Search

New technologies and sector imbalances due to manufacturing hollowing out have dented the regional stock of competencies in the European Union (EU) labour markets. This raises concerns over the sustainability of the EU's competitiveness in the longer term. The present study explore on what occupational mix might be able to deliver greater regional productivity in the light of emerging industrial dynamics. We estimate panel regression models using regional data from the EU Labour Force Survey and Eurostat regional statistics. Our results show that regional gross value added (GVA) is significantly improved if regions have a mix of occupations that includes what we define as smart workers: these are workers employed in advanced manufacturing and knowledge-based production-support activities. We also test interactions amongst production and production-support occupations as well as the nonlinear effect between smart workers and regional GVA. Policy implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using 2010-2017 data we compare the labour market outcomes of refugees (those who migrated to seek asylum), natives (UK-born) and other migrants in the UK (work, study and family migrants). The results indicate that refugees are less likely to be employed and earn less than natives and other migrants. The evidence suggests that differences in health status (particularly mental health) may be one of the factors that partly explain these gaps. Employment growth of refugees between 2010 and 2016 was significantly higher than that of other migrants, but this was not the case for earnings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We exploit the exogenous nature of forced migrations in Colombia to understand how migrations from directly affected areas influence labour markets not directly touched by conflict. Using an instrumental variables strategy, we estimate the causal impact of these migrations on the urban labour market. Our estimates suggest that these migrations substantially reduce wages for urban unskilled workers who compete for jobs with forced migrants. Given the widespread problem of civilian displacement during civil wars in the developing world, and the robust relationship between poverty and civil wars, our results have broad implications for economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the 1990s, the northwestern region of Tanzania experienced a large inflow of refugees. Using panel data (pre- and post-refugee inflow), we estimate the labour market consequences of hosting those refugees. Results are consistent with immigration affecting the allocation of natives across economic activities. Greater exposure to the refugee shock resulted in Tanzanians having a higher likelihood of working in household shambas or caring for household livestock and a lower likelihood of working outside the household as employees. The latter effect was particularly strong for Tanzanians doing casual work before the shock. This coincides with anecdotal evidence of refugees concentrating in casual waged work in Tanzania and competing directly with Tanzanians for those jobs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article shows, using data from both the USA and the UK, that average plant size is larger in denser markets. However, many popular theories of agglomeration—spillovers, cost advantages and improved match quality—predict that establishments should be smaller in cities. The article proposes a theory based on monopsony in labour markets—firms in all labour markets have some market power but that they have less market power in cities—that can explain the stylized fact. It also presents evidence that the labour supply curve to individual firms is more elastic in larger markets, consistent with the monopsony hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article presents a study of the Australian temporary staffing industry. It explores how temporary staffing markets are manufactured through the interactions between industrial relations and regulatory systems, on the one hand, and the structures and strategies of domestic and transnational temporary staffing agencies on the other. The article draws on secondary datasets and semi-structured interviews with government departments, labour unions, staffing agencies and their trade bodies to analyse the size, structure and characteristics of the Australian temporary staffing market. It argues that the Australian market differs important ways from those other 'neoliberal' labour market regimes—such as those in Canada, UK and USA—with which it is often compared. The article argues for an approach that seeks to explore the (often gradual) mutual transformation of temporary staffing organizations and the institutional and regulatory systems in which they are embedded, rather than privileging one at the expense of the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]