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Academic Literature
China – The sex-ratio effects of family planning policies
China’s family planning policies are one set of the most fundamental social policies in China and are more complex than the simplified notion of a one-child policy. The Chinese government initiated the family planning policies in 1962; the well-known one-child policy had only been implemented since 1980. Even after 1980, there were considerable regional and … Continue reading
Interprovincial Mobility In Canada – Increase in relative real average annual wages in Alberta had a significant impact
The relatively stronger wage growth observed in Alberta during the 2000s led a significant number of young men to move to that province, thereby filling some of the job vacancies observed during that period. A new study found that from 2001 to 2006, average real annual wages and salaries earned by unmarried men aged 17 to 34 grew faster in Alberta than in … Continue reading
Involuntary Part-Time in US – Increased incidence during recessions research finds
In this paper we argue that involuntary part-time work has been overlooked by research on the dynamics of labor markets, which has mainly focused on unemployment. The notion of involuntary part-time work is closely related to that of unemployment, in that both entail a constraint on workers’ desired labor supply. An individual is considered to … Continue reading
Seasonal Adjustment – A longer window should be used
Conceptually, one may define seasonal adjustment as the purging of any variations in economic data that are predictable using the calendar alone. This includes not only effects associated with the time of year but factors such as the timing of Easter or the number of business days in a month. It does not include variations … Continue reading
Overeducation in Europe – Take time to ensure that the job matches your skill set
The literature on skill mismatch has grown significantly over the years, where skills mismatch is usually defined either in terms of excess or deficient qualifications and skills possessed by individuals relative to job‐skill requirements. Evidence from several advanced economies has shown that skill mismatch is a widespread phenomenon, typically affecting about one third of the … Continue reading
Employability – A fuzzy notion, often ill-defined and sometimes not defined at all
According to Gazier, the concept of employability was first used at the beginning of the twentieth century. It was based on the dichotomy between ‘‘employable’’ individuals (capable and willing and/or needing to work) versus ‘‘unemployable’’ individuals (unable to work and who needed help). An economic conception of employability was then developed so as to achieve … Continue reading
Older Workers in Europe – A significantly larger increase in employment than the one observed for the general population (1997‐2011)
European welfare states are under stress: demographic and social changes are leading to increasing demands in terms of expenditures at a time when the population in working age is shrinking. In the face of this observation, academic economists have been promoting the idea of increasing the employment rate of the elderly as one key policy … Continue reading
From Low Pay to Higher Pay in UK – People who are on low pay more likely to be in employment in the future than the unemployed or not in the labour force
There is a sizable body of literature examining low paid employment with a focus on state- dependence of low pay – that is, whether and to what extent current low paid employment increases the probability of remaining in low pay in the future. The interest in state-dependence of low pay arises from a concern that … Continue reading
Aging and Shrinking Labor Forces in Europe – Economic long-term outlooks often too pessimistic
Demographic aging and accompanying shrinking labor forces are common phenomena throughout the developed world. There is a widespread notion that societal aging will put significant pressure on public budgets, a view supported by recent OECD projections. Expenditures for public health are expected to rise, old-age pension systems already are burdened by an imbalance of working … Continue reading
Graduates from Humanities in Canada – Less likely to be employed full time, more likely to have jobs unrelated to their program and to be overqualified research finds
There is a long-standing debate over the value of certain postsecondary programs in facilitating employment after graduation. Pursuing a postsecondary degree is similar to purchasing stocks—it is an investment intended to provide future benefits. More than 80% of high school graduates pursue post- secondary education to increase employment opportunities and income. University graduates earn two … Continue reading
Literacy, Numeracy and Computer Skills – Substantial returns to ICT skills OECD finds
This paper examines which incremental increases in numeracy skills, literacy skills and skills and readiness in using ICT for problem solving have the biggest impact on employment participation and related labour market outcomes, and how these compare to incremental increases in educational attainment. Using the 2012 PIAAC data, our analysis confirms that there are significantly … Continue reading
Higher Education in Ontario – College transfer students earned fewer credits each year, had lower GPAs, and were less able to earn credits from course attempts
Increasing the rate of student transfers from college to university has become a prior- ity in Ontario in recent years and increasing numbers of Ontario postsecondary students have been transferring. However, little research has examined how the college students perform academically upon arriving at university . Given the emphasis on increasing migration from college to … Continue reading
Sleep, Skills and Human Capital – Sleep duration increases cognitive skills of workers aged over 45 years research finds
Economists have largely ignored the effects of sleep on health and human capital. The medical literature provides extensive evidence of the association between sleep deprivation and health. However, most of these studies do not attempt to analyze the causal relationship between sleep duration and health outcomes. Furthermore, we know relatively little about the effects of … Continue reading
ICT skills – The new literacy
“The new literacy” is the term Neelie Kroes, Vice-President of the European Commission, uses to describe an individual’s skill in mastering information and communication technologies (ICT). She justifies her choice of this phrase by arguing that “the online world is becoming a bigger part of everything we do. No wonder these [ICT] skills are becoming … Continue reading
Skills – Not only are there difficulties in defining skill, there is no agreed classification of the types of skills observed
Not only are there difficulties in defining skill, there is no agreed classification of the types of skills observed. Grugulis and Lloyd (2010, p.99) point out that there has been a ‘dramatic increase in the lexicon of skills’, while Thompson (2007, p.1364) comments that the ‘palette of skills’ has been widened ‘without normally deepening them’. … Continue reading
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