Bewältigungs- und Aneignungsmuster staatlich geförderter Beschäftigung bei ehemaligen Langzeitarbeitslosen

The article analyses the experiences made in publicly subsidized employment by long-term-unemployed in theoretical and empirical perspectives. The heterogeneity of the investigated population requires a differentiation between various types of personal employment histories as well as the examination of patterns of coping with subsidized employment from a differential perspective: Only a subgroup of the target-group share the notions of normality on which its construction is based. Furthermore, the wage subsidy can fulfill different functions with regard to the recipient’s personal employment history. Finally, problematic employment situations can result in the termination of a subsidized employment relationship. Since heterogeneous groups of persons can be affected by a permanent exclusion from the labour market, it seems problematic to tackle the problems connected with this situation by applying a single labour market measure.     

Erwerbseinstieg und erste Erwerbsjahre

The debate about the structural change of the labor market and the organization of dependent work has not been decided, neither theoretically nor empirically. This paper investigates on the basis of data from the GSOEP (German Socio Economic Panel) the entry into the labor market and the first years of gainful employment for four birth cohorts. The central focus of our argumentation lies on the following questions: Is there an increase of atypical entries into the labor market (aged 15 to 26) — i.e. part-time employment, unemployment or non labor market participation — and what proportion of their first years of working life (aged 15 to 36) do people spend in full-time employment. The results show a rise of atypical entries into the labor market for the younger cohorts. The duration of male full-time employment will be shorter because of longer education periods, while this duration rises for women as a result of decreasing relevance of housewife work. An atypical entry into the labor market has long-term consequences for the further working life, so that it hardly can be compensated. A de-standardization of the entry into the working life is most frequent for men and women with lower professional qualification. The results show that society is increasingly polarizing along the lines of qualified and non-qualified persons.     

Differences in Tobacco Use Among Two-Year and Four-Year College Students in Minnesota

Abstract

Objective: This study compares tobacco use rates among two-year and four-year college students and explores the demographic variables that predicted that behavior. Participants: 9,931 students at 14 two-year and four-year colleges in Minnesota participated. Methods: Students at 11 schools completed an online survey, and students at 3 schools completed a paper survey in 2007. Results: After controlling for sex, age, ethnicity, relationship status, hours of work per week, and number of school credits, attending a two-year college predicted current and daily smoking (odds ratio [OR]) = 1.70, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.52–1.89; OR = 3.47, 95% CI = 2.94–4.11) and smokeless tobacco use (OR = 1.65, 95% CI = 1.32–2.06; OR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.06–2.53). Conclusions: Although two-year college students comprise approximately two fifths of the college student population, surveys of college student tobacco use have focused nearly exclusively on four-year college students. Two-year college students should represent a priority population for tobacco control because attending a two-year college predicts increased tobacco use.     

Concerning Workload Control and Order Release: The Pre‐Shop Pool Sequencing Decision

Every production planning concept that incorporates controlled order release will initially withhold jobs from the shop floor and create a pre‐shop pool. Order release is a key component of the Workload Control concept that aims to maintain work‐in‐process within limits while ensuring due dates are met. Order release includes two decisions: (i) a sequencing decision that establishes the order in which jobs are considered for release; and, (ii) a selection decision that determines the criteria for choosing jobs for release. While selection has received much research attention, sequencing has been largely neglected. Using simulation, this study uncovers the potential for performance improvement in the sequencing decision and improves our understanding of how order release methods should be designed. Although most prior studies apply time‐oriented sequencing rules and load‐oriented selection rules, analysis reveals that load balancing considerations should also be incorporated in the sequencing decision. But an exclusive focus on load balancing is shown to increase mean tardiness and, paradoxically, require high workloads. A new sequencing rule is developed that only balances loads when multiple orders become urgent. It avoids high mean tardiness and allows the shop to operate at a low workload level. At the same time, the percentage tardy is reduced by up to 50% compared to a purely time‐oriented rule. The findings have implications not only for Workload Control but for any concept that features order release control, such as ConWIP and Drum‐Buffer‐Rope.     

Ausmass und Struktur von arbeitnehmerinduzierter Abstiegsmobilität

This study analyses the extent and determinants of voluntary downward earnings mobility in western Germany using data from the German socio-economic panel. The findings show that about one in five voluntary job shifters undergo a downward earnings shift. These downward earnings shifts are often accompanied by a reduction of working time. However, the earnings reduction does not solely result from reduced working hours, but also from shifts to less demanding jobs. Unlike upward shifters, downward shifters experience an improvement in their working situation concerning the work load and the flexibility of working hours, indicating that a significant number of workers may trade lower pay for better working conditions. This paper argues that the assessment of the quality of voluntary job shifts should take into account not only extrinsic job rewards, such as pay and prestige, but also non-pecuniary job characteristics. The results of our research challenge the practice of equating downward earnings mobility with involuntary job shifts, which can be found in many sociological studies of job mobility.