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This research paper explores the benefits of a four-day workweek that may affect productivity, self-satisfaction, and life expectancy. We will be using data on a country-wide scale from 25 first world countries over four continents. We will perform regression analysis to investigate the impact of a four-day workweek. The data will be collected using free and public sources published online like Our World In Data and Statista, which include GDP per capita, life satisfaction rate, human development index, and annual working hours. The results of our research and analysis will show how each independent variable will affect the dependent variable of our study, as well as any correlation between them. We aim to uncover any benefits of switching to a four day/eight-hour workweek and support the move for companies to reconsider the traditional five day/eight-hour workweek in hopes of improving the quality of life of working adults. Our results show that Human Development Index, Gross Domestic Product has a p-value of more than 0.05, and therefore we do not reject the null hypothesis that the four days work week has no impact on productivity in the workforce. Life Satisfaction Rate on the other hand has a p-value of less than 0.05, thus rejecting the null hypothesis that the four days work week has no impact on the satisfaction rate of the workforce.

This article presents a study that aimed to describe the employment conditions of a group of teachers working in public, private and private institutions with extended coverage of the city of Cali. Methodologically, a quantitative approach was used, through a survey. Since there is no reliable record of the total number of teachers working in Cali, Colombia, a non-probabilistic sampling was carried out by fees to 202 teachers. while teachers enjoy greater stability and better salaries. The fees corresponded to the type of educational institution and its geographical location in the city. Data were analyzed from descriptive statistics and multiple correspondence analysis. It was found that the conditions of precarious work are usually more related to the poor peripheries of the city and to private institutions for the extension of coverage, associated with long working hours, hours of unpaid work at home, lower wages and unstable contracts. On the other hand, stability is associated with linking to official institutions through a merit contest. JEL CLASSIFICATION J2 - J23, RESUMO Um estudo é apresentado que descreve as condições de emprego de um grupo de professores que trabalham em instituições públicas, privadas e privadas com extensão de cobertura, da cidade de Cali, na Colômbia. Metodologicamente, foi abordada uma abordagem quantitativa, por meio de uma pesquisa. Como não há registro confiável do número total de professores trabalhando em Cali, 202 professores foram amostrados em parcelas sem um registro confiável do número total de professores trabalhando em Cali. As taxas correspondiam ao tipo da escola e sua localização geográfica na cidade. Os dados foram analisados a partir de estatísticas descritivas e análises de várias correspondências. Verificou-se que as condições precárias de trabalho tendem a estar mais relacionadas com as periferias pobres da cidade e às instituições privadas de extensão da cobertura, associadas a longas horas de trabalho, horas de trabalho não remunerado em casa, salários mais baixos e contratos instáveis. Por outro lado, a estabilidade está associada à vinculação às instituições oficiais por meio de concurso de mérito, enquanto os professores gozam de maior estabilidade e melhores salários. CLASSIFICAÇÃO JEL J2 - J23, RESUMEN Se presenta un estudio que describe las condiciones de empleo de un grupo de docentes que laboran en instituciones públicas, privadas y privadas con ampliación de cobertura, de la ciudad de Cali, Colombia. Metodológicamente se acudió a un enfoque cuantitativo, a través de un sondeo. Como no se cuenta con un registro fiable del número total de docentes que laboran en Cali, se realizó un muestreo no probabilístico a 202 profesores por cuotas. Las cuotas correspondieron al tipo de la institución educativa y su ubicación geográfica en la ciudad. Se analizaron datos a partir de estadísticos descriptivos y análisis de correspondencia múltiples. Se encontró que las condiciones de precarización del trabajo suelen estar más relacionadas con las periferias pobres de la ciudad y con instituciones privadas de ampliación de cobertura, asociadas con jornadas laborales largas, horas de trabajo en casa no remuneradas, salarios más bajos y contratos inestables. Por otro lado, la estabilidad está asociada con la vinculación a instituciones oficiales mediante concurso de méritos, en tanto los docentes gozan de mayor estabilidad y mejores salarios. CLASIFICACIÓN JEL J2 - J23

We analyze the impact of high youth minimum wages, relying on two decades of linked employer–employee data and a major law change. Alternative treatment/control groups follow from two strands of the literature, one tracking low-skilled workers employed before the law change, who are eligible for a large wage increase, and one tracking the employment of full cohorts, whether working or in school when the law changed. High minimum wages led to a short-term wage gain, which faded over time. They did not jeopardize employment prospects. Changes in the hours worked by part-time workers point to increased job attachment.

На підставі проведених досліджень у статті відображено аналіз продуктивності праці на ПрАТ «Березанський завод залізобетонних виробів», а також запропоновано методи її підвищення., На основании проведенных исследований в статье отражено анализ производительности труда на ЗАО «Березанский завод железобетонных изделий», а также предложены методы ееповышения., On the basis of the research in the article shows the labor productivity of JSC «Berezanskii concrete products plant» and the methods to improve it.

This thesis consists of three self-contained essays. Essay 1: This essay estimates wage assimilation among non-western immigrants in Sweden, controlling for selection into employment by including individual fixed effects. Furthermore, using matched employer-employee panel data covering the complete Swedish labor market, this essay decomposes wage catch-up into relative wage growth within and between workplaces and occupations. The results show that failing to control for selection into employment is likely to underestimate relative wage growth of immigrants, as early entrants in the labor market differ from later entrants along unobservable dimensions. Even after 30 years in the country, the group of non-western immigrants still earns substantially lower wages than natives. Wages catch up mainly within workplaces and occupations, suggesting that improved signals of productivity, rather than improved knowledge of job options, are of importance for the wage growth of non-western immigrants. Essay 2: Earlier research has shown that immigrant- and minority entrepreneurs have difficulties accessing capital through the formal financial markets. This essay studies what role immigrant employees within the local bank sector have for the probability of immigrants to run their own businesses. I use linked employer-employee data covering the whole Swedish labor market for the years 1987 to 2003 and utilize a nationwide refugee dispersal policy to get exogenous variation in the exposure to co-ethnic bank employees. Results suggest that there is a positive relation between co-ethnic bank employees and the probability of being self-employed. This effect is most pronounced for immigrants who arrived with low education, for males and for those residing in metropolitan regions. The effects are substantial and robust to a wide set of controls for labor market characteristics of the ethnic group at the local level. These results provide evidence of an ethnic component in the formal cre

This thesis consists of three self-contained essays. Essay 1: This essay estimates wage assimilation among non-western immigrants in Sweden, controlling for selection into employment by including individual fixed effects. Furthermore, using matched employer-employee panel data covering the complete Swedish labor market, this essay decomposes wage catch-up into relative wage growth within and between workplaces and occupations. The results show that failing to control for selection into employment is likely to underestimate relative wage growth of immigrants, as early entrants in the labor market differ from later entrants along unobservable dimensions. Even after 30 years in the country, the group of non-western immigrants still earns substantially lower wages than natives. Wages catch up mainly within workplaces and occupations, suggesting that improved signals of productivity, rather than improved knowledge of job options, are of importance for the wage growth of non-western immigrants. Essay 2: Earlier research has shown that immigrant- and minority entrepreneurs have difficulties accessing capital through the formal financial markets. This essay studies what role immigrant employees within the local bank sector have for the probability of immigrants to run their own businesses. I use linked employer-employee data covering the whole Swedish labor market for the years 1987 to 2003 and utilize a nationwide refugee dispersal policy to get exogenous variation in the exposure to co-ethnic bank employees. Results suggest that there is a positive relation between co-ethnic bank employees and the probability of being self-employed. This effect is most pronounced for immigrants who arrived with low education, for males and for those residing in metropolitan regions. The effects are substantial and robust to a wide set of controls for labor market characteristics of the ethnic group at the local level. These results provide evidence of an ethnic component in the formal cre

Specialized authors in the microfinance’s field affirm that providing microcredit to women is a strategy to improve their situation of poverty in which they live. This article talks about the experience of borrowers served by ProMujer in their Focal Center located in Ixmiquilpan, state of Hidalgo, Mexico. During the financial resources exercise, it was found that accredit women got to conciliate the productive subject with the reproductive one. Nevertheless, this situation took them to work double and even triple shifts of work were required and with those long days of work, they lost their availability of time for other tasks. The research reaffirms that microcredit help women to improve significantly their poverty situation or their patrimony, but analyzing this subject from another point of view, for example, thorough the wyes of the perspective of gender, women became poorer than before getting the microcredit, if it is considered poverty for capacities., Autores especializados en el tema de las microfinanzas indican que facilitar el microcrédito a las mujeres es una estrategia para mejorar la situación de pobreza en que viven. El presente artículo habla sobre la experiencia de las prestatarias atendidas por ProMujer en su Centro Focal de Ixmiquilpan, estado de Hidalgo. Durante el ejercicio de los recursos financieros, se encontró que las acreditadas lograron conciliar lo productivo con lo reproductivo, sin embargo, esto derivó en dobles o triples jornadas de trabajo y restringió su libertad y disponibilidad de tiempo. Se reafirma que el microcrédito mejora significativamente la pobreza alimentaria o de patrimonio de las mujeres, pero al analizar el problema desde la perspectiva de género, ellas resultan ser más pobres si se considera la pobreza por capacidades.

This thesis consists of three self-contained essays. Essay 1: This essay estimates wage assimilation among non-western immigrants in Sweden, controlling for selection into employment by including individual fixed effects. Furthermore, using matched employer-employee panel data covering the complete Swedish labor market, this essay decomposes wage catch-up into relative wage growth within and between workplaces and occupations. The results show that failing to control for selection into employment is likely to underestimate relative wage growth of immigrants, as early entrants in the labor market differ from later entrants along unobservable dimensions. Even after 30 years in the country, the group of non-western immigrants still earns substantially lower wages than natives. Wages catch up mainly within workplaces and occupations, suggesting that improved signals of productivity, rather than improved knowledge of job options, are of importance for the wage growth of non-western immigrants. Essay 2: Earlier research has shown that immigrant- and minority entrepreneurs have difficulties accessing capital through the formal financial markets. This essay studies what role immigrant employees within the local bank sector have for the probability of immigrants to run their own businesses. I use linked employer-employee data covering the whole Swedish labor market for the years 1987 to 2003 and utilize a nationwide refugee dispersal policy to get exogenous variation in the exposure to co-ethnic bank employees. Results suggest that there is a positive relation between co-ethnic bank employees and the probability of being self-employed. This effect is most pronounced for immigrants who arrived with low education, for males and for those residing in metropolitan regions. The effects are substantial and robust to a wide set of controls for labor market characteristics of the ethnic group at the local level. These results provide evidence of an ethnic component in the formal cre

Specialized authors in the microfinance’s field affirm that providing microcredit to women is a strategy to improve their situation of poverty in which they live. This article talks about the experience of borrowers served by ProMujer in their Focal Center located in Ixmiquilpan, state of Hidalgo, Mexico. During the financial resources exercise, it was found that accredit women got to conciliate the productive subject with the reproductive one. Nevertheless, this situation took them to work double and even triple shifts of work were required and with those long days of work, they lost their availability of time for other tasks. The research reaffirms that microcredit help women to improve significantly their poverty situation or their patrimony, but analyzing this subject from another point of view, for example, thorough the wyes of the perspective of gender, women became poorer than before getting the microcredit, if it is considered poverty for capacities., Autores especializados en el tema de las microfinanzas indican que facilitar el microcrédito a las mujeres es una estrategia para mejorar la situación de pobreza en que viven. El presente artículo habla sobre la experiencia de las prestatarias atendidas por ProMujer en su Centro Focal de Ixmiquilpan, estado de Hidalgo. Durante el ejercicio de los recursos financieros, se encontró que las acreditadas lograron conciliar lo productivo con lo reproductivo, sin embargo, esto derivó en dobles o triples jornadas de trabajo y restringió su libertad y disponibilidad de tiempo. Se reafirma que el microcrédito mejora significativamente la pobreza alimentaria o de patrimonio de las mujeres, pero al analizar el problema desde la perspectiva de género, ellas resultan ser más pobres si se considera la pobreza por capacidades.

This thesis consists of three self-contained essays. Essay 1: This essay estimates wage assimilation among non-western immigrants in Sweden, controlling for selection into employment by including individual fixed effects. Furthermore, using matched employer-employee panel data covering the complete Swedish labor market, this essay decomposes wage catch-up into relative wage growth within and between workplaces and occupations. The results show that failing to control for selection into employment is likely to underestimate relative wage growth of immigrants, as early entrants in the labor market differ from later entrants along unobservable dimensions. Even after 30 years in the country, the group of non-western immigrants still earns substantially lower wages than natives. Wages catch up mainly within workplaces and occupations, suggesting that improved signals of productivity, rather than improved knowledge of job options, are of importance for the wage growth of non-western immigrants. Essay 2: Earlier research has shown that immigrant- and minority entrepreneurs have difficulties accessing capital through the formal financial markets. This essay studies what role immigrant employees within the local bank sector have for the probability of immigrants to run their own businesses. I use linked employer-employee data covering the whole Swedish labor market for the years 1987 to 2003 and utilize a nationwide refugee dispersal policy to get exogenous variation in the exposure to co-ethnic bank employees. Results suggest that there is a positive relation between co-ethnic bank employees and the probability of being self-employed. This effect is most pronounced for immigrants who arrived with low education, for males and for those residing in metropolitan regions. The effects are substantial and robust to a wide set of controls for labor market characteristics of the ethnic group at the local level. These results provide evidence of an ethnic component in the formal cre

This thesis consists of three self-contained essays. Essay 1: This essay estimates wage assimilation among non-western immigrants in Sweden, controlling for selection into employment by including individual fixed effects. Furthermore, using matched employer-employee panel data covering the complete Swedish labor market, this essay decomposes wage catch-up into relative wage growth within and between workplaces and occupations. The results show that failing to control for selection into employment is likely to underestimate relative wage growth of immigrants, as early entrants in the labor market differ from later entrants along unobservable dimensions. Even after 30 years in the country, the group of non-western immigrants still earns substantially lower wages than natives. Wages catch up mainly within workplaces and occupations, suggesting that improved signals of productivity, rather than improved knowledge of job options, are of importance for the wage growth of non-western immigrants. Essay 2: Earlier research has shown that immigrant- and minority entrepreneurs have difficulties accessing capital through the formal financial markets. This essay studies what role immigrant employees within the local bank sector have for the probability of immigrants to run their own businesses. I use linked employer-employee data covering the whole Swedish labor market for the years 1987 to 2003 and utilize a nationwide refugee dispersal policy to get exogenous variation in the exposure to co-ethnic bank employees. Results suggest that there is a positive relation between co-ethnic bank employees and the probability of being self-employed. This effect is most pronounced for immigrants who arrived with low education, for males and for those residing in metropolitan regions. The effects are substantial and robust to a wide set of controls for labor market characteristics of the ethnic group at the local level. These results provide evidence of an ethnic component in the formal cre

During 2012, the labour market continued to show considerable diversity in outcomes for different labour market groups. Employment growth was slower and the number of employees searching for full-time work rose alongside falling participation rates compared with the previous year. Overall, the employment situation for men was not looking as strong as for women, although women continued to exhibit higher levels of labour underutilisation. Earnings indicators suggest increased wages in low-paid sectors, although this was coming off a low base and may be indicative of catch-up for slow growth in recent years. The relative value of the minimum wage is now at its lowest level in six years, suggesting some evidence of growing earnings inequality. Recent debates in the mass media about labour productivity and industrial relations regulation appear to have limited grounding in national accounting and labour market data.

It is hoped that this study will provide useful guidance regarding how to respond to new trends and developments in the area of working time and develop innovative, mutually beneficial working-time arrangements without compromising workers’ health and workplace safety.

This investigation aimed at estimating the effects of a reduction in hours worked on labor productivity and labor costs in South Korea. The treatment effect was measured by using the fuzzy RD design with micro data. The data were taken from the Workplace Panel Survey 2007 conducted by the Korea Labor Institute. The main finding of this study was that the fuzzy RD estimates of the effect of a reduction in fixed working hours on labor productivity were larger than the OLS estimates, and the increase in labor costs caused by a reduction in fixed working hours was not as large as previously thought. Thus, the results suggested that industrial competitiveness was not worsened as much as employers’ concern.

This investigation aimed at estimating the effects of a reduction in hours worked on labor productivity and labor costs in South Korea. The treatment effect was measured by using the fuzzy RD design with micro data. The data were taken from the Workplace Panel Survey 2007 conducted by the Korea Labor Institute. The main finding of this study was that the fuzzy RD estimates of the effect of a reduction in fixed working hours on labor productivity were larger than the OLS estimates, and the increase in labor costs caused by a reduction in fixed working hours was not as large as previously thought. Thus, the results suggested that industrial competitiveness was not worsened as much as employers’ concern.

In a context of international economic uncertainty and uneven domestic economic performance, labour market outcomes showed considerable diversity. Wide-ranging outcomes in employment numbers, patterns of full-time and part-time work, labour utilization, and changes in earnings were evident both across and within industries. Men’s full-time employment appears to be one labour market area that is experiencing particular decline as casualization of the workforce continues and men’s traditional industries of employment experience subdued economic growth. Women’s employment appears to be faring relatively well in terms of growth, but large and persistent gender pay gaps remain evident in particular feminized industries, including financial and insurance services and health and social assistance. Predictions made earlier this decade that population ageing might ensure relative stability in employment among younger workers have not yet been fulfilled. Younger workers continue to experience relatively high levels of unemployment and underutilization, with the immediate employment experiences of younger men being relatively unfavourable compared with younger women in the workforce.

This thesis consists of three chapters looking at the impact of various problematic labour market conditions on the well-being of the family.The first two chapters analyse the impact of husband's job loss on the risk of family dissolution and on partner mental health. The negative income shock can affect the mental health status of the individual, who directly experiences such displacement, as well as the psychological well-being of her/his partner; also, job loss may have a significantly detrimental effect on life satisfaction, self-esteem and on the individual's perceived role in society. Lastly, a job displacement may convey new information about potential future earnings and the quality of the match.The analysis is based on the sample of married and cohabiting couples from the British Household Panel Survey and data from employment histories is utilised to distinguish redundancies (different from dismissals) in declining industries, which are less likely to represent signals of unfavourable individual traits.Results show evidence that couples in which the husband experiences a job loss are more likely to experience poor mental health and are exposed to a higher risk of dissolution following the job loss, but results are different for various types of job loss.Job loss is only one possible example of mismatch between actual and desired working conditions. The third chapter of this thesis investigates how maternal employment is related to various indicators of well-being in children aged 11-15. Particularly, I focus on the impact of maternal long hours of work (for mothers in paid employment) on children's health behaviours (incidence of smoking), and psychological well-being.The analysis uses the sample of mothers and adolescents in the British Household Panel Survey and the British Youth Panel. Various techniques are used to control for potential endogeneity of working hours (including the use of sibling fixed effects estimators) and special attention is paid to

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a labour process theory interpretation of four case studies within the Australian construction industry. In each case study a working time intervention (a shift to a five-day working week from the industry standard six days) was implemented as an attempt to improve the work-life balance of employees. ----- ----- Design/methodology/approach: This paper was based on four case studies with mixed methods. Each case study has a variety of data collection methods which include questionnaires, short and long interviews, and focus groups. ----- ----- Findings: It was found that the complex mix of wage- and salary-earning staff within the construction industry, along with labour market pressures, means that changing to a five-day working week is quite a radical notion within the industry. However, there are some organisations willing to explore opportunities for change with mixed experiences. ----- ----- Practical implications: The practical implications of this research include understanding the complexity within the Australian construction industry, based around hours of work and pay systems. Decision-makers within the construction industry must recognize a range of competing pressures that mean that “preferred” managerial styles might not be appropriate. ----- ----- Originality/value:– This paper shows that construction firms must take an active approach to reducing the culture of long working hours. This can only be achieved by addressing issues of project timelines and budgets and assuring that take-home pay is not reliant on long hours of overtime.

This paper develops a dynamic model of the labor market in which the degree of substitution between employment and hours of work is determined as part of a search equilibrium. Each firm chooses its demand for working hours and number of vacancies, and the earnings profile is determined by Nash bargaining. The earnings profile is generally nonlinear in hours of work, and defines the trade-off between employment and hours of work. Concave production technology induces firms to overemploy and, as a result, hours of work are below their optimal level. The Hosios condition is not sufficient for efficiency. When there are two industries, workers employed by firms with higher recruitment costs work longer and earn more. That is, "good jobs" require longer hours of work. Interestingly, technology differentials cannot account for working hours differentials.

This paper develops a dynamic model of the labor market in which the degree of substitution between employment and hours of work is determined as part of a search equilibrium. Each firm chooses its demand for working hours and number of vacancies, and the earnings profile is determined by Nash bargaining. The earnings profile is generally nonlinear in hours of work, and defines the trade-off between employment and hours of work. Concave production technology induces firms to overemploy and, as a result, hours of work are below their optimal level. The Hosios condition is not sufficient for efficiency. When there are two industries, workers employed by firms with higher recruitment costs work longer and earn more. That is, "good jobs" require longer hours of work. Interestingly, technology differentials cannot account for working hours differentials.

This thesis consists of three essays on labor economics and consumption behavior. “Consumption and Information: A Study of Consumer Behavior using Daily Data” studies the joint dynamics of information and consumption using data on a daily frequency. I find that spending reacts sharply to informational shocks, but in contrast to previous research findings, this reaction fades in a very short period of time. Additionally, my data allow me to move beyond representative agent models in studying the response of individuals facing different levels of income stability. Unlike papers using aggregate data, I am able to contrast the reactions of different types of consumers. I find that individuals who face less secure income streams cut back more than those with a secure income. I argue that this behavior of consumption cannot be adequately explained using canonical consumption theories, such as the permanent income hypothesis model or the buffer stock model. “The Importance of Outside Options for Wage Formation: Survey Evidence” considers a central prediction of the matching model of Diamond-Mortensen-Pissarides. This model suggests that outside options of the worker and the firm matter for wage formation. This prediction has recently been questioned on theoretical grounds. In this essay, I address this issue empirically by using data from unique survey questions to assess the importance of outside options for hourly wages. My findings imply that the disutility of being unmatched matters for wage formation. Together with other research documenting the prevalence of wage bargaining on the labor market, my results imply good news for the Nash bargaining solution of the Diamond-Mortensen-Pissarides model. “Give Me a Break. A Longitudinal Analysis of On-the-Job Leisure” addresses predictions of models of wage formation. Models of efficiency wages predict that pay and monitoring are substitutes in motivating workers to exert effort. If worker autonomy is the reverse of monitorin

Purpose – The construction industry in Australia is characterised by a long work-hours culture, with conditions that make it difficult for staff to balance their work and non-work lives. The objective of this paper is to measure the success of a work-place intervention designed to improve work-life balance (WLB) in an alliance project in the construction industry, and the role the project manager plays in this success. Design/methodology/approach – The paper focuses on an alliance case study. Interviews were conducted at two points in time, several months apart, after the interventions were implemented. Findings – Results showed that staff on the whole were more satisfied with their work experience after the interventions, and indicated the important role that managers' attitudes and behaviours played. Originality/value – Managerial support for work-life initiatives is a critical element in achieving WLB and satisfaction with working arrangements. The fact that the manager “talked the talk and walked the walk” was a major contributing success factor, which has not previously been demonstrated.

This paper develops a dynamic model of the labor market in which the degree of substitution between employment and hours of work is determined as part of a search equilibrium. Each firm chooses its demand for working hours and number of vacancies, and the earnings profile is determined by Nash bargaining. The earnings profile is generally nonlinear in hours of work, and defines the trade-off between employment and hours of work. Concave production technology induces firms to overemploy and, as a result, hours of work are below their optimal level. The Hosios condition is not sufficient for efficiency. When there are two industries, workers employed by firms with higher recruitment costs work longer and earn more. That is, "good jobs" require longer hours of work. Interestingly, technology differentials cannot account for working hours differentials.

This paper develops a dynamic model of the labor market in which the degree of substitution between employment and hours of work is determined as part of a search equilibrium. Each firm chooses its demand for working hours and number of vacancies, and the earnings profile is determined by Nash bargaining. The earnings profile is generally nonlinear in hours of work, and defines the trade-off between employment and hours of work. Concave production technology induces firms to overemploy and, as a result, hours of work are below their optimal level. The Hosios condition is not sufficient for efficiency. When there are two industries, workers employed by firms with higher recruitment costs work longer and earn more. That is, "good jobs" require longer hours of work. Interestingly, technology differentials cannot account for working hours differentials.

Objective: To determine the real situation of pain units in the hospitals of all the autonomous regions of Spain, Ceuta and Melilla, concerning their staffing, facilities, and the clinical work carried out in 2006. Material and methods: We performed an observational cross-sectional study through hand delivery and collection of a questionnaire to the heads or coordinators of pain units. The questionnaires consisted of three sections. The first contained items on the staff working in the units and their hours of work. The second set of items concerned the facilities available and the third concerned the clinical work performed in 2006. Two final items were related to whether the units held clinical sessions or not and the waiting time for consultations. Results: Completed questionnaires were received by 95 hospitals. Of these, 94 had a pain unit, while one did not. There were 356 physicians working in pain units: most were anesthesiologists, followed by a much smaller number of neurosurgeons and family physicians. Most staff worked part-time in the units. There were few clinical psychologists, working very few hours. Staffing levels for nurses, auxiliaries and secretaries were acceptable. The results on the available facilities were discouraging. Most units lacked spaces of their own and used the hospital's general consulting rooms and operating rooms. A not inconsiderable percentage was unable to use any operating room. Despite these limitations, substantial clinical work was performed in terms of the number of both first and follow-up consultations. Conclusions: Despite the difficulties and lack of resources encountered, pain units perform considerable clinical work and a fair number also carry out teaching and research. National and regional health authorities should take a census, which should then be used to provide all the hospitals in the country with a pain unit suitable to each type of hospital. Level IV pain units should be created in level I and regional ho, Objetivo: Conocer la situación real de las unidades de dolor (UD) de los hospitales de todas las comunidades autónomas, Ceuta y Melilla, con relación a su personal, instalaciones y labor asistencial realizada en el año 2006. Material y métodos: Se trata de un estudio observacional y transversal, mediante la entrega y recogida en mano de una encuesta al jefe/coordinador de las UD. Las encuestas constan de 3 apartados de preguntas. En el primero se solicitaban datos acerca del personal que trabaja en las unidades y su dedicación; el segundo está en relación con las instalaciones de que disponen, y el tercero preguntaba sobre la labor asistencial realizada en el año 2006. Dos preguntas finales hacen referencia a la realización o no de sesiones clínicas en las unidades y al tiempo de espera para ser visitados. Resultados: De las encuestas enviadas se ha recibido contestación de 95 hospitales. Disponen de UD 94 y 1 no. En las UD trabajaban 356 médicos, de los cuales la gran mayoría son anestesiólogos, seguidos a mucha distancia por neurocirujanos y médicos de familia. La dedicación es mayoritariamente a tiempo parcial. Poca presencia de psicólogos clínicos, y con muy escasa dedicación y aceptable de diplomados universitarios de enfermería, auxiliares de clínica y personal de secretaría. En cuanto a las instalaciones disponibles, los resultados son desalentadores. La gran mayoría no dispone de espacio propio, utilizando consultas y quirófanos generales del hospital, y un porcentaje no desdeñable no tiene disponibilidad de ningún tipo de quirófano. La labor asistencial, a pesar de todos estos inconvenientes, ha sido importante en cuanto al número de visitas, tanto primeras como sucesivas. Conclusiones: A pesar de todas las deficiencias y dificultades las UD desarrollan una importante labor asistencial, y, en bastantes casos, de docencia e investigación. Es necesaria, por parte de las autoridades sanitarias, nacionales y autonómicas, la realización de un censo de lo que hay

Objective: To determine the real situation of pain units in the hospitals of all the autonomous regions of Spain, Ceuta and Melilla, concerning their staffing, facilities, and the clinical work carried out in 2006. Material and methods: We performed an observational cross-sectional study through hand delivery and collection of a questionnaire to the heads or coordinators of pain units. The questionnaires consisted of three sections. The first contained items on the staff working in the units and their hours of work. The second set of items concerned the facilities available and the third concerned the clinical work performed in 2006. Two final items were related to whether the units held clinical sessions or not and the waiting time for consultations. Results: Completed questionnaires were received by 95 hospitals. Of these, 94 had a pain unit, while one did not. There were 356 physicians working in pain units: most were anesthesiologists, followed by a much smaller number of neurosurgeons and family physicians. Most staff worked part-time in the units. There were few clinical psychologists, working very few hours. Staffing levels for nurses, auxiliaries and secretaries were acceptable. The results on the available facilities were discouraging. Most units lacked spaces of their own and used the hospital's general consulting rooms and operating rooms. A not inconsiderable percentage was unable to use any operating room. Despite these limitations, substantial clinical work was performed in terms of the number of both first and follow-up consultations. Conclusions: Despite the difficulties and lack of resources encountered, pain units perform considerable clinical work and a fair number also carry out teaching and research. National and regional health authorities should take a census, which should then be used to provide all the hospitals in the country with a pain unit suitable to each type of hospital. Level IV pain units should be created in level I and regional ho, Objetivo: Conocer la situación real de las unidades de dolor (UD) de los hospitales de todas las comunidades autónomas, Ceuta y Melilla, con relación a su personal, instalaciones y labor asistencial realizada en el año 2006. Material y métodos: Se trata de un estudio observacional y transversal, mediante la entrega y recogida en mano de una encuesta al jefe/coordinador de las UD. Las encuestas constan de 3 apartados de preguntas. En el primero se solicitaban datos acerca del personal que trabaja en las unidades y su dedicación; el segundo está en relación con las instalaciones de que disponen, y el tercero preguntaba sobre la labor asistencial realizada en el año 2006. Dos preguntas finales hacen referencia a la realización o no de sesiones clínicas en las unidades y al tiempo de espera para ser visitados. Resultados: De las encuestas enviadas se ha recibido contestación de 95 hospitales. Disponen de UD 94 y 1 no. En las UD trabajaban 356 médicos, de los cuales la gran mayoría son anestesiólogos, seguidos a mucha distancia por neurocirujanos y médicos de familia. La dedicación es mayoritariamente a tiempo parcial. Poca presencia de psicólogos clínicos, y con muy escasa dedicación y aceptable de diplomados universitarios de enfermería, auxiliares de clínica y personal de secretaría. En cuanto a las instalaciones disponibles, los resultados son desalentadores. La gran mayoría no dispone de espacio propio, utilizando consultas y quirófanos generales del hospital, y un porcentaje no desdeñable no tiene disponibilidad de ningún tipo de quirófano. La labor asistencial, a pesar de todos estos inconvenientes, ha sido importante en cuanto al número de visitas, tanto primeras como sucesivas. Conclusiones: A pesar de todas las deficiencias y dificultades las UD desarrollan una importante labor asistencial, y, en bastantes casos, de docencia e investigación. Es necesaria, por parte de las autoridades sanitarias, nacionales y autonómicas, la realización de un censo de lo que hay

This paper develops a dynamic model of the labor market in which the degree of substitution between employment and hours of work is determined as part of a search equilibrium. Each firm chooses its demand for working hours and number of vacancies, and the earnings profile is determined by Nash bargaining. The earnings profile is generally nonlinear in hours of work, and defines the trade-off between employment and hours of work. Concave production technology induces firms to overemploy and, as a result, hours of work are below their optimal level. The Hosios condition is not sufficient for efficiency. When there are two industries, workers employed by firms with higher recruitment costs work longer and earn more. That is, "good jobs" require longer hours of work. Interestingly, technology differentials cannot account for working hours differentials.

Methodology/Approach: There is a lack of theoretical development on the question of why people work long hours and the nature of ‘workaholism’. This paper uses the economist’s utility-maximization model to build a conceptual model of voluntary work effort that explains the work effort decision of individuals. We demonstrate a variety of reasons that induce a person to work ‘excessively’. The paper advances our understanding of work motivation and workaholic behavior and presents a series of researchable propositions for empirical testing. Propositions: Individuals will work long hours when motivated to do so by the satisfaction they derive separately and collectively from (a) income (materialism); (b) leisure; (c) perquisites; and (d) work per se. It is argued that only the person who is strongly motivated by the latter reason is properly called a workaholic, and that the imposition of negative externalities on co-workers is a separate issue that might also involve work enthusiasts. Originality of the Paper: This paper discerns three subcategories of the ‘work enthusiast’, which we call ‘materialist’, ‘the low-leisure’ and the ‘perkaholic’ hard workers. We demonstrate that these work enthusiasts work long hours for relatively high job satisfaction, while workaholics gain relatively low job satisfaction. Inflicting negative externalities on fellow workers is argued to be a separate issue – any one of the hard workers might irk their fellow workers by working ‘too hard’ or by their individual mannerisms.

This paper considers educational investment, wages and hours of market work in an imperfectly competitive labour market with heterogeneous workers and home production. It investigates the degree to which there might be both underemployment in the labour market and underinvestment in education. A central insight is that the ex-post participation decision of workers endogeneously generates increasing marginal returns to education. Although equilibrium implies underinvestment in education, optimal policy is not to subsidise education. Instead it is to subsidise labour market participation which we argue might be efficiently targeted as state provided childcare support.

This paper considers educational investment, wages and hours of market work in an imperfectly competitive labour market with heterogeneous workers and home production. It investigates the degree to which there might be both underemployment in the labour market and underinvestment in education. A central insight is that the ex-post participation decision of workers endogeneously generates increasing marginal returns to education. Although equilibrium implies underinvestment in education, optimal policy is not to subsidise education. Instead it is to subsidise labour market participation which we argue might be efficiently targeted as state provided childcare support.

This study presents a comparative analysis of the labour market flexibility in the Brussels region with respect to the Kingdom of Belgium since the early 90‚s. We distinguish quantitative from qualitative flexibility. The quantitative flexibility is studied with respect to type of work contract, the length and flexibility of workings hours. The qualitative flexibility is studied with respect to the skill mismatch and chain deskilling (or “over-qualification”). The analysis shows an increasing in these two kinds of flexibility which is more important in the Brussels region than in the rest of Belgium. It also emphasizes the interactions of these two types of flexibility through a labour relation that has become more complex and affect more and more people. - Cette étude présente une analyse des évolutions comparées de la flexibilité du marché du travail de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale par rapport au Royaume depuis le début de la décennie 1990. Nous avons distingué la flexibilité quantitative et qualitative. La flexibilité quantitative a été étudiée sous ses aspects relatifs à la nature du contrat de travail, à la durée et à l'aménagement du temps de travail. La flexibilité qualitative a été étudiée sous ses aspects relatifs à l'inadéquation de qualification et à la déqualification ou sur-éducation. Les conclusions mettent en évidence une augmentation de ces deux formes de flexibilité plus importante en RBC que dans le Royaume et soulignent leurs interactions au sein d'une relation de travail devenue plus complexe et qui touche des publics plus étendus., info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Purpose – Organisational work-life policies and programs allow employees to have greater control over how, when and where they work but these policies are often under-utilised, particularly by men and career-oriented employees. In what is largely an atheoretical area of literature, the paper aims to theoretically integrate the empirical literature related to the uptake of organisational work-life policies. Design/methodology/approach – The paper links three related areas of literature: the associations between work-life policies and individual/organisational outcomes; explanations for the low uptake of work-life policies in many organisations; and preliminary studies which have explored organisational culture and its relationship to work-life policies. These literatures are integrated to develop a five-dimensional construct, “organisational work-life culture”, for testing in future research. Findings – It is suggested that the following five dimensions underlie this aspect of organisational life: lack of managerial support for work-life balance; perceptions of negative career consequences; organisational time expectations; the gendered nature of policy utilisation; and perceptions of unfairness by employees with limited non-work responsibilities. Practical implications – The development and validation of the organisational work-life culture construct requires further research and may result in specific organisational strategies and policies which address the barriers to work-life policy utilisation. Originality/value – Based on existing empirical evidence, the paper suggests an original theoretical proposition: that organisational work-life culture is underpinned by five dimensions and explains much of the provision-utilisation gap in work-life policy.

This study presents a comparative analysis of the labour market flexibility in the Brussels region with respect to the Kingdom of Belgium since the early 90‚s. We distinguish quantitative from qualitative flexibility. The quantitative flexibility is studied with respect to type of work contract, the length and flexibility of workings hours. The qualitative flexibility is studied with respect to the skill mismatch and chain deskilling (or “over-qualification”). The analysis shows an increasing in these two kinds of flexibility which is more important in the Brussels region than in the rest of Belgium. It also emphasizes the interactions of these two types of flexibility through a labour relation that has become more complex and affect more and more people. - Cette étude présente une analyse des évolutions comparées de la flexibilité du marché du travail de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale par rapport au Royaume depuis le début de la décennie 1990. Nous avons distingué la flexibilité quantitative et qualitative. La flexibilité quantitative a été étudiée sous ses aspects relatifs à la nature du contrat de travail, à la durée et à l'aménagement du temps de travail. La flexibilité qualitative a été étudiée sous ses aspects relatifs à l'inadéquation de qualification et à la déqualification ou sur-éducation. Les conclusions mettent en évidence une augmentation de ces deux formes de flexibilité plus importante en RBC que dans le Royaume et soulignent leurs interactions au sein d'une relation de travail devenue plus complexe et qui touche des publics plus étendus., info:eu-repo/semantics/published

info:eu-repo/semantics/published

info:eu-repo/semantics/published

CJEL Classifications: 35; I20; J24

CJEL Classifications: 35; I20; J24

Desired and actual working hours of unmarried adults are analyzed.A discrete structural neoclassical model is used to explain desired hours.Desired hours depend on gross wage rates, tax and benefit rules, other income, and some background variables.The model takes account of fixed costs of working and of prediction errors in wage rates of nonworkers.Actual hours are explained from desired hours and hours restrictions.Deviations between actual and desired hours are used to identify equations for involuntary unemployment and the lack of part-time jobs.Explanatory variables include age, education level, and the difference between potential earnings and some reference (minimum) wage.The model is estimated using cross-section data from the October 1988 wave of the Dutch Socio-Economic Panel.We find larger wage elasticities of desired hours of work for females than for males.People with potential earnings below their reference wage have a significantly larger probability of involuntary unemployment than others.Apart from involuntary unemployment, the lack of part-time jobs appears to be an important source of hours restrictions.

The objective of the study was to look at multishift operations in the aircraft maintenance facilities within the Air Force Logistics Command with a view towards reducing the amount of shift differential paid. Literature was examined to obtain information about the provisions of law and Labor-Management agreements, and to determine the effects of shift work on producitivity. Supervisors were interviewed to determine the nature of constraints requiring the use of multishift activity.