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Abrahams, Scott (2025): Unequal Job Security, Unemployment Scarring, and the Distribution of Welfare in a Search and Bargaining Model. In: Labour, Jg. 39, H. 3, S. 189-205. DOI:10.1111/labr.70001

Abstract

"What causes unemployment to concentrate among the same workers over time, and what are the welfare consequences? I demonstrate that unemployment scarring emerges naturally in a frictional labor market when firms with lower-productivity matches have smaller profit margins to absorb negative shocks. I develop a search model with endogenous job termination that reproduces two key empirical regularities: lower-wage jobs are less stable and previous unemployment predicts future job loss. The model captures a crucial non-monotonic pattern I document empirically, where termination risk drops sharply in the left tail of the wage distribution but flattens beyond the median wage. This mechanism increases lifetime wage and unemployment inequality by 7% compared to models with uniform termination risk. Counterfactual experiments reveal that unemployment insurance reduces scarring by enabling workers to wait for higher-quality matches, but simultaneously strengthens workers' bargaining position, which counterintuitively decreases job security at every productivity level." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Abrams, Leah, Daniel Schneider & Kristen Harknett (2025): New Technology, Older Workers: How Workplace Technology is Associated with Indicators of Job Retention. In: Journal of Aging & Social Policy, S. 1-17. DOI:10.1080/08959420.2025.2523122

Abstract

"Middle-aged and older adults who are employed in precarious, high-strain jobs may face challenges to continued work, risking economic insecurity and poor wellbeing in retirement. Technology in the workplace, an under-studied aspect of work environments, could accommodate aging workers or could add stress to their jobs. This study examines how technology in sales and surveillance at work are related to job satisfaction and planned job exits among approximately 6,000 workers aged 50–69 employed in the low-wage service sector (e.g. retail, pharmacy, grocery, hardware, fast food, casual dining, delivery, and hotel). On-the-job surveillance was related to lower job satisfaction and higher reports of looking for a new job, especially when combined with sanctioning for slow speed of work. However, rewards for speed, and to a lesser extent the use of leaderboards, were associated with higher job satisfaction, demonstrating the potential of technology to enhance the work experience for older employees. The use of sales technologies was not associated with job satisfaction or intentions to look for a new job. These results provide a uniquely detailed portrait of prevailing labor market conditions for aging workers in the service sector and demonstrate how certain kinds of technology matter for older workers ’ employment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Barreto, César, Stéphane Carcillo, Jonas Fluchtmann, Alexandre Georgieff, Alexander Hijzen, Daniele Pacifico, Eliza-Jane Pearsall & Agnes Puymoyen (2025): Low-wage employment in France. A cross-country perspective. (OECD social, employment and migration working papers 313), Paris, 47 S. DOI:10.1787/82539f44-en

Abstract

"This study investigates factors favoring a possible "smicardization" of French workers - the process of an increasing coverage of workers at the minimum wage. First, the minimum wage is relatively high in France compared with other countries, with the result that a large number of workers are close to it. Second, low wages reflect less the characteristics of firms or sectors than the low skills of workers, the resolution of which requires appropriate education and training policies, effective over the long-term. Finally, an analysis of tax and benefit systems highlights the existence of potential low-wage trap mechanisms, which are particularly significant in France compared to other countries. Nevertheless, analysis of individual trajectories shows that it is no more difficult for low-wage workers to climb the wage ladder in France than in the other selected countries." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Becker, Matthias (2025): Gesetzliche Mindestlöhne, Armutslöhne und Tarifbindung in Europa. In: Soziale Sicherheit, Jg. 74, H. 6, S. 17-19.

Abstract

"Die Mindestlohn-Richtlinie der EU aus dem Jahr 2022 zielte darauf ab, eine europaweite Untergrenze bei den Arbeitseinkommen einzuführen. Viele Mitgliedsstaaten haben mittlerweile die Vorgaben in ihr nationales Recht umgesetzt. Die Gesetzgeber verfolgen damit eine Reihe von Zielen: Armut soll bekämpft, die Binnennachfrage gestärkt und die gewerkschaftliche Durchsetzungskraft gesteigert werden. Hinzu kommt auf europäischer Ebene die Absicht, die Einkommens- und Lebensverhältnisse innerhalb der Union einander anzugleichen." (Textauszug, IAB-Doku)

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Bleses, Peter & Wolfgang Ritter (Hrsg.) (2025): Ressourcen und Bedarfe in Einfacharbeit : Analysen und erste Gestaltungsansätze in Logistik und Pflege im Verbundprojekt 'ressource'. (Schriftenreihe Institut Arbeit und Wirtschaft 43), Bremen, 92 S. DOI:10.26092/elib/4370

Abstract

"Das Verbundprojekt ressource erforscht und gestaltet Arbeitsbedingungen für Beschäftigte in Einfacharbeit, insbesondere in der Logistik und in gesundheitsbezogenen Dienstleistungen in der Region NordWest. Im Fokus des iaw-papers stehen systematische Bedarfs- und Anforderungsanalysen, die institutionelle, organisationale und individuelle Herausforderungen sowie vorhandene Ressourcen im Hinblick auf gesundheitsförderliche Arbeitsgestaltung und Kompetenzentwicklung erfassen. Methodisch setzt das Projekt auf einen reflexiv-iterativen Mixed-Methods-Ansatz, der qualitative und quantitative Verfahren kombiniert und partizipativ angelegt ist. Die Ergebnisse zeigen eine hohe Komplexität der betrieblichen Herausforderungen, die in vier Gestaltungsperspektiven gebündelt werden: Kommunikation, Wertschätzung, Lernen/Lernorganisation sowie Qualität der Arbeit. Diese Themenfelder sind eng miteinander verwoben und betreffen sowohl Führungsverhalten und Arbeitsbedingungen als auch strukturelle Rahmenbedingungen. Branchenspezifisch treten in der Logistik vor allem physische, in der Pflege und Betreuung eher auch psychosoziale Belastungen auf. Daraus ergeben sich differenzierte Anforderungen an betriebliche Gestaltungsansätze. Im Projekt werden innovative methodische Zugänge erprobt, etwa die dialogorientierte Methode Rooms of Error. Ziel des Verbundprojekts ist der Aufbau eines Kompetenzzentrums in der Region NordWest, das praxisnahes Wissen zur Gestaltung und Entwicklung von Einfacharbeit langfristig sichert und weiterentwickelt. Damit leistet ressource einen Beitrag zur arbeitswissenschaftlichen Erschließung von Einfacharbeit und zur Entwicklung zukunftsfähiger Arbeitswelten." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Bonatti, Luigi, Lorenza Alexandra Lorenzetti & Silvio Traverso (2025): Bridging the wage gap: A discussion of wage subsidies to low-paid workers and their costs in Italy. (GLO discussion paper / Global Labor Organization 1552), Essen, 24 S.

Abstract

"This paper discusses the potential introduction of permanent public subsidies to supplement the wages of low-paid workers in Italy, taking inspiration from Edmund Phelps' ideas on supporting the working poor. We consider how a negative taxation scheme for low-wage earners might address structural labor market challenges such as low participation rates, labor market segmentation, and widespread in-work poverty. Using a stylized theoretical model, we illustrate how such subsidies could affect wages, employment, and labor supply-demand dynamics, with a particular focus on potential cost implications under different elasticity assumptions. We also consider how design features - such as targeting full-time workers or integrating the subsidy with broader social and economic reforms - could maximize the measure's impact while mitigating risks related to fraud or uneven coverage. Finally, a scenario analysis based on Italian Labor Force Survey data provides an indication of the policy's likely scale and distributional effects. The paper concludes by reflecting on both opportunities and challenges for implementing wage subsidies in Italy's segmented labor market." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Brülle, Jan (2025): No one-size-fits-all solution. Effects of social policies on in-work poverty. In: European Societies, S. 1-29. DOI:10.1162/euso.a.19

Abstract

"The paper studies effects of social policies on in-work poverty risks, distinguishing between measures that either intervene in labor market processes - i.e. predistribution policies - or redistribute towards those with low incomes. The analyses use data from EU-SILC and macro-level indicators from various sources to estimate general as well as household-typespecific effects using longitudinal methods. Results reveal important differences between specific policies: increasing minimum wages contributes to reducing low-wage risks, but has no significant effect on in-work poverty risks. In contrast, there is a negative effect of strict employment protection legislation across almost all household types on in-work poverty, which is consistent with the positive role this measure plays for supporting earnings that are sufficient to provide not only for one person, but also potential dependants in the household. With respect to redistributional policies, both unemployment benefits and benefits to low earners reduce poverty due to their contribution to public poverty-reduction. However, whereas unemployment benefits only reduce in-work poverty among couple households, benefits to low earners mainly contribute to lower poverty risks among employed single parents. Overall, the results underscore that predistributional and redistributional as well as universal and targeted interventions cannot easily substitute each other." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Dabed, Diego, Sabrina Genz & Emilie Rademakers (2025): Equalising the effects of automation? The role of task overlap for job finding. In: Labour Economics, Jg. 96. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2025.102766

Abstract

"This paper investigates whether task overlap can equalise the distributional effects of automation for unemployed job seekers displaced from routine jobs. Using a language model, we establish a novel job-to-job task similarity measure. Exploiting the resulting job network to define job markets flexibly, we find that only the most similar jobs affect job finding. Since automation-exposed jobs overlap with other highly exposed jobs, task-based reallocation provides little relief for affected job seekers. We show that this is not true for more recent software exposure, for which task overlap lowers the inequality in job finding." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2025 The Authors. Published byElsevier B.V.) ((en))

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Giuliani, Giovanni Amerigo & Nicola De Luigi (2025): In-work poverty and family policy in Italy: from a frozen to a thawing landscape? In: Community, work & family, Jg. 28, H. 4, S. 558-578. DOI:10.1080/13668803.2023.2282356

Abstract

"The article investigates in-work poverty (IWP) in Italy through the lens of family policies. Adopting a longitudinal perspective, the work scrutinizes whether and to what extent the configuration of family policy tools - family allowances, leave and ECEC (Early Childhood Care and Education) - has been effective in contrasting IWP in Italy. Furthermore, it probes whether the Italian family policy has reconfigured over time as a tool for countering IWP. The study shows that family policy can be useful both directly - by providing income support for the most disadvantaged families - and indirectly - by fostering the transition to a dual-earner family model. However, the analysis of the Italian case shows that such positive effects are only potential, and not automatic. In Italy, historically, family policy has been scarcely effective. Nevertheless, in the last few years a pattern of slow change has initiated, and its effectiveness as a device to tackle IWP appears to have increased." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Gruber, Anja (2025): The Labor Market Impacts of Fair Work Legislation. In: ILR review, S. 1-32. DOI:10.1177/00197939251355234

Abstract

"Fair Workweek (FWW) ordinances, which typically require employers to provide workers with advance notice of their schedules and extra pay for last-minute changes, have become an increasingly debated policy tool to address the unpredictability of low-wage work in the United States. In this article, the author studies the labor market impacts of the Oregon FWW law using data on treated workers from the Quarterly Workforce Indicators and American Community Survey, and a variety of empirical approaches that address the factors complicating such a labor market analysis. Taken together, the evidence points to limited effects on the average labor market outcomes of workers covered by the legislation. However, findings indicate increased employment and hours worked for men, and decreased employment and hours worked for women. Also, results show consistent evidence of decreased average monthly earnings for newly hired women at treated employers. Despite the ability of employers to bypass compensation requirements through voluntary standby lists, this study identifies compositional effects on the workforce resulting from FWW legislation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kalina, Thorsten (2025): Niedriglohnbeschäftigung 2022 - Deutlicher Rückgang in Westdeutschland. (IAQ-Report 2025-03), Duisburg, 17 S. DOI:10.17185/duepublico/83214

Abstract

"Das Niedriglohnrisiko ist in Deutschland zwischen 2021 und 2022 insgesamt um fast zwei Prozentpunkte auf 19 % gesunken. Anders als in früheren Jahren zeigte sich vor allem in Westdeutschland ein deutlicher Rückgang von 19,9 % auf 17,9 %. Von dieser positiven Entwicklung konnten Beschäftigtengruppen mit einem hohen Niedriglohnrisiko, wie etwa Ausländer*innen, Beschäftigte mit Migrationshintergrund oder befristet Beschäftigte, nur zum Teil profitieren. Vielfach reduzierte sich das Niedriglohnrisiko für Beschäftigtengruppen, die im Allgemeinen eher eine überdurchschnittliche Entlohnung haben (Akademiker*innen, Männer, mittlere Altersgruppen). Ferner sank es eher in sozialversicherungspflichtiger Teilzeitbeschäftigung als in Minijobs. Ein Rückgang des Niedriglohnrisikos war für die jeweiligen Gruppen meistens nicht mit Beschäftigungsverlusten verbunden, einzige Ausnahme sind befristet Beschäftigte. Für tarifgebundene Beschäftigte ist das Niedriglohnrisiko mit knapp 11 % deutlich geringer als für nicht tarifgebundene Beschäftigte mit gut 26 %. Maßnahmen zur Stärkung der Tarifbindung könnten helfen, den Niedriglohnsektor weiter zu verkleinern." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Lachowska, Marta, Isaac Sorkin & Stephen A. Woodbury (2025): Employers and Unemployment Insurance Take-Up. In: The American economic review, Jg. 115, H. 8, S. 2529-2573. DOI:10.1257/aer.20230195

Abstract

"We quantify the employer's role in unemployment insurance (UI) take-up. Employer effects on claiming and appeals are substantial, and those effects are negatively correlated, consistent with appeals deterring claims. Low-wage workers are less likely to claim and more likely to have their claims appealed than median-wage workers. Employer effects help explain these income gradients, so equalizing employer effects on claiming would increase the progressivity of UI. Finally, the main source of targeting error in UI is that eligible workers do not claim." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Mussida, Chiara & Dario Sciulli (2025): Low-pay work and the risk of poverty: a dynamic analysis for European countries. In: Journal of Economic Inequality, S. 1-24. DOI:10.1007/s10888-025-09666-9

Abstract

"This paper explores how householders’ and partners' low-pay conditions affect the risk of poverty ofEuropean households. We use 2016–2019 longitudinal European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions data, model poverty and labour market outcomes, and account for possible endogeneity of low-pay work in the poverty equation. Low-pay work is defined on gross hourly wage basis. We find that low-pay work increases the risk of poverty compared to high-pay conditions. Notably, when compared to non-employment, the effect of low-pay work on poverty differs between householders and partners. The effect tends to be stronger for the former and smaller for the latter, which stresses the leading role of householders in income formation and the added-worker role of partners in households. The risk of poverty for low-pay workers is even reinforced by their higher probability of being employed in job positions with fewer annual working hours, such as part-time and temporary contracts. The magnitude of low-pay effects on poverty appears to be associated with institutions capable of sustaining the wage floor, earnings and income inequalities, and the generosity of social transfers. We find evidence of feedback effects from poverty on future labour market outcomes, suggesting a self-reinforcing mechanism between poverty and poor labour conditions, which along with limited upward mobility in the labour markets, may lead societies toward persistent income segmentation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Robertson, Ewan (2025): Ideational Power or Political Demand? Tracing the Logics of In-Work Benefit Reforms in France and the United Kingdom. In: Political studies, S. 1-28. DOI:10.1177/00323217251340856

Abstract

"In recent decades, numerous welfare states have implemented in-work benefits to ‘make work pay’ and tackle in-work poverty. To explain the adoption and institutionalization of this instrument, studies tend to emphasize either socio-political demand or ideational influences as motivators of policy decisions. However, the relative importance of these causal logics, and the relationship between them, remains ambiguous. To advance this debate, this article examines in-work benefit reforms in two welfare states: France and the United Kingdom. Examining reforms from the late 1990s to the 2010s, findings suggest that policy change and convergence were driven by an ideational rather than a demand-based logic. Reforms were more strongly motivated by the shared interpretive frameworks of policymakers and their instrumental use of ideas (ideational power) rather than the demands of voters and organized interests. This finding on the specific drivers of in-work benefits contributes wider insights into the roles of ideas in public policy." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Seils, Eric (2025): Lohnt sich Arbeit in Deutschland noch? (WSI Policy Brief / Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftliches Institut 90), Düsseldorf, 20 S.

Abstract

"In Folge der Bürgergeld-Reform erlebte die Debatte um das Lohnabstandsgebot eine wahre Renaissance: Lohnt sich Arbeit in Deutschland noch? Während Stimmen aus der Wissenschaft immer wieder darauf hinweisen, dass Arbeit auch nach der Bürgergeldreform immer mit einem Einkommenszugewinn verbunden ist, sind Teile der Bevölkerung zutiefst skeptisch. Vor diesem Hintergrund wird im Folgenden gezeigt, welches Einkommensplus sich durch Arbeit in unterschiedlichen Haushaltskonstellationen und Regionen gegenüber dem Bürgergeld ergibt. Dabei wird auf zahlreiche Einwände, die gegen solche Berechnungen erhoben werden, eingegangen und erläutert, wieso der Lohnabstand immer gegeben ist." (Textauszug, IAB-Doku)

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Theodoropoulos, Panos & Sam Lawton-Westerland (2025): Precarious Masculinities: Migrant Working Men’s Masculinities as Self-Exploitation in a Mediterranean Restaurant in Glasgow. In: Work, Employment and Society, S. 1-20. DOI:10.1177/09500170251336990

Abstract

"Drawing on a covert ethnography of a Mediterranean restaurant in Glasgow, this article analyzes how practices characteristic of hegemonic masculinity are incorporated by male migrant workers in the process of crafting labor identities. Building on Connell’s framework of hegemonic masculinity, the researchers found that performances of masculinity operated in a way that, while allowing subjects to feel some degree of power, also ultimately reinforced the individualising pressures promoted by the labor process. It is therefore argued that hegemonic masculinity is critical in providing an avenue through which experiences of exploitation are naturalised by precarious labor workforces." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Warren, Tracey, Luis Torres, Clare Lyonette & Ruth Tarlo (2025): Class, gender and the work of working‐class women amid turbulent times. In: The British journal of sociology, Jg. 76, H. 1, S. 96-113. DOI:10.1111/1468-4446.13147

Abstract

"The article focuses on the work of working-class women (WCW) amid turbulent times. Its timespan is just prior to and during the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK. The women's work, and the key skills involved, are fundamental to everyday lives, but both have been under-valued and under-rewarded. The pandemic shone a fresh light on the societal importance of this work and highlighted how its under-valuation and the women's systemic low pay and inferior working conditions have serious ramifications not only for individual workers and their families but for the provision of key services. The article centres WCW, at the intersection of classed and gendered disadvantage, to ask about inequalities in work experiences. Analysing nationally representative samples of thousands of workers in the UK prior to and as Covid-19 rolled out, we compare WCW with other workers. We show that the women faced both persistent and new inequalities at work: enduring low earnings, pandemic-led risks to jobs and paid hours, little opportunity to work from home or flexibly, and stressful key working roles. We reveal the heavily classed nature of some of these findings, show that others were more strongly gendered, while still others were classed and gendered outcomes that require intersectional analyses of the women's working lives." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Wiltshire, Justin, Carl McPherson, Michael Reich & Denis Sosinskiy (2025): Minimum Wage Effects and Monopsony Explanations. In: Journal of labor economics, S. 1-46. DOI:10.1086/735551

Abstract

"We present the first causal analysis of a seven-year run-up of minimum wages to $15. Using a novel stacked county-level synthetic control estimator and data on fast-food restaurants, we find substantial pay growth and no disemployment. Our results hold among lower-wage counties and counties without local minimum wages. Minimum wage increases reduce Separation rates and raise wages faster than prices at McDonald’s stores; both findings imply a monopsonistic labor market with declining rents. In the tight post-pandemic labor market, when laborsupply becomes more elastic, we find positive employment effects. These become larger and statistically significant after addressing pandemic-response confounds." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Adamopoulou, Effrosyni, Francesco Manaresi, Omar Rachedi & Emircan Yurdagul (2024): Minimum wages and insurance within the firm. (ZEW discussion paper 24-021), Mannheim, 66 S.

Abstract

"Minimum wages generate an asymmetric pass-through of firm shocks across workers. We establish this result leveraging employer-employee data on Italian metalmanufacturing firms, which face different wage floors that vary within occupations. In response to negative firm productivity shocks, workers close to the wage floors experience higher job separations but no wage loss. However, the wage of high-paid workers decreases, and more so in firms with higher incidence of minimum wages. A neoclassical model with complementarities across workers with different skills rationalizes these findings. Our results uncover a novel channel that tilts the welfare gains of minimum wages toward low-paid workers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Alfonsson, Johan, Tomas Berglund & Patrik Vulkan (2024): Have low-paid jobs increased in the Swedish labor market? Defining low pay in the context of the Nordic model. In: Economic and Industrial Democracy, Jg. 45, H. 4, S. 1090-1111. DOI:10.1177/0143831X231215597

Abstract

"Can the Nordic wage-setting model, where social partners decide wages through collective agreements, counteract a growing low-paid sector? This article tests four definitions of low-paid jobs to analyze whether this sector has grown for the period 2005–2020 in Sweden. Despite policy changes pointing towards growth, all definitions show a slight decrease in low-paid jobs over time. The authors argue that the industrial relations system, with the aim of keeping the industry wage increases in check to aid export competitiveness, also sets a uniform level wage that limits low-paid jobs. It is also found that low pay in the Swedish setting is partly a result of working less than full-time or having unstable employment, and service workers and those with low education are becoming increasingly common in this position." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Ashenfelter, Orley & Štepán Jurajda (2024): The U.S. Low-Wage Structure: A McWage Comparison. (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 17142), Bonn, 34 S.

Abstract

"Thanks to standardized work protocol and technology of McDonald's restaurants, the hourly wage of McDonald's Basic Crew enables wage comparisons under near-identical skill inputs and hedonic job conditions. McWages capture labor costs in entry-level jobs, while the Big Macs (earned) Per Hour (BMPH) index measures corresponding purchasing power of wages. We document large and growing geographical wage differences in standardized jobs using data covering most U.S. counties during 2016-2023. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, there was no BMPH growth where minimum wages stayed constant, but the pandemic wage increase, which diminished the importance of minimum wages, was stronger in these areas." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Barbieri, Paolo, Giorgio Cutuli & Stefani Scherer (2024): In-work poverty in Western Europe. A longitudinal perspective. In: European Societies, Jg. 26, H. 4, S. 1232-1264. DOI:10.1080/14616696.2024.2307013

Abstract

"This study investigates levels and determinants of in-work poverty (IWP) in Western Europe using EU-SILC longitudinal data 2004-2019. We compared IWP risk and their dynamics across fourteen countries by examining individual labor market positions, household total labor supplies, and employment patterns. We further explored the social class gradient in exposure to IWP, as well as drivers and patterns of longitudinal accumulation of poverty. Relying on a single (standard) earner is often not enough to keep families out of poverty, confirming the importance of dual-earner household arrangements, even if they entail non-standard employment conditions for one partner. This holds particularly true for countries with high levels of IWP and for less privileged social and occupational groups across all contexts. Analyzing IWP inertia, we examined the interplay between genuine state dependence (GSD) and unobserved heterogeneity in the accumulation of economic disadvantage over time. Previous experiences with IWP can lead to future IWP for some, yet this causal effect appears rather small. Our findings have clear implications for the social stratification of risk and policies designed to combat poverty accumulation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Been, Wike & Maarten Keune (2024): Bringing labour market flexibilization under control? Marginal work and collective regulation in the creative industries in the Netherlands. In: European journal of industrial relations, Jg. 30, H. 4, S. 403-420. DOI:10.1177/09596801221127109

Abstract

"The cultural and creative industries (CCI) is a sector where the workforce is highly educated, yet precarious working conditions are prominent. Although flexible and marginal work is often treated as an overall feature of the sector, this study based on register data on all workers in the sector shows that processes of flexibilization and marginalization are highly divergent between its subsectors. In half of the CCI subsectors, some form of collectively bargained response to the ongoing flexibilization and marginalization has emerged. This first of all shows that creative workers do indeed not only care about expressing their creativity but also about their material working and living conditions. Also how employers’ organizations and trade unions respond to these developments by means of collective agreements varies. Where they disagree, concrete action is postponed. Where they align, either counteracting measures are included, or attempts are made to bridge the divide between employees and the self-employed to some extend in the collective agreement. By doing so, they counteract processes of dualization, paving the road for innovative approaches of industrial relations actors. Still, this counts only for part of the CCI as much of it remains not covered by collective agreements." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Causa, Orsetta, Maxime Nguyen & Emilia Soldani (2024): A new measurement approach for identifying high-polluting jobs across European countries. (OECD Economics Department working papers 1795), Paris, 27 S. DOI:10.1787/f5127e4c-en

Abstract

"This paper develops a novel classification of high-polluting occupations for a large sample of European countries. Unlike previous efforts in the literature, the classification exploits country-level data on air polluting emission intensity by industry. The country-level data allows to capture important cross-country differences, due to differences in technology and in production focus. Applying the new classification to European Labour Force Survey data shows that, on average across the countries covered, about 4% of workers are employed in high-polluting jobs, ranging from 9% in Czechia and the Slovak Republic to around 2% in Austria. These shares do not exhibit any clear decreasing trend over the past decade. High-polluting jobs are unequally distributed, being over-represented among men, workers with lower and medium educational attainment and those living in rural areas." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Eichhorst, Werner & Gemma Scalise (2024): Revisiting Dualism? The Governance of the Low Pay-Low Skill Labour Market in Four European Countries. (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 17378), Bonn, 25 S.

Abstract

"The permanent restructuring of the economy, exacerbated by the digital transition and combined with labour market dualization, is progressively increasing semi- and low-skilled workers' risk of marginalization. This article analyses how countries balance employment and equality concerns in core private services sectors and inquires the policy strategy that governments in Germany, France, Italy and Spain have implemented over the last two decades for workers 'at the margins'. The analysis encompasses multiple policy tools – skill upgrading, social benefits, incentives toreduce barriers to employment and wage regulation – and reveals varied trajectories. A common direction is followed by Germany and Spain, which have adopted policies to mitigate long-standing labor market dualism by implementing protective policies that aim at improving job conditions for low-wage and at-risk workers. France is stuck in its protective approach, focusing on job stabilization through subsidies without addressing the need for skill development, which limits long-term labor market mobility. Italy is exacerbating dualism by failing to improve job quality and training opportunities, leading to persistent low productivity and increasing in-work poverty." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Fialová, Kamila (2024): Low-wage employment in Central and Eastern European Member States. (Social situation monitor), Brussels, 70 S. DOI:10.2767/001750

Abstract

"This research note offers a comprehensive view of low-wage employment. It investigates the nature and extent of low-pay persistence in European countries, using longitudinal data from the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) spanning 2004 to 2019. The study focuses on the overall EU situation while highlighting differences between CEE and WE countries. It contributes to the limited research on low-wage employment in CEE countries, shedding light on the characteristics of low-wage populations across Europe and adding value for shaping social policies to tackle poverty and in-work poverty. It examines the institutional and macroeconomic factors that contribute to the incidence and persistence of low pay. Understanding the identity of low-wage earners and the drivers of low pay is pivotal in developing strategies to raise wages. The latest EU-SILC data only covers wage information to 2019, impeding a direct analysis of recent trends such as increasing energy costs, high inflation, the Ukraine conflict and related migration, digital and green transition, or the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Gray, B.J., M.L. Griffiths, R.G. Kyle, K.R. Isherwood, C. Humphreys & A.R. Davies (2024): Precarious employment and associations with socio-demographic characteristics and self-reported health in Wales, UK. In: Public health, Jg. 236, S. 452-458. DOI:10.1016/j.puhe.2024.08.015

Abstract

"Objectives: The study's aim was to explore the prevalence of precarious employment (PE) in Wales prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and examine associations with PE domains across socio-demographics and self-reported health. Study design: A cross-sectional design was used to explore the prevalence of PE in Wales prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, in February 2020. Methods: Data were collected from a national household survey carried out in May/June 2020, with a sample of 1032 residents in Wales. PE was determined using the Employment Precariousness Scale. Associations between experiencing PE and socio-demographic/health characteristics were examined using Chi-squared tests and logistic regression models (multinomial and binary). Results: Overall, before the pandemic, one in four respondents (26.5%) was in PE, with the most prevalent domains, wages, and disempowerment being experienced by at least 50% of respondents. Worse perceived treatment at work was twice as likely in those reporting pre-existing conditions (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.45 95% confidence interval [CI]: [1.33–4.49]), poorer general health (aOR: 2.33 95% CI: [1.22–4.47]), or low mental wellbeing (aOR: 2.81 95% CI: [1.34–5.88]). Those with high wage precariousness were three times more likely to report low mental wellbeing (aOR 3.12 95% CI [1.54–6.32]). Conclusions: The creation and Provision of secure, adequately paid job opportunities has the potential to reduce the prevalence of PE in Wales. Targeting such employment opportunities to those people currently unwell would have better population health gains." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Göhausen, Johannes & Stephan L. Thomsen (2024): Early Career Effects of Entering the Labor Market During Higher Education Expansion. (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 17487), Bonn, 74 S.

Abstract

"We evaluate the labor market effects of an increasing supply of high-skilled labor, resulting from a higher education expansion at established German universities. Exploiting variation in exposure across regions and cohorts, we estimate early career effects for labor market entrants. We find that high-skilled wages decline initially, particularly in non-graduate jobs, but recover over the first five years of experience. Medium-skilled workers are barely affected, while low-skilled workers benefit from higher wage growth in non-routineintensive jobs. We explain the dynamics of the effects by two countervailing mechanisms: immediate supply effects and gradual technology effects through increasing skilled labor demand." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kalina, Thorsten (2024): Niedriglohnbeschäftigung 2021; Langfristiger Rückgang nur in Ostdeutschland. (IAQ-Report 2024-03), Duisburg ; Essen, 23 S. DOI:10.17185/duepublico/81751

Abstract

"Das Niedriglohnrisiko ist langfristig betrachtet nur in Ostdeutschland gesunken. In Westdeutschland liegt das Niveau seit 2006 weitgehend konstant bei rund 20 %. Deutliche Steigerungen der Löhne im Niedriglohnbereich gab es nur kurz nach der Einführung des gesetzlichen Mindestlohns in den Jahren 2015 und 2016. Anschließend stagnierten die durchschnittlichen Löhne im Niedriglohnbereich und sind 2021 deutlich hinter der allgemeinen Lohnentwicklung zurückgeblieben. Zum Teil erklären Strukturunterschiede zwischen Ost- und Westdeutschland (z.B. weniger Beschäftigte in Großbetrieben), das nach wie vor höhere Niedriglohnrisiko in Ostdeutschland. Zum Teil wirkt sich auch das niedrigere Lohn- und Preisniveau in Ostdeutschland aus. Eine weitere Anhebung des Mindestlohns kann sicher zu einer Annäherung der Ost- und Westlöhne beitragen. Um den Niedriglohnsektor zu verkleinern, wäre aber zugleich eine Stärkung der Tarifbindung notwendig." (Textauszug, IAB-Doku)

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Kovářová, Eva & Tereza Vašenková (2024): Incidence of Poverty in Working-age Population in EU Countries: A Gender Perspective. In: Prague Economic Papers, Jg. 33, H. 4, S. 444-477. DOI:10.18267/j.pep.864

Abstract

"Poverty reduction has long been one of the political priorities of the European Union and its member states. Despite the political declarations and measures applied, poverty is still a phenomenon that affects the everyday lives of about 70 million Europeans. Moreover, trends in poverty incidence show how poverty risks are sensitive to overall socio-economic development and how they are more actual for some vulnerable population groups. Following the popular concept of poverty feminization, the analysis presented in the paper aims to identify gender perspective relationship between the poverty incidence and characteristics describing the situation on the labor market or the levels of attained education in EU-27 countries. Attention is paid to poverty incidence among women and men of working age (population aged from 25 to 54 years) and differences are examined in the relationship to the position of both genders on the labor market. Presented findings, based mainly on the results obtained from the panel regression analysis performed for the period 2007–2020, suggest that policymakers should integrate a gender perspective into all policies focused on poverty reduction." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kunaschk, Max (2024): The effects of minimum wages on employment and Prices - Evidence from the hairdressing sector. In: Labour Economics, Jg. 88, 2024-04-04. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2024.102540

Abstract

"This paper provides comprehensive evidence on the labor and product market effects of a high-impact minimum wage introduction in the highly competitive hairdressing sector. Using detailed administrative data, I find negligible overall employment effects, even though the minimum wage substantially increased hourly wages. However, sub-group analyses reveal considerable heterogeneity in the estimated employment effects and suggest shifts away from marginal towards regular employment. Analyses of the price effects suggest that the reform increased output prices considerably, implying that consumers largely paid for the minimum wage." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Elsevier) ((en))

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Leduc, Elisabeth & Ilan Tojerow (2024): Home work: Exploring the labor market effects of subsidizing domestic services. In: Labour Economics, Jg. 90. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2024.102595

Abstract

"This paper analyzes subsidies for the domestic services sector, an increasingly popular policy to create employment opportunities for low-skilled workers. Using Belgian administrative data, a differences-in-differences approach, and a shift-share instrumental variable, we estimate the local effects of the policy in targeted industries as well as overall effects on the labor market. We find that domestic service subsidies can increase female employment in the subsidized industries as well as the overall employment rate. This increase in employment is primarily driven by an increase in (formal) labor market participation and, to a lesser extent, a reduction in the rate of participation in unemployment insurance and in other social welfare programs. We also find that these subsidies can lead to an increase in the rate of work incapacity, likely due to the fact they broaden the population that can access the social safety net." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2024 Elsevier) ((en))

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Mouw, Ted, Arne L. Kalleberg & Michael A. Schultz (2024): “Stepping-Stone” versus “Dead-End” Jobs: Occupational Structure, Work Experience, and Mobility Out of Low-Wage Jobs. In: American sociological review, Jg. 89, H. 2, S. 298-345. DOI:10.1177/00031224241232957

Abstract

"Does working in a low-wage job lead to increased opportunities for upward mobility, or is it a dead-end that traps workers? In this article, we examine whether low-wage jobs are “stepping-stones” that enable workers to move to higher-paid jobs that are linked by institutional mobility ladders and skill transferability. To identify occupational linkages, we create two measures of occupational similarity using data on occupational mobility from matched samples of the Current Population Survey (CPS) and data on multiple dimensions of job skills from the O*NET. We test whether work experience in low-wage occupations increases mobility between linked occupations that results in upward wage mobility. Our analysis uses longitudinal data on low-wage workers from the 1979 National Longitudinal Study of Youth (NLSY) and the 1996 to 2008 panels of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). We test the stepping-stone perspective using multinomial conditional logit (MCL) models, which allow us to analyze the joint effects of work experience and occupational linkages on achieving upward wage mobility. We find evidence for stepping-stone mobility in certain areas of the low-wage occupational structure. In these occupations, low-wage workers can acquire skills through work experience that facilitate upward mobility through occupational changes to skill and institutionally linked occupations." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Muñoz-Higueras, Diego, Stephan Köppe, Rafael Granell & Amadeo Fuenmayor (2024): Non-take-up of in-work benefits: determinants, benefit erosion and indexing. In: Journal for labour market research, Jg. 58, H. 1. DOI:10.1186/s12651-024-00385-8

Abstract

"Non-take-up of welfare schemes is a key concern of policy effectiveness. Building on studies that have shown the low take-up of minimum income schemes, our case study of Ireland’s Working Family Payment is the first to analyse non-take-up of an in-work benefit and its determinants with a special focus on labor market factors. Based on EU-SILC (2014–2019) we estimate a non-take-up rate between 63 and 76%, which poses a major obstacle for effective poverty prevention. Moreover, we stress that non-take-up of in-work benefits differs to minimum income schemes. We provide new evidence on how labor market characteristics play an important role in explaining non-take-up, especially self-employment and the interaction with unemployment benefits. Benefit erosion is a key factor in declining eligibility, which should be addressed by indexing wages and prices. Furthermore, we propose policy reforms around automatic enrolment or tax credits to mitigate non-take-up and alleviate in-work poverty." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Sheely, Amanda (2024): More than Money? Job Quality and Food Insecurity among Employed Lone Mother Households in the United States. In: Social Policy and Society, Jg. 23, H. 1, S. 35-52. DOI:10.1017/S1474746421000877

Abstract

"This article examines the relationship between food insecurity and the uncertainty and inadequate financial resources associated with low quality work among lone mother households in the United States. Food insecurity has increased since the start of the Great Recession and is particularly high among lone mother households. Using data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation, I find that mothers who have been employed part-time involuntarily and experienced job loss have an increased likelihood of experiencing food insecurity. This relationship holds even after controlling for multiple measures of household income, suggesting the relationship between low quality work and food insecurity is not solely determined by low financial resources. Results suggest that, to reduce food insecurity among lone mother families, policymakers must address both the low wages and uncertainty associated with low quality employment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Visser, Mark, Marleen Damman & Gerbert Kraaykamp (2024): Financial hardship while working: A comparison of standard and non-standard workers across Europe. In: Economic and Industrial Democracy. DOI:10.1177/0143831x241287649

Abstract

"This study examines differences between non-standard (here: temporary employees and solo self-employed people) and standard workers (here: permanent employees) in financial hardship. It also examines whether these differences are conditional on the country context. To this aim, multilevel regression analysis was applied to European Social Survey data, covering 32 countries and the time period 2002–2018. The results show that temporary employees and the solo self-employed report more financial hardship compared to permanent employees, and that temporary employees experience more financial hardship than the solo self-employed. Both macroeconomic decline and higher levels of social protection generally enlarge the gap in financial hardship between non-standard and standard workers. Furthermore, solo self-employed persons are hit harder by macroeconomic adversity and they are not or less entitled to social benefits than temporary employees, reflected by smaller differences in financial hardship between these groups of non-standard workers. The findings are mostly in line with labor market dualization theories." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Wolf, Markus (2024): Persistent or temporary? Effects of social assistance benefit sanctions on employment quality. In: Socio-economic review, Jg. 22, H. 3, S. 1531-1557., 2023-12-11. DOI:10.1093/ser/mwad073

Abstract

"This article analyzes the effects of sanctions for unemployed recipients of the social assistance benefit in Germany. I conduct an analysis using administrative data from 2012 to 2018, applying a dynamic entropy balancing approach. In contrast to most previous analyses of benefit sanction effects, I analyse outcomes over a longer period and assess effects on various dimensions of employment quality, including education (mis)match. The results show, in line with previous research, that benefit sanctions increase the employment probability in the first months after treatment. In the long run, the employment probability and employment quality of sanctioned benefit recipients are lower than those for the comparison group of non-sanctioned benefit recipients, indicating long-lasting negative effects. The negative consequences of benefit sanctions for employment quality are hence not temporary, but persistent." (Authors Abstract, IAB-Doku, © Oxford Acacemic)

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von Borries, Alvaro, Markus Grillitsch & Karl-Johan Lundquist (2024): Structural transformation, the knowledge economy, and the geography of low-income work. In: Journal of economic geography, Jg. 24, H. 2, S. 285-308. DOI:10.1093/jeg/lbad038

Abstract

"The structural transformation toward the knowledge economy is often credited with increasing polarization and precarization of the low end of the labor market. Little is known, however, about the geography of low-income work since the literature has largely ignored sub-national variation. This article explores how the knowledge economy as the main driver of the transformation has affected the concentration of low-income work throughout the Swedish regional system for the last 30+ years. We propose a model where the knowledge economy affects the prevalence of low-income work through three mechanisms: polarization, upgrading, and labor market tightening. We find that the prevalence of low-income work in Sweden has decreased, and regions have converged under this metric over time. The penetration of the knowledge economy is, moreover, associated with lower levels of low-income work, and even though the knowledge economy is related to increasing polarization and, through it, an expansion of the low-income sector, the opposite effects of upgrading and tightening outweigh it. We discuss these findings in relation to studies conducted in different contexts and argue that institutional embeddedness, in particular (but not exclusively) labor market institutions, matters greatly in shaping these outcomes." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Andrieu, Elodie & Malgorzata Kuczera (2023): Minimum Wage and Skills - Evidence from Job Vacancy Data. (TPI working papers / The Productivity Institute 034), Manchester, 62 S.

Abstract

"Low-wage occupations tend to be populated by workers with low levels of education. An increase in the minimum wage, while designed to protect workers in the lower part of the wage distribution, might result in unintended consequences for those same workers. In this paper, we study firms’ reaction to higher minimum wages, exploiting a change to the minimum-wage policy in the UK in 2016. We document how an increase in the minimum wage affects the labour hiring for different education and technical skill levels of workers. The results show that an increase in the minimum wage compressed both the demand for low educated workers and the demand for workers with low levels of technical skills (tech workers) for graduates in low and middle skilled occupations. Using a difference-in-differences framework, we find that a large and unexpected change to the minimum wage led to a 11 percentage point decrease in the proportion of non-graduate vacancies and a 15 percentage point decline in the share of low-tech ads. There is evidence for labour-labour substitution at the low-end of the skill distribution and labour-technology substitution for more educated workers as a way to compensate for labour costs increases." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Arnholtz, Jens & Nathan Lillie (2023): Posted work as an extreme case of hierarchised mobility. In: Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Jg. 49, H. 16, S. 4206-4223. DOI:10.1080/1369183X.2023.2207341

Abstract

"This article draws on a range of case studies to explain how worker posting can cause hierarchised labour mobility, involving nationality-based hierarchies in pay and conditions between workers in the same labour markets or work sites. This hierarchisation is most apparent on large construction sites, where companies systematically use posting for labour cost advantage, but it is also found on smaller sites and in other sectors besides construction. The article outlines three features of this low-wage posting system – worker hypermobility and dependency, transnational enforcement challenges, and multifaceted employer arbitrage strategies – that conspire to maintain posting as a form of hierarchised mobility. We argue that posting undermines many countervailing forces that typically mediate hierarchisation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Baranowska-Rataj, Anna, Zoltán Elekes & Rikard Eriksson (2023): Escaping from low-wage employment: The role of co-worker networks. In: Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, Jg. 83. DOI:10.1016/j.rssm.2022.100747

Abstract

"Low-wage jobs are often regarded as dead ends in the labour market careers of young people. Previous research focused on disentangling to what degree the association between a low-wage job at the start of working life and limited chances of transitioning to better-paid employment is causal or spurious. Less attention has been paid to the factors that may facilitate the upward wage mobility of low-wage workers. We focus on such mechanisms, and we scrutinize the impact of social ties to higher-educated co-workers. Due to knowledge spillovers, job referrals, as well as firm-level productivity gains, having higher-educated co-workers may improve an individual's chances of transitioning to a better-paid job. We use linked employer-employee data from longitudinal Swedish registers and panel data models that incorporate measures of low-wage workers' social ties to higher-educated co-workers. Our results confirm that having social ties to higher-educated co-workers increases individual chances of transitioning to better-paid employment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2023 Elsevier) ((en))

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Bavaro, Michele & Michele Raitano (2023): Is working enough to escape poverty? Evidence on low-paid workers in Italy. (ECINEQ working paper series / Society for the Study of Economic Inequality 656), Verona, 32 S.

Abstract

"We investigate the dynamics of incidence, intensity and persistence of low pay in Italy from 1990 to 2018 by exploiting a large administrative sample of employees in the private sector. We refer to various relative and absolute low pay thresholds and assess workers' conditions according to annual earnings, weekly wages and full-time-equivalent (FTE) weekly wages, to depurate low pay dynamics from the influence of changes in worked weeks and hours. Regardless of the chosen threshold, we find that the incidence of low pay is high and steeply increased in the last decades when the focus is on annual earnings and weekly wages. A flat trend emerges instead when low pay is assessed according to FTE weekly wages, signalling that a major role in the low pay dynamics is played by the reduction in the number of hours worked by low-paid individuals because of the increasing spread of part-time contracts. Nevertheless, the share of low-paid workers is rather high even when the focus is on FTE weekly wages. Furthermore, low pay is a persistent status for a large and rising share of workers. These findings reveal a clear worsening of workers' conditions at the bottom of the earnings distribution in Italy." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bovini, Giulia, Emanuele Ciani, Marta De Philippis & Stefania Romano (2023): Labor income inequality and in-work poverty: a comparison between euro area countries. (Questioni di economia e finanza (Occasional papers) / Banca d'Italia 2023,806), Rom, 35 S.

Abstract

"We study inequality in gross labor income among the working-age population, comparing Italy to the other main euro area countries. We use EU-SILC data between 2008 and 2018, the longest period without time breaks. We show that inequality in individual labor income is higher in Italy than in France and Germany. This is mainly a consequence of the lower employment rate, i.e. of the higher share of working-age individuals with no labor income, rather than of wider earnings disparities among workers. Inequality in equivalised household labor income is also higher in Italy than in France in Germany because a lower employment rate translates into a larger share of single or no-earner households. In line with these findings, while in Italy low-earning workers are relatively few, they face a greater risk of poverty than in France or Germany, since they more often live in households where other members are not employed or have low-work-intensity jobs. These results stress the importance of jointly considering earnings and employment dynamics when analyzing labor income inequality, low-pay work, and in-work poverty." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Dasgupta, Kabir & Alexander Plum (2023): Human capital formation and changes in low pay persistence. In: Applied Economics, Jg. 55, H. 56, S. 6583-6604. DOI:10.1080/00036846.2022.2161989

Abstract

"This study presents new empirical evidence on the role of time trends in low pay persistence. We utilize population-wide tax records to track monthly labour market trajectories of initially low-paid workers. By performing age- and qualification-specific regressions, we find that low pay persistence reduces with time. However, the magnitude is highly heterogeneous across workforce characteristics. For a qualified worker in their early 20s, the risk of staying on low-pay declines by, on average, 5–10% points after one year. For a worker in their 50s, persistence remains almost unchanged regardless of their qualification level. We conclude that policy initiatives need to be more nuanced than a simple one-size-fits-all approach by accounting for time trends in low-pay persistence." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Elvery, Joel A., C. Lockwood Reynolds & Shawn M. Rohlin (2023): Employer Wage Subsidy Caps and Part-Time Work. In: ILR review, Jg. 76, H. 1, S. 189-209. DOI:10.1177/00197939221102865

Abstract

"Using tract-level US Census data and triple-difference estimators, the authors test whether firms increase their use of part-time workers when faced with capped wage subsidies. By limiting the maximum subsidy per worker, such subsidies create incentives for firms to increase the share of their payroll that is eligible for the subsidy by increasing use of part-time or low-wage workers. Results suggest that firms located in federal Empowerment Zones in the United States responded to the program’s capped wage subsidies by expanding their use of part-time workers, particularly in locations where the subsidy cap is likely to bind. Results also show a shift toward hiring lower-skill workers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Gerbery, Daniel & Tomáš Miklošovič (2023): Low-wage mobility in Central Europe. In: International Journal of Comparative Sociology, Jg. 64, H. 5, S. 509-527. DOI:10.1177/00207152231156436

Abstract

"The article provides analyses of the mobility and resilience to mobility among low-wage earners in four Central European (CE) countries. It examines transitions into higher-paid jobs, unemployment/inactivity, and the stability of low-wage status. In addition to standard transition matrices and summary mobility indices, it employs multinomial logit models with the aim of identifying individual determinants of low-wage earners’ prospects. The findings show that the CE countries do not represent a homogeneous group in terms of presence of low wages when the period of 2010–2016 is considered. In regard to future prospects, low-wage employees in the countries with higher incidence of low pay are more likely to reproduce their status, as compared with countries with lower incidence. Upward mobility is more likely among younger, high-educated employees and among those who work in “better” occupations." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Gerritsen, Aart (2023): To Redistribute or to Predistribute? The Minimum Wage versus Income Taxation When Workers Differ in Both Wages and Working Hours. (CESifo working paper 10734), München, 53 S.

Abstract

"I consider the case for the minimum wage alongside (optimal) income taxes when workers differ in both wages and working hours, such that a given level of income corresponds to multiple wage rates. The minimum wage is directly targeted at the lowest-wage workers, while income taxes are at most targeted at all low-income workers, regardless of their hourly wage rates. This renders the minimum wage unambiguously desirable in a discrete-type model of the labor market. Desirability of the minimum wage is a priori ambiguous in a continuous-type model of the labor market. Compared to the minimum wage, income taxes are less effective in compressing the wage distribution but more effective in redistributing income. Desirability of the minimum wage depends on this trade-off between the “predistributional advantage” of the minimum wage and the “redistributional advantage” of the income tax. I derive a desirability condition for the minimum wage and write it in terms of empirical sufficient statistics. A numerical application to the US suggests a strong case for a higher federal minimum wage – especially if social preferences for the lowest-wage workers are relatively strong and the wage elasticity of labor demand relatively small." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kalina, Thorsten & Claudia Weinkopf (2023): Niedriglohnbeschäftigung 2020 - Rückgang des Anteils von Niedriglöhnen in den letzten Jahren. (IAQ-Report 2023-02), Duisburg ; Essen, 16 S. DOI:10.17185/duepublico/77382

Abstract

"Der Anteil der Niedriglohnbeschäftigten ist in Deutschland in den letzten Jahren zwar zurückgegangen, lag 2020 mit rund 20 % für Deutschland insgesamt aber immer noch deutlich über dem EU-Durchschnitt von 15 %. Die absolut meisten Niedriglohnbeschäftigten waren im Einzelhandel, im Gesundheitswesen, in der Gastronomie, in der Gebäudebetreuung sowie im Bereich Erziehung und Unterricht beschäftigt. In den aktuellen Tarifverhandlungen konnten in typischen Niedriglohnbranchen (Gastgewerbe, Handel, Gebäudereinigung) Lohnerhöhungen um bis zu 30 % erzielt werden." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Loschert, Franziska, Holger Kolb & Franziska Schork (2023): Prekäre Beschäftigung - prekäre Teilhabe. Ausländische Arbeitskräfte im deutschen Niedriglohnsektor. (SVR-Studie / Sachverständigenrat für Integration und Migration 2023-1), Berlin, 118 S.

Abstract

"Ausländische Arbeitskräfte sind in vielen Branchen der deutschen Wirtschaft längst unverzichtbar geworden. Dazu zählen auch solche Sektoren, in denen prekäre Arbeitsverhältnisse, die durch geringe Entlohnung und harte Arbeitsbedingungen gekennzeichnet sind, oftmals nicht die Ausnahme, sondern die Regel sind. Der SVR untersucht im Rahmen einer qualitativen Interviewstudie die Ursachen und Folgen von Prekaritätsverhältnissen auf dem Arbeitsmarkt, die ausländische Arbeitskräfte betreffen. Die Studie gibt praxisorientierte Handlungsempfehlungen für Politik, Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Moya, Cristóbal, Jule Adriaans & Carsten Sauer (2023): Unjust income inequality prevails across 29 countries. (SocArXiv papers), [Charlottesville, VA], 9 S. DOI:10.31235/osf.io/8e4q3

Abstract

"This visualization aims to describe justice evaluations of income inequality from a cross-country perspective for more than 72,000 respondents in 29 countries. The analyses were based on data from two large, cross-country survey programs. The International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) asked for an evaluation of the overall income distribution, and the European Social Survey (ESS) asked for justice evaluations of both bottom and top incomes. We find that injustice of the income distribution prevails in all studied countries except Denmark, and that injustice of bottom incomes prevails in all countries. Moreover, in the countries included in both ISSP and ESS, the share of respondents evaluating the overall income distribution as just always falls between the share evaluating bottom and top incomes as just. Our results suggest that, depending on the country context, different parts of the distribution (top and bottom incomes) influence its overall evaluation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Murillo-Huertas, Inés P., Raul Ramos, Hipólito Simón & Raquel Simón-Albert (2023): Is multidimensional precarious employment higher for women? In: The Journal of Industrial Relations, Jg. 65, H. 1, S. 44-71. DOI:10.1177/00221856221128873

Abstract

"This article examines the relative employment situation of female employees from a novel perspective based on the construction of multidimensional indicators of employment precariousness that allow examining its scale and nature. The evidence obtained for Spain shows that both the intensity and incidence of precarious employment are significantly higher for women, to the point that half of the women are multidimensionally precarious (with an incidence which is 40% higher than that of men) and precarious females simultaneously suffer on average from nearly three deficiencies in their jobs. Although female employment precariousness is highly persistent over time, it also exhibits significant oscillations plausibly linked to changes in the economy's cyclical position and in labor market regulations. Moreover, it exhibits a great heterogeneity by subgroups (it has even an extreme nature for certain subgroups of females) and by individuals (25% of women suffer between three and six job deficiencies, which compares with 24% of women having jobs without any type of deficiency). Finally, although the greater labor precariousness of women is largely explained by their observed characteristics, particularly by their greater presence in part-time jobs, women still have a greater probability of being precarious than observationally similar men." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Muñoz, Mathilde (2023): International Trade Responses to Labor Market Regulations. (NBER working paper / National Bureau of Economic Research 31876), Cambridge, Mass, 61 S.

Abstract

"This paper studies how differences in labor market regulations shape countries' comparative advantage in the cross-border provision of labor-intensive services, using administrative data in Europe for the last two decades. I exploit exogenous variation in labor taxes and minimum wages faced by exporting firms engaged in a large European trade program. Firms from different countries compete to supply the same physical service in the same location but their employees are subject to different payroll taxes and minimum wages. These rules varied across countries, sectors, and over time. Reduced-form country case-studies as well as model-implied gravity estimates show evidence of large trade responses to lower labor taxes and minimum wages, with an elasticity that is around one. The Bolkestein directive, by exempting foreign firms from all labor regulations in the destination country, would have doubled exports of physical services from Eastern European countries, rationalizing the wave of protests in high-wage countries that led to the withdrawal of the proposal." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Neuhauser, Johanna & Peter Birke (2023): Migration and labour unrest during the pandemic: Studies from Germany and Austria. In: The Economic and Labour Relations Review, Jg. 34, S. 426-443. DOI:10.1017/elr.2023.31

Abstract

"This paper presents the results of research, which highlights the situation during the pandemic in sectors characterized by low wages and a high turnover of workers. The empirical basis is formed by company case studies in the meat industry, postal services, and mask production in Germany and Austria. This paper discusses the significance of different locations (at and beyond the workplace) and forms (‘exit’ and ‘voice’) of labor unrest in sectors of the economy that are characterized by a predominance of the use of migrant labor. It questions how conflicts over migrant labor have been articulated and possibly changed in the pandemic, and what factors may have contributed not only to an upsurge but also to the containment, regulation, and repression, of labor unrest." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Pedersen, Siri Hansen & Georg Picot (2023): Regulating low wages: cross-national policy variation and outcomes. In: Socio-economic review, Jg. 21, H. 4, S. 2093-2116. DOI:10.1093/ser/mwad019

Abstract

"This article provides a comparative analysis of three central policies to regulate low wages: statutory minimum wages, state support for collective bargaining and topping up low wages with public transfers (in-work benefits). We map the variation of these policies across 33 OECD countries and analyze the incidence of low-wage employment they are associated with. We find three approaches to regulating low wages. In the first, 'wage scale protection', states put most emphasis on supporting collective bargaining. In the second, 'bare minimum', there is not much else than the statutory minimum wage. In the third, 'state pay', the statutory minimum wage is supplemented by sizeable public financial support for low earners. When analyzing policy outcomes, 'wage scale protection' is associated with least low-wage employment. For 'bare minimum', much depends on the level of the statutory minimum wage. Although 'state pay' props up workers' disposable income, many workers receive low gross pay." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Rose, Evan K. & Yotam Shem-Tov (2023): How Replaceable Is a Low-Wage Job? (NBER working paper / National Bureau of Economic Research 31447), Cambridge, Mass, 104 S.

Abstract

"We study the long-run consequences of losing a low-wage job using linked employer-employee wage records and household surveys. For full-time workers earning $15 per hour or less, job loss due to an idiosyncratic, firm-wide contraction generates a 13% reduction in earnings six years later and over $40,000 cumulative lost earnings. Most of the long-run decrease stems from reductions in employment and hours as opposed to wage rates: job losers are twice as likely to report being unemployed and looking for work. By contrast, workers initially earning $15-$30 per hour see comparable long-run earnings losses driven primarily by reductions in hourly wages. Calibrating a dynamic job ladder model to the estimates implies that the rents from holding a full-time $15 per hour job relative to unemployment are worth about $20,000, more than seven times monthly earnings." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Siddique, Abu Bakkar (2023): Job market polarization and American poverty. In: Journal for labour market research, Jg. 57. DOI:10.1186/s12651-023-00356-5

Abstract

"The article posits that the puzzles of stagnating poverty rates amidst high growth and declining unemployment in the United States can be substantially explained by polarized job markets characterized by job quality and job distribution. In recent decades, there has been an increased number of poor-quality jobs and an unequal distribution of jobs in the developed world, particularly in the United States. I have calculated measures of uneven job distribution indices that account for the distribution of jobs across households. A higher value of the uneven job distribution indices implies that there are relatively large numbers of households with multiple employed people and households with no employed people. Similarly, poor-quality jobs are those jobs that do not offer full-time work. Two-way fixed-effect models estimate that higher uneven job distribution across households worsens aggregated poverty at the state level. Similarly, good-quality jobs help households escape poverty, whereas poor-quality jobs do not. This paper suggests that eradicating poverty requires the government to direct labor market policies to be tailored more toward distributing jobs from individuals to households and altering bad jobs into good jobs, rather than merely creating more jobs in the economy. This paper contributes by elaborating on relations of employment and poverty, addressing employment quality and distribution, and providing empirical evidence." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Struffolino, Emanuela & Zachary Van Winkle (2023): Research note: The persistent risk of in-work poverty following the birth of a first, second, and third child across the life course. In: Journal of Family Research, Jg. 35, S. 372-392. DOI:10.20377/jfr-910

Abstract

"Objective: The association between a first, second, and third childbirth and in-work poverty in the short- and medium-term were assessed across age groups in the US and Germany. Background: Previous research on in-work poverty has concentrated on structural and ascriptive characteristics, while family processes – especially childbirths – received less attention. This gap was filled by adopting a processual life course approach. Method: Longitudinal data from the US and Germany were applied to between-within random effects models to estimate within-individual change in the probability of in-work poverty up to six years following a first, second, and third childbirth across age groups. Results: First, second, and third birth were associated with an immediate increase in the probability of in-work poverty (up to 10 and 5 percentage points in the US and in Germany, respectively). Among US adults aged 30 and younger probabilities increased in the medium term (from 9 to 15 percentage points for a first, 6 to 15 for a second, and 9 to 18 for a third birth), but remained unchanged for older adults in the US and all adults in Germany. Conclusion: There was no recovery in risk of in-work poverty in the medium-term following childbirth in the US and Germany. Increasing the labor market participation of adult household members via more and low-cost childcare options remains crucial. However, higher levels of income support and child benefits may be needed to avoid poverty." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Torosyan, Karine, Sicheng Wang, Elizabeth A. Mack, Jenna A. Van Fossen & Nathan Baker (2023): Assessing the impact of technological change on similar occupations: Implications for employment alternatives. In: PLoS ONE, Jg. 18. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0291428

Abstract

"Background: The fast-changing labor market highlights the need for an in-depth understanding of occupational mobility impacted by technological change. However, we lack a multidimensional classification scheme that considers similarities of occupations comprehensively, which prevents us from predicting employment trends and mobility across occupations. This study fills the gap by examining employment trends based on similarities between occupations. Method: We first demonstrated a new method that clusters 756 occupation titles based on knowledge, skills, abilities, education, experience, training, activities, values, and interests. We used the Principal Component Analysis to categorize occupations in the Standard Occupational Classification, which is grouped into a four-level hierarchy. Then, we paired the occupation clusters with the occupational employment projections provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. We analyzed how employment would change and what factors affect the employment changes within occupation groups. Particularly, we specified factors related to technological changes. Results: The results reveal that technological change accounts for significant job losses in some clusters. This poses occupational mobility challenges for workers in these jobs at present. Job losses for nearly 60% of current employment will occur in low-skill, low-wage occupational groups. Meanwhile, many mid-skilled and highly skilled jobs are projected to grow in the next ten years. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate the utility of our occupational classification scheme. Furthermore, it suggests a critical need for skills upgrading and workforce development for workers in declining jobs. Special attention should be paid to vulnerable workers, such as older individuals and minorities." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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(2023): Niedriglohn - Einstieg in Aufstieg. (Position / vbw – Vereinigung der Bayerischen Wirtschaft e. V. Februar 2023), München, 12 S.

Abstract

"Trotz vielfältiger Krisen entwickelt sich der Arbeitsmarkt in Deutschland und Bayern weiterhin positiv. Insbesondere mit Blick auf den sich verschärfenden Arbeitskräfte- und Fachkräftemangel müssen alle Arbeitspotenziale ausgeschöpft werden. Um eine Beteiligung möglichst vieler Menschen am Arbeitsleben sicherzustellen, braucht es gerade für Geringqualifizierte und Langzeitarbeitslose eine faire, niederschwellige Chance auf Teilhabe. Ein flexibler Niedriglohnbereich schafft Aufstiegschancen: Ein flexibler Niedriglohnbereich schafft Chancen für einen niedrigschwelligen Einstieg und ist insbesondere für Geringqualifizierte und Langzeitarbeitslose der Weg in eine Erwerbstätigkeit. Arbeitslosigkeit ist das größte Armutsrisiko, Beschäftigung und Bildung sind der Schlüssel zur Armutsvermeidung. Marktgerechte Rahmenbedingungen begleiten den Strukturwandel mit einem Produktivitätszuwachs und schaffen neue Arbeitsplätze. Chance Teilqualifizierung: Neue Chancen für Geringqualifizierte oder Arbeitsuchende: Durch ihren modularen Aufbau bieten Teilqualifizierungen die Möglichkeit, sich auch berufsbegleitend in Teilbereichen der Facharbeitertätigkeit weiterzubilden und das berufliche Einsatzfeld für An- und Ungelernte Stück für Stück zu erweitern. Wer alle Bausteine durchläuft, hat anschließend sogar die Möglichkeit, sich für die externe Facharbeiterprüfung anzumelden. So können insbesondere auch für An- und Ungelernte Teilqualifizierungen eine gute Chance bieten. Niedriglohn – Einstieg in Aufstieg: Unser Positionspapier beleuchtet, welche Chancen der Niedriglohnbereich für Beschäftigte und Unternehmen bietet. Ziel muss stets sein, noch mehr Menschen in Arbeit zu bringen und den Einstieg in den Aufstieg wirkungsvoll und durch passgenaue Weiterqualifizierung zu unterstützen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Bergman, Nittai K., David Matsa & Michael Weber (2022): Inclusive Monetary Policy: How Tight Labor Markets Facilitate Broad-Based Employment Growth. (CESifo working paper 9512), München, 45 S.

Abstract

"This paper analyzes the heterogeneous effects of monetary policy on workers with differing levels of labor force attachment. Exploiting variation in labor market tightness across metropolitan areas, we show that the employment of populations with lower labor force attachment—Blacks, high school dropouts, and women—is more responsive to expansionary monetary policy in tighter labor markets. The effect builds up over time and is long lasting. We develop a New Keynesian model with heterogeneous workers that rationalizes these results. The model shows that expansionary monetary shocks lead to larger increases in the employment of less attached workers when the central bank follows an average inflation targeting rule and when the Phillips curve is flatter. These findings suggest that, by tightening labor markets, the Federal Reserve’s recent move from a strict to an average inflation targeting framework especially benefits workers with lower labor force attachment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bönke, Timm, Luisa Hammer & Dominik Hügle (2022): Berufsabschluss durch Weiterbildung. Zur Wirksamkeit beruflicher Nachqualifizierung. Gütersloh, 37 S. DOI:10.11586/2022049

Abstract

"Einen Berufsabschluss nachzuholen, zahlt sich aus. Auch wer erst im Alter von über 25 seinen Berufsabschluss macht, verbessert damit seine Berufsperspektiven. Ist es ein erster Berufsabschluss, erhöht sich die Chance auf Beschäftigung und ein höheres Einkommen deutlich – und das sogar langfristig. Ein zweiter Berufsabschluss kann das Einkommen noch weiter verbessern. Bei nachgeholten Berufsabschlüssen handelt es sich nicht notwendigerweise um vollständige Berufsausbildungen. Auch abschlussbezogene Weiterbildungen wie Umschulungen oder Teilqualifikationen führen zu einem Berufsabschluss. Mit jährlich 30.000 bis 50.000 Teilnehmenden ist die Umschulung bei einem Träger die mit Abstand meistbesuchte abschlussorientierte Maßnahme. Teilqualifikationen (TQ) sind eine attraktive Alternative dazu ebenso wie zur klassischen Berufsausbildung. TQ-Module dauern meist nur wenige Monate und sind dadurch deutlich günstiger als beispielsweise die zumeist zweijährigen Umschulungen: Nach unseren Berechnungen aus den Bundes-Durchschnittskostensätzen (Bundesagentur für Arbeit, 2020) und Experteninterviews kostet eine Teilqualifikation je nach Zielberuf und Rahmenbedingungen durchschnittlich 5.000 bis 9.000 Euro pro Teilnehmenden. Für eine Umschulung fallen dagegen im Schnitt 25.000 bis 40.000 Euro an. Trotzdem zeigen die Teilnehmenden der Teilqualifikationen ähnliche Eingliederungsquoten wie die Teilnehmenden der Umschulungen. Aktuelle Fördermöglichkeiten (wie beispielsweise durch das Qualifizierungschancengesetz) ermöglichen derartige Formen der berufsbegleitenden Qualifizierung. Arbeitsentgelte und Kosten der Maßnahmen werden dabei von der Bundesagentur für Arbeit oder dem Jobcenter übernommen." (Textauszug, IAB-Doku)

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Dordoni, Annalisa (2022): Young retail shift workers (not) planning their future: working with customers in the 24/7 service society in the transition to adulthood. In: The international journal of sociology and social policy, Jg. 42, H. 13/14, S. 66-80. DOI:10.1108/IJSSP-02-2022-0060

Abstract

"Purpose: The retail sector is not largely studied in Italy. The study offers a comparison between youth retail shift work in Milan and London. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the debate on the one hand on youth work and on the other hand to the debate on agency and structural factors in life planning, representation of the future and the transition to adulthood, observed in the United Kingdom's and Italian labour market. Even if the second one is a Southern European Country, these contexts are both characterised by a service-oriented economy and the widespread of precarious and flexible jobs. Design/methodology/approach: Qualitative methods were used: one year of ethnographic observation, 50 interviews and two focus groups were carried out between 2015 and 2018 with retail workers and trade unionists. The contexts are Corso Buenos Aires in Milan, Italy, and Oxford Street in London, United Kingdom. Analysing young workers' discourses, the author identifies narratives that allow to grasp their present agency and imagined future. Findings: Observing the crisis of the narrative (Sennett, 2020) allows to highlight the social consequences of working times on young workers' everyday life and future. The author argues that young workers struggle with the narrative of their present everyday life and the representation of the future. This relates to the condition of time alienation due to the flexible schedules and the fast pace of work in retail, both affecting the work-life balance. Originality/value: The social consequences of flexible schedules in retail and fast fashion sector, which are new issues not yet sufficiently explored, are here investigated from the perspective of young workers. The study is focussed on the representations of young people working with customers in social and economic contexts characterised by flexible schedules and the deregulation of shop openings, the so-called 24/7 service society, not largely investigated in the sociological scientific literature, above all in the Italian context." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Emerald Group) ((en))

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Duggan, Mark, Audrey Guo & Andrew C. Johnston (2022): Would Broadening the UI Tax Base Help Low-Income Workers? (IZA discussion paper 15020), Bonn, 12 S.

Abstract

"The tax base for state unemployment insurance (UI) programs varies significantly in the U.S., from a low of $7,000 annually in California to a high of $52,700 in Washington. Previous research has provided surprisingly little guidance to policy makers regarding the tradeoffs associated with this variation. In this paper, we use 37 years of data for all 50 states and Washington, D.C. to estimate the impact of the UI tax base on labor-market outcomes. We find that the low tax base that exists in California and many other states (and the necessarily higher tax rates that accompany these) negatively affects labor market outcomes for part-time and other low-earning workers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Eaton, Jonathan, Samuel S. Kortum & Francis Kramarz (2022): Firm-to-Firm Trade: Imports, Exports, and the Labor Market. (NBER working paper 29685), Cambridge, Mass, 65 S. DOI:10.3386/w29685

Abstract

"Customs data reveal heterogeneity and granularity of relationships among buyers and sellers. A key insight is how more exports to a destination break down into more firms selling there and more buyers per exporter. We develop a quantitative general equilibrium model of firm-to-firm matching that builds on this insight to separate the roles of iceberg costs and matching frictions in gravity. In the cross section, we find matching frictions as important as iceberg costs in impeding trade, and more sensitive to distance. Because domestic and imported intermediates compete directly with labor in performing production tasks, our model also fits the heterogeneity of labor shares across French producers. Applying the framework to the 2004 expansion of the European Union, reduced iceberg costs and reduced matching frictions contributed equally to the increase in French exports to the new members. While workers benefitted overall, those competing most directly with imports gained less, even losing in some countries entering the EU." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Fazio, Andrea & Tommaso Reggiani (2022): Minimum wage and tolerance for inequality. (MUNI ECON working paper 2022-07), Brno, 19 S.

Abstract

"We suggest that people advocate for equality also because they fear income losses below a given reference point. Stabilizing their baseline income can make workers more tolerant of inequality. We present evidence of this attitude in the UK by exploiting the introduction of the National Minimum Wage (NMW), which institutionally set a baseline pay reducing the risk of income losses for British workers at the bottom of the income distribution. Based on data from the British Household Panel Survey, we show that workers that benefited from the NMW program became relatively more tolerant of inequality and more likely to vote for the Conservative party." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Heiden, Marleen von der & Ralf Himmelreicher (2022): Was halten Geringverdienende vom Mindestlohn? Eine qualitative Untersuchung im Auftrag des Sozio-oekonomischen Panels (SOEP). (SOEPpapers on multidisciplinary panel data research at DIW Berlin 1158), Berlin, 15 S.

Abstract

"Im Zentrum dieses Beitrags steht die Frage, wie Geringverdienende die Einführung des gesetzlichen Mindestlohns in Deutschland wahrnehmen. Auf Grundlage einer qualitativen Erhebung mit 31 Befragten im Rahmen von sechs Fokusgruppengesprächen, die im Sommer 2015 durchgeführt wurden, konnten vertiefte Einsichten gewonnen werden. Zunächst zeigte sich, dass Geringverdienende oftmals mit Beschäftigungshemmnissen konfrontiert sind. Häufig und auch kumulativ genannte Einschränkungen waren Krankheiten, die Pflege von Angehörigen, Kindererziehung und ein höheres Alter. Diese führten entweder zu Nichtbeschäftigung oder zu reduzierten wöchentlichen Arbeitszeiten; einige waren lediglich geringfügig beschäftigt. Die Einführung des Mindestlohns wurde als Schritt in die richtige Richtung zur Unterbindung von Lohndumping und mehr Anerkennung der Beschäftigten bezeichnet. Der zum Zeitpunkt der Untersuchung bestehende gesetzliche Mindestlohn von 8,50 Euro wird jedoch als zu gering eingeschätzt, um als gerechter Lohn wahrgenommen zu werden. Leistungen würden nicht anerkannt und finanzielle Bedarfe, etwa für die Miete vor allem in Städten, könnten oftmals nicht abgedeckt werden. Auch bei der Einhaltung und Kontrolle des Mindestlohns wird Verbesserungsbedarf gesehen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Hirsch, Boris, Philipp Lentge & Claus Schnabel (2022): Uncovered workers in plants covered by collective bargaining: Who are they and how do they fare? (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität, Lehrstuhl für Arbeitsmarkt- und Regionalpolitik. Diskussionspapiere 123), Nürnberg, 28 S.

Abstract

"In Deutschland zahlen Arbeitgeber traditionell den gleichen Tariflohn für Gewerkschaftsmitglieder und -nichtmitglieder im selben Betrieb, um letztere von einem Gewerkschaftsbeitritt abzuhalten. Mit aktuellen Daten aus der Verdienststrukturerhebung untersuchen wir, welche Arbeitnehmer in tarifgebundenen Betrieben heute noch individuell von tariflich vereinbarten Gewerkschaftslöhnen profitieren, welche Arbeitnehmer davon nicht mehr abgedeckt werden, und was dies für deren Entlohnung bedeutet. Wir zeigen, dass ungefähr 9 Prozent der Arbeitskräfte in tarifgebundenen Betrieben keine individuelle Abdeckung (und damit keinen Gewerkschaftslohn) mehr erfahren. Ökonometrische Analysen mit unbedingten Quantilsregressionen und Firmenfixe-Effekte-Schätzungen machen deutlich, dass das Fehlen einer individuellen Abdeckung durch Tarifverträge für die meisten Arbeitskräfte substanzielle Auswirkungen auf ihre Entlohnung hat. Nicht gewerkschaftlich organisierte Niedriglöhner und solche auf unteren Hierarchieebenen leiden besonders, weil ihre Arbeitgeber davon absehen, die Tariflöhne auf sie anzuwenden, um geringere Löhne zahlen zu können. Dieses Vorgehen gefährdet das gewerkschaftliche Ziel, alle benachteiligten Arbeitskräfte zu schützen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Katz, Lawrence F., Jonathan Roth, Richard Hendra & Kelsey Schaberg (2022): Why Do Sectoral Employment Programs Work? Lessons from WorkAdvance. In: Journal of labor economics, Jg. 40, H. S1, S. S249-S291. DOI:10.1086/717932

Abstract

"This paper examines the evidence from randomized evaluations of sector-focused training programs that target low-wage workers and combine up-front screening, occupational and soft-skills training, and wraparound services. The programs generate substantial and persistent earnings gains (12%–34%) following training. Theoretical mechanisms for program impacts are explored for the WorkAdvance demonstration. Earnings gains are generated by getting participants into higher-wage jobs in higher-earning industries and occupations, not just by raising employment. Training in transferable and certifiable skills (likely underprovided from poaching concerns) and reductions of employment barriers to high-wage sectors for nontraditional workers appear to play key roles." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Keitel, Christiane; Barbara Schwengler, Holger Seibert & Doris Wiethölter (interviewte Person) (2022): Helfertätigkeiten werden nicht nur von Ungelernten ausgeübt (Interview mit Barbara Schwengler, Holger Seibert und Doris Wiethölter). In: IAB-Forum H. 19.07.2022 Nürnberg. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FOO.20220719.01

Abstract

"Ein aktueller IAB-Kurzbericht (14/2022) widmet sich den Helfertätigkeiten, die im Schnitt vergleichsweise niedrig entlohnt sind. Dies trifft aber nicht für alle diese Tätigkeiten zu. In bestimmten Konstellationen können ausgebildete Fachkräfte auf Helfertätigkeiten höhere Verdienste erzielen als im erlernten Beruf. Die Redaktion des IAB-Forum hat dazu bei Holger Seibert, Barbara Schwengler und Doris Wiethölter nachgefragt." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Kupfer, Antonia (2022): Supermagd : Arbeitsaneignung im Niedriglohnsektor im Ländervergleich. In: Arbeits- und industriesoziologische Studien, Jg. 15, H. 1, S. 26-39.

Abstract

"Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird ein Konzept der Arbeitsaneignung vorgestellt, das die Subjektperspektive Beschäftigter eingebettet in soziale Kontexte erfasst und analysiert. Damit geraten strukturelle Einflüsse auf die Art und Weise wie Beschäftigte ihre Arbeit wahrnehmen, bewerten und bewältigen in den Blick. Am Beispiel von Supermarktverkäufer_innen in Deutschland und den USA wird das Konzept mit seinen drei Dimensionen sozialer Status der Tätigkeit, Gebrauchswert und Tätigsein entfaltet. Ihr Beschäftigtenanteil ist hoch und – nicht erst in der Corona-Pandemie – systemrelevant. Auf der Grundlage zweier kontrastierender Fälle werden Thesen zur unterschiedlichen Arbeitsaneignung in einem ausgewählten Niedriglohnsektor vorgestellt. Im Ergebnis wird deutlich, dass Arbeitsaneignung in Deutschland im Vergleich zu den USA arbeitnehmerinnenfreundlicher stattfindet. Für eine Verbesserung von Lebensverhältnissen sind daher politische Veränderungen und nicht subjektive Anrufungen erforderlich." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Kölling, Arnd (2022): Monopsony power and the demand for low-skilled workers. In: The Economic and Labour Relations Review, Jg. 33, H. 2, S. 377-395. DOI:10.1177/10353046211042427

Abstract

"This study analyses firms’ labour demand when employers have at least some monopsony power. It is argued that without taking into account (quasi-)monopsonistic structures of the labour market, wrong predictions are made about the effects of minimum wages. Using switching fractional panel probit regressions with German establishment data, I find that slightly more than 80% of establishments exercise some degree of monopsony power in their demand for low-skilled workers. The outcome suggests that a 1% increase in payments for low-skilled workers would, in these firms, increase employment for this group by 1.12%, while firms without monopsony power reduce the number of low-skilled, by about 1.63% for the same increase in remuneration. The study can probably also be used to explain the limited employment effects of the introduction of a statutory minimum wage in Germany and thus leads to a better understanding of the labour market for low-skilled workers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © SAGE) ((en))

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Ortigueira, Salvador & Nawid Siassi (2022): The U.S. tax-transfer system and low-income households: Savings, labor supply, and household formation. In: Review of Economic Dynamics, Jg. 44, S. 184-210. DOI:10.1016/j.red.2021.02.010

Abstract

"Eligibility and benefits for anti-poverty income transfers in the U.S. are based on both the means and the household characteristics of applicants, such as their filing status, living arrangement, and marital status. In this paper we develop a dynamic structural model to study the effects of the U.S. tax-transfer system on the decisions of non-college-educated workers with children. In our model workers face uninsurable idiosyncratic risks and make decisions on savings, labor supply, living arrangement, and marital status. We find that the U.S. anti-poverty policy distorts the cohabitation/marriage decision of single mothers, providing incentives to cohabit. We also find quantitatively important effects on savings, and on the labor supply of husbands and wives. Namely, the model yields a U-shaped relationship between the earnings of one spouse and the labor supply of the other spouse, a result that we also find in the data. We show that these U-shaped relationships stem in part from the current design of anti-poverty income programs, and that the introduction of an EITC deduction on the earnings of secondary earners—as proposed in the 21st Century Worker Tax Cut Act—would increase the employment rate of the spouses of workers earning between $15K and $35K, especially of female spouses." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2022 Elsevier) ((en))

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Seibert, Holger, Barbara Schwengler & Doris Wiethölter (2022): Berufsspezifische Lohnunterschiede: In einigen Helferjobs verdienen Fachkräfte mehr als in ihrem erlernten Beruf. (IAB-Kurzbericht 14/2022), Nürnberg, 8 S. DOI:10.48720/IAB.KB.2214

Abstract

"Auf dem deutschen Arbeitsmarkt dominieren Tätigkeiten mit mittleren und hohen Qualifikationsanforderungen. Daneben existiert im Helfersegment eine Reihe einfacher Tätigkeiten, die im Schnitt vergleichsweise niedrig entlohnt werden. Das trifft aber nicht für alle Helfertätigkeiten zu. In bestimmten Konstellationen können ausgebildete Fachkräfte auf Helferniveau höhere Verdienste erzielen als im erlernten Beruf." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Seils, Eric & Helge Baumann (2022): Der untere Entgeltbereich. (WSI Policy Brief / Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftliches Institut 65), Düsseldorf, 12 S.

Abstract

"Die Bundesagentur für Arbeit hat erstmals nicht nur fachlich, sondern auch regional tief gegliederte Daten zum unteren Entgeltbereich herausgegeben (Bundesagentur für Arbeit 2021a). In Verbindung mit weiteren Sonderauswertungen der Bundesagentur liefern diese Kennziffern detaillierte Informationen über Menschen, die trotz Vollzeitbeschäftigung am Ende des Monats wenig Lohn haben. Diese Daten sollen im Hinblick auf die folgenden Fragen ausgewertet werden: Wer sind die Geringverdiener und wo arbeiten sie? Wie hat sich der untere Entgeltbereich entwickelt? Welche regionalen Unterschiede bestehen und wie lassen sich diese erklären? Zunächst soll jedoch auf methodische Aspekte eingegangen werden." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Siegert, Christina (2022): Erwerbsarmut in Österreich aus Geschlechterperspektive. In: Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft, Jg. 47, H. 4, S. 511-535.

Abstract

"Der Beitrag widmet sich anhand österreichischer EU-SILC-Querschnittsdaten (2017—2019) der Frage, ob und wie sich unselbständig beschäftigte Frauen und Männer hinsichtlich ihres Erwerbsarmutsrisikos auf Basis des Personeneinkommens unterscheiden. Dazu werden auf Basis der individuellen Beschäftigungssituation, des gestaffelten Personeneinkommens (Erwerbseinkommen, andere Personeneinkommen, anteilige Haushaltseinkommen) und haushaltsspezifischer Armutsschwellen Erwerbsarmutsquoten für Frauen und Männer ausgewiesen. Ausgehend von Überlegungen zur Arbeitsmarktbenachteiligung und finanzieller Abhängigkeit von Frauen stehen geschlechts- und haushaltsspezifische Beschäftigungsstrategien, erfasst durch Beschäftigungsausmaß und Lohnhöhe, und deren Konsequenzen für das individuelle Erwerbsarmutsrisiko im Zentrum der Analyse. Potenzielle Zusammenhänge werden mit Hilfe von Kontingenz- und logistischen Regressionsanalysen überprüft, womit dieser Beitrag neue Erkenntnisse über die haushalts- und geschlechterspezifische Situation unselbständig beschäftigter working poor in Österreich liefert. Die Resultate weisen darauf hin, dass Frauen häufiger teilzeit- und niedriglohnbeschäftigt sind und in Paarhaushalten mehrheitlich nur einen Zuverdienst zum Haushaltseinkommen leisten, während Männer überwiegend Allein- oder Hauptverdiener sind. Frauen sind stärker als Männer auf Einkommenskomponenten jenseits des eigenen Erwerbseinkommens angewiesen, um Erwerbsarmut zu vermeiden. Aber nicht Frauen per se, sondern ausschließlich (die überwiegend teilzeitbeschäftigten) Mütter sind gegenüber Männern einem erhöhten Erwerbsarmutsrisiko ausgesetzt. Könnten Mütter nur auf ihr Erwerbseinkommen oder andere Personeneinkommen zurückgreifen, wäre mindestens jede Zweite von ihnen working poor." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Villanueva, Ernesto & Effrosyni Adamopoulou (2022): Employment and wage effects of extending collective bargaining agreements. Sectoral collective contracts reduce inequality but may lead to job losses among workers with earnings close to the wage floors. (IZA world of labor 136), Bonn, 12 S. DOI:10.15185/izawol.136.v2

Abstract

"Der Gesamteffekt der Allgemeinverbindlichkeit von Tarifverträgen hängt davon ab, wie viele Arbeitsplätze aufgrund der tariflich geregelten Lohnuntergrenzen und sonstigen Arbeitsbedingungen abgebaut werden. Um die Auswirkungen auf Löhne und Beschäftigung bewerten zu können, müssen Informationen über Tarifverträge mit Längsschnittdaten zu Arbeitgebern und Arbeitnehmern verknüpft werden. Neue Erkenntnisse der Forschung zeigen, dass negative Effekte meist auf Arbeitnehmer mit Verdiensten in der Nähe der Mindestlöhne beschränkt sind. Öffnungsklauseln und Repräsentativitätserfordernisse können dem entgegenwirken." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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von Borries, Alvaro, Markus Grillitsch & Karl-Johan Lundquist (2022): Geographies of Low-Income Jobs: The concentration of low-income jobs, the knowledge economy and labor market polarization in Sweden, 1990-2018. (Papers in innovation studies / CIRCLE, Lund University 2022,04), Lund, 31 S.

Abstract

"In this paper we explore the (changing) spatial concentration of low-income jobs throughout the last 30 years in Sweden, a period that has been characterized by the rise of what has become known as the knowledge economy. In particular, we describe (map) and try to understand what drives the concentration of low-income jobs in certain regions and how that has changed in time. We observe an overall decrease of the prevalence of low-income jobs during the last three decades. Moreover, regions have also converged, meaning that the great differentiator between places is less and less about how many low-income jobs they host, but how many very well paid there are. We also find that labor market polarization does not seem to lead to a greater incidence of low-income jobs when measured against a threshold related to the national income distribution, but, as expected, it does when we move towards a regional threshold, thus accounting for regional income differences. Finally, regions with a larger knowledge economy have tended to have a lower incidence of low-income jobs, both measured with respect to the national and to the regional income. This points towards the knowledge economy being a source of regional prosperity either through the upgrading of jobs or rising the wages of low- income workers. Despite all the discourse about the degradation of the Nordic model, we provide some evidence for it to be still working in Sweden under this new and complex knowledge-dominated era." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Baranowska-Rataj, Anna, Zoltán Elekes & Rikard Eriksson (2021): Escaping from Low-Wage Employment. The Role of Co-worker Networks. (CERS-IE working papers 2021,22), Budapest, 29 S.

Abstract

"Low-wage jobs are often regarded as dead-ends in the labour market careers of young people. Previous research focused on disentangling to what degree the association between a low-wage job at the start of working life and limited chances of transitioning to better-paid employment is causal or spurious. Less attention has been paid to the channels that may facilitate the upward wage mobility of low-wage workers. We focus on such mechanisms, and we scrutinize the impact of social ties to higher-educated co-workers. Due to knowledge spillovers, job referrals, as well as firm-level productivity gains, having higher-educated co-workers may improve an individual's chances of transitioning to a better-paid job. We use linked employer-employee data from longitudinal Swedish registers and panel data models that incorporate measures of low-wage workers' social ties to higher-educated co-workers. Our results confirm that having social ties to higher-educated co-workers increases individual chances of transitioning to better-paid employment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Borrs, Linda & Florian Knauth (2021): Trade, technology, and the channels of wage inequality. In: European Economic Review, Jg. 131. DOI:10.1016/j.euroecorev.2020.103607

Abstract

"We use a large sample of German workers to analyse whether low-wage competition with China and Eastern Europe (the East) affects the wage structure within German manufacturing industries. In order to identify the channels through which trade and technology affect wage inequality, we decompose wages into firm and worker components. We find that the rise of market access and the competitiveness of the East has a substantial impact on inequality via the worker-wage component. While we find no large effect of the firm effect and assortative matching on overall inequality we find that trade induced matching is relevant for high-tech industries. We also account for exposure to technological change and do not find an effect on the dispersion of wage components. Overall, trade explains around 15% of the recent increase in wage inequality." (Author's abstract, © 2021 Elsevier) ((en))

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Carr, Michael D. & Emily E. Wiemers (2021): The role of low earnings in differing trends in male earnings volatility. In: Economics Letters, Jg. 199. DOI:10.1016/j.econlet.2020.109702

Abstract

"Trends in male earnings volatility vary across studies. Volatility is flat or increasing in most studies using survey data but falling in recent studies using administrative data. This paper uses Survey of Income and Program Participation data linked to administrative earnings histories from the Detailed Earnings Records to investigate the effect of the treatment of low earnings on earnings volatility. We show that volatility trends are sensitive to the treatment of low earnings: when low earnings are treated as is typically done with survey data, volatility is flat or increasing slightly, but when low earnings are treated as in recent studies using administrative earnings data, volatility declines." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2021 Elsevier) ((en))

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Cavenaile, Laurent (2021): Offshoring, computerization, labor market polarization and top income inequality. In: Journal of macroeconomics, Jg. 69. DOI:10.1016/j.jmacro.2021.103317

Abstract

"This paper proposes a model of occupational choice with heterogeneous agents in terms of human capital to quantify the role of offshoring and computerization in labor market polarization and increased top income inequality. We find that both offshoring and computerization played a major role regarding labor market polarization in the US over the period 1975–2008. We further show that the last decades can be decomposed into two subperiods. Computerization is the main driver of labor market polarization from 1975 to the mid 1990s, after which globalization (through decreased costs of offshoring) explains more than 70% of job and wage polarization. Our model can also explain around 40% of the observed increase in top income inequality since 1975." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2021 Elsevier) ((en))

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Dorn, David & Peter Levell (2021): Trade and Inequality in Europe and the US. (IZA discussion paper 14914), Bonn, 65 S.

Abstract

"The share of low-income countries in global exports nearly tripled between 1990 and 2015, driven largely by the rapid emergence of China as an exporting powerhouse. While research in economics had long acknowledged that trade with lower-income countries could raise income inequality in Europe and the US, empirical estimates indicated only a modest contribution of trade to growing national skill premia. However, if workers are not highly mobile across firms, industries and locations, then the unequal impacts of trade can manifest along different margins. Recent evidence from countries across Europe and the US shows that growing import competition from China differentially reduced earnings and employment rates for workers in more trade-exposed industries, and for the residents of more trade-exposed geographic regions. These adverse impacts were often largest for lower-skilled individuals. We show that domestic manufacturing employment declined much more in countries that saw a large growth of net imports from China (such as the UK and the US), than in countries that maintained relatively balanced trade with China (such as Germany and Switzerland). Drawing on a new analysis for the UK, we further show that trade with China contributed to job loss in manufacturing, but also to substantial declines in consumer prices. However, while the adverse labour market impacts were concentrated on specific groups of workers and regions, the consumer benefits from trade were widely dispersed in the population, and appear similarly large for high-income and low-income households. Globalisation has thus created pockets of losers, and recent evidence indicates that in addition to financial losses, residents of regions with greater exposure to import competition also suffer from higher crime rates, a deterioration of health outcomes, and a dissolution of traditional family structures. We argue that new import tariffs such as those imposed by the US in 2018 and 2019 are unlikely to help the losers from globalisation. Instead, displaced workers may be better supported by a combination of transfers to avert financial hardship, skills training that facilitate reintegration into the labour market, and place-based policies that stimulate job creation in depressed locations." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Engelhardt, Gary V. & Patrick J. Purcell (2021): The minimum wage and annual earnings inequality. In: Economics Letters, Jg. 207. DOI:10.1016/j.econlet.2021.110001

Abstract

"We estimate the impact of the minimum wage on U.S. male annual earnings inequality, using administrative Social Security earnings records from 1981-2015. The minimum wage reduces inequality in the bottom quartile of the earnings distribution, and especially in the bottom decile." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2021 Elsevier) ((en))

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Farmand, Aida & Owen Davis (2021): Who Does the Earned Income Tax Credit Benefit? A Monopsony View. (Working paper / Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis 2021-02), New York, NY, 45 S.

Abstract

"The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) targets refundable tax credits to low-income workers, incentivizing labor supply and raising the incomes of tens of millions of Americans. One possible consequence of subsidizing low-wage work, however, is to reduce wage growth. A monopsony model of the EITC is developed in order to analyze its impacts on labor market outcomes, which are identified by exploiting variation in state EITC supplements. A first set of results focused on the food service industry find that the EITC increases employment and reduces turnover among young women. Further results suggest that the EITC reduces wages for workers without college degrees. These findings prompt a reconsideration of the redistributive effects of the EITC, particularly for groups like older low-wage workers who face slower wage growth as a result of the policy but do not receive the same level of benefits on average." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Gonon, Anna & Anna John (2021): Der ungleiche Wert geringqualifizierter Arbeit. Erwerbschancen in der Bau- und Reinigungsbranche. In: Industrielle Beziehungen, Jg. 28, H. 3, S. 260-282. DOI:10.3224/indbez.v28i3.03

Abstract

"Fehlende formale Qualifikationen wirken sich negativ auf Erwerbschancen aus, insbesondere für Frauen. Während die Forschung bisher vor allem makrostrukturelle Faktoren beleuchtete, nimmt dieser Beitrag die Mesoebene in den Blick und fragt danach, wie die Erwerbschancen Geringqualifizierter durch branchenspezifische Formen der Beschäftigung und Arbeitsorganisation beeinflusst werden. Durch den Vergleich zweier geschlechtersegregierter Branchen, dem Bau- und Reinigungsgewerbe in der Schweiz, wird aufgezeigt, wie Systeme der kollektiven Lohnverhandlung, Strategien des Personaleinsatzes sowie Regeln und Praktiken der Beförderung und Weiterbildung zu ungleichen Erwerbschancen beitragen. Analytisch knüpft der Artikel an die Theorie der Unterschätzung von Frauenarbeit an und konzipiert Erwerbschancen als Resultat unterschiedlicher Konstruktionen des Werts von Arbeit. Als empirische Grundlage dienen qualitative Interviews mit Arbeitgebenden, geringqualifizierten Arbeitskräften und Gewerkschaftsvertretern. Zudem wurden die Kollektivverträge der beiden Branchen analysiert. Der Fokus liegt auf Generalunternehmen der Baubranche und auf der Unterhaltsreinigung. Während sich Erstere durch hohe Mindestlöhne sowie institutionalisierte Aufstiegsmöglichkeiten auszeichnen, ist Letztere durch niedrige Löhne, Unterbeschäftigung und mangelnde Möglichkeiten der beruflichen Weiterentwicklung geprägt. Der Beitrag belegt die Vielschichtigkeit der Faktoren, die auf der Ebene von Branchen und Betrieben die Erwerbschancen von Geringqualifizierten beeinflussen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Grabka, Markus M. (2021): Einkommensungleichheit stagniert langfristig, sinkt aber während der Corona-Pandemie leicht. In: DIW-Wochenbericht, Jg. 88, H. 18, S. 307-316. DOI:10.18723/diw_wb:2021-18-1

Abstract

"Sowohl Löhne als auch bedarfsgewichtete Haushaltseinkommen sind im Zeitraum 2013 bis 2018 real um gut zehn Prozent gestiegen. Hiervon profitierten alle Einkommensgruppen. Die Ungleichheit der Löhne ist seit mehreren Jahren rückläufig und liegt wieder auf dem Niveau wie zu Beginn der 2000er Jahre. Parallel dazu ist der Niedriglohnsektor um zwei Prozentpunkte geschrumpft. Anders verhält es sich bei den Haushaltseinkommen, bei denen sich die Ungleichheit seit vielen Jahren kaum verändert hat. Auch die Niedrigeinkommensquote stagniert. Allerdings ist der Anteil der Personen, die von essentiellem Mangel (materieller Deprivation) betroffen sind, auf ein im europäischen Vergleich niedriges Niveau gesunken. Seit Ausbruch der Covid-19-Pandemie hat die Einkommensungleichheit in Deutschland leicht abgenommen, was vor allem an den rückläufigen Einkommen bei den Selbstständigen liegen dürfte. Die Pandemie birgt aber die Gefahr, dass durch eine steigende Zahl von Insolvenzen und Arbeitslosen die Einkommen in der Breite wieder sinken. Die Politik sollte die Hilfen an Selbstständige und Unternehmen nicht zu früh einstellen und deren Zielgenauigkeit nachjustieren." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Hammer, Bernhard, Michael Christl & Silvia De Poli (2021): Redistribution across Europe: How much and to whom? (JRC working papers on taxation and structural reforms 2021-14), Seville, 28 S.

Abstract

"Governments face a potential trade-off between provision for the growing population in retirement and the support of working-age households with low income. Using EUROMOD-based microdata from 28 countries, we (a) quantify the redistribution to the pensioner and non-pensioner populations, (b) study the position of net beneficiaries in the overall income distribution and (c) analyse how taxes and benefits affect the working-age population with low income. Our results provide novel insights into the distributive role of tax-benefit systems across Europe. Interestingly, a strong overall redistribution between households is associated with generous pensions for a portion of the retirees but negatively related to support for low-income households." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Hirsch, Donald, Pierre Concialdi, Antoine Math, Matt Padley, Elvira Pereira, José Pereirinha & Robert Thornton (2021): The Minimum Income Standard and equivalisation. Reassessing relative costs of singles and couples and of adults and children. In: Journal of Social Policy, Jg. 50, H. 1, S. 148-167. DOI:10.1017/S0047279419001004

Abstract

"Equivalence scales, used to compare incomes across household types, strongly influence which households have low reported income, affecting public policy priorities. Yet they draw on abstract, often dated evidence and arbitrary judgements, and on comparisons across the income distribution rather than focusing on minimum requirements. Budget standards provide more tangible comparisons of the minimum required by different household types. The Minimum Income Standard (MIS) method, now established in several countries, applies a common methodological framework for compiling budgets, based on public deliberations. This article draws for the first time on results across countries. In all of the four countries examined, it identifies an under-estimation by the OECD scale of the relative cost of children compared to adults, and, in three of the four, an under-estimation of the cost of singles compared to couples. This more systematically corroborates previous, dispersed evidence, and helps explain which specific expenditure categories influence these results. These results have high policy relevance, showing greater proportions of low income households to contain children than standard income distribution data. While no single equivalence scale can be universally accurate, making use of evidence based directly on benchmarks such as MIS can help inform public priorities in tackling low income." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Jäger, Simon, Christopher Roth, Nina Roussille & Benjamin Schoefer (2021): Worker Beliefs About Outside Options. (NBER working paper 29623), Cambridge, Mass, 119 S. DOI:10.3386/w29623

Abstract

"Workers wrongly anchor their beliefs about outside options on their current wage. In particular, low-paid workers underestimate wages elsewhere. We document this anchoring bias by eliciting workers' beliefs in a representative survey in Germany and comparing them to measures of actual outside options in linked administrative labor market data. In an equilibrium model, such anchoring can give rise to monopsony and labor market segmentation. In line with the model, misperceptions are particularly pronounced among workers in low-wage firms. If workers had correct beliefs, at least 10% of jobs, concentrated in low-wage firms, would not be viable at current wages." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kalina, Thorsten & Claudia Weinkopf (2021): Niedriglohnbeschäftigung 2019 – deutlicher Rückgang vor allem in Ostdeutschland. (IAQ-Report 2021-06), Duisburg, 17 S. DOI:10.17185/duepublico/74521

Abstract

"Im Jahr 2019 arbeiteten noch 25,3 % der ostdeutschen und 18,9 % der westdeutschen Beschäftigten für einen Niedriglohn von unter 11,50 € brutto pro Stunde. In Deutschland insgesamt waren rund 7,2 Millionen Beschäftigte in einem Niedriglohnjob tätig. In den Jahren 2011 bis 2019 hat sich der Niedriglohnanteil in Ostdeutschland von 39,4 % auf 25,3 % deutlich reduziert. Allein im Jahr 2019 sank der Anteil der Niedriglohnbeschäftigten im Osten um sieben Prozentpunkte. In Westdeutschland erreichte der Niedriglohnanteil seinen höchsten Wert im Jahr 2011 (20,9 %) und schwankte danach zwischen 19,6 % und 20,6 %. Von 2016 bis 2019 ist die Niedriglohnquote von 20,4 % auf 18,9 % gesunken. Der deutliche Rückgang der Niedriglohnbeschäftigung in Ostdeutschland hängt auch damit zusammen, dass in den meisten Branchen die zuvor unterschiedlich hohen tariflichen Verdienste in West- und Ostdeutschland inzwischen angeglichen worden sind." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Kaufmann, Klara, Volker Kotte, Barbara Schwengler & Doris Wiethölter (2021): Regional unterschiedliche Beschäftigungsentwicklung von Helfertätigkeiten. (IAB-Forschungsbericht 10/2021), Nürnberg, 54 S.

Abstract

"Im vorliegenden Bericht betrachten wir die Beschäftigungsentwicklung der Helfertätigkeiten, für die in der Regel kein Berufsabschluss erforderlich ist, für die Jahre 2015 bis 2019. Dabei zeigt sich, dass die Zahl der Beschäftigten, die Helfer- oder Anlerntätigkeiten ausübten, in dem betrachteten Zeitraum überdurchschnittlich gestiegen ist. Zu einem großen Teil wurde die positive Beschäftigungsentwicklung von ausländischen Beschäftigten getragen, und hier vor allem von Staatsangehörigen aus den acht Hauptasylherkunftsländern, die im betrachteten Zeitraum erstmals eine Beschäftigung aufnehmen konnten. Die Entwicklung der Helfertätigkeiten verlief im Bundesländervergleich recht unterschiedlich. Grund dafür sind unterschiedliche Branchenstrukturen. Hier zeigen sich einige markante Unterschiede zwischen Ost- und Westdeutschland sowie zwischen Städten und ländlichen Räumen. Während in Westdeutschland der Anstieg an Helfertätigkeiten im Baugewerbe deutlich stärker ausfiel als in den östlichen Bundesländern, waren in Ostdeutschland im Bereich Verkehr und Lagerei die höchsten Zuwächse zu verzeichnen. Zudem fiel in den östlichen Bundesländern die prozentuale Zunahme im Gesundheits- und Sozialwesen und bei den sonstigen Dienstleistungen deutlich höher aus als in Westdeutschland. Die Covid-19-Pandemie ab dem Jahr 2020 traf dann Helfertätigkeiten vergleichsweise stark und führte zu einem Beschäftigungsrückgang von 2019 bis 2020 von 2,4 Prozent, während vor allem die Spezialisten- und Expertentätigkeiten Beschäftigungszuwächse verzeichneten. Grund hierfür ist, dass bestimmte Branchen stark von der Corona-Krise betroffen waren, in denen viele Helfer beschäftigt sind, wie z.B. die wirtschaftsbezogenen Dienstleistungen, das Gastgewerbe sowie das Verarbeitende Gewerbe." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Kubis, Alexander & Martin Popp (2021): Einbruch am Arbeitsmarkt ging zulasten von Helfertätigkeiten ( Serie "Corona-Krise: Folgen für den Arbeitsmarkt" ). In: IAB-Forum H. 10.06.2021, o. Sz., 2021-06-08.

Abstract

"Die Zahl der Beschäftigten sowie der offenen Stellen im Helfer- und Fachkräftebereich ist im Pandemie-Jahr 2020 deutlich zurückgegangen. Die Nachfrage nach Arbeitskräften, deren gesuchte Qualifikation den beruflichen Anforderungsniveaus „Spezialist“ oder „Experte“ entspricht, erweist sich demgegenüber bislang als relativ robust." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Lacava, Chiara (2021): Matching and sorting across regions. (ICIR working paper series 2021,44), Frankfurt am Main, 39 S.

Abstract

"I measure the effects of workers' mobility across regions of different productivity through the lens of a search and matching model with heterogeneous workers and firms estimated with administrative data. In an application to Italy, I find that reallocation of workers to the most productive region boosts productivity at the country level but amplifies differentials across regions. Employment rates decline as migrants foster job competition, and inequality between workers doubles in less productive areas since displacement is particularly severe for low-skill workers. Migration does affect mismatch: mobility favors co-location of agents with similar productivity but within-region rank correlation declines in the most productive region. I show that worker-firm complementarities in production account for 33% of the productivity gains. Place-based programs directed to firms, like incentives for hiring unemployed or creating high productivity jobs, raise employment rates and reduce the gaps in productivity across regions. In contrast, subsidies to attract high-skill workers in the South have limited effects." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Lopes, Helena & Teresa Calapez (2021): Job polarisation: Capturing the effects of work organisation. In: The Economic and Labour Relations Review, Jg. 32, H. 4, S. 594-613. DOI:10.1177/1035304621996064

Abstract

"This article critically challenges the findings and assumptions of mainstream job polarisation literature. Based on the European Working Conditions Survey data and on the Job Demand-Control model, which allows for capturing the organizational dimension of jobs, we examine the patterns and evolution of occupations in 22 European countries from 2005 to 2015. Instead of pervasive job polarisation, we observe a near-pervasive trend of upgrading job quality, suggesting that job polarisation may be caused by the undervaluation/devaluation of jobs low in the occupational hierarchy – not by computerization-driven changes in work tasks. Indeed, only the former can explain the decrease in the number of low-quality jobs while the number of low-paid jobs increases. After documenting the relevance of firm-level organisational choices, we suggest that counteracting job polarisation requires, beyond meso-level collective bargaining, a public intervention that promotes participatory decision-making in firms. JEL Codes: J2, J81, M540" (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Merz, Joachim & Bettina Scherg (2021): Time, Income and Subjective Well-Being - 20 Years of Interdependent Multidimensional Polarization in Germany. (IZA discussion paper 14870), Bonn, 40 S.

Abstract

"Society drifts apart in many dimensions. Economists focus on income of the poor and rich and the distribution of income but a broader spectrum of dimensions is required to draw the picture of multiple facets of individual life. In our study of multidimensional polarization we extend the income dimension by time, a pre-requisite and fundamental resource of any individual activity. In particular, we consider genuine personal time as a pronounced source of social participation in the sense of social inclusion/exclusion and Amartya Sen's capability approach. With an interdependence approach to multidimensional polarization we allow compensation between time and income, parameters of a CES-type subjective well-being function, where a possible substitution is evaluated empirically by the German population instead of arbitrarily chosen. Beyond subjective well-being indices we propose and apply a new intensity/gap measure to multidimensional polarization, the mean minimum polarization gap 2DGAP. This polarization intensity measure provides transparency with regard to each single attribute, which is important for targeted policies, while at the same time their interdependent relations is respected. The empirical investigation of interdependent multidimensional polarization incidence and intensity uses the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) and detailed time use diary data from the three German Time Use Surveys (GTUS) 1991/92, 2001/02 and the actual 2012/13. We focus on the working individuals where the working poor requires increasing interest in the economic and social political discussion. The microeconometric two-stage selectivity corrected estimation of interdependent multidimensional risk (incidence) and intensity quantifies socio-economic factors behind. Four striking results appear: First, genuine personal leisure time additional to income is a significant subjective well-being and polarization dimension. Second, its interdependence, its compensation/substitution, ev" (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Nightingale, Madeline (2021): Part-time employment and the gender gap in low pay for UK employees: what changed over the period 1996–2016? In: Community, work & family, Jg. 24, H. 3, S. 272-290. DOI:10.1080/13668803.2019.1681938

Abstract

"This article assesses the contribution of part-time employment to the gender gap in low pay for UK employees 1996–2016. Over this period, there has been a sustained decline in the importance of part-time employment as a contributing factor to the gender gap in low pay. This is largely due to the fact that the link between part-time employment and low pay has become weaker over time (shifts in the gender composition of the part-time workforce are found to be less important). However, part-time work continues to play a crucial role in shaping persistent gender inequality in low pay for UK employees." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Schnabel, Claus (2021): Low-wage employment. Are low-paid jobs stepping stones to higher-paid jobs, do they become persistent, or do they lead to recurring unemployment? (IZA world of labor 276), Bonn, 10 S. DOI:10.15185/izawol.276.v2

Abstract

"Ungeachtet geringer Aufwärtsmobilität können Niedriglohnjobs für manche Arbeitnehmergruppen ein Sprungbrett zu besser bezahlten Arbeitsplätzen bilden. Dieser Befund kann „Work first“-Strategien wohlfahrtsstaatlicher Reformen unterstützen. Allerdings ist Niedriglohnbeschäftigung kein selbstkorrigierendes System, sondern kann Narben hinterlassen. Um Aufstiegschancen zu vergrößern, ist ein ganzheitlicher Politikansatz notwendig: er sollte Strategien der aktiven Arbeitsmarktpolitik ebenso umfassen wie eine Philosophie des lebenslangen Lernens und die Unterstützung von Unternehmen, die stärker in die Qualifizierung ihrer Beschäftigten investieren und ihnen bessere Perspektiven außerhalb des Niedriglohnsegments verschaffen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Schäfer, Holger (2021): Niedriglohnbeschäftigung in Deutschland. Chance oder Risiko? In: IW-Trends, Jg. 48, H. 4, S. 23-44. DOI:10.2373/1864-810X.21-04-03

Abstract

"Niedriglohnbeschäftigung wird häufig als soziales Problem wahrgenommen, das es mit gesetzgeberischen Maßnahmen zu begrenzen gelte. Die vorliegende Untersuchung zeigt mit Daten des Sozio-oekonomischen Panels, dass einerseits zwar durchaus Anzeichen dafür bestehen, dass Niedriglohnbeschäftigte häufiger soziale Problemlagen erfahren als Beschäftigte mit höheren Löhnen. Andererseits stehen sie in der Regel besser da als Arbeitslose. Zudem erfüllt der Niedriglohnsektor eine wichtige Rolle bei der Arbeitsmarktintegration von zuvor inaktiven Personen. Mithilfe eines Propensity Score Matchings kann gezeigt werden, dass Arbeitslose sowie Nichterwerbstätige mit Erwerbswunsch durch die Aufnahme einer Niedriglohnbeschäftigung ihre Arbeitsmarktchancen deutlich erhöhen im Vergleich zu einer Kontrollgruppe von gleichartigen Personen, die keine Niedriglohnbeschäftigung aufnahmen. So hatten die Niedriglohnbeschäftigten nach fünf Jahren rund fünf Monate weniger in Arbeitslosigkeit verbracht. Auch die Einkommensperspektiven verbesserten sich signifikant: Fünf Jahre nach dem Eintritt in den Niedriglohnsektor haben die Arbeitnehmer 12.000 Euro mehr verdient als die Kontrollgruppe. Die Herausforderung des Niedriglohnsektors besteht daher nicht in seiner Begrenzung durch gesetzliche Maßnahmen, sondern in der Verbesserung der Chance, aus ihm heraus in höhere Lohnsegmente aufzusteigen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Struffolino, Emanuela & Zachary Van Winkle (2021): Gender and race differences in pathways out of in-work poverty in the US. In: Social science research, Jg. 99. DOI:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2021.102585

Zitatform

(2021): Niedriglöhne in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Antwort der Bundesregierung auf die Kleine Anfrage der Abgeordneten und der Fraktion DIE LINKE (Drucksache 19/31814). (Verhandlungen des Deutschen Bundestages. Drucksachen 19/32223 (26.08.2021)), 82 S.

Abstract

Die Bundesregierung antwortet auf die Anfrage der Fraktion DIE LINKE zu Niedriglöhnen in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. (IAB)