scholarly journals (Mis)managing labour markets? The decline of the contemporary global labour market for British seafarers.

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Ruggunan
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
South African ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
State Intervention ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
The State ◽  
Labour Markets ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Theoretical Contribution ◽  
British State

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to investigate the ways in which states are still significant actors in creating and shaping the nature and characteristics of global labour markets. My argument is demonstrated through an empirical case study of the global labour market for British seafarers. Problem Investigated: The last 30 years has witnessed a decimation of the number of employed British seafarers, particularly at lower rank levels, such as ratings. I contend that despite Britain's long and rich maritime history, the British state has not acted meaningfully to reverse the decline of British seafarers. The lack of meaningful action I contend is an attempt to crew British owned ships with cheaper seafaring labour from Asia, particularly south east Asia. In so doing the British state has contributed to the decline of a once thriving labour market. There has simultaneously been an upsurge in the employment of seafarers of other nationalities, and thus the creation of new labour markets in countries such as the Philippines. This paper is an attempt to understand some of the factors responsible for the decline of the British labour market for seafarers. Methodology and Approach: This paper is the outcome of a larger qualitative study undertaken for my doctoral thesis in industrial sociology which examined the transformation of the global labour market for South African, Filipino and British seafarers. The methodology consists of in depth interviews with maritime officials and trade union leaders. These were conducted in person in London, United Kingdom between 2005 and 2008. These interviews are supported by extensive literature and documentary research, to validate, support and test claims made by my interviewees. Implications and Value of the Research: The theoretical contribution of this paper is to reinsert the state more critically into the literature on labour markets. Empirically, seafaring labour markets are largely ignored by the disciplines of both sociology and commerce. The paper attempts to fill this gap by investigating a much neglected occupational sector. Very little empirical work is being done by South African researchers on global labour markets outside South Africa. This paper is therefore primarily addressed to a South African audience. Conclusion: The paper demonstrates that the state has to be a willing and active partner in ensuring employment security of its worker-citizens in global labour markets. The private sector and organised labour by themselves are unable or unwilling to prevent massive job losses without state intervention. As increasing numbers of workers join global labour markets, states need to become more involved rather than less involved in ensuring the stability of employment for their citizens.

scholarly journals Recent internal migration and labour market outcomes: Exploring the 2008 and 2010 national income dynamics study (NIDS) panel data in South Africa

2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 653-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nhlanhla Cyril Mbatha ◽  
Joan Roodt
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
South African ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
National Income ◽  
National Development ◽  
Labour Markets ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Income Dynamics ◽  
Informal Labour ◽  
The Unemployed

We began with the premise that South African recent migrants from rural to urban areas experience relatively lower rates of participation in formal labour markets compared to local residents in urban communities, and that these migrants are overrepresented in the informal labour market and in the unemployment sector. This means that rural to urban migrants are less likely than locals to be found in formal employment and more likely to be found in informal employment and among the unemployed. Using perspectives from Development Economics we explore the South African National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS) panel datasets of 2008 and 2010, which only provide a perspective on what has happened between 2008 and 2010. We find that while migrants in general experience positive outcomes in informal labour markets, they also experience positive outcomes in formal markets, which is contrary to expectations. We also find that there are strong links between other indicators of performance in the labour market. Earned incomes are closely associated with migration decisions and educational qualifications (e.g. a matric certificate) for respondents between the ages of 30 and 60 years. The youth (15 to 30 years old) and senior respondents (over the age of 60) are the most disadvantaged in the labour market. The disadvantage is further reflected in lower earned incomes. This is the case even though the youth are most likely to migrate. We conclude that migration is motivated by both push (to seek employment) and pull (existing networks or marriage at destination) factors. For public policy, the emerging patterns – indicative and established – are important for informing strategies aimed at creating employment and developing skills for the unemployed, migrants and especially the youth. Similar policy strategies are embodied in the National Development Plan (NDP), the National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS), etc.

The Role of the State in the Globalisation of Labour Markets: The Case of the Philippines

1997 ◽  
Vol 29 (9) ◽  
pp. 1603-1628 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Ball
Keyword(s):  
Migrant Workers ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
The State ◽  
Labour Markets ◽  
Regulatory Function ◽  
Export Policy ◽  
Role Of The State ◽  
Temporary Migrant ◽  
New Development ◽  
State Sponsor

The burgeoning literature on ‘globalisation’ tends to identify it as an economic and cultural process, paying little attention to the associated restructuring of the state. Not only does the state sponsor globalisation, but also it ‘globalises' itself in the process. Perhaps the most significant dimension of this new development is where labour markets are integrated with global capital circuits under state sanction. The systematic and state-promoted export of temporary migrant workers has transformed the Philippine state, economy, and society. In this paper I examine the globalisation of labour from the Philippines in terms of its magnitude, its historical development, and its impact on restructuring state functions. I argue that the shift of attention on the part of the state to maintaining the economic functions of international labour circuits tends to undermine its national regulatory function thereby compromising the broad legitimacy of the state. These propositions are examined through a case study of the structuring of the Filipino state in pursuing its well-known labour-export policy.

scholarly journals The anticipatory psychological contract of management graduates: Validating a psychological contract expectations questionnaire

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Werner G. Gresse ◽  
Barend J. Linde
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
South African ◽  
Psychological Contract ◽  
Formation Process ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Descriptive Statistics ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Theoretical Contribution ◽  
Contract Research ◽  
Contract Formation

Background: It was proposed that if we assess an individual’s mental schema, it may facilitate a better understanding of the psychological contract formation process. This will add a theoretical contribution to the anticipatory psychological contract research, as it will enhance our understanding of the specific terms of the psychological contract, which are only present during the organisation entry phase.Aim: We aimed at developing and validating an instrument to measure the psychological contract expectation of university graduate labour market entrees. This information could enhance our knowledge of both the anticipatory psychological contract and psychological contract development.Setting: The research was conducted on third-year students from two different campuses of a South African university. The sample consisted of a total of 316 participants.Methods: We used an exploratory quantitative research approach to measure prospective employees’ anticipatory psychological contract. The newly developed Psychological Contract Expectations Questionnaire (PCEQ) was administered and analysed.Results: Results indicated that some of the instruments within the PCEQ are reliable and valid to measure the anticipatory psychological contract of graduates. The descriptive statistics and correlation coefficient results clearly enhanced our understanding of how the anticipatory psychological contract works.Conclusion: Our research contributes to anticipatory psychological contract research by introducing the PCEQ questionnaire to effectively measure the anticipatory obligations, anticipatory expectations, entitlement and anticipatory state of the psychological contract of prospective employees’ mental schema.

The British State and the Structure of Political Opportunity

1988 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 199-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Cronin
Keyword(s):  
Working Class ◽  
Political System ◽  
Well Being ◽  
State Intervention ◽  
The State ◽  
British Politics ◽  
Male Population ◽  
State Action ◽  
The Government ◽  
British State

The mid-Victorian state was a modest, and only moderately democratic, affair. It was modest both in its size and in what it set out to do. There was no pretense that the government could do much on its own to remedy or compensate for social ills, and there was no party in the land with a serious program of state intervention. This minimalist character of the state, whose restricted ambitions were underpinned by the constraints of Gladstonian finance, was reinforced by its inaccessibility. Political participation was the preserve of a distinct minority, less than 15 percent of the male population after the reform of 1832. The Second Reform Bill of 1867 widened the franchise further, to about 35 percent of men, but political citizenship continued to be denied to the bulk of the working class and to all women.By contrast, few people—scholars or laymen—would attach the label “modest” to the state in the twentieth century, and, for all the flaws and imperfections that reduce its representativeness, it is obviously part of a highly democratic polity. The sphere of state action has expanded enormously since 1850, and, despite the recent efforts of Conservatives, the government still bears responsibility for numerous aspects of its citizens' well-being. Over roughly the same span of years the British political system has been democratized. Successive installations of reform in 1867, in 1884–85, in 1918, and in 1929 have brought first working-class men, then middle-class women, and finally all women into the formal political system. These two processes—the expansion of government and the democratization of British politics—constitute the major transformations in public life in modern Britain.

Determinants of skills demand in a state- intervening labour market

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 408-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khotso Tsotsotso ◽  
Elizabeth Montshiwa ◽  
Precious Tirivanhu ◽  
Tebogo Fish ◽  
Siyabonga Sibiya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
South African ◽  
The State ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
South Africans ◽  
Wage Rates ◽  
The Social

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to improve the understanding of the drivers and determinants of skills demand in South Africa, given the country’s history and its current design as a developmental state. Design/methodology/approach In this study, a mixed methods approach is used. The study draws information from in-depth interviews with transport sector stakeholders including employers, professional bodies, sector regulatory bodies and training providers. Complementary to the interviews, the study also analyses employer-reported workplace skills plans from 1,094 transport sector firms updated annually. A Heckman correction model is applied. Findings The study finds that changes in competition, technology, ageing employees, market conditions and government regulations are among the most frequently stated determinants reported through interviews. Using a Heckman regression model, the study identifies eight determining factors, which include location of firm, size of a firm, occupation type, racial and generational transformation, subsector of the firm, skills alignment to National Qualification Framework, reason for skills scarcity and level of skills scarcity reported. The South African transport sector skills demand is therefore mainly driven by the country’s history and consequently its current socio-economic policies as applied by the state itself. Research limitations/implications Wage rates are explored during stakeholder interviews and the study suggests that wage rates are an insignificant determinant of skills demand in the South African transport sector. However, due to poor reporting by firms, wage rates did not form a part of the quantitative analysis of the study. This serves as a limitation of the study. Practical implications Through this research, it is now clear that the state has more determining power (influence) in the transport sector than it was perceived. The state can use its power to be a more effective enabler towards increasing employer participation in skills development of the sector. Social implications With increased understanding and awareness of state’s influence in the sector, the country’s mission to redress the social ills of the former state on black South Africans stands a better chance of success. Private sector resources can be effectively mobilized to improve the social state of previously disadvantaged South Africans. However, given the economic dominance of the private sector and its former role in the apartheid era in South Africa; too much state influence in a supposedly free market can result in corporate resistance and consequently, market failure which can be seen as result of political interference. Originality/value South Africa has had an unprecedented social and economic trajectory to date. This said, its economic and social policies are unlike what we have observed before. Thus, identification of determinants and understanding of mechanisms of influence, on skills demand in the sector in which an African state plays such a close and active role, is in itself a unique contribution to knowledge and compels us to revisit our traditional assumptions about market behaviour. This study is one of the very few of its kind in the labour market research with a South African context.

scholarly journals Development and current state of urban labour markets in Russia

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evgeny V. Antonov
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Full Range ◽  
The State ◽  
Labour Markets ◽  
Soviet Period ◽  
Regional Center ◽  
Current State ◽  
Urban Rural ◽  
First Time ◽  
Post Soviet Period

The purpose of the study is to identify key trends in the development of labour markets in the cities of Russia in the post-Soviet period and their current state. The parameters of sectoral employment of the population and the number of employees in urban districts of Russia in the period after 2010 are analyzed in detail. For the first time the state of the labour market of all cities of the country in a full range of organizations is investigated on the basis of data of the Federal Tax Service (FTS). The study confirms the existence of differences in the level of employment in cities of different size in different regions of the country, as well as the existence of an urban—rural and center—periphery (regional center — the rest of the region) gradient.

Factors that affect discouragement: A South African labour market analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-90
Author(s):  
Precious Mncayi ◽  
Jacques de Jongh
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
South African ◽  
Market Analysis ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Labour Markets ◽  
Employment Opportunities ◽  
Unemployment Rates ◽  
The World ◽  
Very High

Labour markets across the world have in recent years been characterised by instability and scare employment opportunities. Despite the fact that the 21st century has carried with it massive technological change and a rise in the significance of education for better employment prospects, it has moreover brought about expanded vulnerability which has neglected to ensure employment for work-searchers. For those who want to work, the inability to find employment has been a source of enormous adversities both personally and economically. This is not unique to South Africa as the country is plagued with very high unemployment rates across all age categories and continually rising numbers of discouraged work-seekers. Although unemployment indicators have to a great extent followed international standards, the failure to incorporate those who have abstained from searching has inadvertently contributed to a lack of understanding regarding the nature of discouragement in the labour market. Keywords: Employment, discouragement; work-seekers, labour markets, South Africa, unemployment.

Staatseingriff und Ökonomiefunktion / State intervention and the economic function

1978 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Georg Vobruba
Keyword(s):  
Welfare State ◽  
Economic System ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
State Intervention ◽  
The State ◽  
The Other ◽  
Wage Labour ◽  
Economic Function ◽  
Means Of Production ◽  
The Welfare State

AbstractThe origin of the function of the Welfare State is to be explained as a reaction, firstly, to forceful social claims by the working class and, secondly, to its hereby increasing political weight which the state had to take into account for the sake of its own survival. With the adoption of social obligations, the state in capitalism enters into a specific dependence from the economic system. Since the state is not a producer, it has to acquire the necessary financial means from the economic system to function as a Welfare State. The extraction of financial means from the economic system (especially in the form of taxes) can occur all the more easily, the more smoothly the economic system itself functions. The state is, therefore ‚out of its own interests‘ dependent on the promotion of the economic system. The intervention of the Welfare State affects, on the other hand, the function of the economy. Whilst the Welfare State provides an, at least rudimentary, existence beyond the labour market and occupation, it evades the constraintive situation: wage labour or starvation, to which the non owners of the means of production were subject to under ‚classical‘ conditions, and therefore strenghtens their conflict potential. The corollary of this is that the function of the capitalist crisis to purge wage costs, can no longer unfold itself. Consequently this results in a change of the particular character of capitalist crisis and in a development, which in its tendency burdens the state with ever increasing social problems, to be solved, without enableing the state to sufficiently expand its financial margin.

scholarly journals Pay equity, the "free" market and state intervention

1970 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosemary Du Plessis Novitz ◽  
Nabila Jaber
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Free Market ◽  
Empirical Evaluation ◽  
Round Table ◽  
State Intervention ◽  
The State ◽  
Paid Work ◽  
Pay Equity ◽  
Earnings Gap ◽  
Number Of Publications

A number of publications opposing pay equity published by the Business Round Table, the Employers' Federation and the Centre for Independent Studies between 1988 and 1990 have opposed pay equity. The ideas in these publications are shared by many neo-classical economists who advocate the operation of a "free" labour market with mininial intervention by the State or unions. These arguments are currently being used to justify the repeal of pay equity legislation. This article provides an empirical evaluation of claims that a deregulated labour market will be to the advantage of ufomen workers and that pay equity policies benefit only the most skilled women in paid work. It demonstrates that state intervention in the labour market and the unionisation of won1en in employment are associated with reductions in the earnings gap between women and men.

scholarly journals An Analysis of Underemployment among Young Graduates: The Case of a Higher Education Institution in South Africa

Economies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 196
Author(s):  
Daniel Francois Meyer ◽  
Precious Mncayi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
South African ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Labour Markets ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Complete Measurement

Labour markets have undergone vast transformations over the last few years. There are arguments that employment and unemployment measures have not been adequate in understanding the complexities of labour markets. Research on labour underutilisation has focused on one side of the spectrum, which is just about the scarcity of jobs. However, there is more to the labour market than just scarcity of jobs, and many researchers believe unemployment is not a complete measurement of unused labour capacity, which is why this study aimed to investigate the existence of underemployment from the perceptions of young graduates themselves. In this regard, the definition of young people entailed those younger than 35 years as officially defined in South Africa. The study employed a primary data method of data collection in which an online survey was used to collect the necessary data from the alumni database of a South African university. The study used binary logistic regression to determine factors that contributed to or influenced underemployment status. The main findings indicated that underemployment was rife according to age, where younger graduates (20–29 years) were more likely to be underemployed compared to their more mature counterparts; that is, those in the 30–34 age category, with non-White graduates most likely to encounter underemployment compared to their counterparts. This study resulted in important findings that carry significant policy implications and recommendations that may be crucial in correcting the current employment mismatches in the South African graduate labour market.

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