Employment strategies for Europe: lessons from Denmark and the Netherlands

1999 ◽  
Vol 168 ◽  
pp. 82-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ray Barrell ◽  
Veronique Genre
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
New Deal ◽  
Policy Issue ◽  
Job Seekers ◽  
Real Wages ◽  
Wage Moderation ◽  
Part Time ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The New Deal

Labour market reform has become a central policy issue for many European countries, and there are lessons to learn for the further development of the New Deal in the UK. We discuss reforms in Denmark and the Netherlands, and look at their implication for employment and earnings. The Dutch started a sequence of reforms in the early 1980s based around wage moderation. Real wages per person hour rose less rapidly than elsewhere in Europe, and employment rose more strongly. Other reforms made the labour market more flexible, and many part-time jobs were created. The Dutch can claim to have succeeded in improving their labour market preformance. The Danes started serious reforms in the 1990s, and individuals on social benefits have a right and a duty to be activated. Registered unemployment has fallen sharply as a result of these New Deal style policies, but only some of these individuals have moved into employment. Increased flexibility, moderate real wage growth and active support for job-seekers all seem to help reduce unemployment and raise employment. Evidence from Denmark and the Netherlands suggests that making work relatively more rewarding helps to reduce inactivity and unemployment.

scholarly journals Welfare-to-Work: Which Policies Work and Why?

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
RICHARD BLUNDELL
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
New Deal ◽  
Tax Rates ◽  
Welfare To Work ◽  
Means Testing ◽  
Iron Triangle ◽  
Self Sufficiency ◽  
Working Families ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The New Deal

This chapter considers the arguments behind the expansion in welfare-to-work programmes that occurred over the last decade, and reviews the effectiveness of alternative approaches to enhancing labour-market attachment and earnings among the low skilled. It concerns the ‘iron triangle’ of welfare reform — that is the three, often conflicting, goals: raising the living standards of those on low incomes; encouraging work and economic self-sufficiency; and keeping government costs low. Section 2 considers the labour-market trends that stimulated the New Deal and Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC) reforms in the UK. Section 3 considers a number of central design features, focusing on time limits, means testing and implicit tax rates, minimum hours requirements, welfare receipt eligibility, and wage progression. This is done in the context of the design of the New Deal and of the WFTC. Section 4 moves on to evaluate specific aspects of the New Deal and WFTC reforms. Section 5 concludes with an overview of these schemes and their effectiveness, and an assessment of the appropriate design of welfare-to-work and make-work-pay programmes.

scholarly journals Looking beyond Average Earnings: Why Are Male and Female Part-Time Employees in the UK More Likely to Be Low Paid Than Their Full-Time Counterparts?

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madeline Nightingale
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Pay Gap ◽  
Unequal Distribution ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Female Part ◽  
Part Time ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Low Pay

This article uses Labour Force Survey data to examine why male and female part-time employees in the UK are more likely to be low paid than their full-time counterparts. This ‘low pay penalty’ is found to be just as large, if not larger, for men compared to women. For both men and women, differences in worker characteristics account for a relatively small proportion of the part-time low pay gap. Of greater importance is the unequal distribution of part-time jobs across the labour market, in particular the close relationship between part-time employment and social class. Using a selection model to adjust for the individual’s estimated propensity to be in (full-time) employment adds a modest amount of explanatory power. Particularly for men, a large ‘unexplained’ component is identified, indicating that even with a similar human capital and labour market profile part-time workers are more likely than full-time workers to be low paid.

Directing Equal Pay in the UK ICT Labour Market

2008 ◽  
pp. 3150-3157
Author(s):  
Claire Keogh ◽  
Angela Tattersall ◽  
Helen Richardson
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
National Level ◽  
Equal Pay ◽  
Skills Shortage ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Underrepresentation Of Women ◽  
Equal Pay Act ◽  
Ict Industry ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

The UK labour market is dramatically changing, with rapid technological innovations alongside globalisation where organisations are required to place a premium on human and intellectual capital. The demand for labour is outstripping supply, and businesses are increasingly dependent on their ability to attract, invest in and develop their workforce (Kingsmill, 2003). However, a recent comparative report of the information technology (IT) workforce in Holland, Germany and the UK indicates that women are haemorrhaging out of the IT sector (Platman & Taylor, 2004). Given that presently there is an IT specialist’s skills shortage of 18.4% (IER/IFF, 2003), and female IT managers represent a mere 15% of ICT managers, 30% of IT operations technicians and 11% of IT strategy planning professionals (EOC, 2004a), this suggests that the ICT industry is not equipped for equality and diversity at work. Despite many years of egalitarian rhetoric and 3 decades after the UK Equal Pay Act (1970) was introduced, women still receive on average 18% less than that of their male counterparts working full-time and 41% less than men when working part-time hours. The ESF-funded DEPICT project seeks to identify pay discrimination experienced by women in ICT at a national level throughout England. An important aim is to highlight the impact of pay and reward discrimination has on the underrepresentation of women in the ICT labour market. From this study, we hope to more clearly understand the reasons for the gender pay gap, particularly in the ICT sector; and the impact this has on women’s entry and retention to occupations where they are already severely underrepresented. Equal pay is an issue for all; it’s unjust, unlawful and impacts on social justice, equality and economic performance (EOC, 2001b). Pay is a major factor affecting relationships at work; distribution and levels of pay and benefits affect efficiency of organisations, workforce morale and productivity. It is vital for organisations to develop pay systems that reward workers fairly for the work they perform (ACAS, 2005).

Which countries perform best and why?

2018 ◽  
pp. 59-90
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Youth Unemployment ◽  
Labour Market Situation ◽  
The Great Recession ◽  
Youth Labour Market ◽  
Market Situation ◽  
Education And Employment ◽  
The Uk

This chapter examines countries' performance regarding youth unemployment. Although the labour market situation of young people has started to improve in a number of countries since the Great Recession of 2007–8, youth unemployment still remains very high across Europe. High youth unemployment rates reflect young people's difficulties in securing employment, or the inefficiency of the labour market. Germany and the Netherlands have established the most effective institutions to achieve a high integration of 15–19 year-olds in education and employment. Indeed, both Germany and the Netherlands are amongst the highest performing countries in the EU for making sure their young people are in employment. Austria and Denmark also achieve good youth labour market and employment outcomes. Meanwhile, countries like France and the UK try to facilitate school-to-work (STW) transitions by lowering labour costs through subsidies or low employment protection.

Learning the lessons from banding appeals

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Moreton ◽  
Emma Jackson ◽  
Yasmin Ahmed-Little
Keyword(s):  
New Deal ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Junior Doctor ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Content Type ◽  
North West ◽  
Ward Rounds ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The New Deal ◽  
Supply Information

Purpose – Designing and running robust junior doctor rotas is a challenging task and much previous advice has been based on consensus or anecdote. This paper aims to discern the most frequently occurring problems with trainee working patterns and produce evidence-based guidance for implementing and running contract-compliant rotas. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 35 secondary care trusts in North West England were invited to supply information on pay banding appeals requested under the New Deal junior doctor contract. Of these, 15 (43 per cent) participated with data from 35 appeals between 2004 and 2012. A thematic analysis was undertaken to discern the commonly occurring causes of contractual breaches. Findings – A total of 83 per cent (n=29/35) of appeals were based on data showing the rota to be non-compliant with the contract (band 3), with the remainder being compliant with the contract but not in keeping with the pay banding currently assigned. Inability to take adequate natural breaks was the most frequently cited cause of rota non-compliance. Where underlying reasons were given for breaches of hours/rest limits they clustered around 20 themes, the top four being poor or absent dialogue between HR and doctors, excessive workload, inappropriately timed ward rounds, and inadequate or non-existent bleep policies. Originality/value – This is the first analysis of banding appeals under the UK junior doctor contract. The findings show that problems with rotas cluster around specific themes. The authors provide recommendations to target these so as to avoid financially detrimental contract breaches and trainee dissatisfaction.

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