Search Results (29)

The pattern of labour underutilisation is complex and multifaceted, but research has been focused on unemployment. To explore socio-economic demographics of other forms of labour underutilisation, this study investigates the concept of ‘hidden workers’ using the latest data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) study. Hidden workers are composed of three categories, namely those who are unemployed but actively seeking employment; working part-time but willing and able to work full-time; and not working but are willing and able to work under the right conditions. Analysis of HILDA data from 2022 reveals (i) a significant discrepancy in the incidence of unemployed and hidden workers across various socio-economic factors, and (ii) a pronounced age and gender differences among hidden workers, which is not easily discernible from standard unemployment descriptive statistics. Effective labour market policy depends on accurately identifying the different types of hidden workers and their social determinants. This study offers valuable insights to support more inclusive policies for hidden workers, who are often overlooked. Full article

Continuous transformations, which have been observed more and more in recent years, require an increase in the effectiveness of measures in the state regulation of the labour market, which is possible only with a clear understanding and realistic assessment of its condition and existing trends of changes. For this purpose, guided by the data of the Bureau of National Statistics of the Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the country’s labour market was monitored, and the key factors that played a significant role in its formation were identified. Using these factors as a basis, vector autoregression (VAR) models were built to analyse dynamic relationships between economic variables. The choice of stationary variables ensured the adequacy of the model, which was confirmed by diagnostic tests such as the ADF test, Jarque–Bera test, and Ljung–Box test. Impulse response functions (IRFs) were used to assess the effect of shocks on each variable and other system variables. All results were visualised as graphs illustrating the dynamics of the impact over ten times. The modelling results showed that the changes are interrelated: shocks to youth unemployment (YUR) have the most significant impact on the total unemployment (UR) and the unemployed population (U), while outward migration (NM) has a short-run effect mainly on the economically active population (EA). The model confirmed that the labour market is indifferent to changes in youth unemployment, a key indicator for forming an effective employment policy. The study’s practical significance lies in its potential to inform the government, international organisations, and business communities about the state of the labour market and the necessary vectors of social policy. This will ensure economic growth and improve citizens’ quality of life in light of the changing nature of the labour market. Full article

The circular economy encompasses a systematic approach to sustainable development that enables countries, companies, and consumers to reduce environmental damage and to close the life cycle of products. Our paper investigates the main challenges facing Eastern European countries, particularly Romania, in the development of the circular economy while identifying potential solutions and the most appropriate public policy measures in this field. This research aims to highlight the unique perspectives of Romanian scholars on the circular economy experiences of former communist countries in Central and Eastern Europe, focusing on the opportunities and challenges these nations face as newer EU members. The research’s main finding is that while the implementation of circular economy principles in Romania is difficult due to legal, cultural, and financial barriers, leveraging EU financial support can lead to the creation of labour market opportunities and sustainable economic growth. Also, our second finding shows that an increase in research activity and a better focus on practical implementation strategies are needed to fully achieve the potential of the circular economy in Romania. Full article

Unemployment presents a significant challenge requiring attention not only in developing countries but also in economically developed ones. Active labour market policies offer a potential solution to address this issue. This study focuses on assessing the impact of the intervention called Contribution for Self-employment provided under the Act on Employment Services No. 5/2004 Coll in the Slovak Republic. This financial support is extended voluntarily to unemployed individuals seeking jobs and aims to partially defray the expenses associated with launching business ventures. The primary objective of this research is to quantify the effectiveness of the Contribution for Self-employment in enhancing the employment of its recipients, thereby gauging its efficacy in reducing unemployment. The evaluation employs a counterfactual impact assessment methodology, utilising propensity score matching for analysis, with propensity score estimated by the logistic regression. Data from the registry of jobseekers maintained by the Central Labour Office of Social Affairs and Family in Slovakia are utilised in this analysis. This study’s findings indicate a favourable impact of the contribution on the employment of its participants compared to the comparable non-participants. Consequently, this intervention emerges as a viable mechanism for supporting entrepreneurship and mitigating unemployment in Slovakia. Full article

Demographic changes have led to an increase in older people in prisons. Whereas the rehabilitative process of younger offenders is geared towards their reintegration into the labour market, successful ageing should be a policy aim for older prisoners. This study explores how older incarcerated persons view their ageing. A qualitative study using a written survey with only the single question What does ageing in prison mean to you? was conducted in Bavaria, Germany. A total of 64 prisoners (61 male, 3 female) supplied answers varying in length from a few words to several pages. The thematic analysis revealed that together with health concerns, social relations and everyday activities, the uncertainty of the future was a central focus point for the older adults in prison. The authors propose that a positive vision of the future needs to be included in any model of successful ageing. If successful ageing is used as an aim for older prisoners, more attention needs to be paid to support interventions during and after the release process. Full article

The school-to-work alternance responds to the critical issues linked to the mismatch between school learning and labour market needs, aiming to enhance adolescents’ employability. However, recent studies have shown that in Italy, school-to-work transition pathways are diversified at the territorial level, reflecting regional disparities in opportunities that risk increasing inequalities. In this regard, this paper presents the main evidence emerging from an analysis on multilevel governance of the Pathways for Transversal Skills and Orientation (PCTOs), which are mandatory for Italian students in their last three years of upper secondary schooling. This focus is part of the national research project “Evaluating the School-Work Alternance: a longitudinal study in Italian upper secondary schools”, that aims to evaluate this policy. This part of the study, conducted through semi-structured qualitative interviews at the national, regional, and local level with stakeholders of public institutions, has examined PCTO implementation strategies, pointing out the transition mechanisms between the school and labour market, as well as roles, activities, and way of coordination between public and private sectors. The different perspectives that emerged underline the complexity of establishing networks that relate central and local governance in education systems. The results of the analysis provide a dynamic portrait of the PCTO in Italy, identifying relevant aspects that could enhance future planning or implementation of this policy. Full article

Dual vocational education and training (dual VET) is a recent policy aimed at establishing strong connections between the education system and the business sector. It serves to ensure the continuity of training, reduce early school leaving, and actively involve the business sector in the training and qualification of students, known as apprentices. Consequently, this approach has a favourable impact on their successful integration into the labour market upon completion of the dual training program. In this study, we investigate the implementation of dual VET in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain, focusing on the higher-level training cycle of early childhood education, which falls under the professional family of sociocultural and community services. Through a thorough analysis of interview accounts involving various stakeholders, we shed light on the outcomes of this policy’s implementation. The findings suggest that this emerging policy may have a positive impact on the employability of young individuals by enabling in-company training, which provides them an opportunity to showcase their vocational skills and to combine practical experience with theoretical knowledge. Work mentors are identified as essential contributors to the success of in-company training, as they help foster the necessary capabilities to ensure that dual VET is perceived as a comprehensive training experience rather than as just work experience. Full article

Predictions of the unemployment duration of the economically active population play a crucial assisting role for policymakers and employment agencies in the well-organised allocation of resources (tied to solving problems of the unemployed, whether on the labour supply or demand side) and providing targeted support to jobseekers in their job search. This study aimed to develop an ensemble model that can serve as a reliable tool for predicting unemployment duration among jobseekers in Slovakia. The ensemble model was developed using real data from the database of jobseekers (those registered as unemployed and actively searching for a job through the Local Labour Office, Social Affairs, and Family) using the stacking method, incorporating predictions from three individual models: CART, CHAID, and discriminant analysis. The final meta-model was created using logistic regression and indicates an overall accuracy of the prediction of unemployment duration of almost 78%. This model demonstrated high accuracy and precision in identifying jobseekers at risk of long-term unemployment exceeding 12 months. The presented model, working with real data of a robust nature, represents an operational tool that can be used to check the functionality of the current labour market policy and to solve the problem of long-term unemployed individuals in Slovakia, as well as in the creation of future government measures aimed at solving the problem of unemployment. The measures from the state are financed from budget funds, and by applying the appropriate model, it is possible to arrive at the rationalization of the financing of these measures, or to specifically determine the means intended to solve the problem of long-term unemployment in Slovakia (this, together with the regional disproportion of unemployment, is considered one of the most prominent problems in the labour market in Slovakia). The model also has the potential to be adapted in other economies, taking into account country-specific conditions and variables, which is possible due to the data-mining approach used. Full article

The impact of the climate change response on the labour market is an important question for policymakers, while the net positive effect of green policies on the labour market is seen as one of the arguments in favour of a green transition. This is particularly important for the tourism labour market, which was severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examined the effect of carbon taxes on tourism employment for European countries that have levied a carbon tax over the past thirty years. A macroeconomic panel data regression model ex-post study was applied by contrasting the obtained results via a robustness check. The estimation results indicate a slightly positive and significant association between the carbon tax and tourism employment, which was additionally tested by considering revenue recycling, early adopters of the carbon tax, and a higher carbon tax compared to countries with a lower carbon tax. We cannot conclude that these factors matter for tourism employment, proving the robustness of the results. Revenue-neutral carbon taxation, policies to address the skills gap, push and pull incentives, and active labour market policies to facilitate the quick re-integration of jobseekers into employment are viewed as pivotal to ensure a smoother transition toward a sustainable tourism labour market. Full article

Skills needed in jobs and skills mismatches are important topics for research and policy in the field of economic development and the labour market. Understanding skill needs is essential for improving education and training policies, as labour markets experience dynamic transformation driven by rapid technological progress and increased complexity of work. On the other hand, knowledge economy is considered an important driver force of economic growth. This paper aims to assess skill needs in knowledge production and transfer occupations. We analyse data from online job advertisements and from the European Skills and Jobs Survey in order to provide a comprehensive picture of skills needed in occupations related to science, technology and ICT, as well as teaching positions from higher education in Europe. We find that workers involved in knowledge production and transfer activate in highly changing and challenging working environments. They differentiate themselves by other professionals and technicians mostly by the increased need for ICT skills, problem-solving, communication and learning skills, the ability to collaborate and adaptability. Our results are relevant for designing better education and training programs targeting occupations supporting knowledge production and transfer. Full article

Urban Agriculture (UA) is the widespread practice of food production within available city space using non-commercial, commercial and hybrid production technologies. The economic viability of UA remains a concern among UA practitioners. To investigate UA’s viability; land, labour and distribution cost are analyzed, and margin and benefit–cost ratio (BCR) under vacant lot, rooftop/backyard and discretionary labour UA are calculated. We present a straightforward approach to gauge the economic viability of UA taking examples from 40 distinct locations of two divergent development contexts of Adelaide, South Australia and Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. UA seems potentially viable by selecting high-value crops in Adelaide but showed little chance of viability under low-value crop scenarios in both contexts. The high cost of land is shown to be the primary driver of cost for UA. Labour cost appears to be a critical difference between the two cities, being an important constraint for the economic viability in Adelaide, where the wage rate is high. To improve economic viability, the respective governments and planners should consider better ways to avail subsidised land through policy intervention and volunteer or subsidised labour arrangement mechanisms. Home food gardens accessing available land and labour as a discretionary/spare time activity with zero distribution cost may represent the best way to produce food without exceeding market costs in cities. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic started in late 2019 in China. and At the beginning of 2020 it spread to all countries of the world, causing damage in all aspects of economic and social lives, including the labour market. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labour market throughout its course so far has become an important topic of research in various countries, including Poland. Research is conducted in four main areas concerning: the situation of employees and employers on the labour market; unemployment and professional activity; remote work; and anti-crisis measures undertaken by the state. The paper refers to all these aspects of the labour market in Poland, in some cases against the background of other countries. Based on the source literature, the pandemic is presented from different perspectives: as a cause of the global crisis; the implications of the pandemic on the labour market; its impact on employers and employees and on the economy and society more broadly; government programmes aimed at preventing and combating the pandemic in the form of so-called anti-crisis shields and financial shields; and the spread of remote work and its effects. The paper also presents the results of its own survey research on a sample of 170 respondents, representing people active in the labour market in April 2022. The pandemic has caused disruptive, immediate and long-term effects on the labour market in Poland. The anti-crisis policy of the state mitigated quite effectively the negative economic and social effects, noticeably more so and additionally more appreciated by employers than by employees. The case of Poland, where broad anti-pandemic and anti-crisis measures were undertaken, may be partly applicable to other, mainly European, countries. Further research on the crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic in different aspects of socio-economic areas in national and international economies are recommended. The pandemic, in causing a general economic crisis, has left a permanent mark on the labour market in Poland, which will be structurally important for its functioning in the future. Full article

Older adult suicide rates vary widely within Europe, and differential welfare policies might contribute to this. We studied variations in economic indicators and suicide rates of people 65+ across 28 European countries and examined the effects of these indicators on suicide rates, grouping countries according to their socio-political systems and welfare regimes. Suicide data was obtained from the WHO European Mortality Database. The European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions and the European Union Labour Force Survey provided data on economic indicators. Linear mixed models were applied. Suicide rates ranged from 4.22/100,000 (Cyprus) to 36.37/100,000 (Hungary). Material deprivation was related to elevated suicide rates in both genders in the pooled data set and in men but not women in the Continental and Island countries. Higher ratio of median income (65+/under 65) was associated with lower likelihood of suicide in women in the South-Eastern European countries. In the Nordic region, the 65+ employment rate was associated with a decreased likelihood of suicide in men. These factors to some extent show economic insecurity against older people, which influences the likelihood of suicide. Active labor market policies and inclusive social environment may contribute to suicide prevention in this age group. Full article

The improvement of the landscape of spa parks should result from the planned directions of development and the most important tasks of the spatial policy of spa towns. Their proper management significantly impacts the region’s economic growth: the labour market, the size and type of new financial investments, and the natural environment. The basis of activity in the areas of spa parks is the balancing of elements of the natural, cultural and historical background. Parks are health protection zones, health ecosystems—separated from the spa zone to protect healing and environmental values. These areas should be characterized by rational landscaping. The spatial layout of park areas should consider the appropriate zones (healing, silence, recreation). The leading element that allows separating sub-areas in parks is the layout of alleys and greenery. The attractiveness of parks is also influenced by factors related to spa activities. The article aims to indicate the main criteria affecting the perception of the landscape of spa parks. Their meaning was determined by information entropy. A selection of criteria defining the landscape assessment and influencing the perception of spa greenery, which helped determine how to shape and develop the spa park, was presented. Data obtained from actual field measurements on factors influencing the reception and perception of spa parks were considered. The multi-criteria method of comparative analysis allows one to quickly and transparently determine the hierarchy of the most advantageous variables from the adopted criteria. The study confirmed that the smaller the sum of adverse elements affecting the shaping of the park spatial, the better residents’ and patients’ perception of the park. Full article

This study aims to evaluate the impact of a selected active labour market policy measure that has been applied in Slovakia—Allowance for school graduate practice performance—on the employability of young jobseekers and their sustainability in the labour market, and thus, it will also empirically contribute to the field of relevant literature. The policy targets unemployed school graduates, and it enables them to acquire professional skills and practical experience that corresponds with their level of education, work habits, and possible direct contact with potential employers. At the same time, this measure addresses a long-standing gap in the Slovakian education system, namely, the insufficient linkages between the educational process, the practices in the field, and the requirements of the labour market. Using fiscal resources to finance this policy, it provides a natural and logical platform to investigate the relevance of the outcome of this measure in the context of its proclaimed objectives. In light of this, we employed a counterfactual approach to compare the results of the participants who were affected the measure (recipients; treated group) and non-participants, as their counterparts (comparison/control group), using an instrumental variable to mitigate self-selection and selection-bias problems. Our findings show that this policy intervention has a short- or medium-term impact on the employability of unemployed school graduates and the sustainability of their careers. In addition, a positive impact on their monthly wages was observed. We also came to the conclusion that, assuming the measure is linked to other labour market policy interventions, which is aimed at employers that are willing to hire young unemployed people, it would be possible to improve the functionality and effectiveness of support for the unemployed through indirect measures. Full article