How young workers get their training: A survey of Germany versus the United States

The recent economic literature on the incidence of various forms of post-secondary on-the-job and off-the-job training in Germany and the United States, as well as on the effects of training on wages, inequality, and labor mobility is surveyed. Young workers in Germany receive substantially more company-based (apprenticeship) training than United States workers. In the United States, high turnover deters firms from investing in general skills while it results in improved job matches. The received literature consents that key institutional elements required to make the German apprenticeship system work are absent in the United States. JEL classification: I2, J3, J24 Received December 14, 1995 / Accepted February 19, 1996     

The Impact of Overeducation and its Measurement

The central focus of this article is the influence of the applied measure when the impact of overeducation is analyzed. For a database of Flemish school leavers, four alternative measures of overeducation are related to job satisfaction, mobility, training participation and wages. The magnitude and significance of the effects diverge between these measures. When attained education is controlled for, overeducated workers are less satisfied, more mobile, participate less in training and earn less than adequately educated workers. When required education is controlled for, no robust results are found for job satisfaction and training participation. Overeducated workers earn more than adequately educated colleagues, but have a higher turnover rate. We have little clear results with respect to undereducation. Caution is thus recommended for the interpretation of empirical results with respect to the impact of over- and undereducation.     

Is the German apprenticeship system a panacea for the U.S. labor market?

This paper explores the structure of incentives undergirding the German system of apprenticeship training. We first describe characteristics of the German labor market which may lead firms to accept part of the cost of general training, even in the face of worker turnover. We then compare labor market outcomes for apprentices in Germany and high school graduates in the United States. Apprentices in Germany occupy a similar position within the German wage structure as held by high school graduates in the United States labor market. Finally, we provide evidence that – in both countries – the problem of forming labor market bonds is particularly acute for minority youth. JEL classification: J24, J31, J60 Received: July 4, 1996 / Accepted February 4, 1997     

Intentions to leave and actual turnover of community midwives in the Netherlands: A mixed method study exploring the reasons why

BackgroundIn the Netherlands, the turnover of midwives of relatively young age is high. This is concerning since a lack of midwifery experience can negatively affect the quality of maternity care.AimTo study the rate and the reasons for intending to leave, and to explore the reasons for leaving midwifery jobs in the Netherlands.MethodsWe used a mixed-methods design including a quantitative survey (N = 726) followed by qualitative interviews (N = 17) with community midwives.FindingsAlmost one third of the respondents considered leaving the profession. The decision to actually leave the job was the result of a process in which midwives first tried to adapt to their working conditions, followed by feelings of frustration and finally feelings of decreased engagement with the work. The reasons for leaving midwifery practice are an accumulation of job demands, lack of social resources and family responsibilities.DiscussionCompared to international figures, we found a lower rate of midwives who considered leaving the profession. This could be explained by the differences in the organisation of midwifery care and the relatively high job autonomy of midwives in the Netherlands. Nevertheless, changes must be made in terms of decreasing the demands of the job and creating more job resources.ConclusionInnovations in the organisational structure that focus on continuity of care for pregnant individuals, job satisfaction for midwives and building a sustainable workforce may result in an increase in the retention of midwives. These innovations would ensure that women and their babies receive the best care possible.     

工作转换对农民工职业流动的影响效应

农民工就业流动频繁已经成为当前劳动力市场的普遍现象和重要特征,而工作转换能否带来农民工职业向上流动,实现职业地位提升？文章采用RUMIC面板数据,进一步估计工作转换对农民工职业流动方向的影响。结果发现：工作转换对职业流动产生显著负效应,工作转换导致农民工职业向下流动,职业流动没有呈现“U”型特征,但存在一定的跨期效应,重新定义工作转换进行稳健性检验仍然支持这一结论。而从根本上消除劳动力市场的制度壁垒,强化农民工职业技能培训,无疑是未来劳动力市场政策调整的主要方向。     

Drivers of job satisfaction in midwifery—A work design approach

BackgroundIdentifying common factors that influence job satisfaction for midwives working in diverse work settings is challenging. Applying a work design model developed in organisational behaviour to the midwifery context may help identify key antecedents of midwives job satisfaction.AimTo investigate three job characteristics – decision-making autonomy, empowerment, and professional recognition as antecedents of job satisfaction in New Zealand (NZ) midwives.MethodsLatent multiple regressions were performed on data from Lead Maternity Carer (LMC) midwives n = 327, employed midwives n = 255, and midwives working in ‘mixed-roles’ n = 123.FindingsWe found that professional recognition is positively linked to job satisfaction for midwives in all three work settings. At the same time, decision-making autonomy and empowerment were shown to influence job satisfaction for midwives working as LMCs only.DiscussionOur main finding suggests that the esteem generated from being acknowledged as an expert and valuable contributor by maternity health colleagues is satisfying across all work contexts. Professional recognition encompasses the social dimension of midwifery work and influences midwives job satisfaction. Decision-making autonomy and empowerment are task and relational job characteristics that may not be similarly experienced by all midwives to noticeably influence job satisfaction.ConclusionGiven that job satisfaction contributes to recruitment, retention, and sustainability, our findings show that drivers of job satisfaction differ by midwifery work context. We present evidence to support tailored efforts to bolster midwives job satisfaction, especially where resources are limited.     

Population policy: Authoritarianism versus cooperation

The people whose interests are most adversely affected by frequent bearing and rearing of children are young women. Social changes that expand the decisional power of young women (such as expansion of female literacy, or enhancement of female employment opportunity) can, thus, be major forces in the direction of reducing fertility rates. This “cooperative” route seems to act more securely – and often much faster – than the use of “coercion” in reducing family size and birth rates. This essay examines the comparative evidence from India and China on this subject as well as the interregional contrasts within India. JEL classification: J11, J13, O15 Received August 20, 1996/Accepted November 14, 1996     

Validation of the Wood’s Job Satisfaction Questionnaire among Taiwanese Nonprofit Sport Organization Workers

The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of Wood’s Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (JSQ) among Taiwanese workers. The participants were 341 nonprofit sport organization workers (M _age = 35.89, SD = 9.23) who completed the job satisfaction questionnaire, turnover intention scale, and organizational commitment. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to examine the validity of the JSQ. Results indicated that the model fit was satisfactory and a second-order factor accounts for the relationships among the first-order factors. In addition, the JSQ was, as expected, positively correlated with organizational commitment but is inversely correlated with turnover intention. The Cronbach’s α was 76 for the JSQ, indicating a satisfactory validity and reliability in the Taiwanese worker sample. We conclude that the JSQ is useful for assessing an employee’s satisfaction.     

Who gets over the training hurdle? A study of the training experiences of young men and women in Britain

Using longitudinal data from the British National Child Development Study, this paper examines gender differences in the determinants of work-related training. The analysis covers a crucial decade in the working lives of this 1958 birth cohort of young men and women – the years spanning the ages of 23 to 33. Hurdle negative binomial models are used to estimate the number of work-related training events lasting at least three days. This approach takes into account the fact that more than half the men and two thirds of the women in the sample experienced no work-related training lasting three or more days over the period 1981 to 1991. Our analysis suggests that reliance on work-related training to improve the skills of the work force will result in an increase in the skills of the already educated, but will not improve the skills of individuals entering the labor market with relatively low levels of education. JEL classification: C25, I21, J24. Received February 9, 1996/Accepted August 14, 1996     

上海市积极探索流动人口源头互动管理新机制

2008年7月，来自四川广元核工业工程学校的400多名新员工，从上海松江工业园区的达丰电脑公司领取了第一个月的工资。同样通过定点培训方式定向招收的工人数，已占该企业总招工人数的20％以上。最新统计显示，上海已经先后与安徽、江苏、浙江、江西、重庆、贵州和河南七省（市）人口计生委签订了省级流动人口计划生育双向服务管理协议书，     

A conversation with Richard Easterlin

After an introduction touching on various biographical highlights, this paper summarizes a wide-ranging discussion with Richard Easterlin which occurred in the Autumn of 1996. We considered the Easterlin Hypothesis – its genesis and current status, together with Easterlin‘s views on attempts to develop measures of relative income – and then moved on to “The Fertility Revolution” and questions regarding the applicability of the theory of household choice in modernizing societies. This was followed by a discussion of his early career development and influences on him at that time, ending with ruminations regarding the current state of economics, and the validity of training given to young economists today. JEL classification: J10, J11, J13 Received February 13, 1997 / Accepted February 26, 1997     

A Comparison of Workers Employed in Hazardous Jobs in Terms of Job Satisfaction,Perceived Job Risk and Stress: Turkish Jean Sandblasting Workers,Dock Workers,Factory Workers and Miners

The purpose of this study is to compare job satisfaction, perception of job risk, stress symptoms and vulnerability to stress of miners, dock workers, jean sandblasting workers and factory workers. A job satisfaction scale and stress audit scale were applied to 220 workers. Results revealed that dock and jean sandblasting workers perceived their work as more risky compared to other workers. Jean sandblasting workers also had the lowest scores on job satisfaction subscales (organisational policies, physical conditions, interpersonal relations, individual factors, autonomy and wage) and total job satisfaction. Likewise, dock workers had lower scores on job satisfaction than factory workers and miners. Analyses also showed that miners did not differ from factory workers in terms of job satisfaction and stress symptoms. Moreover, jean sandblasting workers and dock workers obtained higher scores on stress symptoms. Jean sandblasting workers were also found to be the group that had the highest level of vulnerability to stress. Perceived job risk, vulnerability to stress and stress symptoms were the most important predictors of job satisfaction.     

结构转型、期望值与工作满意——对民工荒成因及对策的新视角

本文在实证研究的基础上,发现农民工素质结构发生了明显转型,在此基础上农民工,尤其是第三代农民工对工作的期望值从量和质两方面都大大提高,这与农民工输入地僵化的经济生态发生错位,由此导致农民工尤其是第三代农民工就业心态不稳定,这是民工荒突然出现的内在原因。为此,地方政府应该在职业培训、宣传推广、失业救助、社会交往、行业管理几方面有所作为;对企业来说,不提高农民工薪酬不行,只提高薪酬也不行,还应该尽力改善农民工尤其是第三代农民工关注的“非经济指标”。     

The effects of parental leave extension on training for young women

Using three datasets for West Germany, we estimate the effect of the extension of parental leave from between 10 and 18 to 36 months on young women’s participation in job-related training. Specifically, we employ difference-in-differences identification strategies using control groups of older women and young and older men. We find that parental leave extension negatively affects job-related training for young women, even if they do not have children, especially when the focus is on employer-arranged training. There is tentative evidence that young women partly compensated for this reduction in employer-arranged training by increasing training on their own initiative.     

Supervisor–Subordinate <Emphasis Type="Italic">Guanxi</Emphasis> and Job Satisfaction Among Migrant Workers in China

In urban China, improving rural–urban migrant workers’ subjective wellbeing has become an important goal for workplaces and local governments. Drawing from the social capital theory and using original survey data, we examine the relationship between migrant workers’ guanxi (‘personal relations’ in the Chinese context) with their supervisors and their job satisfaction. Our results show that supervisor–subordinate guanxi is positively related to migrant workers’ job satisfaction. This relationship is mediated by network resources and personal power, which serve as their social resources in workplaces. Our study contributes to the positive psychology literature by understanding the role of guanxi in shaping Chinese migrant workers’ job satisfaction. Implications and future research directions are discussed.     

Generational Differences in Work Values,Perceived Job Rewards,and Job Satisfaction of Chinese Female Migrant Workers: Implications for Social Policy and Social Services

This cross-sectional survey study is a pioneering attempt to investigate the generational differences in the work values, perceived job rewards, and job satisfaction of Chinese female migrant workers. The study targeted two toy factories in the Guangdong Province of China and recruited a total of 1,307 female workers as participants. Among them were 577 female migrant workers who comprised the target group for this research. The authors hypothesized that the younger generation of female migrant workers would have higher levels of cognitive work values (such as self-enhancement and career development) but lower levels of perceived job rewards and job satisfaction than those of the older generation. The results indicate that there are no generational differences in work values among the three birth cohorts of Chinese female migrant workers. The older generation felt more satisfied with the job rewards that they received, and their sense of job satisfaction was higher than that of the younger generation. Furthermore, the findings showed a substantial positive influence of perceived social job rewards (such as support from co-workers and supervisors) on job satisfaction among the younger generation. The current findings suggest that in China, generational differences in work are affected by both the generation factor and the rural–urban stratification factor. The authors hope that the study will provide a knowledge base for understanding the perceptions of Chinese female migrant workers toward work and for exploring the ways in which new policies and social services can be developed in order to address their needs.     

Ilocos region: BSPO paramedics: training in Abra pays off

The study entitled "the comprehensive Baragay Medical System in Arba: An Evaluation" analyzed the performance of trained paramedics and found that the effectiveness of barangay service point officers (BSPOs) as outreach workers depeded on: the knowledge and skills they acquired after traning, which helped them meet the medical needs of community residents; their acceptability to the community; and their positive attitude toward their job. The study indicated that adquate training for the job was crucial to the effective performance of outreach workers. The study compared the performance fo BSPO paramedics and BSPO nonparamedics in metting the health care and family planning needs of residents of the communities the served. BSPO paramedics fared much better as outreach workers in the tasks they were trained for -- rendering services in family planning and health care -- than BSPO nonparamedics wo were not given that kind of training. The study was conducted in the towns of Sallapadan, Pilar, and Danglas for BSPO paramedics and in Manabo, Villaviciosa, and La Paz for BSPO nonparamedics. Interviewed were a sample group of married adults in the areas, 15 BSPO paramedics, and 15 BSPO nonparamedics. The BSPO paramedics had undergone training in preventive medicine, environmental sanitation, and treatment of minor illnesses. The were taught advanced first aid techniques, over the cunter dispensing of medicines, and basic laboratory analysis. The nonparamedics were not trained in these functins. The residents preferred to approach BSPO paramedics for both family planning and medical servies, and more community members also derived the "highest degreee of satisfaction" from the paramedics' services. The BSPO paramedics also served more family planning clients and provided community residents more kinds of medical services. These included medical checkup, the distribution and sale of medicines, curing illnesses, and assisting in child delivery. In terms of job satisfaction, 13 out of every 15 BSPO paramedics interviewed indicated that they were "very satisfied" with their jobs, while only 6 of 15 nonparamedics gave the same rating. The survey findings suggest that the Arba Comprehensive Barangay Medical System can be a viable model for outreach workers in remote communities.     

Unskilled labor and wage determination: an empirical investigation for Germany

This article contributes to the ongoing debate on native wage impacts of immigration. I propose a mobile-fixed factor distinction as a framework in which to think about the differential impact of immigration on various labor market groups. Skilled workers are treated as a fixed factor of production since the strong reliance on skill certification in Germany inhibits mobility and shelters from competition. Unskilled workers, in contrast, receive competitive wages. Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel for 1984–1989 I estimate panel wage regressions for groups of workers separated by skill certification. I find that university graduates‘ wages increase, and the wages of workers without postsecondary degree decrease, as the industry share of unskilled workers increases. The effect for apprentices is ambiguous. JEL classification: F22, J31 Received January 19, 1995 / Accepted August 14, 1995     

Erratum to: The Development Hypothesis of Women Empowerment in the Millennium Development Goals Tested in the Context of Women’s Access to Land in Africa

A number of empirical studies have shown a positive influence of employment stability on job satisfaction. Employment stability, usually measured by the type of contract an individual has, may affect one’s job satisfaction directly, as well as through its impact on other relative variables, such as job security, since a stable position seems to bring individuals a sense of security. The aim of our research is to investigate the relationships between job security, employment stability and job satisfaction of workers in Poland. In the study, we strive to show how these factors impact knowledge workers and other workers differently. In order to conduct analysis, we propose two logistic models, separate for these two groups, with job satisfaction as a dependent variable and type of contract and three items denoting different dimensions of job insecurity: an insecure source of income, too many duties to cope with and being treated unjustly at the workplace, as independent variables. The robustness of the models has been defended by the introduction of the time dimension. The results show that job insecurity is the most influential factor in the model of job satisfaction for all employees. However, this impact differs depending on the employment arrangements. Flexible workers are much more vulnerable to job insecurities in terms of job satisfaction. Another finding is that the job satisfaction of knowledge workers is more influenced by job security.     

Informal search,bad search?: the effects of job search method on wages among rural migrants in urban China

The use of informal job search method is prevalent in many countries. There is, however, no consensus in the literature on whether it actually matters for wages, and if it does, what are the underlying mechanisms. We empirically examine these issues specifically for rural migrants in urban China, a country where one of the largest domestic migration in human history has occurred over the past decades. We find that there exists a significant wage penalty for those migrant workers who have conducted their search through informal channels, despite their popularity. Our further analysis suggests two potential reasons for the wage penalty: (1) the informal job search sends a negative signal (of workers’ inability to successfully find a job in a competitive market) to potential employers, resulting in lower wages, and (2) there exists a trade-off between wages and search efficiency for quicker entry into local labor market. We also find some evidence that the informal job search may lead to low-skilled jobs with lower wages. We do not find strong evidence supporting alternative explanations.