Tesi sul tema "Skilled labor"

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Economics, 2008.<br>Includes bibliographical references (p. 137-142).<br>This dissertation consists of three chapters on the youth and low-skilled labor markets. In Chapter 1, I show that teen employment is significantly more responsive than adult employment to immigration, and that growth in low-skilled immigration appears to be a partial explanation for recent declines in teen employment rates. Using variation in immigrant shares across metropolitan areas between 1980 and 2000, I demonstrate that the impact of immigration on youth employment is at least twice as large as the impact on adults, and that immigration affects school enrollment decisions and the type of jobs held by native youth. These effects are strongest for black youth and youth from poorer and less educated families. The estimates suggest that a 10 percentage point increase in the immigrant share of a city's low-skilled population reduces the teen employment rate by 5 percentage points, implying that between one-third and one-half of the fall in teen employment between 1990 and 2005 can be explained by increased immigration. In Chapter 2, co-authored with David H. Autor and Alan Manning, we offer a fresh analysis of the effect of state and federal minimum wages on earnings inequality over 1979 to 2007, exploiting substantially longer state-level wage panels than were available to earlier analyses as well as a proliferation of recent state minimum wage laws. We obtain identification using cross-state and over-time variation in the 'bite' of federal and applicable state minimum wages, as per influential studies by Lee (1999) and Teulings (2000, 2003).<br>(cont.) Distinct from this work, we use statutory minimum wages as instrumental variables for the bite of the minimum wage, thereby purging simultaneity bias stemming from errors-in-variables, which we hypothesize causes upward bias in prior OLS estimates. While we uphold the finding that the minimum wage reduces inequality in the lower tail of the wage distribution, we estimate that earlier OLS models overestimate this impact greatly-by 150 to 450 percent. Models purged of simultaneity bias indicate that the minimum wage explains at most one-third of the rapid rise in inequality during the 1980s, and a comparable share of the more modest subsequent rise. These impacts are still larger than would be implied by a simple mechanical application of the minimum to the distribution, suggesting spillovers. We identify these spillovers by structurally estimating the latent wage distribution, calculating the mechanical effect of the minimum wage through truncation, and inferring spillovers by comparison of the mechanical and observed distributions. Spillovers account for one-third to one-half of the minimum's modest impact on percentiles in the lower tail of the wage distribution. Their magnitude has declined in parallel with the direct effects of the minimum, though their share of the total effect has risen.<br>(cont.) In Chapter 3, I explore the extent to which polarization in the adult labor market-i.e. a gradual increase in the share of adults working in the highest and lowest paying occupations, caused by technology-induced (computers) changes in labor demand-has impacted youth employment. I show that, since 1980, teen employment rates fell more in states and commuting zones for which the share of adults in low-paying occupations increased the most. I also find that this measure of polarization is strongly associated with lower teen and low-skilled adult wages, and more weakly associated with lower employment rates for low-skilled adults. These results can be rationalized in a model of local labor markets for which a reduction in the price of computing capital reduces labor demand for middle -income, routine-task intensive (manufacturing) jobs, pushing these workers into lower-paying service jobs. This chapter therefore provides evidence that a portion of the recent decline in youth employment is attributable to a reduction in labor demand for youth, due to an increase in the supply of substitutable labor (i.e. the gradual movement of less-educated adults from middle-paying to lower-paying occupations).<br>by Christopher Lane Smith.<br>Ph.D.

This thesis explores the incidence, the determinants and the consequences of overeducation and overskilling on individuals and firm performance in Malaysia. Three datasets were utilised: the 2007 Productivity Investment Climate Survey (PICS-2), the 1988 Malaysia Family Life Survey (MFLS-2) and the 2007 Graduate Tracer Study (GTS-07). The PICS-2 focused on overeducation and overskilling in the manufacturing sector whilst the MFLS-2 and GTS-07 highlighted overeducation on married respondents and graduates, respectively. With respect to the incidence, overeducation ranges from 19 to 32% whilst overskilling stands at 29%: moderately overskilled (7%) and severely overskilled (22%). As regards the determinants, workplace characteristics such as firm size, ownership, workforce composition and types of hiring practice play a role on overeducation and overskilling decision. Furthermore, labour market size and greater spatial flexibility, such as access to cars and public transportation, along with the individuals' heterogeneity in ability and skills also influence the overeducation incidence. On top of that, being overeducated increases the probability of being overskilled. In terms of consequences, overeducation and overskilling lead to lower earnings. Ordinary least square (OLS) and the random effects (RE) estimate that the earnings loss due to overeducation range from 2 to 24%, with a range of 2 to 11% for overskilled workers. The degree of overeducation and overskilling matters with the overeducation penalty (GTS-07) being larger for the severely overeducated than for the moderately overeducated, whilst severely overskilled workers (PICS-2) face a greater earnings loss compared with the moderately overskilled. Using a quantile regression, some evidences indicate overeducation and overskilling penalty related to unobserved individual abilities, especially for the males' sample. What is more, the GTS-07 reveals that overeducation leads to a lower job satisfaction and increases the on-the-job search behaviour amongst the overeducated workers. Both negative effects are much higher for the workers who are severely rather than moderately overeducated. As regards firm performance, negative externalities from having mismatched workers at the workplace are observed, as these tend to reduce firm performance. However, these negative externalities are largely contributed by having a higher proportion of overeducated as compared to overskilled workers. Apart from quit rate, overeducation decreased the workplace average pay, labour productivity, output and sales per worker but increased in absenteeism. By contrast, hardly any impact is observed regarding overskilling on firm performance apart from the average workplace pay. This suggests that reducing the incidence of mismatch, particularly educational mismatch in the workplace, is essential in improving firm performance thus remaining competitive domestically and globally. This thesis contributes to the existing literature by providing empirical evidence on the incidence and the consequences of overeducation and overskilling on individuals and firm performance in Malaysia. Similar study remains to be very scarce in the context of a developing country.

The thesis focuses on the demand side of the labour market in conjecturing that 'the degree of attractiveness' of industry and firms to high-skilled workers could be an important determinant of regional labour market mismatch. Using data from the unexplored Employers Skills Survey, a dichotomous mismatch index based on skill-shortage vacancies is modelled as a function of firm and industry-level characteristics. Oacaxa-Blinder (OB) type decompositions are implemented to investigate the extent to which the predictors affect mismatch differently in England and Scotland. Two exploratory extensions are considered: (i) the inclusion of the Pareto shape parameter of an industry's firm size distribution, as an index of industry-level (average) productivity; (ii) a control for whether a firm is part of a multi-site organisation, believed as indicative of a firm export-status. UK level mismatch appears to be negatively correlated with both firm size and skill intensity. This is consistent with both a wide body of empirical evidence and an emerging two-sided heterogeneity theoretical literature showing that more productive firms are larger and tend to attract better workers. We also find a negative relationship between both the Pareto shape parameter and the multi-plant control, and firmlevel mismatch. At a regional level the key determinants seem to lose predictive power in Scotland where only the multi-site control retains statistical significance. To our knowledge, no study for the UK has to date ever: (i) used the same mismatch measure; (ii) adopted firm and industry-level characteristics as predictors of skill mismatch; (iii) decomposed skill mismatch using OB procedures. From a policy perspective, our findings suggest that addressing skill mismatch requires complementing policies targeting skill acquisition with interventions aimed at enhancing firms' and clusters' attractiveness to high skill workers. Migration, international trade openness and skill mismatch are in fact intrinsically intertwined and central to Scotland's post-Brexit future.

Thesis (M.S.) -- Central Connecticut State University, 2007.<br>Thesis advisor: C. Charles Mate-Kole. "... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Internation Studies." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 94-96). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Economics, 2006.<br>Includes bibliographical references (p. 109-112).<br>This dissertation consists of three essays on the effects of low-skilled immigration on US prices and labor markets. The first essay uses confidential data from the Consumer Price Index to estimate the causal effect of low-skilled immigration on the prices of non-traded goods. Then, it combines wage and price effects with consumption patterns of native skill groups to determine the net benefits and distributional impacts of immigration on the native economy. The results suggest that a 10 percent increase in the share of low-skilled immigrants in the labor force decreases the price of immigrant-intensive services by 1.3 percent. I also find that wage effects are significantly larger for low-skilled immigrants than for low-skilled natives because the two are imperfect substitutes. Overall, the results imply that the low-skilled immigration wave of the 1990s increased the purchasing power of high-skilled natives by 0.65 percent but decreased the purchasing power of low-skilled natives by 2.66 percent. The second essay, coauthored with Jose Tessada, is motivated by the first essay's finding that low-skilled immigration reduces the prices of services such as housekeeping and babysitting. Because these services are close substitutes for home production, a decrease in their price should affect natives' time use.<br>(cont.) Using time-use surveys, we find that low-skilled immigration has increased the consumption of market-provided household services and has decreased the time women spend on household chores. As a result, women have significantly increased their supply of market work, both at the intensive and extensive margin. We estimate that the immigration flow of the 1990s decreased by 20 minutes the time women spend daily on household chores and increased by 5 percentage points the likelihood that a woman reports working in the market. The third essay formalizes and empirically explores how immigrants' lack of English skills determines immigration's impact on the US labor market. I present a theoretical model in which low-skilled native workers can perform both "manual" and "language" tasks, immigrants perform manual tasks only, and the two tasks are q-complements. The model predicts that an immigration flow reduces the relative returns to manual skills and makes some natives shift from manual to language occupations.<br>(cont.) Using data from the Occupation Information Network and the Census, I find that: (1) within a city, occupations that require fewer language skills have a higher ratio of low-skilled immigrants to natives, and (2) after an immigration shock, there is a disproportional reduction in the wages of natives that work in manual occupations.<br>by Patricia Cortes.<br>Ph.D.

In this study, I utilise a race-based methodology through the lens of critical race theory, to interrogate the lived experiences of highly skilled visible minorities who are recently "landed"1 immigrants to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. I also employ critical discourse analysis to scrutinise the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) 2001 in its many guises to expose and challenge the hidden ideology behind its language, and text. This study highlights the interface of skilled immigration, racialisation, foreign education and economic integration. The argument is made that systematic discrimination rooted in historical and structural perception of visible minorities2 as the “Other”, and the normativation of racialisation (past and present), is a contributory factor in employers’, institutions and licensing associations’ devaluation of foreign credential and international work experiences. During this qualitative race based research, I undertook several in-depth semi structured interviews of highly skilled visible minority immigrants. A combined narrative/life history inquiry approach shaped the resultant data gathering and enables the voices of the participants to be heard. The life history approach allowed the study participants to discuss not only themselves, and their lives, but also the social, economic and political spaces that they inhabit, thus communicate how structure and agency intersect to produce the circumstances of their lives. This study uses life history narratives to map their migratory and immigration process before, during and after their arrival in Canada. The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) of Canada is based on the embodied human capital of migrants. Canada actively recruits immigrants with the rhetoric that Canada needs their skills. Over half of Canada’s annual immigrants enter as Highly Skilled through the Economic Classes Part Six Regulation of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act 2001. Many immigrants, particularly visible minorities, find their skills, education and prior professional experiences undervalued. Upon arrival, these immigrants encounter a variety of credential assessments and qualifying examinations; these are varied depending on the province they have chosen to call their new home. Frequently, these skilled immigrants find that access to professions and trades are barred through unregulated licensing and registration requirement, institutional biases, perceived fluency of language as well as the subjective and oft requested but elusive, ‘Canadian experience’. The work documents and examines the institutional, political, ideological, social and economic obstacles encountered by the research participants through the implementation of the Federal Skilled Workers program, and how they have had to adapt to the circumstance they find themselves in. The study agrees with Gillborn, (2005), that " the most dangerous form of 'white supremacy' is not the obvious and extreme fascistic posturing of small neo-Nazi groups, but rather the implicit routine privileging of white interests that goes unremarked in the political mainstream" (p.485). This research also makes uses of critical discourse analysis to dissect policy rhetoric and jargon. Its aim is to discover the truth behind Canada’s expansive, supposedly colour-blind, meritocratic skilled immigration policy, bolstered by participants’ own words as spoken. The study offers a number of suggestions to overcome/mitigate these barriers in general and for visible minorities in particular.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine relationships between gender and race, disability status, single parent status, and economically disadvantaged status of students enrolled in Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology advanced manufacturing skills programs. Furthermore, this study determined if there were significant relationships between race and disability status, single parent status, and economically disadvantaged status of students enrolled in Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology advanced manufacturing skills programs. Finally, differences in completion rates between female and male students as well as differences in completion rates between white and nonwhite students enrolled in Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology advanced manufacturing skills programs. Archival data from Fall 2014 were collected from the Office of Research and Assessment at the Tennessee Board of Regents for each student at the point of enrollment. Chi-square tests of independence were used to determine if significant relationships existed between demographic variables and completion rates. Significant relationships were found between gender and race where there more white females and males than nonwhite females and males. Significant relationships between gender and disability status were discovered where there were more students of both genders who were not disabled than were disabled. Significant relationships between race and single parent status were found in that more nonwhite students were single parents than white students. Significant relationships between race and economically disadvantaged status indicated more nonwhite students were economically disadvantaged than white students. Significant differences between gender and program completion rate were realized in that more males completed their programs of study than females. Finally, significant differences were discovered between race and program completion rate revealing more white students completed their programs of study than nonwhite students. However, there were no significant differences found between race and disability, between gender and economically disadvantaged status, and gender and single parent status.

The study focused on identifying ways in which to improve and increase the quality of training and supply of skilled artisans in the South African construction industry (especially in Gauteng Province) in terms of short and medium term approach. The construction industry is facing a severe skills crisis and this has made it so difficult to recruit competent artisans. This may be as a result of artisans being regarded as the lowest in the hierarchy of construction worker positions. In addition, these artisans warrant less training than those at executive- and managerial levels. This negative attitude towards artisans training has plunged the industry into crisis. Those involved find it difficult to successfully complete projects on time, within budgeted project costs and within the required quality specification due to lack of competent artisans. However, serious attention is required towards enhancing artisan training in the industry. It is imperative and vital to ensure the survival of the industry. The cardinal aim of this research project was to demonstrate a guiding solution towards the skills crisis. Thus, in order to initiate a tremendous change in the skills profile, certain measures are required, e.g. expanding training institutions to local regions; upgrading and aligning facilities in the training institutions to industrial demands and the dissemination of vital information that will ensure the attractiveness of the industry. This will safeguard the construction organisations operating in Gauteng Province. Although the industry is a major player in the economy, there is need for special attention in order to ensure sustainable growth and economic development. The Government, construction industry stakeholders and training institutions personnel should collaborate to salvage the skills crisis by strategically developing programmes (in accordance with industrial requirements) that will benefit prospective learners. The researcher adopted the descriptive- and analytical survey method, which entailed the use of questionnaires and a review of the related literature for gathering relevant data. The methodology used in the research was the quantitative data analysis. The feature findings of the research concluded that the skilled artisans profile is insufficient to meet industry demands. In addition, training institutions and primary- and secondary educational systems are characterized by ninadequacy and incompetency to produce skilled artisans. The situation is exacerbated by the lack of harmonization between the training institutions and the vindustry’s requirements. Furthermore, the majority of the respondents acknowledged that training of their workers is an important aspect to them, but few of these organisations indicated that they make use of formal training institutions such as FET colleges. The recommendation include that all the stakeholders in the construction industry should form collaborations to strategically develop programmes that would upgrade the existing training institutions. This could be done through provision of adequate funds and resources and the dissemination of vital information that is capable to promote the attractiveness of the industry image.

This research aims to understand the extent to which integration among Indian highskilled labor migrants in the Swedish society has occurred. The study takes it stance from the following research field: Social integration, interpersonal communication and national identification. These three research fields are assembled into a model used to analyze the empirical data. As a method, nine semi-structured interviews are used with ten Indian national interviewees in total. The Interviews are conducted in the southern part of Sweden in three different cities, Malmö, Lund and Helsingborg. Core findings show proof of employment as a central part in integration. Other findings show lack of Swedish language as an issue for better social integration; low levels of interpersonal communication between the interviewees and other social groups in Sweden which leads to low levels of Swedish national identification. In the discussion, the study stresses the importance of: communication between social groups in order to have better integration; time as an important factor for integration and the need of mutual accommodation between social groups in a pluralistic society like Sweden, to improve levels of integration.

A dissertation submitted to the Department of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying, Faculty of Engineering at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Technology Construction Management<br>This study investigated the causes and impact of the effects of shortages of skilled artisans on contractor productivity. The objectives of the study were as follows: (i) to identify causes of shortages of skills during the construction production phases; (ii) to define the effects of shortages of skills during the production phase of a project; (iii) to examine how to deal with shortages of skills when they happen; (iv) to determine ways in which the shortage of skills may be reduced; (v) to determine whether shortages of skills cause poor contractor performance. The study was inspired by many international and local studies demonstrating a lack of concern for the impact of shortages of skilled artisans on project performance, and their effects on project time. The research method adopted for study was a survey of construction sites and staff within the NMC group in the Cape Peninsula metropolitan area of the Western Cape Province. The study collected data from 65 participants from 10 different NMC sites. The participants in the survey included Project managers, site managers, quantity surveyors and artisans on sites. The findings of the study revealed that there is lack of formal training of artisans; performance of artisans is not highly regarded and there is lack of motivation, these factors contribute to the shortages of skilled artisans. It is also evident that shortage of skills causes’ poor contractor performance and leads to poor quality of work. The researchers also found that, setting out errors occur due to lack of coordination between the main contractor and subcontractors and the lack of skills on the part of the artisans. In addition, inexperience on the side of the leading hand and / or supervisor and trades foremen and their inability to interpret the drawings contributed to rework during construction phase. A reason also given for shortage of artisans is that young people are afraid to get their hands dirty. Young people would rather work with computers than for engineering and its associated professions. It is recommended that to increase the supply of artisans some measures will have to be implemented to encourage young people to become artisans.

According to several studies immigrants today in general face more difficulties to enter the labor market than before. This also applies to educated immigrants who are the main focus of this thesis. Studies have shown that educated migrants have more difficulties of obtaining an adequate job than ethnic Swedes. Thousands of educated immigrants are forced to work in low skilled occupations to cope with their everyday lives. The reasons behind their lack of success on the Swedish labor market have been blamed on different kinds of obstacles.     This study wants to examine at least some of the obstacles that educated immigrants face on the labor market through some informants own personal reflections and experiences. The study is based on an inside perspective in which the different personal experiences and reflections of the various informants is of great importance.  The study is focused on how five educated immigrants describe their situation on the Swedish labor market. The aim is to investigate the informants 'understanding of the difficulties they have to get a job that matches their skills. It also aims to discuss the structural barriers that respondents relate to when they describe their situation.    The results of the interviews with the informants have been analyzed with the help of central concepts gained from the two sociologists, Erving Goffman and Pierre Bourdieu.    The results of my study have shown through the personal experiences of the informants that the difficulties they face on the labor market can be attributed to their lack of access to valuable social networks and to the various requirement profiles that exist from employers, often with a strong focus on a developed knowledge of the Swedish language. These two obstacles results in that the skilled migrants on the labor market have a relative disadvantage in comparison with ethnic Swedes in the search for the attractive jobs.

For years, corporations in the United States have criticized the native workforce for not having enough qualified workers who are skilled in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Changing the immigration system could solve their problem. Current debates about how to best accomplish this task stem from different perceptions of whether high-skill immigrants adapt to the labor market, suffer from labor market disadvantages or meet rapid earnings growth. This study examines the initial wage gap immigrants working in the scientific research, development and testing services industry face upon entry to the United States as well as their income assimilation patterns. Ultimately, this paper provides evidence of a wage gap in this industry for recently arrived immigrants and otherwise similar natives, as well as confirms that the earnings for male immigrants in the industry tend to converge toward native levels the longer they remain in the country. Therefore, these results can provide valuable perspective on present immigration debates about whether to reduce immigration levels or change the skill composition of new immigrants.

The U.S. manufacturing industry produces products that ship all over the world. Because of the shortage of skilled labor, some manufacturing human resource professionals lack the strategies and processes necessary to acquire and retain skilled employees. Guided by Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory and Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore the strategies and processes that manufacturing human resource professionals use to acquire and retain skilled employees. Data were gathered from a population of manufacturing human resource professionals in Giles County, Tennessee from individual interviews; focus group; and participants' internal documents, public documents, and websites. Transcribed interview data and focus group data, along triangulated data from other gathered documents, were inductively coded following Yin's approach to analysis. Six themes emerged as key strategies to acquire and retain skilled employees: company culture, succession, benefits, finding new employees, incentives, and employee attraction and retention. These findings may contribute to improving business practices in manufacturing industries or human resource management. The implications for positive social change include the potential for the community to become more attractive for other industries and improve the quality of life for individuals who reside in the community.

This paper investigates in what way employment for low-skilled workers is connected to the wage dispersion in a country by comparing Sweden to six European countries. Previous research on this topic used cross-section analysis, but this essay takes another approach by comparing the changes in the wage dispersion and employment and by breaking down the change in the wage dispersion into parts and studying the change in the wage for different percentiles. The paper finds that wages in Sweden have not converged, which likely contributed to the increase in the employment gap between people with high and low skills. Two countries with different development were Germany and Norway. In line with recent research, in Germany, wage inequality increased and the employment gap between people with high and low skills decreased. In comparison, the case of Norway has not received much attention among researchers. Wages converged more in Norway than in Germany, yet employment increased more in Germany. The paper suggests a potential explanation: wages for the bottom percentiles of the earnings distribution fell in Germany, which it did not in Norway.

After years of European integration, Favell’s (2008a) ‘Eurostars’ have been joined by many, who perceive the freedom of movement as a right, rather than a privilege. The first and second wave of Eastern enlargement of the EU in 2004 and 2007 have thus changed the outlook of the European migratory regime, placing East-West migratory flows firmly at the centre of both public and academic immigration debates across Europe. This thesis aims to contribute to the growing literature on Central and Eastern European migration to the West by focusing on a relatively understudied group of people – young, highly skilled Bulgarians in the UK. Adopting a broad definition of the term ‘highly skilled’, the study focuses on university students and young professionals. The thesis draws on multi-sited ethnographic research with 37 young Bulgarians, born shortly before or after the democratic changes in 1989. Often referred to as ‘the children of the transition’, this group of people belongs to the first post-accession migratory flows from Bulgaria. By scrutinising young, highly skilled Bulgarians’ experiences of living, working and/or studying in the UK, the study focuses on what happens before, during and as a result of migration. More specifically, the thesis explores three interrelated aspects of the participants’ migratory experiences. Firstly, it analyses young Bulgarians’ pre-migratory context and the macro, meso and micro factors that underpin their decisions to choose Britain as a destination. Secondly, it looks at how they adjust to the host society and how they respond to processes of othering. The emotion-led approach focuses on the costs and benefits of migration as well as on the variety of everyday, counterbalancing strategies employed by young, highly skilled Bulgarians. Finally, the study scrutinises the implications that migration as a life event has upon their identities and plans for the future. Ultimately, the thesis argues that the tension created between migration as a project and as a reality unlocks a period of liminality, which impacts upon migrants’ identities and plans for the future. The exploration of the latter reveals the strong prominence of narratives of success with varying conceptualisations of return.

Purpose of this treatise: The aim of this research is to determine, if the skilled labour shortage has had any impact on how construction projects are executed. If there is an impact the study aims to determine the nature and extent of the problem. Design/methodology/approach: A review of related literature was conducted, mainly to ensure that existing research is not replicated, in order to generate new ideas. The quantitative research approach was applied for this research. The questionnaire was designed so that scores can be easily summed in order to obtain an overall measure of the attitudes and opinions of the respondents. Findings: The results revealed that the skilled labour shortage has a negative effect on how construction projects are executed. The results further revealed that the biggest concern amongst employers and management of construction companies was the negative impact the shortage of skilled labour has on the levels of workmanship. Research limitations: The sample (construction companies) is mostly situated in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Practical implications: The research is of importance to managers and supervisors of construction companies of all sizes. The findings of this study will assist in ensuring that projects are efficiently managed irrespective of the current skills crisis in the construction industry.

The study sought to understand the labour-market experiences of Kenyan women living in Swedenfrom a precarity standpoint. Specifically, from the point of view of uncertainty and vulnerability ofAfrican migrants workers in the labor market. The research explored how individual, structural, andcultural factors influenced the choice of profession and the labour market participation of Kenyanmigrant women in Sweden. Intersectionality, Precarity and the Dual Labor Market theory were thetheories picked to make sense of the particular vulnerabilities experienced, and strategies adoptedby Kenya migrant women in the Swedish labour market. A qualitative approach was adopted by thestudy and a case-study specifically used. Semi -structured interviews were used as the tool for datacollection and the data coded and analyses thematically. The research found out that African wokenfaced challenges in the Swedish labour market despite their academic qualifications, workexperience or Swedish language skills. Gender and ethnicity were found to be contributing factorsto these women being embedded mostly in the secondary segments of the labour market. Dualismor the labor market segmentation theory- divided into two sections; the primary and the secondaryjobs proved useful as it enabled the research make sense of the participants embeddedness in thesecondary labour markets. The concept of precarity was helpful in analysing various precariouswork undertaken by the participants from the beginning of their migration to Sweden and aftermany years of being in the country. The combination of the dual labor market theory with theintersectionality approach was significant to the study as it highlighted the dichotomy and thecomplexity of interactions between race, gender and ethnicity in the labor market. The findings ofthe research generally confirmed previous studies that show that highly skilled migrant women aremostly situated in the secondary segments of the labour market or face discrimination whenpositioned in primary jobs due to their different ethnicity and different culture. The studyrecommends that further research be done with a a larger sample and the same study done in otherEuropean countries for comparison purposes.

Migracijos reiškinys yra analizuojamas jau seniai. Iki Lietuvos narystės ES (ir po Lietuvos įstojimo į ES) paskelbta daug darbų migracijos tema. Ypač skaudi valstybei bei aktuali yra aukštąjį išsilavinimą turinčių žmonių emigracija, nes tokiu būdu yra ne tik prarandamos lėšos įdėtos į kvalifikuotos darbo jėgos paruošimą, bet ir prastėja valstybės teikiamų paslaugų kokybė, smunka vidutinis šalies kvalifikacijos lygis, o kartu ir šalies konkurencingumas tarptautinėje rinkoje. Darbo objektas – darbo rinkos politikos įtaka aukštos kvalifikacijos specialistų emigracijai. Pagrindiniai uždaviniai - išryškinti emigracijos esmę bei pasekmes; išskirti teorinius aukštos kvalifikacijos specialistams pritaikytus bei su darbo rinka susijusius emigracijos veiksnius; atskleisti Lietuvoje taikomą migracijos politiką; įvertinti aukštos kvalifikacijos specialistų emigracijos veiksnius Lietuvoje, didelį dėmesį skiriant darbo rinkos politikai; atlikti ketinimų emigruoti dėl darbo rinkos situacijos kiekybinį tyrimą bei sukurti jo rezultatus apibendrinantį modelį. Darbas susideda iš trijų pagrindinių dalių. Pirmojoje darbo dalyje išryškinama teoriniai aukštos kvalifikacijos specialistų migracijos aspektai, antrojoje darbo dalyje nagrinėjama statistiniai su emigracija susiję Lietuvos ir emigracijos tikslo šalių duomenys, trečiojoje darbo dalyje atliekamas empirinis tyrimas, siekiant įvertinti ketinimų emigruoti sąryšį su darbo rinkos situaciją. Pagal tyrimų rezultatus, pateikiamos išvados bei... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]<br>The subject of the Master work is emigration of highly qualified specialists. Emigration of highly qualified specialists is known for a long period of time, just now the scales of emigration is higher than ever. Economic recession is playing a big part in this, as all the countries are affected by recession at the different level. Due to migration of highly qualified specialists government looses money, which was spend in gaining the qualification, as well country looses tax payers and overall country looses competitiveness in international arena. The object of the study is the influence of labor market policy to the emigration of highly qualified specialists. The main tasks are to highlight the nature and consequences of emigration; to reveal theoretical immigration–related factors; to evaluate Lithuania’s migration policy; focusing on labor market policy to distinguish to high–qualified specialists orientated emigration factors; to perform a quantitative survey and create a model summarizing the results. Work structure: work consists of three main parts: in the first part is made an analysis of theoretical high qualified specialists emigration aspects, in the second part is made a statistical analysis of Lithuania’s and other countries migration related data and in third – an empirical research made to evaluate the influence of labor market factors to the emigration decision. Working volume: 73 pages, 23 tables, 26 figures and 83 references used: 55 Lithuanian and 28... [to full text]

The objective of this thesis is to examine the evidence of and responses to shortages of skilled blue collar workers in the machining trades--tool and die makers and machinists--in the Montreal metropolitan region. The period studied is 1974 to 1981 and the study focuses on employer behaviour.<br>It was found that data available from government sources documenting the supply and demand for thee occupations are generally inadequate. The research underlines that one of the fundamental difficulties in compiling net supply and demand figures for these occupations is the pinning down of skill levels involved. Employers' definitions of skill are therefore analyzed.<br>This research indicates that organizational factors appear to influence the recruitment process as well as the choice of adjustment measures. It was found that employers dispose of and use many measures to respond to shortages. Specifically it was found that the adjustment process does not take place only through changes in wage rates. Rather employers will tend to favour adjustment measures that maintain existing arrangements within firms and preserve management discretion.

This study deals with skilled migration from a developing country perspective. The migration of skilled individuals from developing countries to developed countries is often viewed as a costly subsidy from the poor nations to the rich, and a threat to their economic development. The first part of the study brings up to date both the theoretical and the policy debate on the impact of skilled migration on the sending economies. The second purpose of the study is to take a closer look at the motivations for skilled emigration from Turkey. The emigration of skilled individuals from Turkey has attracted greater attention in recent years, particularly after the experience of back to back economic crises that have led to increased unemployment among the highly educated young. A survey study was undertaken during the first half of 2002 in order to collect information on various characteristics of Turkish professionals and Turkish students residing abroad. Over 2000 responses were received from the targeted populations. The information from this survey was then used to determine the empirical importance of various factors on return intentions by estimating ordered probit models for the two samples. In the migration literature, wage differentials are often cited as an important factor explaining skilled migration. The findings of the study suggest, however, that other factors are also important in explaining the non-return of Turkish professionals. Economic instability in Turkey is found to be an important push factor, while work experience in Turkey also increases non-return. In the student sample, higher salaries offered in the host country and lifestyle preferences, including a more organized and ordered environment in their current country of study increase the probability of not returning. For both groups, the analysis also points to the importance of prior intentions and the role of the family in the decision to return to Turkey or stay overseas.

Tableau d'honneur de la Faculté des études supérieures et postdoctorales, 2018-2019<br>Cette thèse de doctorat s’intéresse à la migration interne et internationale. Dans un premier temps, je m’intéresse à l’intégration professionnelle des immigrants de la catégorie des travailleurs qualifiés au Québec. Le Québec comme la plupart des autres provinces du Canada, sélectionnent leurs immigrants sur la base de caractéristiques particulières telles que le niveau d’éducation, l’expérience professionnelle, les compétences en français et ou en anglais. Ces compétences devraient faciliter l’insertion professionnelle de ces immigrants et il est donc surprenant de voir que près de la moitié d’entre eux retournent aux études une fois arrivés au Québec afin d’obtenir un diplôme universitaire ou collégial. De ce fait, les deux premiers chapitres de cette thèse s’attèlent à comprendre pourquoi ces immigrants, malgré une telle dotation en capital humain à l’entrée du marché du travail Québécois, décident de retourner aux études et quels sont les effets de cet investissement en éducation tout d’abord sur les fréquences d’emplois et les durées en emploi et ensuite, sur le profil de revenus. Dans un deuxième temps, cette thèse s’intéresse à la participation à la migration interne en Ouganda et l’effet de cette participation sur la productivité agricole des ménages vivant en milieu rural. Le premier chapitre s’intéresse à l’effet dynamique de la formation post-migratoire sur l’offre de travail des immigrants. A cet effet, je fais la distinction entre un emploi qualifié et un emploi non qualifié. Ici, un emploi qualifié est celui-là qui correspond au plus haut diplôme obtenu par l’immigrant à l’entrée. J’utilise un modèle de durée à plusieurs états et à plusieurs épisodes qui permet de tenir compte de l’hétérogénéité observable et inobservable entre les individus. Le principal résultat révèle que les immigrants originaires de pays riches n’ont pas besoin d’investir davantage dans l’éducation Québécoise. En revanche, les immigrants originaires de pays pauvres quant à eux, bien que hautement qualifiés, bénéficient largement d’une telle formation à long terme car cela facilite leur transition vers des emplois qualifiés et non qualifiés et hors du chômage. Mes résultats indiquent également que la sélection dans l’éducation doit être prise en compte afin d’éviter des problèmes de sélection significatifs. À la différence du premier où on suppose que l’effet causal de la formation est le même pour chaque individu, le deuxième chapitre quant à lui s’intéresse à l’hétérogénéité de l’effet causal de la formation sur les revenus. Autrement dit, pour chaque individu il est possible d’estimer un effet moyen en comparant son revenu dans le cas où il a obtenu un diplôme au Québec avec la situation où il n’aurait pas eu un diplôme au Québec, et vice-versa. Ceci est possible grâce à l’introduction de l’approche bayésienne dans l’analyse d’évaluation d’impact mettant en exergue l’estimation du contre-factuel de la variable d’intérêt. Les principaux résultats révèlent que les gains de l’éducation acquise au Québec par rapport à ceux de l’éducation acquise à l’étranger diffèrent d’un immigrant à l’autre. En outre, il y a un gain négatif à entreprendre des études au Québec pour tous les immigrants. Particulièrement, plus la probabilité d’entreprendre des études au Québec est élevée plus le retour sur investissement est faible. Il semblerait que les employeurs rémunèrent les immigrants non pas seulement par rapport à leur diplôme or sa provenance mais aussi par rapport à la qualité de leur précédent emploi. Ainsi, on s’attendrait à ce que les immigrants, toute suite après leur formation, acceptent un emploi relativement moins rémunéré que celui qu’il aurait eu étant donné son éducation. Par ailleurs, bien que l’approche bayésienne suggère que, comparativement aux immigrants qui ont obtenu un diplôme collégial au Québec, ceux qui obtiennent un diplôme universitaire sont les plus négativement affectés par un tel investissement en éducation, l’approche Fréquentiste suggère que ces derniers obtiennent le meilleur rendement des études acquises au Québec. Cela soulève à nouveau la question du biais de sélection qui peut subvenir lorsque l’hétérogénéité de l’effet n’est pas prise en compte. Le troisième chapitre a pour objectif d’estimer la distribution de l’effet dynamique de la participation des ménages à la migration interne de la main d’œuvre sur la productivité agricole. Les résultats révèlent que même si en moyenne la migration interne affecte positivement la productivité agricole, il y a des ménages pour lesquels l’effet est négatif. De plus, les ménages pour qui l’effet est négatif sont pour la plupart de petits agriculteurs et sont par conséquent plus susceptibles d’être pauvres et donc plus susceptibles d’être sujet à la volatilité des prix au niveau local. Par ailleurs, l’effet moyen de la migration tend à augmenter avec la probabilité de participer à la migration interne signifiant que les individus décident de participer à la migration parce qu’ils anticipent des gains futurs plus élevés. Parallèlement, j’examine dans quelle mesure les taux de migration antérieurs, largement utilisés dans la littérature en tant qu’instrument de la décision de participer à la migration, sont exogènes à la productivité agricole. Les résultats suggèrent que ces variables ne sont pas exogènes car elles sont intimement corrélées avec la productivité agricole.<br>This doctoral thesis is interested in international and internal migration. First, it focuses on the professional integration of immigrants in the category of skilled workers in Quebec. Quebec is one of the ten provinces of Canada that, like most other provinces, implemented a program back in 1996 that explicitly selected highly qualified workers based on particular characteristics such as the level of education (Bachelors’, Masters’ or PhD’s), work experience, French and/or English proficiency. Despite these skills that should facilitate their professional integration, 48% of immigrants return to school once they arrive in Quebec in order to obtain a university or college diploma. The first two chapters of this thesis investigates why these immigrants decide to go back to school with such an endowment of human capital and what the effects of this investment in education are on the job frequencies and job durations and, on the earnings profile. This thesis then focuses on the households participation in internal labor migration and the dynamic effect of this participation on the agricultural productivity of households living in rural area of Uganda. The first chapter investigates the extent to which the return to foreign-acquired human capital is different from the education acquired in Quebec. Specifically, it seeks to estimate the benefits of post-migration education over foreign-education on the transitions between qualified and unqualified jobs and unemployment by means of a multiple-spells and multiplestates model. Here, a qualified job is one that corresponds to the highest degree obtained by the immigrant before they come in Quebec. The main results suggest that immigrants originating from well-off countries have no need to further invest in domestic education. Meanwhile, immigrants from poor countries, despite being highly qualified, benefit greatly from such training in the long run as it eases their transitions into qualified and unqualified jobs and out of unemployment. Our results also indicate that selection in education must be taken into account in order to avoid significant selection problems. Unlike the first chapter in which only the average effect of schooling is estimated, the goal of the second chapter is to estimate the distribution of the causal effect of Quebec-acquired education on migrants’ earnings. In other words, it is possible to estimate an average effect for each individual by comparing his income in the case he has obtained a Quebec diploma to the situation where he has not obtained a diploma from Quebec, and vice versa. This is possible thanks to the introduction of the Bayesian approach in the treatment analysis allowing to account for the heterogeneity of the effect. The main results reveal that on average and for each immigrant, there is a negative gain to study in Quebec. However, the magnitude of the effect differs from one immigrant to another. Particularly, the gains tend to decrease with the likelihood of enrolling in school and with the level of ability. Thus, our results suggest that employers pay migrants not only based on their level of education or its origin but more importantly based on the quality of prior jobs held. Furthermore, one would expect immigrants to accept, right after their training, a relatively less paid job than the one he would have had given his education. While the Bayesian approach suggests that immigrants who have enrolled to obtain a university degree are the most negatively affected, the Frequentist approach suggests that those immigrants obtain the highest positive return from Quebec-acquired education. This raises again the issue of mis-evaluation when the essential heterogeneity is not taking into account. The goal of the third chapter is to estimate the distribution of the dynamic effect of household participation in internal labor migration on agricultural productivity in Uganda. Since household can have both observed and unobserved factors that can affect both the decision to participate or not in migration and the return from it, this study account for the heterogeneity of the effect. Results reveal that although, on average, internal labor migration positively affects agricultural productivity, there are households for which the effect is negative. In addition, households for which the effect is negative are mostly small farmers, therefore more likely to be poor and more likely to be subject to local price volatility. It seems that return to migration helps poor household to meet other needs. Moreover, the average effect of migration tends to increase with the probability of participating in internal migration, meaning that households decide to participate in migration because they anticipate higher future returns. At the same time, we also examine the extent to which past migration rates, widely used in the literature as an instrument for the decision to participate in migration, are exogenous to agricultural productivity. Results show that these variables are not exogenous because they are highly correlated with agricultural productivity.

Doctor of Philosophy<br>Curriculum and Instruction Programs<br>Kay Ann Taylor<br>It has been 50 years since the notion of the model minority was first used to describe Asian Americans in the United States (Petersen, 1966). In the past decade, there has been substantial scholarly growth in the model minority research, and researchers have identified racism hidden behind the notion. However, previous research has mainly addressed the model minority stereotype in the regional context with similar research topics that produce similar findings, which requires a new research paradigm to be established. To meet this theoretical and contextual need, this study locates the model minority discourse in postcolonialism, especially in the context of Empire as global sovereign power with no concrete form, viewing the model minority stereotype as Empire’s controlling strategy that ethnicizes all Asians on the globe into its “global capitalist hierarchy” (Hardt & Negri, 2000). Empirically, this study examines how the model minority stereotype is shaped, developed, and ingrained in the transnational experience of Asian international graduate students who pursue careers in the United States after their degree completion as a bridge to their future. Findings from participants’ narratives show that they became aware of their Asianness through their transnational experience and gradually embraced the hardworking image of Asians through repeated environmental and interactional input of the image. Participants also expected higher economic and social status in their home countries as a result of their degrees and work experience obtained in the United States, with Orientalist values people in their home countries attach to their U.S.-earned credentials. Asian intellectuals educated in the West, represented by the United States, serve Empire’s capitalist maintenance and expansion as a transnational workforce while seeking their self-interest and transnational competitiveness. This raises an interdisciplinary and intersectional need to empower higher education to be critically aware of the current context of Empire and globalization.

Diese Dissertation umfasst drei Aufsätze, von denen sich die ersten beiden mit dem Phänomen der beruflichen Mobilität von Arbeitnehmern im westdeutschen Arbeitsmarkt befassen. Der erste Aufsatz untersucht für Absolventen einer dualen Berufsausbildung die kausalen Lohneffekte von Mobilität über Firmen und Berufe hinweg. Die Instrumentenvariablenschätzungen, welche exogene Variation in regionalen Arbeitsmarktcharakteristika ausnutzen, zeigen, dass Berufswechsel innerhalb des Ausbildungsbetriebs einen Karrierefortschritt darstellen. Bei Jobwechseln dominiert der Verlust von firmenspezifischem Humankapital. Allerdings nimmt der Lohnverlust nicht weiter zu, wenn zusätzlich zur Firma auch der Beruf gewechselt wird. Angesichts dieser Ergebnisse dokumentiert der zweite Aufsatz Muster von beruflicher Mobilität in Westdeutschland über den Zeitraum 1982--2008 innerhalb von und zwischen Firmen. Die Häufigkeit von beruflicher Mobilität hat seit 1982 zwischen Firmen signifikant zugenommen und innerhalb von Firmen signifikant abgenommen. Die Analyse betrachtet zudem mögliche Erklärungsansätze für diese Entwicklungen, wie zum Beispiel den demografischen Wandel oder den Zusammenhang zwischen beruflicher Mobilität und Arbeitslosigkeit. Der dritte Aufsatz untersucht den Zusammenhang zwischen Produktmarktderegulierung und Arbeitsmarktergebnissen. Die Reform der deutschen Handwerksordnung von 2003 wird als natürliches Experiment genutzt, um mögliche Einflüsse der Abschaffung von Markteintrittsbarrieren auf selbstständige und abhängige Beschäftigung zu untersuchen. Da Zweifel an der Gültigkeit der identifizierenden Annahmen aufkommen, können die Schätzergebnisse nicht kausal interpretiert werden. Dennoch legen die Ergebnisse zumindest in Teilen nahe, dass der in der Literatur bereits dokumentierte positive Effekt auf selbstständige Beschäftigung plausibel ist, wohingegen die Reform vermutlich keinen Anstieg der abhängigen Beschäftigung in den deregulierten Berufen zur Folge hatte.<br>This thesis comprises three essays, out of which the first two study the phenomenon of worker mobility across occupations in the West German labor market. The first essay studies the causal wage effects of mobility across firms and occupations among graduates from apprenticeship training. Exploiting variation in regional labor market characteristics the instrumental variables estimations indicate that occupation switches within the training firm involve a career progression. For job switches the loss of firm-specific human capital seems to dominate. However, the wage loss does not grow when an occupation switch occurs simultaneously. In light of these results, the second essay in this thesis studies patterns of occupational mobility in West Germany over the period 1982--2008 separately within and across firms. Most importantly, occupational mobility rates across firms have significantly increased since the early 1980s, while within-firm occupational mobility rates have significantly decreased. The essay also assesses potential explanations for these developments, such as demographic change or the relationship between occupational mobility and unemployment. The third essay in this thesis studies the relationship between product market deregulation and labor market outcomes. It exploits the 2003 reform of the German Crafts Code as a natural experiment to study how the abolishment of barriers to firm entry may affect self-employment and dependent employment. Since there are doubts regarding the validity of the identifying assumptions, the results cannot be interpreted causally. Nevertheless, the analysis at least partially corroborates the evidence for a positive reform effect on self-employment documented elsewhere in the literature, while the reform seems not to have had a positive effect on dependent employment in the deregulated crafts occupations.

Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Magister of Technologiae: Human Resource Management In the Faculty of Business At the Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2012<br>This research focused on investigating perceptions of the socio economic impact of skills shortage on the community of Khayelitsha, Western Cape. The objectives of this study were to critically investigate the causes of skills shortage in the community of Khayelitsha; to assess the perceived social impacts that it has on the community; and to critically investigate whether skills shortage is one of the causes of unemployment. The research also went as far as examining measures, which were taken by government and other stakeholders to address skills shortage. Chapter One of the study provides information related to a background of the research under study. Chapter Two briefly considers skills shortage, globally, prior to looking thoroughly at the causes for skills shortage in Khayelitsha. It further presents evidence of skills shortage in South Africa by considering different sectors. Furthermore, the research details the social and the economic impact of skills shortage, the state of poverty and inequality, as well as the state of unemployment. Chapter Two also details the role of government and other stakeholders to address skill shortage. Chapter Three introduces the research design and methodologies that were used, while Chapter Four presents an analysis and assessment of data that was collected. Chapter Five concludes the research by making recommendations. Two types of methodologies were employed by the researcher, namely qualitative and quantitative research methodology. The researcher employed two types of data analysis, namely content analysis and descriptive statistics. These techniques were helpful for the study because they explored perceptions and evidence of skills shortage in South Africa and Khayelitsha, in particular. The study further explores the impact of skills shortage on the economic development of the country, unemployment poverty and the society at large. Finally, the research shows that respondents perceive that skills shortage does indeed have a negative impact on South Africa by being one of the causes of unemployment and poverty, and hence economic growth. While socially, respondents believe that skills shortage is the main driver of issues such as crime, violence, teenage pregnancy, prostitution, HIV/AIDS poverty and other social issues, which are prevalent nationwide.

Thesis (MDF)--University of Stellenbosch, 2010.<br>For many years, people have migrated to other parts of their countries or across national borders. The reasons for the phenomenon of migration are many. People tend to migrate from poorer regions or countries to those that are comparatively better than their places of origin. Migration affects both host and destination countries in many ways. While there is evidence to support positive effects from migrations, mostly in developed countries, there is ongoing debate in most developing countries as to the effect of this phenomenon of migration. Immigrants are often associated with negative effects in destination countries. The purpose of this research is to determine the contribution of skilled professional immigrants to the South African economy. This report will narrow its focus to a case study of the contribution of skilled professionals in the health and higher education sectors but will also take a cursory look at the broad effects of other immigrant categories in South Africa. This research report focused on selected sectors of the South African economy since 1994 and found enough evidence to conclude that immigrants contribute positively to the South African economy. This is contrary to commonly held assumptions that foreign immigrants negatively affect the South African economy. However, this research only focused on the higher education and health sectors. A broader understanding of the effects of immigrants on the South Africa economy therefore requires further investigation.

Em 2010, instala-se na cidade de Palmas no Paraná, um Campus do Instituto Federal do Paraná (IFPR), com a missão de atuação na comunidade local e regional, tendo com um dos balizadores de atuação, o suporte aos Arranjos Produtivos Locais (APL´s). Neste contexto, o objetivo desta pesquisa foi o de avaliar as possibilidades e limites de atuação do Instituto Federal do Paraná – Campus Palmas nos Arranjos Produtivos Locais da região Sudoeste do Paraná. A pesquisa caracterizou-se como documental e de campo, exploratória. Os documentos institucionais utilizados foram a Lei n° 11.892/2008, de criação dos Institutos Federais, o Estatuto de Instituição do Instituto Federal do Paraná e a publicação Concepções e Diretrizes para Instalação dos Institutos Federais. Para a coleta de dados utilizou-se roteiro de entrevista semiestruturada com as governanças dos Arranjos Produtivos Locais (APL´s) da região Sudoeste do Paraná, no intuito de detectar a forma organizativa e cooperativa destes, bem como com empresas de cada APL visando se construir um diagnóstico setorial individual. Outro conjunto de entrevistas envolveu dirigentes de instituições de ensino técnico e profissional públicas e privadas, sendo, IFPR e sistema “S”, com o objetivo de detectar as formas de condução da educação profissional na região. O trabalho se estrutura em três partes essenciais, a primeira faz um resgate histórico da educação profissional no Brasil, desde as Escolas de Artes e Ofícios, no Período Colonial até culminar em 2008, com a instalação dos Institutos Federais. A segunda parte faz uma revisão conceitual sobre as teorias das aglomerações produtivas, chegando-se à terminologia adotada no Brasil, de Arranjos Produtivos Locais (APL´s). A terceira parte apresenta os resultados da pesquisa, na qual se identificou três Arranjos Produtivos Locais da região Sudoeste do Paraná, categorizados pelo IPARDES - confecções, móveis e software. A seguir, foi apresentado um diagnóstico individual de cada APL, com suas demandas específicas, para se avaliar as possibilidades de atuação do IFPR – Campus Palmas-PR. Além disso, avaliou-se a educação técnica e profissional na região lócus do estudo, a partir de suas instituições. Uma das conclusões evidencia uma principal deficiência, comum a todos os APL´s da região: a falta de mão de obra qualificada. Esta constatação abriria uma grande possibilidade de atuação do IFPR, se não fosse uma segunda conclusão obtida - a limitação geográfica - uma distância média de 200km entre o campus Palmas e os municípios de localização dos APL´s. Contudo, são cogitadas outras formas de suporte aos APL´s, através da pesquisa e inovação, participação nas governanças e o fomento a outras atividades econômicas locais que possuem potencial a tornarem-se APL´s.<br>A new campus of Federal Institute of Paraná was implemented in 2010, in the city of Palmas, Paraná. Its local e regional mission is to provide supporting actions to local clusters (arranjos produtivos locais – APL).The objective of this research was to discuss the possibilities and limitations of the relationship between the Federal Institute of Paraná - Campus Palmas and local clusters in the southwest region of Paraná. The methodology used was exploratory, documentary and field research. The institutional documents used were Law No. 11.892/2008, which describes the creation of the Federal Institutes, the Statute of the Institution of the Federal Institute of Paraná and publication Concepts and Installation Guidelines of the Federal Institutes. For the field research, semi-structured interviews with governance’s production arrangements were used, in order to detect its organizational and cooperative form and also with the companies in each cluster (APL) to build a sectorial and individual diagnostic. Another set of interviews addressed the institutions of technical and vocational education, IFPR, "S" system and private initiative, aiming to detect forms of conducting professional education in the region. The work is structured in three essential parts. The first is a historical review of vocational education in Brazil, from the Imperial period culminating in 2008, with the installation of the Federal Institutes. The second part is a review on conceptual theories of productive clusters, reaching the terminology adopted in Brazil, local clusters (APL's). The third part presents the results of the research, where it was identified as a local production of the southwest region of Paraná, categorized by IPARDES, the arrangement of clothing, furniture and software. It then presented a diagnostic of each individual APL, with its specific demands, to evaluate the possibilities of intervention of IFPR - Campus Palmas. In a second stage, the results evaluated the technical and vocational education in the region from its institutions. One of the conclusions was that the main shortcoming common to all APL's from the region is the lack of skilled labor. This finding would open a high possibility of IFPR performance, but a second conclusion obtained from geographical limitations brings a new challenge, because it was recorded an average distance of 200km between the IFPR campus and the municipalities of APL's location, making the teaching process not viable. However, other forms are contemplated to support APL's, through research and innovation and participation in governances. Finally, the essentially quantitative method of categorization of local clusters was questioned, which prevents the analysis of a series of economic activities of lower volume, but with significant potential for social inclusion, leading role of the Federal Institutes.

The purpose of this study was to develop an optimal skills development planning and implementation process flow model for application within local government authorities, more specifically for application within the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. To achieve this, a literature review was conducted which provided for an understanding on how skills development structures and strategies have changed in recent times and how the laws which provide the framework and landscape for skills development in South Africa, have been adapted to accommodate these changes. The literature review continued with an analysis of various theoretical training and skills development models in order to determine an optimal systematic approach to training and development in South Africa, and to determine the sequential flow of skills planning and implementation process flow steps. From the literature and theoretical models, an all-embracing skills development planning and implementation process flow model was developed for implementation in local government authorities. This model was used as the basis for the development of a survey questionnaire to establish to what extent metropolitan municipalities, agreed or disagreed, that it implemented the aspects of the proposed model developed in this study. Structured interviews were conducted using the survey questionnaire. The results obtained were used to adapt the theoretical model, and to align it with the viewpoints of the majority of the respondents. Although various facets of skills development were found to be implemented across metropolitan municipalities, the majority of the municipalities did not apply optimal skills planning, nor did they apply optimal sequential process steps to ensure effective and efficient skills development. iv The empirical study established without a doubt that a dire need exists for an optimal skills development planning and implementation process flow model within local government authorities. Based on the analysis and interpretation of the research findings, the model proposed for local government authorities was customised to produce a process flow model to facilitate optimal skills development planning and implementation within the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.

The current shortage of artisans in the Nigerian house construction sector has constrained the productivity of the sector and exacerbated the nation‟s housing problem. The persistent neglect of the artisan training system has negatively impacted on the stock of artisans available for house construction projects. Nigeria‟s large and fast-growing population of over 140 million with an estimated growth rate of 3.2 percent has engendered increased investment in shelter provision; especially by individuals and families due to fast rising housing rentals- mainly in the urban centres. Past policies have not adequately addressed the realities of the skills crisis occasioned by inadequate and neglected apprenticeship training and poorly developed vocational education and training systems. The fallout of this is manifested in the difficulties faced by developers in sourcing suitably qualified and experienced artisans for house construction projects. In response to this challenge, an upsurge of migrant artisans and craftsmen from neighbouring West African nations like Togo, Benin Republic and Ghana to Nigeria has occurred in the recent times. They were attracted by building contracting firms to fill the gap created by inadequate artisan supply that is currently being experienced locally. This development is totally unacceptable as it exacerbates the overarching socio-economic problems in Nigeria, especially the already high unemployment rate which is estimated to be 23.9 percent. This study has consequently investigated the inadequate training of house construction artisans in South Western Nigeria; evolving interventions and developing a strategic model for improving the artisan training system to ensure an adequate and sustainable artisan supply in the house construction sector. The model incorporates best practices, rethinking strategies and integrated approaches in mitigating the identified challenges. The model is underpinned by reviewed literature and empirical findings. Quantitative surveys and interviews were utilised as the data sources. The research findings show that the factors which negatively impact on the artisan training system in the house construction sector include: the poor image of artisans in society; lack of recruitment strategies for attracting potential artisans; inadequate policy framework for training and employment; a faulty and rigid National Qualification Framework (NQF); the non-participation of employers in training; a poor funding mechanism; a weak regulatory framework and corrupt practices in training administration. Recommendations for addressing the inadequate training of artisans include education policy reforms to give priority to vocational education; a new regime of funding for vocational education and training; a review of the National Qualification Framework to integrate the vocational colleges with the university system; a reform of the regulatory framework; public re-orientation on the societal image of the artisans; adoption of a new approach of public- private partnership in artisan training; the provision of incentives schemes to attract potential artisans and the appropriation of the proposed model for an integrated approach to addressing the challenges.

As propriedades rurais brasileiras evoluíram muito nas últimas décadas, obrigando os agricultores a melhorarem sua gestão. Se em diversas áreas da empresa os proprietários rurais conseguiram desenvolver seu negócio, na gestão de pessoas esses ainda possuem vasto espaço para melhorias. Isso tem causado graves problemas, tais como: dificuldade de retenção de pessoas qualificadas, prejuízos na produção e custo elevado de manutenção de máquinas e equipamentos. Tendo isso em vista, o presente estudo visa a identificar os fatores relevantes para retenção de mão de obra rural qualificada nas empresas agrícolas patronais e que utilizam tecnologias avançadas de modo que essas possam melhorar sua gestão de pessoas. Para atingir o objetivo proposto foram aplicados questionários quantitativos com produtores rurais patronais que possuem tecnologias avançadas e com técnicos agrícolas do Rio Grande do Sul. Enquanto os primeiros expressam a perspectiva dos gestores rurais, os segundos representam o tipo de mão de obra demandado pelas empresas rurais. Constatou-se que, segundo os agricultores, para um funcionário ser bem sucedido e permanecer na empresa ele deve, principalmente, ser honesto, ter comprometimento, ter responsabilidade, buscar conhecimento e ser proativo. Esse sujeito da pesquisa considera também que os técnicos agrícolas são mais aptos para trabalhar no meio rural do que os demais funcionários rurais. A grande maioria dos técnicos agrícolas está mais satisfeita trabalhando no meio rural e prefere trabalhar nesse ambiente, contudo quase metade deles prefere residir no urbano. Verificou-se que os agricultores possuem perspectivas muito diferentes dos técnicos agrícolas quanto a maioria dos fatores que podem ou não reter funcionários rurais, principalmente, ao avaliar sua propriedade, já que os agricultores avaliaram essas de forma mais positiva em quase todos os fatores em relação aos técnicos agrícolas. Os três fatores com maior diferença foram valor de o salário recebido ser condizente com a qualificação de cada funcionário, superiores serem capazes de gerir a empresa e funcionários receberem recompensas por desempenho individual; esses representam fatores os quais foram muito bem avaliados pelos produtores rurais e mal avaliados pelos técnicos agrícolas. Com base nos resultados, os produtores não somente sabem que precisam melhorar sua gestão de pessoas, mas também estão cientes de quais são exatamente os fatores que precisam ser repensados e melhorados para que consigam reter a nova mão de obra que tanto necessitam.<br>Brazilian rural properties’ have evolved significantly in recent decades, forcing farmers to improve their management. Landowners have developed its business in many areas but still have a large room for improvement regarding people management. This has caused serious problems, such as difficulty in retaining qualified people, losses in production and high maintenance costs of machinery and equipment. Therefore, the present study aims to identify the relevant factors for retaining skilled rural labor in unfamiliar agricultural business that uses advanced Technologies so they can improve the workforce management. To achieve this purpose, quantitative questionnaires were applied with rural producers that use advanced Technologies and agricultural technicians from Rio Grande do Sul. As the first express the perspective of rural managers, the latter represent the type of labour demanded by rural businesses. It was found that according to the farmers, for an employee to be successful and stay in business, he should mainly be honest, have commitment, take responsibility, seek knowledge and be proactive. They also believe that agricultural technicians are more suitable to work in rural areas than other rural workers. The vast majority of agricultural technicians are more satisfied working in rural areas and prefer to work in that environment, yet almost half of them prefer to live in urban areas. It was also found out that farmers and agricultural technicians have a very different perspective regarding what may or may not retain rural workers, mainly when assessing property, as farmers evaluated these more positively in almost all factors than the agricultural technicians. As an example, the three factors with the greatest difference were if the wage received is consistent with the qualifications of each employee, if the superior is able to manage the company and if employees receive rewards for individual performance; these represent factors which were very well evaluated by farmers and poorly assessed by agricultural technicians. The main conclusion is that after this research producers not only know they need to improve their people management, but are also aware of exactly which factors need to be rethought and improved so that they can hold the workforce they need.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.<br>The government of South Africa aspires to achieve a six percent economic growth per annum. The scarcity of qualified and experienced people that are crucial in contributing to economic growth and creating job opportunities, poses a problem for the country. The current demand for skills that are out of reach for many workers and the prevailing unemployment that is caused by the mismatch between what an organisation seeks and what a potential candidate can provide, have been highlighted as a critical cause for the scarcity of skills. The aim of this research assignment was to examine the current crisis of the skills shortage in the South African economy, with the focus on the manufacturing sector within the FMCG industry. Semi-structured and open-ended interviews with human resource, training and development, as well as technical managers in manufacturing organisations in Cape Town, South Africa were conducted. Data was obtained from a sample of six managers. According to all respondents interviewed, it takes approximately two to six months to replace an employee who has the appropriate technical skills. All the respondents are concerned with the situation of the technical skills shortage in the country. Consequently, these respondents’ companies engage in a talent war in order to recruit the best talent. It is therefore obvious that the market dynamics of supply and demand are out of equilibrium with regard to technically skilled employees in the manufacturing segment of the South African FMCG industry. The interviews that were conducted identified some companies that train new employees in technical skills. However, the majority of the companies are not doing much to improve the situation. In addition, the companies in this sector also compete with the other industries in the South African and the global economy regarding technical skills.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T14:32:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Reynaldo Antonio Forte Junior.pdf: 2611571 bytes, checksum: 8482e8d83e5e0732293785f83fee5cca (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-05-18<br>Secretaria da Educação do Estado de São Paulo<br>This study examines textbooks and other multimedia materials produced for the Professional Qualification Program (Programa de Qualificação Profissional, PEQ, in Portuguese), one of the measures of the Department of Employment and Labor Relations (Secretaria do Emprego e Relações do Trabalho, SERT, in Portuguese) in the State of São Paulo, established in 2007 after a full diagnosis at the state level with the purpose of promoting workers -- or those looking for employment -- qualification. In search of evidences to corroborate this analysis, we seek to understand the articulations of SERT with their partners and the methodological approaches used in the creation and development of the course. In order to this, we followed a teachers training program at the Paula Souza Center, sponsored by FUNDAP. We took part in the PEQ students first reception at the Paula Souza Center and interviews were held with the mulimedia materials producers on TV Cultura and with the technicians of SERT. Moreover, important documentation from the Department of Employment and Labor Relations was read. In the period this research, some of the main activities of SERT were articulated projects in qualifying workers. For the development of the research and data analysis, a survey was applied to twenty-five teachers working in partner schools. Data collection looks for evidence of efficient taking in use of the multimedia materials and its suitability to students who are, in general terms, badly-off, low educated people with problems of self-esteem. Research data shows that a worker qualification program, when offered with a good methodological content and developed in multimedia materials is capable of availing unemployed workers in finding a new job. These actions are boosted by the diffusion in complementary media, by an institution responsible for social programs<br>Esta pesquisa analisa os materiais didáticos do Programa de Qualificação Profissional PEQ, elaborado em mídias integradas, uma das ações da Secretaria do Emprego e Relações do Trabalho SERT em São Paulo, implantado em 2007 a partir de um amplo diagnóstico a nível estadual com a finalidade de promover a qualificação de trabalhadores ou daqueles em busca de emprego. Na investigação de indicativos para subsidiar a análise, procura-se entender as articulações da SERT junto às suas parcerias e as concepções metodológicas empregadas na criação e desenvolvimento do curso. Para isto, acompanhou-se uma capacitação de professores no Centro Paula Souza promovida pela FUNDAP. Participou-se da recepção dos alunos do PEQ no primeiro dia de aula na unidade escolar do Centro Paula Souza e realizaram-se entrevistas com os elaboradores dos materiais didáticos na TV Cultura, com os técnicos da SERT. Além disso, realizou-se o estudo de documentos institucionais da Secretaria do Emprego e Relações do Trabalho. Destacam-se, durante a pesquisa, ações articuladas da SERT na qualificação dos trabalhadores. Para o desenvolvimento do trabalho e análise dos dados, foi aplicado um questionário a 25 professores atuantes nas escolas parceiras. A coleta dos dados busca indicativos da apropriação eficaz do material elaborado em múltiplas mídias e sua adequação ao perfil do aluno que se encontra em desalento profissional, com baixa escolaridade e estima. Os resultados da pesquisa evidenciam que o curso de qualificação do trabalhador oferecido com conteúdo metodológico e desenvolvido em materiais didáticos em múltiplas mídias é capaz de favorecer a inserção do trabalhador desempregado no mercado de trabalho. Essas ações são potencializadas pela veiculação em mídias complementares, por meio de uma instituição articuladora de programas sociais