration dynamics from and within South Asia (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) opens with a brief history of the three phases of emigration from the area since the 1830s (plantation labor; postindependence to the UK, US, Canada, and Australia; and labor migration to the oil-exporting countries). The influence of the creation of Pakistan and Bangladesh is also covered as are British colonial and commonwealth policies. It is noted that migration data are incomplete and that India exhibits an ambivalence about collecting such information. The discussion then turns to emigration since 1970 and considers permanent migration from South Asia to the traditional receivers; South Asian asylum seekers in Europe; South Asian refugees, illegal migrants, migrant workers (flows and destinations), the stock of contract migrant workers (and their characteristics); returnee migrant workers; and skill levels. Analysis is provided of macro level determinants of emigrations such as gross national product (level and growth), the general demographic and social situation, labor force growth and structure, poverty and inequality, and internal and international migration. Environmental factors causing displacement in Southern Asia include floods, cyclones, river bank erosion, drought, and desertification. Global warming could displace millions of people in the region, and development projects have contributed to displacement. The remainder of the report covers political and ethnic factors, micro-factors influencing migration decision-making, the policies of sending and receiving countries, the consequences of emigration, and the potential for migration in the future.

London in the Age of Industrialisation: Entrepreneurs, Labour Force and Living Conditions, 1700-1850

Introduction Part I. Wealth and Occupations in London: 1. The structure of London's economy and labour force 2. Manufacturing, services and the London bourgeoisie Part II. Fluctuations and Mortality in the Metropolis: 3. Trends, cycles and wars 4. Seasonal fluctuations 5. The population of London: the ending of the old regime Part III. The Standard of Living and the London Trades: 6. The making of a wage rate 7. The challenge of sweated labour: a tale of four trades 8. The defences of the inferior artisans, conclusion: downstream from industrialisation Appendices: 1. Seventeenth- and eighteenth-century sources on occupations and incomes 2. Occupations insured with Sun Fire Office and Royal Exchange Assurance, 1775-87 3. 1851 census: Armstrong classification 4. 1851 census: summary tables.

African Americans in Southern Rural Regions: The Importance of Legacy

This analysis reassesses the importance of the combined legacies of race, class, and culture by using the concentration of African Americans in a county as a general measure of this phenomenon for thirteen Southern states. Explanatory variables associated with labor force structure, social well-being and region provide evidence that those areas of the South with the highest concentrations of African Americans continue to be the most disadvantaged. These results suggest little change for metropolitan counties with increased concentrations of African Americans. The analyses point toward the need for a focused assessment of the efficacy of existing public and private programs to provide a foundation for overcoming the negative dimensions of the regional legacy.