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Latner, Jonathan P. (2024): The effect of transitioning into temporary employment on wages is not negative: A comparative study in eight countries. In: Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, Jg. 92, 2024-07-22. DOI:10.1016/j.rssm.2024.100957

Abstract

"There remains a lack of clarity about the effect of temporary employment on wages. Using asymmetric fixed effects models with a dummy impact function, we study the wage effects of four distinct transitions: (1) from unemployment into a temporary relative to (2) a permanent contracts; and (3) from temporary into permanent contracts relative to (4) from permanent into temporary contracts. We use panel data from eight countries to examine the effect of these distinct transitions, over time after the transition occurs, and in a cross-national, comparative context. The main finding explains the wage penalty of temporary employment identified by previous research. The negative effect is more accurately understood as the difference between two types of transitions, neither of which are negative, even if transitions from temporary into permanent contracts more positive than transitions from permanent into temporary contracts. There is little difference in the wage effect of transitions from unemployment into temporary relative to permanent contracts. The findings may be counter intuitive, but they are consistent with the theory of equalizing differences." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2024 Elsevier) ((en))

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Lehner, Lukas, Paul Ramskogler & Aleksandra Riedl (2024): Beggaring Thy Co-Worker: Labor Market Dualization and the Wage Growth Slowdown in Europe. In: ILR review, Jg. 77, H. 5, S. 659-684. DOI:10.1177/00197939241248162

Abstract

"As temporary employment has become a pervasive feature of modern labor markets, reasons for wage growth have become less well understood. To determine whether these two phenomena are related, the authors investigate whether the dualized structure of labor markets affects macroeconomic developments. Specifically, they incorporate involuntary temporary workers into the standard wage Phillips curve to examine wage growth in 30 European countries for the period 2004–2017. Relying on individual-level data to adjust for a changing employment composition, their findings show, for the first time, that the incidence of involuntary temporary workers has strong negative effects on permanent workers’ wage growth, thereby dampening aggregate wage growth. This effect, which the authors name the competition effect, is particularly pronounced in countries where wage bargaining institutions are weak. The findings shed further light on the reasons for the secular slowdown of wage growth after the global financial crisis." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Magoga-Sabatier, Sabrine (2024): Coverage for platform workers and the self-employed in case of unemployment in Switzerland: Access to protection and ways of improvement. In: European Journal of Social Security, Jg. 26, H. 2, S. 198-213. DOI:10.1177/13882627241256003

Abstract

"Whether they are self-employed, atypical employees, or self-employed using an umbrella company, there is still almost no social protection against unemployment or partial loss of activity in Switzerland for platform workers. The same can be said for the self-employed in general. This contribution shows that platform workers, irrespective of their exact legal status, and the self-employed in general, risk sanctions for taking on unsuitable work, for being insufficiently available for decent work or unable to prove a loss of income. However hard they try, they cannot even contribute to a voluntary unemployment insurance scheme. We show that the Swiss social protection scheme, a product of years of federal direct democracy, is hardly able to adapt to the fast-moving platform work environment, thus increasing the risks of precariousness and the burden on the cantons' social assistance for the next generation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Manning, Alan & Graham Mazeine (2024): Subjective Job Insecurity and the Rise of the Precariat: Evidence from the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States. In: The Review of Economics and Statistics, Jg. 106, H. 3, S. 748-761. DOI:10.1162/rest_a_01196

Abstract

"There is a widespread belief that work is less secure than in the past, that an increasing share of workers are part of the “precariat.” It is hard to find much evidence for this in objective measures of job security, but perhaps subjective measures show different trends. This paper shows that in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, workers feel as secure as they ever have in the past 30 years. This is partly because job insecurity is very cyclical and (pre-COVID) unemployment rates very low, but there is also no clear underlying trend towards increased subjective measures of job insecurity. This conclusion seems robust to controlling for the changing mix of the labor force, and it is true for specific subsets of workers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © MIT Press Journals) ((en))

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Martinez Dy, Angela, Dilani Jayawarna & Susan Marlow (2024): Racial Capitalism and Entrepreneurship: An Intersectional Feminist Labour Market Perspective on UK Self-Employment. In: Sociology, Jg. 58, H. 5, S. 1038-1060. DOI:10.1177/00380385241228444

Abstract

"This article explains entrepreneurial activity patterns in the United Kingdom labour market using theories of racial capitalism and intersectional feminism. Using UK Office for National Statistics Labour Force Survey data 2018–2019 and employing probit modelling techniques on employment modes, self-employment types and work arrangements among differing groups, we investigate inequality in self-employment within and between socio-structural groupings of race, class and gender. We find that those belonging to non-dominant gender, race and socio-economic class groupings experience an intersecting set of entrepreneurial penalties, enhancing understanding of the ways multiple social hierarchies interact in self-employment patterns. This robust quantitative evidence challenges contemporary debates, policy and practice regarding the potential for entrepreneurship to offer viable income generation opportunities by those on the socio-economic margins." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Mizobata, Hirokazu (2024): Japan's dual labor market and its macroeconomic characteristics. In: Empirical economics, Jg. 67, H. 1, S. 165-196. DOI:10.1007/s00181-024-02555-6

Abstract

"This study examines the characteristics of Japan's dual labor market, which consists of standard and non-standard employment. I conduct labor stock and flow analyses using Japanese Labour Force Survey data from 2002 to 2022. The stock analysis suggests that, in the long run, non-standard employment improves labor market conditions, such as employment and unemployment rates. Changes in the composition of standard and non-standard employment reduce the average hours per worker in the long run but play a limited role over the business cycles. The flow analysis reveals that inflows and outflows involving non-standard employment have relatively significant effects on changes in employment and unemployment rates. This feature of non-standard employment is more pronounced for females and young individuals. The flow analysis also shows that within-employment reallocation, that is, transitions between standard and non-standard employment, primarily determines the changes in the share of non-standard employment. The sluggish movement between these two types of contracts leads to a persistently high level of non-standard employment in Japan." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Mišič, Luka & Grega Strban (2024): Atypical work and residence in cross-border situations: The coordination of unemployment benefits. In: European Journal of Social Security, Jg. 26, H. 2, S. 266-283. DOI:10.1177/13882627241255023

Abstract

"This article analyses the potential challenges related to the coordination of unemployment benefits under European Union law for persons whose employment or other economic activities and living arrangements are, in one way or another, dispersed across the territories of several EU Member States. Starting from the traditional cases of frontier workers and other cross-border (or mobile) workers, on the one hand, and remote work or telework, on the other, the article looks at the potential future of free movement in the EU under Regulation (EC) No. 883/2004 and its implementing regulation, Regulation (EC) No. 987/2009. New forms of work and work organisation, alongside new mobility and residency patterns, challenge the basic rules of lex loci laboris (the country of employment is competent) and lex loci domicilii (the country of residence is competent), especially when they collide in a single case. At the same time, unemployment benefits, which are at the heart of this debate, still remain subject to specific coordination (e.g. competence) rules that depart from the general legislation, possibly making effective provision in such cases even more difficult. The article gives a diverse collection of theoretical examples in which cross-border situations are either in themselves atypical and complex, or accompanied and made possible by new forms of work or work organisation, causing specific problems for the adequate and appropriate provision of unemployment benefits." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Mussida, Chiara & Dario Sciulli (2024): Poverty and Temporary Employment in Italy. In: Italian economic journal. DOI:10.1007/s40797-024-00297-z

Abstract

"This paper explores the relationship between temporary employment and poverty in Italy by using 2016–2019 longitudinal EU-SILC data. We model both poverty and labor market outcomes and account for possible endogeneity of temporary employment in the poverty equation. We find that temporary employment reduces the risk of poverty whether compared with inactivity and unemployment. Temporary workers are more likely to stay in poverty with respect to their permanent counterpart. The different effect of permanent/temporary employment on the risk of poverty is more pronounced for householders than for partners, thereby stressing the leading role of the former in income formation. There is evidence of feedback effects from past poverty to current temporary employment. We also find significant genuine state dependence in both the processes of poverty and temporary employment. For the latter, we note the prevalence of a trapping effect into unstable jobs relationships, especially for householders. Finally, we stress the relatively weak role of social transfers in integrating labor income from temporary employment and therefore in breaking the detrimental effect of temporary work on poverty." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Nguyen, Ngoc Hân, Wendy Smits & Mark Vancauteren (2024): Fixed-term contracts and firm productivity: Do workers’ skills and firm conversion rates from fixed-term to permanent contracts matter? In: International Journal of Manpower, Jg. 45, H. 10, S. 144-161. DOI:10.1108/ijm-03-2024-0194

Abstract

"Purpose: We aim to elucidate the relationship between fixed-term employment and firm productivity by examining workers’ skills and considering how firm-level conversion rates influence this relationship. Design/methodology/Approach: We use longitudinal employer-employee data between 2011 and 2017 in the Netherlands to estimate a nonlinear regression derived from a production function proposed by Addessi (2014) and Castellani et al . (2020). Findings: The contribution of fixed-term contracts to firm-level productivity is less than that of permanent contracts. However, this contribution is greater when firms exhibit a high conversion rate from fixed-term to permanent positions. The effect of the conversion rate is more substantial for high-skilled fixed-term workers than for low-skilled ones. Originality/value: Our results suggest the extent to which firms benefit from fixed-term contracts when these are used for screening high-skilled workers for permanent employment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Emerald Group) ((en))

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Però, Davide & John Downey (2024): Advancing Workers' Rights in the Gig Economy through Discursive Power: The Communicative Strategies of Indie Unions. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 38, H. 1, S. 140-160. DOI:10.1177/09500170221103160

Abstract

"Finding limited representation in established unions, a growing number of precarious and migrant workers of the gig economy have been turning to self-organization. Yet little is known about how these workers can compensate for their lack of material resources and institutional support and negotiate effectively with employers. Drawing on interviews, frame, and content analysis grounded in ethnographic research with the precarious and migrant workers of British ‘indie’ unions, we examine the significance of self-mediation practices in facilitating effective negotiations. We find that the effectiveness of campaigns can be enhanced by strategically integrating vibrant direct action of workers and allies with self-mediated messages, which are framed to resonate with the general public and mainstream media – a practice that we call communicative unionism. These findings extend labour movement scholarship by showing the analytical importance of considering workers’ discursive power-building practices. They also contribute to addressing social movement studies’ historical neglect of workers’ collective engagements with employers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Reynolds, Jeremy, Julieta Aguilar & Reilly Kincaid (2024): More than a side-hustle: Satisfaction with conventional and microtask work and the association with life satisfaction. In: Social science research, Jg. 122. DOI:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2024.103055

Abstract

"Gig platforms promise attractive, flexible ways to earn supplemental income. Academics, however, often describe gig work as low-quality work, suggesting that it is less satisfying than conventional work. In this paper, we present a novel comparison of satisfaction with gig microtask work and conventional work among MTurk workers doing both. We also examine how satisfaction with gig and conventional work relate to life satisfaction. On average, respondents report less satisfaction with microtasks than with conventional work. Nevertheless, roughly one-third of respondents are more satisfied with microtask work. Furthermore, microtask work lowers overall life satisfaction, but only among “platformdependent” respondents (those who rely on platform income). Specifically, structural equation modeling reveals a case of moderated mediation: “platform dependence” reduces life satisfaction by lowering satisfaction with microtask work while also strengthening the latter's connection to life satisfaction. Taken together, our findings support and extend the theory of platform dependence." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2024 Elsevier) ((en))

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Riphahn, Regina T. (2024): Subventionen für „kleine Jobs“. Die Auswirkungen von Mini- und Midijobs in Deutschland. In: Wirtschafts- und Sozialstatistisches Archiv, Jg. 18, H. 1, S. 5-14. DOI:10.1007/s11943-024-00335-3

Abstract

"Die Grohmann-Vorlesung des Jahres 2023 beschäftigt sich mit dem Phänomen der „kleinen Jobs“ in Deutschland. Zunächst wird der institutionelle und historische Hintergrund von Minijobs erläutert und die Intensität ihrer Nutzung beschrieben. Anschließend fasst der Text die Inhalte von drei empirischen Studien zusammen. Diese setzen sich mit der Frage auseinander ob (i) Arbeitgeber reguläre Beschäftigung durch Minijobs ersetzen, (ii) Minijobs zur „motherhood penalty“ in Deutschland beitragen und (iii) ob Midijobs Übergänge aus Minijobs in reguläre sozialversicherungspflichtige Beschäftigung erleichtert haben. Die Vorlesung schließt mit einer Betrachtung möglicher Regelungsalternativen für „kleine Jobs“ in Deutschland." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag)

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Rubery, Jill, Damian Grimshaw, Philippe Mehaut & Claudia Weinkopf (2024): Dualisation and part-time work in France, Germany and the UK: Accounting for within and between country differences in precarious work. In: European journal of industrial relations, Jg. 30, H. 4, S. 363-381. DOI:10.1177/09596801221120468

Abstract

"By comparing protections for part-time work in France, Germany and the UK, this article contributes to the comparative debate over whether industrial relations actors are mitigating or creating labour market dualisation. Significant variations in incidence and form of part-time work (a ‘spectrum of precariousness’), between and within the three countries, are explained through a theoretical frame that layers the actions of industrial relations actors against a backdrop of welfare and labour market rules and gender relations. This reveals important path dependent differences in part-time work patterns, including in the lines by which part-time work is segmented. The findings call for a more nuanced approach to dualisation that recognises that trade union responses to precarious work, albeit conditioned by their own path dependencies, have involved active efforts to extend protections to part-timers through twin strategies of support for legislative instruments and new forms of organising, albeit with only partial success." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Stamm, Isabell Kathrin, Lena Schürmann & Katharina Scheidgen (2024): Market Dependence as a Boundary Construction for Work Solidarity with the Solo Self-employed. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 38, H. 6, S. 1528-1548. DOI:10.1177/09500170231206083

Abstract

"As more people work outside standard employment, the foundations of work solidarity are contested. How does work solidarity arise in atypical forms of work that are characterised by flexible, autonomous and self-dependent organisation, such as in solo self-employment? Drawing on a discursive approach to work solidarity, this article emphasises how market dependence can serve as a boundary construction to create work solidarity. Empirically, this study engages in a discourse analysis on Soforthilfe, a policy measure introduced by the German government to financially assist solo self-employed people during the Covid-19 lockdown. In this discourse, market dependence serves to identify this social group’s need (social boundary) and to set out the corresponding policies for financial assistance (substantive boundary). Four solidarity norms – relief, equality, preservation and quasi-equivalence – support this boundary construction. The article contributes to the current discourse on work solidarity by identifying an additional boundary construction." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Trappmann, Vera, Charles Umney, Christopher J. McLachlan, Alexandra Seehaus & Laura Cartwright (2024): How Do Young Workers Perceive Job Insecurity? Legitimising Frames for Precarious Work in England and Germany. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 38, H. 4, S. 998-1020. DOI:10.1177/09500170231187821

Abstract

"This article examines the legitimising frames young workers in England and Germany apply to precarious work. Through 63 qualitative biographical interviews, the article shows that most young precarious workers saw work insecurity as an unavoidable fact of life whose legitimacy could not realistically be challenged. Four frames are identified that led to precarious work being seen as legitimate: precarious work as a driver of entrepreneurialism; as inevitable due to repeated exposure; as a stage within the life course; and as the price paid for the pursuit of autonomy and meaningful work. The article advances the literature on precarious workers’ subjectivity by identifying the frames through which it is legitimised, and by underlining the importance of frames that are currently underexamined. The prevalence of the pursuit of meaningful, non-alienating work as a frame is a particularly striking finding." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Traverso, Silvio, Massimiliano Vatiero & Enrico Zaninotto (2024): Automation and flexible labor contracts: Firm-level evidence from Italy. (GLO discussion paper / Global Labor Organization 1425), Essen, 33 S.

Abstract

"This study examines the association between investments in automation technologies and employment outcomes at the firm level, utilizing a panel dataset of about 10,450 Italian firms. Focusing on the proliferation of non-standard, flexible labor contracts introduced by labor market reforms in the 2000s, we identify a positive relationship between automation investments and the adoption of flexible labor arrangements. With the aid of a conceptual framework, we interpret these findings as evidence of complementarity between flexible capital, represented by automation technologies, and flexible labor, manifested through non-standard contractual arrangements. This complementarity is crucial for enhancing operational flexibility, a critical determinant of firm performance in the modern market environment. However, while this adaptability is beneficial for firms, it raises concerns about job security, the potential for lower wages among workers, and the reduction of workers' incentives to invest in human capital. In terms of policy implications, our analysis underscores the need for measures that safeguard workers' interests without compromising the efficiency gains from automation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Veen, Alex, Tom Barratt, Caleb Goods & Marian Baird (2024): Accidental flexicurity or workfare? Navigating ride-share work and Australia's welfare system. In: Economic and Industrial Democracy, Jg. 45, H. 3, S. 766-793. DOI:10.1177/0143831X231197057

Abstract

"This mixed-methods study explores the intersection of the ‘gig’ economy and welfare state in Australia, exploring how ride-share work has provided a pathway into paid work for three traditionally disadvantaged groups: individuals with disability, with caring responsibilities, or aged 45 and over. It examines these workers’ motivations for the work and explores how the welfare system shapes their experiences. The study finds push factors, such as past labour market discrimination and limited alternatives, and pull factors, like the relative flexibility of the work, which allows for the accommodation of planned and unplanned absences, are driving individuals into the ‘gig’ economy. The authors identify a duality about these experiences. On the one hand, the work represents a de facto form of ‘workfare’. On the other, the welfare system is cushioning the work’s job and income insecurity, providing individuals with flexibility and security unavailable elsewhere, an unintended policy outcome the authors label ‘accidental flexicurity’." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Vogel, Berthold & Harald Wolf (Hrsg.) (2024): Arbeit und gesellschaftlicher Zusammenhalt. Konzepte, Themen, Analysen. (Gesellschaftlicher Zusammenhalt 8), Frankfurt: Campus Verlag, 354 S. DOI:10.12907/978-3-593-45776-5

Abstract

"Driftet die Arbeitsgesellschaft immer mehr auseinander, ist ihr Zusammenhalt zunehmend gefährdet? Zentrale Befunde der soziologischen Arbeitsforschung wie »Entgrenzung«, »Prekarisierung« oder »Fragmentierung« legen dies nahe und weisen auf gesellschaftliche Fliehkräfte und Desintegration hin. Aktuelle Umbrüche durch Digitalisierung, sozial-ökologische Transformation und Corona-Krise scheinen soziale Spaltungen ebenfalls zu vertiefen, Polarisierungen zuzuspitzen und Zusammenhalt zu gefährden. Die Frage nach Arbeit und gesellschaftlichem Zusammenhalt ist vor diesem Hintergrund naheliegend, aber bislang innerhalb der soziologischen Zeitdiagnostik vernachlässigt. Sie wird in diesem Band erstmals von national wie international prominenten Forscherinnen und Forschern aus verschiedenen Perspektiven aufgegriffen und analysiert." (Verlagsangaben, IAB-Doku)

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Westhoff, Leonie (2024): Does Atypical Employment Come in Couples? Evidence from European Countries. In: Social indicators research, Jg. 172, H. 2, S. 569-594. DOI:10.1007/s11205-023-03296-2

Abstract

"The literature on atypical employment has largely focused on the individual level. This paper provides a novel account of the dynamics of atypical employment, specifically part-time and temporary employment, within couples. Analyzing a sample of 29 European countries using 2016 EU-SILC data, it investigates the association between partner and own atypical employment. The results show that temporary employment does come in couples, in that partner temporary employment is associated with a higher likelihood of own temporary employment. A significant portion of this result is driven by individuals with partners in temporary employment themselves exhibiting characteristics predisposing them to temporary employment. These results are largely consistent across Europe. Accumulation of part-time employment is also observed, albeit at a smaller scale. However, it occurs at the two extremes of the income distribution only, among very low-earning and very high-earning couples. In contrast, in the middle of the income distribution, there is no association between partner and own part-time employment, which is more consistent with classic household specialization patterns. An association between partner and own part-time employment is only found in a minority of European countries, most systematically in Northern and Western Europe, but also in some Southern and Eastern European countries." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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(2024): Saisonale Beschäftigung in der Landwirtschaft. (Kurzinfo / Bundesagentur für Arbeit), Nürnberg, 5 S.