Temporary Contracts Research Articles

Work Situation of Midwives in Spain: Perception of Autonomy and Intention to Leave the Profession: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Developed countries report specific issues regarding the declining midwifery workforce, and their shortage could have serious consequences for women's sexual and reproductive health. The aim was to understand the perception of autonomy among midwives working in Spain, as well as factors related to their intention to leave the profession and their work environment. A descriptive and cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire. midwives working in Spain in any field (clinical, research, teaching, or management). A sample of 1060 midwives was obtained. Of these, 53.7% (n = 569) feel autonomous in their work, 92.4% (n = 978) perceive that their profession frequently suffers from external interference, 46.6% (n = 494) have experienced sexist behaviors at work, and 53% (n = 561) have considered leaving the profession in the last year. Midwives with less than 10 years of experience (57.7%), those aged 31-45 years (59.8%), those with temporary contracts (38.3%), and those working in hospital care (71.9%) show a higher rate of considering leaving the profession (p < 0.001). Considering the current midwifery workforce crisis in Spain, it seems urgent to improve the working conditions of midwives to ensure the continuity and quality of women's sexual and reproductive healthcare.

Coping with temporariness: Space appropriation of South Asian migrants in Muscat, Oman

AbstractThis article deals with the practices of South Asian migrant workers appropriating space in Muscat, Oman. Due to temporary employment contracts, low income, and long working hours, in addition to living in a fragmented car‐dependent city, their access to the city is spatially and temporally limited. This raises the question of their opportunities and limitations for space appropriation in Muscat. In this paper, we first describe the urban and political context that leads to their limitations and temporalities. We then establish a theoretical framework to define the roles of space, migration, and time. Adopting a qualitative approach combining interviews and observation, we then focus on one location as a case study and analyse how its visitors, low‐income and middle‐income migrant workers, appropriate space according to their daily needs. Highlighting the tension between rigid constraints and constant change, we conclude by presenting the social and spatial products of the process of space appropriation and respond to the discourse on the production of space through the lens of temporary migration.

A Study on General Staffing Services and Manpower Providing Services of QUESS CORP LTD. in Ahmedabad

This research paper presents a comprehensive study of general staffing services and manpower providing services offered by Quess Corp in Ahmedabad. The study aims to explore the operational frameworks, client engagement strategies, and service delivery mechanisms that make Quess Corp a significant player in the staffing industry. Through a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods, including interviews with company executives, surveys of client companies, and analysis of industry reports, the paper delves into the challenges and opportunities faced by the company in the rapidly evolving employment landscape of Ahmedabad. Key findings indicate that Quess Corp's emphasis on technology- driven solutions, robust training programs, and strategic partnerships has significantly enhanced its service efficiency and client satisfaction levels. Additionally, the study highlights the critical role of adaptive workforce solutions in addressing the dynamic needs of businesses in Ahmedabad. The paper concludes with recommendations for leveraging technological advancements and optimizing human resource management practices to further strengthen Quess Corp's market position. Quess Corp’s general staffing services encompass temporary staffing, contract staffing, and permanent staffing solutions. The company’s comprehensive approach ensures that it can meet the diverse staffing needs of its clients, ranging from short- term project-based requirements to long-term strategic hires. The study explores how Quess Corp tailors its services to suit the specific demands of various sectors, including IT, manufacturing, retail, and healthcare. The company utilizes advanced technology platforms to manage its talent pool, ensuring quick and accurate matching of candidates to job requirements. This technological integration is a significant factor in Quess Corp’s ability to deliver high- quality staffing solutions efficiently

Flow pattern, particle capture and contractile behaviour in the demosponge Halichondria panicea

ABSTRACT In the aquiferous system of demosponges, the flow into inhalant canals is driven by the beating flagella of the choanocytes organized in chambers imbedded in the walls and the filtered water is discharged into exhalant canals. Our aim was to characterize the laminar flow pattern and fate of captured algal cells and microplastic beads in the inhalant canals in a sandwich culture of the demosponge Halichondria panicea in contact with the ‘mother sponge’ using microscope-video technique. Algal cells traced near the centreline of an inhalant canal moved with the highest speed and travelled the furthest, and when approaching the canal walls the flow speed decreased and the cells were captured to be subsequently digested. Microplastic particles accumulated also along the inhalant canal walls but were subsequently expelled into the exhalant canals. Adding a high concentration of 2–22 µm fragmented waste plastic particles triggered contractile behaviour. It started immediately with osculum closure in the ‘mother sponge’ lasting about 25 min and it was followed by delayed and temporary contractions of first inhalant and then exhalant canals in the sandwich culture. These results support the theory of how the sponge responds to ultimately ensure the ejection of the foul particles.

The effect of output on employment in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant decline in output, as well as economic policies aimed at mitigating the negative effects of the pandemic. Both of these factors had an impact on the labour market. This paper investigates changes in employment across groups of workers during the coronavirus pandemic in Poland and the effect of output on these changes. Firstly, it examines changes in employment growth rates across different groups of workers in 2020. Secondly, the paper analyses the impact of the coronavirus crisis on employment by comparing actual and predicted employment growth during the pandemic period (2020). Using Okun’s law, Ordinary Least Squares, and quarterly data, the elasticities of employment growth with respect to GDP growth in the pre-pandemic period (2003–2019) are calculated. These elasticities are then used to estimate projected employment growth during the pandemic. The results suggest that the total employment response to output change was relatively small, compared to the historical pattern. However, the response was unequal across groups of workers. The youngest workers, particularly women, and those with temporary employment contracts were most affected by the pandemic.

Occupational Stress in Healthcare Professionals in Spain: A Multicenter Study.

Introduction: Occupational stress significantly impacts healthcare professionals in the Spanish public hospital system. This study, conducted from April to June 2022, focuses on analyzing stress levels using the Nursing Stress Scale through an online survey. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out using an online survey from April to June 2022 in four hospitals. The Nursing Stress Scale was used to comprehensively assess stress levels among healthcare professionals. Results: The findings revealed a substantial contrast in stress outcomes based on personal circumstances. Healthcare professionals in stable partnerships and with children exhibited lower stress levels, acting as protective factors during the pandemic. Conversely, those engaged in rotating shifts, especially those working over 60 h per week, showed a sevenfold increase in high-stress probability (p < 0.05). Temporary contract holders and those with heightened exposure to COVID-19 reported elevated stress levels, highlighting the complex dynamics impacting the mental well-being of healthcare workers. Conclusions: Findings emphasize the necessity for targeted interventions to safeguard healthcare professionals' well-being, focusing on the psychological consequences of factors like rotating shifts and extended working hours. Protective elements such as stable partnerships and parenthood could serve as a foundation for initiatives supporting work-life balance, potentially involving government policies and hospital management.

Living the liquid life: Gender, precarity, and journalism in the post-#metoo era

Abstract Despite a long-standing trend of increasing women in the profession, masculine norms and gender inequality persist in media work. During the #metoo movement, Swedish journalists launched the #deadline campaign, shedding light on the connection between gender and worsening working conditions. Increasing demands for flexibility have institutionalised temporary contracts, eroded job security, and expanded job precarity, with women and young journalists disproportionately affected. In this article, we explore gendered journalistic precarity and systemic inequalities, challenging the assumption of professional homogeneity in the field of journalism. We conducted 23 interviews with Swedish journalists on temporary contracts, applying a feminist analysis to understand how power dynamics affect their experiences. Five years post #metoo, gender issues have faded from professional discourse. However, the interviews reveal continued gender discrimination and harassment, exacerbated by factors such as age, class, and position in the labour market.

O contrato temporário na jurisprudência do Supremo Tribunal Federal: da diferenciação entre nulidade e desvirtuamento e seus consectários legais

This article aims to analyze the jurisprudence of the Federal Supreme Court regarding temporary contracts (art. 37, IX, CF/1988), especially with regard to the requirements for its validity and the concepts of “nullity” and “distortion”. The problem chosen for the research was the following: are the decisions given in themes 916 and 551 of the Federal Supreme Court conflicting or complementary? To what extent is it possible to differentiate the nullity of a temporary contract from its distortion and what are the consequences of this declaration? The article focused on the norms on the subject and the jurisprudence of the Federal Supreme Court, as well as other state courts regarding this, in addition to other bibliographic sources, such as, books and scientific articles. The starting point was the hypothesis that the national courts are misinterpreting the jurisprudence of the highest Court in the country, by treating the concepts of nullity and distortion as synonymous, imposing a burden on the public that is greater than what is due in many concrete cases, which is also mentioned in the text. In conclusion, the hypothesis raised is confirmed, in the sense that the themes analyzed are not conflicting, but rather complementary.

The effect of transitioning into temporary employment on wages is not negative: A comparative study in eight countries

There remains a lack of clarity about the effect of temporary employment on wages. Using asymmetric fixed effects models with a dummy impact function, we study the wage effects of four distinct transitions: (1) from unemployment into a temporary relative to (2) a permanent contracts; and (3) from temporary into permanent contracts relative to (4) from permanent into temporary contracts. We use panel data from eight countries to examine the effect of these distinct transitions, over time after the transition occurs, and in a cross-national, comparative context. The main finding explains the wage penalty of temporary employment identified by previous research. The negative effect is more accurately understood as the difference between two types of transitions, neither of which are negative, even if transitions from temporary into permanent contracts more positive than transitions from permanent into temporary contracts. There is little difference in the wage effect of transitions from unemployment into temporary relative to permanent contracts. The findings may be counter intuitive, but they are consistent with the theory of equalizing differences.

The role of interpersonal conflict as a cause of work-related stress in construction managers in Ireland

Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide evidence to support an emerging theory that interpersonal conflict is the primary cause of workplace stress among a self-selected sample of Irish construction managers. Design/methodology/approach Eighteen construction managers working in Ireland were recruited for this study. Using semi-structured interviews and interpretative phenomenological analysis as the research methodology, the causes of their workplace stress were investigated. Findings Participants reported that the principal cause of their workplace stress was high levels of interpersonal conflict between colleagues. The effects of this interpersonal conflict included avoidance behaviour, ill health, absences from the workplace and loss of productivity issues. Deadlines, penalty clauses, lack of appreciation, cliques, costs, communication, temporary contracts and delays were also reported stressors. Research limitations/implications A limitation of the study is the small sample of 18 construction managers and the limited geographical area. Social implications The social implications of this study could be to clearly identify that interpersonal conflict may be under reported in the construction industry, and there is a possibility that it is being misclassified as other workplace behaviours such as bullying, harassment and workplace violence. If this is so, this could aid future researchers in addressing this challenging workplace behaviour. Originality/value The current consensus in the literature is that the three main causes of workplace stress are bullying, harassment and violence. However, the role and importance of interpersonal conflict as reported in this study, with the exception of North America and China, is not reflected in the wider health and safety research literature. In addition, interpersonal conflict and its reluctance to be reported is largely absent from construction safety research. The findings of this study may be explained if the workplace stress research community is currently misclassifying interpersonal conflict as a manifestation of bullying, harassment or violence. If this is the case, interpersonal conflict needs further research. This is to establish if this cause of construction-related workplace stress needs to be reconsidered as a standalone phenomenon in the wider family of challenging workplace behaviours.

Wages and Employment in the Netherlands, 2017–2023

This research documents changes in employment and wages in the Netherlands for different types of workers. We compare 2017 to 2023 using regression-adjusted wages to make sure changes in composition of the workforce do not influence our estimates. The research period has been characterised by high labour demand, negative supply shocks, high levels of inflation and economic lockdowns, all of which have contributed to substantial labour-market dynamics. Our findings suggest that employment has been growing by 2 percent in the period 2017–2023, of which 1.8 percent has been due to additional workers finding employment. Women have experienced the largest increase in employment, while the employment of men on temporary contracts has slightly fallen. Wages have been rising for workers at the bottom of the wage distribution. From the median of the wage distribution onwards real gross hourly wages have been fallen. The most likely explanation for rising wages at the bottom is the stepwise increase in minimum wages enforced by new labour-market legislation.

Modalidades de contratación a medida. La intermediación digital en el trabajo doméstico en Argentina

In the field of studies on digital intermediaries in the domestic and care work sector, some studies claim that they exacerbate and perpetuate the precariousness of work in the sector and the social inequalities that underpin it, while others highlight the ambivalence of their effects. Drawing on these perspectives, but focusing on the organizational structures that digital platforms adopt, the article proposes to understand the differential effects of the different modes of intervention that they develop in each context according to their specificity. Based on the study of the digital platform Zolvers in Argentina, the article analyzes how it adapts to a sector of activity crossed by two opposing trends: the formalization of labor relations and the increase in hourly work. This adaptation has resulted in three types of contract: regular contracts managed by the digital platform, regular contracts managed by the employer households and temporary contracts. Although domestic workers use these modalities indistinctly, even accumulating jobs that correspond to all of them, the effects in terms of working conditions are very different. While the first two fall within the legal framework governing the sector, the third falls outside of the scope. In the first, the intervention of the platform produces a kind of automation of the respect of certain rights. The regular contracting modality without platform management produces more heterogeneous working conditions because the legal framework is questioned in its application by employers. In the temporary mode, working conditions are extremely precarious as they are sporadic jobs lasting only a few hours. This research used a quantitative-qualitative methodology that included a survey of 300 domestic workers, 20 semi-directed interviews with workers, two focus groups with workers and four focus groups with employers using Zolvers.

Casualization and Employee’s Job Attitudes in the Financial Sector

There has been a rise in the number of temporary jobs available in Nigeria, which has had a negative impact on worker productivity. It is becoming increasingly difficult to absorb workers into benefit programmes like social protection systems, and even if they are, the benefits that are made accessible to them are pitiful, due to the prevalence of casualization. The purpose of this research was to analyze the effect of casualization on GTCO employees' job attitudes. This study adopted descriptive research design. The target population of study comprised of Ten thousand and ten GTCO temporary and casual employees. Three hundred and eighty-four (384) temporary and casual employees were chosen with the help of purposive and snowball sampling techniques as the sample size. The hypotheses were tested using Pearson Correlation, and the data were analyzed using frequency and descriptive statistics. The results showed that workers' job commitment was lower when they were employed on a contract basis, that they were less satisfied when they were employed for a shorter period of time, and that they were more likely to leave their current job if they were on a temporary contract. The study concluded, among other things, that businesses should work toward making it easier for workers to transition from temporary to permanent positions following the legally mandated six (6) month trial term.

Gender‐inclusive financial and demographic literacy: Monetizing the gender mortality gap

AbstractLongevity crucially affects demand for pensions, insurance products and annuities. Consistent empirical evidence shows that women have historically experienced lower mortality rates than men. In this article, we study a measure of the gender gap in mortality rates, we call “Gender Gap Ratio”, across a wide range of ages and for four countries: France, Italy, Sweden, and USA. We show the stylized facts that characterize the trend of the Gender Gap Ratio, both in its historical evolution and future projection. Focusing on an example temporary life annuity contract, we give a monetary consistency to the Gender Gap Ratio. We show evidence that a Gender Gap Ratio that ranges between 1.5 and 2.5, depending on age, translates into a significant reduction of up to 23% in the benefits from a temporary life annuity contract for women with respect to men, against the same amount invested in the life annuity. The empirical evidence discussed in this article documents the crucial importance of working toward a more widespread demographic literacy, for example, a range of tools and strategies to raise longevity consciousness among individuals and policy‐makers, in the framework of gender equality policies.

LABOR MARKET INSTITUTIONS AND FERTILITY

AbstractSome high‐income countries have total fertility rates as low as one child. Using Spanish administrative data, we document that temporary contracts correlate with lower first birth rates. Also, women with children are less likely to work split‐shift jobs with long breaks in the middle of the day. We build a life‐cycle model where women decide on labor supply and fertility. We show that reforms eliminating duality or split‐shift jobs raise women's labor participation, narrow the employment gap between mothers and nonmothers, and boost fertility for working women. These reforms, together with childcare subsidies, increase married women's fertility to 1.8 children.

Основные пути повышения качества работы института аспирантуры в России

The subject of research in this article are the features and patterns of postgraduate work in the Russian Federation. The purpose of the study is to consider the features and patterns of postgraduate work in the Russian Federation.&#x0D; Among the research methods that were used in this study include: functional analysis, factor analysis, system analysis. At the same time, system analysis was used to analyze the management system for the training of scientific, pedagogical and scientific personnel in the Russian Federation; functional analysis was used to analyze the functioning of management systems for the training of scientific - pedagogical and scientific personnel in graduate school. Factor analysis was used to analyze the factors that affect the functioning of the management system for the training of scientific, pedagogical and scientific personnel in graduate school, both positive and negative.&#x0D; In the course of the study, it was found that the effectiveness of postgraduate studies in the Russian Federation is largely determined by the quality of management of the process of training scientific, pedagogical and scientific personnel, starting from setting a goal: why does a university or research institute need postgraduate studies, and ending with an analysis of the results obtained, which consists in analyzing the quality of prepared and defended dissertations by graduate students of a particular university or research institute. This article also provides an analysis of the factors that affect the efficiency of postgraduate studies in the Russian Federation, and offers specific recommendations for improving the work of postgraduate schools in the Russian Federation, including through the conclusion of permanent or temporary contracts with postgraduate graduates who have successfully defended their dissertation for the degree of Candidate of Sciences.

Trends and determinants of mental illness in humanitarian migrants resettled in Australia: Analysis of longitudinal data.

Given the frequent exposure of humanitarian migrants to traumatic or stressful circumstances, there exists a potential predisposition to mental illness. Our objective was to pinpoint the trends and determinants of mental illness among humanitarian migrants resettled in Australia. This study considered five waves of longitudinal data involving humanitarian migrants resettled in Australia. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychological distress were assessed using PTSD-8 and Kessler-6 screening tools. Through a Generalised Linear Mixed model (GLMM), variables displaying a 95% CI that excluded the value of 1.0 for the odds ratio were identified as associated factors for both PTSD and elevated psychological distress. The selection of multivariable covariates was guided by causal loop diagrams and least absolute shrinkage and selection operators methods. At baseline, there were 2399 humanitarian migrants with 1881 retained and at the fifth yearly wave; the response rate was 78.4%. PTSD prevalence decreased from 33.3% (95% CI: 31.4-35.3) at baseline to 28.3% (95% CI: 26.2-30.5) at year 5. Elevated psychological distress persisted across all waves: 17.1% (95% CI: 15.5-18.6) at baseline and 17.1% (95% CI: 15.3-18.9) at year 5. Across the five waves, 34.0% of humanitarian migrants met screening criteria for mental illness, either PTSD or elevated psychological distress. In the multivariate model, factors associated with PTSD were loneliness (AOR 1.5, 95% CI: 1.3-1.8), discrimination (AOR 1.6: 1.2-2.1), temporary housing contract (AOR 3.7: 2.1-6.7), financial hardship (AOR 2.2:1.4-3.6) and chronic health conditions (AOR 1.3: 1.1-1.5), whereas the associated factors for elevated psychological distress were loneliness (AOR 1.8: 1.5-2.2), discrimination (AOR 1.7: 1.3-2.2) and short-term lease housing (AOR 1.6: 1.0-1.7). The prevalence, persistence and consequential burden of mental illness within this demographic underscore the urgent need for targeted social and healthcare policies. These policies should aim to mitigate modifiable risk factors, thereby alleviating the significant impact of mental health challenges on this population.

Hidden Behind the Curtains of Inequality in Tehran

In 2018, during a garbology project in Tehran, a bundle of documents was found in a waste container in a middle-class district. The papers included the daily reports of two marketers working in the private healthcare system as well as some documents listing the salaries of private laboratory staff. As most marketers in the private healthcare system in Iran are young females, the documents indicate how the employment policy of the government has impacted the lives and career paths of educated women, so that they now must work long hours under temporary contracts. The documents also reveal some of the mechanisms of the private system, such as arrangements between physicians and private labs, and expose the complications of marketers’ daily living. In this article, the authors examine the documents and garbage bags attributed to single working women, in order to portray the everyday lives of these female marketers.

Re‐Unveiling the energy efficiency impact: Paving the way for sustainable growth in ASEAN countries

AbstractThe Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) heavily relies on fossil fuels to drive economic growth, making it one of the world's largest greenhouse gas emitters. Promoting energy efficiency has been proposed as a solution to mitigate this issue. However, the potential negative impact of energy efficiency on economic growth remains unclear. Therefore, this study aims to re‐evaluate the dynamic impact of overall energy efficiency on economic growth in ASEAN countries, considering climate change factors. Unlike prior studies, this research measures overall efficiency based on both persistent and transient components of energy efficiency. This study employs two key techniques: stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) to estimate the overall energy efficiency and panel vector autoregression (PVAR) to analyze the dynamic causal effects of determinants' shocks. The findings suggest that enhancing ASEAN's overall energy efficiency could result in an 85.9% reduction in total energy consumption, indicating high levels of inefficiency in the region. While extensive energy efficiency measures might induce a temporary economic contraction in ASEAN countries, the rate of decline seems to abate over the long term. This implies that the impact of the energy efficiency shock will be most prominent during initial growth stages, progressively waning over time. Additionally, this study confirms the presence of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) for climate change and economic growth.

Integrating refugees through ‘flexible housing’ policy in The Netherlands

The Dutch government recently introduced ‘flexwonen’ (flexible housing) to accommodate refugees, with policymakers encouraging housing suppliers to rent modular houses under temporary contracts. These housing practices, nonetheless, ostensibly conflict with integration policy goals, as integration requires stability. Building on an analysis of policy discourses and interviews with central government and municipal actors, our research adopts a capability-based perspective to assess how policymakers and housing suppliers evaluate housing and integration prospects and securities. Our findings illustrate how national policy discourses emphasise opportunities offered through flexible housing, but also how the actual needs and unique circumstances of those being housed are overlooked. Consequently, local policy actors and housing providers report that they struggle with the implications of uncertain living conditions, with some refugees adapting better than others. This study underscores the importance of considering refugees’ ‘capabilities for integration’ in accommodation policies at all levels of governance.