Building an Elite Force of Spill Responders in a World with Few Spill Response Opportunities

ABSTRACT As the performance of Industry improves and spills decrease, SMTs, OSROs, Regulators, and Oil and Gas Operators are all facing a lack of direct experience and knowledge when it comes to spill response. The recruiting and grooming of elite Responders for a large response organization is further challenged by a tight labor market that is increasingly occupied by a generation that demands accelerated advancement and growth. The Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC) is taking a new approach to identify, develop and retain Responder competencies and proficiencies, and to offer a career/development path in the absence of actual incidents. The first element of this program provides a clear path for professional growth to satisfy the growing desire for advancement by replacing a time-based promotion system with one that is focused on performance. The second element requires a consistent methodology and framework of evaluation to ensure employees in a nationwide organization are measured and evaluated using the same standards. Replacing the focus on hard skills with soft skills during talent acquisition “fit factor” when hiring new Responders sets the tone for growth. The hard skills are easier to teach and develop, while soft skills like learning curiosity, collaboration, effective communication, problem solving, and decision making are the differentiators that shape an elite Responder. Removing the emphasis on spill experience and replacing it with well-defined competency models that define abilities which can be demonstrated outside of spill incidents is essential to fostering professional growth in a Responder. These competencies include the technical skills that are required by each position and emphasize leadership abilities, teamwork, and commitment. Metrics and expectations must be defined at the right level of detail to provide Responders with the opportunity during steady state operations to demonstrate abilities in a variety of scenarios that mirror those needed in spill response.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF TERRITORIES WITH A TIGHT LABOUR MARKET SITUATION IN THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS (CASE STUDY OF MINSK REGION)

The article presents an analysis of the development indicators of the districts with a tight labor market situation in the Republic of Belarus. It considers the vacancies and resumes in these districts placed in the All-Republican bank of vacancies, Praca. by and rabota.by portals. The main mismatches between supply and demand at the labor market as one of the obstacles to socioeconomic development in the regions have been revealed.

The Impact of the Great Recession on Mothers’ Employment

In all recent recessions, men’s unemployment has been higher than women’s because they are disproportionately likely to be concentrated in cyclical industries such as construction and manufacturing. This recession has been particularly severe for men and women, as they are both experiencing unprecedented levels of long-term unemployment, along with declining wages. Because of the severity of the recession, married mothers of young children may have increased their labor force participation to compensate for their husbands’ under- or unemployment. Using 2006 and 2010 American Community Survey data, I show that married mothers’ increased labor force participation likely occurred in households that were less economically disadvantaged prior to the recession. The demand for married women’s employment should have been stronger in households where men were employed in industries that were hard-hit by the recession. However, employment rates were lower among women married to men with lower earnings who are or were employed in construction and agriculture, the two industries with the highest levels of unemployment. Because their wives were less likely to be employed prior to the start of the recession, they may have been at a stronger disadvantage in obtaining employment in a tight labor market without recent job experience.

Republic of Estonia

Th economy has performed well in recent years, supported by prudent management and effective structural reforms. Growth remains strong and unemployment is at a record low. Inflation is above the euro-area average, consistent with Estonia’s convergence process. Wages are rising, reflecting a tight labor market and skill shortages at the high end of the labor market. Absent reforms to boost productivity and manage demographic challenges, however, growth will slow notably. The authorities need to guard against potential overheating in the near term while taking advantage of sizable fiscal buffers in the medium term to support innovation and labor supply and reduce inequality.

The good despot: Technology firms’ interventions in the public sphere

We examine how the technology industry intervenes in social domains not directly tied to its products, services, and immediate commercial concerns. We intend to develop a framework for considering the ways technology and the technology industry reshape these domains in ways both intended and unintended. Drawing on sociologies of knowledge and technology and a set of 20 semi-structured interviews with technology workers and HR professionals working in the Israeli facilities of two large multi-national technology firms, we find evidence that the intervention allows the industry to re-purpose public education as a means of nurturing a firm’s workforce with the goal of remaining competitive in a tight labor market both nationally and globally. In parallel, the programs allow workers to experience satisfying and pleasant interactions. These re-purposing interventions might aggravate existing education inequality while further cementing the legitimacy of a dominant industry as a model for an idealized commercial society.

Ireland

The Irish economy continues to expand strongly, benefitting from higher net exports by multinational enterprises and robust domestic demand. Accelerating wage growth reflects tight labor market conditions and inflation has started to pick up. Crisis legacies have diminished but some vulnerabilities persist. The outlook remains broadly positive, provided Brexit proceeds in an orderly manner. However, the economy operates near full capacity and an accelerating cyclical momentum could re-ignite a boom-bust dynamic. A no-deal Brexit represents the key downside risk, while escalation in global protectionism and sudden changes in corporate tax planning of multinational enterprises in Ireland could adversely affect the economy and public finances.

Wage Growth Puzzle and Capacity Utilization

Wage growth and consumer price inflation in the United States remain weak, despite robust labor market and a healthy economy. This has been a conundrum for policymakers and economists alike, albeit it is not without parallels. In this paper, we analyze recent trends in the labor market. We point out that a number of indicators are providing mixed signals about the tight labor market, including wage growth that has remained muted, vacancy duration rates that have stayed remarkable stable in certain sectors, and the rate of capacity utilization, which is cyclically low and out of sync with other measures of resource utilization (e.g., output gap and unemployment rate). This leads us to conclude that there could be other forces that explain these phenomena. In this paper, we focus on capacity utilization and contend that low capacity utilization rates are the outcome of strategic decision-making by corporations, rather than inefficient demand, which permits firms to manage their resources more effectively. It seems to be particularly important when economic and policy uncertainties are elevated, such as in the post-financial crisis environment. More flexible use of capacity has implications not only for the labor market, but also for investments. Understanding capacity utilization would contribute to monetary policy formulation when the signal coming from the rate of capacity utilization is not consistent with those coming from the labor market and the output gap. This points to the need to continue monitor a broad range of indicators to avoid potential policy errors.

Winning the War for Talent: Modern Motivational Methods for Attracting and Retaining Employees

Given the struggle that many organizations face hiring and retaining talent in today’s tight labor market, it is critical to understand how to effectively reward employees. To address this question, we review relevant evidence that explains the importance of workplace rewards and recognition. Based on a review and synthesis of the current literature, we make the case that organizations should move beyond salary and traditional cash rewards to place greater emphasis on nonpecuniary, tangible and intangible rewards and recognition initiatives. We further highlight the importance of aligning rewards with universal psychological needs. Finally, we discuss the need to conduct more research to understand when and for whom cash and noncash rewards increase intrinsic motivation, organizational commitment and optimal functioning in order to improve the design and implementation of existing reward programs.

Does Wage Persistence Matter for Employment Fluctuations? Evidence from Displaced Workers

Previous literature has found that tight labor market conditions during a job raise wages. Using the Displaced Worker Survey from 1984 to 2006, we show that wage gains associated with good labor market conditions disappear at job loss. We also find that workers with higher wages due to tight past labor market conditions face higher risk of layoff. These findings suggest an important role of persistent rigidities in the wage setting process that are related to layoff decisions. This supports the notion that downward rigid employment contracts help explain the Shimer (2005) “puzzle” of low wage relative to employment fluctuations. (JEL J31, J41, J63)