Labour market policies and outcomes in post-independence Zimbabwe: lessons for South Africa

Technology plays a significant role in bridging gender gap in labour market outcomes. This paper investigates gender differential in broadband Internet usage and its effects on women‘s labour market participation. Employing an instrumental variable approach, findings suggest that exogenously determined high-speed broadband internet usage leads to increases of about 14.1 and 10.6 percentage points in labour market participation for single women and married women with some level of education, respectively. Moreover, further analyses suggest that married women are generally less likely to use the Internet to search for job opportunities and this could partly explains their low labour market participation rate. The findings suggest that more policy effort is required to bridge gender differentials in digital technologies and employment opportunities in South Africa.

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The Pros & Cons of Active Labour Market Policies (ALMPS) in Jamaica: A Panacea for Real GDP Growth

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.888301 ◽

2005 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Peter W. Jones

Keyword(s):

Labour Market ◽

Gdp Growth ◽

Labour Market Policies ◽

Active Labour Market Policies ◽

Real Gdp ◽

Active Labour

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The impact of Active Labour Market Policies on health outcomes: a Scoping review

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckz026 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Vanessa Puig-Barrachina ◽

Pol Giró ◽

Lucía Artazcoz ◽

Xavier Bartoll ◽

Imma Cortés-Franch ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Outcomes ◽

Labour Market ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Labour Market Policies ◽

Active Labour Market Policies ◽

Active Labour ◽

The Impact

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Associations between labour market policies and work stressors

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa165.1002 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

T Lunau ◽

M Rigó

Keyword(s):

Labour Market ◽

Working Conditions ◽

Job Strain ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Policy Implications ◽

Psychosocial Work ◽

Work Stressors ◽

Labour Market Policies ◽

Psychosocial Working Conditions ◽

European Working

Abstract Background Many studies have shown that psychosocial work stressors have a negative impact on health. It is therefore important to understand how psychosocial work stressors can be reduced. First cross-sectional studies have shown that working conditions are influenced at the political level. With this study, we want to extend the existing studies by specifically looking at the longitudinal dimension and test if changing labour market policies are related to changes in psychosocial work stressors. Methods We used comparative longitudinal survey data from the European Working Conditions Survey (27 countries; years 2005, 2010, 2015). The measure of psychosocial work stressors is based on two established work stress models: job strain and effort-reward imbalance. To measure labour market policies we used information on active (ALMP) and passive labour market policies (PLMP). 64659 participants were eligible for the ERI analysis and 67114 participants for the analyses on job strain. Estimation results are provided by three-level multilevel regressions. Results An increase in ALMP investments lead to a decrease of ERI and therefore to an improvement in psychosocial working conditions. The analyses for the subcomponents showed that these results are mainly driven by reward: an increase in ALMP investments lead to an increase in rewards. We didn't find significant associations between ALMP and job strain and between a change in PLMP measures and the observed work stressors. Discussion The study extends current knowledge with longitudinal information by showing that an increase in ALMP lead to an increase in rewards and a decrease of ERI. These longitudinal analyses are more closely related to a causal interpretation than previous cross-country analyses. The findings of this study may have important policy implications. Our main result suggests that investments into ALMP can improve certain working conditions and therefore improve workers' health. Key messages Psychosocial work stressors have a negative impact on health. Investments into active labour market policies can improve psychosocial working conditions.

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Employer Engagement and Active Labour Market Policies. Evidence from a Norwegian Multi-Method Study

Social Policy and Society ◽

10.1017/s1474746420000421 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-13

Author(s):

Christer Hyggen ◽

Janikke Solstad Vedeler

Keyword(s):

Labour Market ◽

Structural Constraints ◽

Structural Factors ◽

Economic Interests ◽

Labour Market Policies ◽

Active Labour Market Policies ◽

Work Training ◽

Active Labour ◽

Employer Engagement ◽

Business Size

Using Work Training in Norway as a case, this article provides insight into motivation and structural factors that impact employer engagement with active labour market policies (ALMP) targeting young people. Drawing on mixed-methods data, we find a substantial proportion of Norwegian employers engage in Work Training. Both social responsibility and the economic interests of the company influence employers’ motivation for committing to Work Training. The findings reveal that the structural factors of business size and sector are crucial determinants of employer behaviour when it comes to hiring Work Training candidates. Although improved outreach activities by local job centres may be important, the article argues that efforts towards opening up sectors closed by sector-specific regulations on hiring, and increased awareness of structural constraints, are similarly important.

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