International Journal of Manpower

Job characteristics and voluntary mobility in The Netherlands: Differential education and gender patterns? : Table of Contents

Maurice Gesthuizen — Mon Sep 28 08:59:09 BST 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to address the impact of the subjective evaluation of job characteristics on voluntary mobility, the impact of voluntary mobility on changes in these job characteristics, and differential education and gender patterns. Design/methodology/approach – Ordered and multinominal logistic regression analysis and longitudinal panel analysis. Findings – Dissatisfaction with one's wage, the match between job content and personal capacities, working hours, and the job in general cause voluntary external mobility. The latter two also increase the odds of voluntary internal mobility. Voluntary internal and external mobility in turn decreases dissatisfaction with several job characteristics. The higher the educational level, the weaker the impact of dissatisfaction with working hours on voluntary internal mobility. For women, wage dissatisfaction has a stronger impact on voluntary external mobility than for men. Moreover, dissatisfaction with the number of working hours and the job in general more often cause voluntary internal mobility for women than for men. The revenues of changing positions within or between firms, however, do not substantially differ across education and gender. Originality/value – This paper shows that subjectively evaluated job characteristics are important push factors and result in voluntary mobility, and in some cases for women to a stronger degree than for men. Even though it could be expected that returns to voluntary mobility are lower for women and lower educated individuals, they do not differ substantially from the returns that men and higher educated workers receive.

What determines employer willingness to “top up” social insurance?: Evidence from Shanghai's 25 plus X scheme : Table of Contents

Russell Smyth, Ingrid Nielsen, Xiaolei Qian — Mon Sep 28 08:59:09 BST 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors predicting which employees receive employer-funded commercial pension insurance contributions in Shanghai's zhenbao (town insurance) program, introduced by the Shanghai Government in 2003. Design/methodology/approach – A series of hypotheses are developed to examine whether employees with characteristics that make them more influential constituencies will be more likely to receive voluntary commercial pension insurance contributions. The hypotheses are tested through application of a ReLogit model to data on 103,095 employees enrolled in the town insurance scheme in one district as at the end of 2004. Findings – The study finds that only a small proportion of individuals in the sample receive commercial pension insurance. The most important determinant of whether an employee received commercial pension insurance is his or her level of education. Research limitations/implications – The study provides support for the societal corporatist perspective that employers who place a premium on human capital and invest significant resources in the skills of their workers will favor social policies that target benefits to a selected group of workers to reward their performance and foster commitment. A limitation of the research is that it is based on data collected soon after the town insurance scheme was introduced. The low level of employee coverage may improve once employers become more familiar with the operation of the scheme. Practical implications – Employers should consider social insurance as a labor market strategy to retain staff and enhance the human resource base of the firm. Originality/value – Little attention has been given to the role of employer-funded social insurance within the ambit of labor market strategies designed to enhance the human resource base of the organisation. This is the first study to use micro level data to examine the determinants of voluntary employer contributions to social insurance.

The occupational domain and initial earnings of recent Irish graduates: Is a science and technology degree good for you? : Table of Contents

Dimitrios Pontikakis — Mon Sep 28 08:59:09 BST 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the hypothesis that those with a university qualification in science and technology (S&T) enjoy favourable labour market outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – Analysis is based on individual-level data detailing the labour market experiences of Irish university graduates upon entering employment. A Gini-Hirschman index is used to estimate the number of occupational options open to graduates of a particular educational background. Additionally, an ordered probit model of earnings is estimated, which is controlling other factors, measures the effect of S&T education on the distribution of earnings. Findings – S&T graduates have a wider occupational domain. Additionally, tabulations indicate that on the whole they tend to earn more. Application of an ordered probit model controlling for other factors suggests that engineering graduates enjoy a clear earnings advantage; however the opposite appears to be the case for science graduates. Originality/value – The paper presents original insights into the occupational outcomes of Irish technical graduates. The relatively lower earnings of science graduates bring into question the current preoccupation with the supply side and suggest that a closer look at the demand for such skills may be warranted. These findings may be interesting for policy seeking to influence skill structure and for further studies investigating the returns to components of skill.

Who are minimum and sub-minimum wage workers? : Table of Contents

Gail Pacheco — Mon Sep 28 08:59:09 BST 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive portrait of who earns the minimum wage, in terms of the characteristics of the individual that are most important in determining this outcome. Design/methodology/approach – This study uses individual data from the Annual Income Supplements of the New Zealand (NZ) Household Labour Force Surveys between June 1997 and June 2004. This unit record data allows isolation of workers earning the minimum wage or close to it. A more sophisticated quantitative analysis is also carried out, where the probability of earning at or below the minimum wage is modelled to estimate what individual characteristics are most significant in determining minimum wage status. Findings – One of the key findings was that individual characteristics (such as age) are much more important than household circumstance or industry affiliations, in terms of the probability of earning minimum wage. Originality/value – NZ has substantially increased minimum wages for teenagers and adults since 2000. For example, since the youth minimum was introduced in March 1994, it had increased by 52 per cent in real terms by 2004. Consequently, recent NZ experience offers a rare opportunity to isolate who earns the minimum wage and which subgroups are more likely to be potentially impacted by a rising minimum.

The influence of CEO perceptions on the level of organizational learning: Single-loop and double-loop learning : Table of Contents

Victor J. García-Morales, Antonio J. Verdú-Jover, Francisco Javier Lloréns — Mon Sep 28 08:59:09 BST 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to take an in-depth look at the differences in learning based on the nature of the process, analysing the influence of CEO perceptions of personal mastery, shared vision, environment and strategic proactivity on the learning level. Design/methodology/approach – This investigation drew up a structured questionnaire to better understand how CEOs face learning issues. A series of ?2, t-tests, Harman's one-factor tests, correlations, and regression analyses were used. The hypotheses are tested using data from 239 firms located in Spain. Findings – This investigation shows the influence of CEO perceptions of several strategic factors and capabilities (personal mastery, shared vision, environment and strategic proactivity) in single- and double-loop learning and the influence of this learning level on organizational innovation and performance. It adds theoretical and empirical arguments to the two main learning levels in the literature. Originality/value – The research provides empirical evidence that: personal mastery and a stable environment have a positive and significant impact on the generation of single-loop learning; personal mastery, shared vision, ambiguous environment and strategic proactivity have a positive and significant influence on the generation of double-loop learning; and both learning levels affect the generation of greater organizational innovation and performance.