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This article examines post-study work rights (PSWR) policy in three major international higher education destinations -- Australia, Germany and Canada -- through a comparative case study approach. The study found that PSWR policies typically have several objectives: to attract more international students; fill labour shortages; internationalise higher education, retain highly skilled migrants, and to improve outcomes for international graduates. Although some of these objectives appear to have been realised in each of the three countries, it remains unclear whether such policies have improved outcomes for international graduates.

This article investigates the role of 'voice', technology, innovation (of products, services, or processes) and labor shortages in the training participation of low skilled workers in German companies. By building on the key findings of previous research, hypotheses on drivers of training participation are derived from filter theory and the concept of social embeddedness. Regression and cluster analysis based on the German IAB Establishment Panel (wave 2011) show evidence that training participation is shaped by 'voice'-related institutional company characteristics such as employee representation or formalized HR practices. Both characteristics often cluster together. Regression analyses confirm that companies in this cluster train a higher share of their low-skilled workforce. The share is particularly high when companies in this cluster face labor shortages. Apart from that, advanced technology and recent innovations at the company level are not related to higher rates of training participation among low skilled workers.

Highlights cross-national differences in school-to-work systems in Germany, the Netherlands, England, Wales, and the United States. Suggests that the root of many transition problems is the disconnections and tensions between the vocational education and training system and the labor market. (SK)

Despite the great emphasis organizations and human resource management (HRM) research place on turnover issues, one turnover phenomenon has received only limited attention so far: joint leader–member turnover. This research examines supervisor‐initiated turnover (SIT) (i.e., employees' decision to quit their employer to follow a former supervisor to a new organization) and develops a comprehensive model of the SIT decision process, grounded on conservation of resources (COR) theory, that delineates the resource evaluation, conservation and investment deliberations of employees. We take a relational perspective and particularly focus on the leader–member relationship as an important antecedent of SIT and thereby respond to the call for more critical investigations of leader–member exchange (LMX) and corresponding HRM implications. Our three studies (survey, scenario experiment, and dyadic interview study) demonstrate that LMX positively affects SIT intentions (SITI) and that supervisor commitment represents an important mediating mechanism of the LMX–SITI relationship. Our interview study with 46 leader–member dyads identifies relational factors that promote or hinder SIT beyond the leader–member relationship. We discuss the theoretical contributions and practical implications for HRM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the German working-age population no publicly available and detailed anthropometric raw dataset exists, although several studies have collected anthropometric datasets. Unfortunately, the publication of raw data may be restricted by data usage regulations. This study presents a synthesis and validation algorithm to create a virtual copy of an already existing dataset. A detailed anthropometric dataset from a regional epidemiological public-health study in Germany was used for the synthesis and validation algorithm. Results revealed only minor deviations within the validation process. Compared to the original dataset, the virtual dataset was statistically almost identical. In a next step, the virtual dataset was weighted to approximate nationally representative values. In summary, the computed unweighted and weighted virtual data can be published without restrictions and used for ergonomic designing. Furthermore, the synthesis and validation algorithm is suitable for the generation of virtual copies and can be applied to other detailed anthropometric datasets. Data usage regulations may restrict the publication of anthropometric datasets. A synthesis and validation algorithm was developed which can be applied to existing anthropometric datasets to create a virtual copy that is almost identical and can be published. In the current study this algorithm was used for data from Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic publicly exposed the urgent need for seasonal workers in agriculture. In Germany, an entry ban and entry quotas for seasonal workers at the beginning of the pandemic caused major attention. Taking this moment as magnifying glass, the article asks how the German seasonal labour migration regime is constructed (legally) and legitimated (discursively), and in how far the pandemic has caused shifts within this regime. Based on an analysis of the legal framework and the political discourse around seasonal work from 2018 to 2020 in Germany, the seasonal labour migration regime is characterised as just-in-time migration tailored to the needs of agricultural business, where migrants' work force is not absorbed homogenously by precarious labour sectors, but rather specific groups of migrant workers are integrated differently through mechanisms of differential inclusion. Within this regime, seasonal workers function as outsourced labour, whose reproduction costs remain abroad. On the discursive level, the article shows how seasonal workers are produced as 'wanted migrants' by linking seasonal migration to the interests of the 'homeland'. While the pandemic momentarily caused some shifts on the discoursively level, the article shows that the seasonal labour regime as a whole remains rather stable in time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

This article analyzes age-group-related differences in the risk of losing a job and the chance to find new employment using regional administrative data for Germany. I also consider flows between inactivity (out of the labor force) and unemployment to examine the relative contributions of labor market flows to different age-group unemployment dynamics. Inactivity and activity flows account for about 23% (and 83% for the youth) of unemployment dynamics, and contributions of separation (11%-50%) and job finding (5%-30%) vary with age-groups. Counties with a larger share of the labor force youth have high dynamics and very low unemployment rates. In contrast, regions with a smaller percentage of youth experience twice as large unemployment rates. Overall, the results provide strong evidence for decreasing regional labor market dynamics when the share of older workers increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Various health systems are challenged by a multifaceted crisis of increased service demand and workforce shortages. The effects are devastating and may end up in decreased access to care, poor quality of patient care and extreme demands on the workforce. The introduction of the physician assistant (PA) profession provided an avenue to address such challenges in several countries. In Germany, the integration of PAs has been proceeding slowly. Design/methodology/approach: To understand the integration of the profession in Germany, we conducted 15 expert interviews to reveal how the PA profession is perceived among healthcare experts as well as the barriers and facilitators of integration in inpatient care. Findings: Our results highlight a generally positive perception of PAs, particularly in terms of workload relief and bridging the gap between healthcare professionals. Nonetheless, barriers include resistance from healthcare workers unfamiliar with the PA role, while workforce shortages and collaborative teamwork facilitate integration. Originality/value: These findings lay the groundwork for potential integration-enhancing strategies in Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes the evolution of educational and occupational patterns among migrants and natives, as well as income inequality in Germany from 1985 to 2015. We show that despite migrants catching up in education, employment, and income with their native counterparts, unfavorable societal attitudes toward them have remained virtually unchanged, which can be attributed to Bourdieu's conceptualization of cultural inheritance. We find that while income inequality has increased significantly over the 30‐year period, this trend varied considerably by the federal state and that migration did nothing to add to inequality. Since both the German economy and society rely on migrants, there is a strong need for the narratives toward migrants to be based on empirical evidence. The findings of this study hold migrant‐related policy implications not only for Germany but also for other developed nations that rely on migrants as a labor force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing growth of cities due to better job opportunities is leading to increased labour-related commuter flows in several countries. On the one hand, an increasing number of people commute and move to the cities, but on the other hand, the labour market indicates higher unemployment rates in urban areas than in the surrounding areas. We investigate this phenomenon on regional level by an alternative definition of unemployment rates in which commuting behaviour is integrated. We combine data from the Labour Force Survey with dynamic mobile network data by small area models for the federal state North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. From a methodical perspective, we use a transformed Fay–Herriot model with bias correction for the estimation of unemployment rates and propose a parametric bootstrap for the mean squared error estimation that includes the bias correction. The performance of the proposed methodology is evaluated in a case study based on official data and in model-based simulations. The results in the application show that unemployment rates (adjusted by commuters) in German cities are lower than traditional official unemployment rates indicate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Welfare states allocate and redistribute resources across different groups. For the social legitimacy of welfare states, public support of redistributive processes and outcomes is crucial. An important aspect in this context is the deservingness or non-deservingness of benefit recipients from the perspective of those who both financially contribute to the system and potentially benefit from it. We invited a random sample of the German labour force to participate in an online-survey. Using a factorial survey experiment, we described fictitious unemployed persons with different attributes and asked survey participants on the just maximum benefit duration for each particular case. Judgements regarding just benefit durations vary along the criteria of reciprocity, control, attitude and need: Respondents grant longer unemployment benefits to older jobseekers, as well as to jobseekers who became involuntarily unemployed, had stable employment careers, have to care for the elderly or are sole earners in the household. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Soziologische Revue is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the German labour market, research hints towards a reversal in gender-specific risk of becoming unemployed: While women previously faced higher risk than men, in recent years, they have consistently lower risk. This paper analyses this reversal by focusing on the role of occupational gender segregation. I discuss theoretical differences in the labour supply and demand structure and thus in the unemployment risk of male- and female-dominated occupations caused by crowding and technological and sectoral change. Using the German National Educational Panel Study combined with occupation level data, I analyse the transition to unemployment over three decades. The results confirm gender-specific trends over time: While women faced higher risk of becoming unemployed in the 1980s, they face significantly lower risk than men in the 21st century. A Karlson-Holm-Breen decomposition shows that the lower risk of women in the newest decade under observation is mediated by the unequal distribution of men and women over the occupational structure. Yet, the higher risk of women in the 1980s cannot be traced back to differences in male- and female-dominated occupations. On the contrary, the results suggest that women were more likely to become unemployed in that decade independent of their occupation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftliches Institut Mitteilungen is the property of Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftliches Institut Mitteilungen is the property of Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Obnovljeni zivot is the property of University of Zagreb, Society of Jesus and Faculty of Philosophy & Religious Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Due to the high costs and strategic importance of expatriate assignments, expatriate performance management (EPM) plays an increasingly important role for multinational enterprises (MNEs). However, research on EPM is still in its infancy. Drawing from the convergence/divergence debate in international human resource management, this study investigates and compares EPM strategies and practices across MNEs from three different country clusters to better understand whether EPM practices tend to converge, diverge, or crossverge (i.e., show aspects of both). Results from surveying 132 Anglo‐Saxon, Germanic, and Japanese MNEs reveal prominent differences (divergence) at the EPM strategic level such that Japanese MNEs tend to pursue more ethnocentric staffing strategies and design EPM systems specifically tailored to expatriates. On the practice level, we found both commonalities and differences between Japanese and Anglo‐Saxon and Germanic MNEs, pointing toward crossvergence. Theoretical and practical implications of our results are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extension of late working life has been proposed as a potential remedy for the challenges of aging societies. For Germany, surprisingly little is known about trends and social inequalities in the length of late working life. We use data from the German Microcensus to estimate working life expectancy from age 55 onward for the 1941-1955 birth cohorts. We adjust our calculations of working life expectancy for working hours and present results for western and eastern Germany by gender, education, and occupation. While working life expectancy has increased across cohorts, we find strong regional and socioeconomic disparities. Decomposition analyses show that among males, socioeconomic differences are predominantly driven by variation in employment rates; among women, variation in both employment rates and working hours are highly relevant. Older eastern German women have longer working lives than older western German women, which is likely attributable to the German Democratic Republic legacy of high female employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Against the backdrop of population ageing, governments are facing the need to raise the statutory retirement age. In this context, the question arises whether these extra years added to working life would be spent in good health. As cancer represents a main contributor to premature retirement this study focuses on time trends and educational inequalities in cancer-free working life expectancy (WLE). Methods: The analyses are based on the data of a large German health insurer covering annually about 2 million individuals. Cancer-free WLE is calculated based on multistate life tables and reported for three periods: 2006–2008, 2011–2013, and 2016–2018. Educational inequalities in 2011–2013 were assessed by two educational levels (8 to 11 years and 12 to 13 years of schooling). Results: While labour force participation increased, cancer incidence rates decreased over time. Cancer-free WLE at age 18 increased by 2.5 years in men and 6.3 years in women (age 50: 1.3 years in men, 2.4 years in women) between the first and third period while increases in WLE after a cancer diagnosis remained limited. Furthermore, educational inequalities are substantial, with lower groups having lower cancer-free WLE. The proportion of cancer-free WLE in total WLE remained constant in women and younger men, while it decreased in men at higher working age. Conclusion: The increase in WLE is accompanied by an increase in cancer-free WLE. However, the subgroups considered have not benefitted equally from this positive development. Among men at higher working age, WLE increased at a faster pace than cancer-free WLE. Particular attention should be paid to individuals with lower education and older men, as the general level and time trends in cancer-free WLE are less favourable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of a large proportion of older workers leaving the German labour market in the near future, policy makers aim to extend working lives to ensure sustainability of the social security system. In this context, safe and healthy working conditions are considered a precondition for encouraging employment participation. To understand better the role of the work environment in pre-retirement years, we draw upon an established model of five job quality profiles for the German ageing workforce. We explored seven-year profile development and linked selected manual and non-manual job quality trajectories to the motivation to work (MTW) using data from the 2011, 2014 and 2018 assessments of the lidA cohort study (valid N = 2,863). We found that older workers shifted to physically less-demanding profiles. Individual profile stability was prevalent among one-third of the workers. In 2018, there was a higher MTW when job quality remained favourable or improved early, while later improvements were associated with lower MTW. Early deterioration of job quality was associated with lower MTW levels among workers with non-manual trajectories only. The results highlight the dynamic job quality situation of the older German workforce and the importance of adopting a person-centred perspective when investigating working conditions and its effects. They further underline the need to consider quality of work when designing and implementing strategies to extend working lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study uses 24 waves of the survey Establishments in the COVID-19 crisis (BeCOVID), a high-frequency dataset collected at monthly intervals by the Institute for Employment Research during the COVID-19 pandemic, to investigate the behaviour of establishments with respect to the dynamics of their employment, in particular their use of short-time work. Due to the high-frequency intervals, the present data are considerably better suited than annual panel surveys to investigate adjustment processes. This is especially true for the role of short-time work, which is seen as a particularly fast adjustment option and thus reduces adjustment costs rapidly. Our estimations reveal a much faster overall workforce adjustment process compared with previous studies, which rely on annual panel surveys. In addition, our empirical results show that the employment adjustment in establishments using short-time work during the COVID-19 crisis occurred almost immediately within one month. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study causal effects of two early retirement reforms. Reform 1 increased normal retirement age stepwise from 60 to 63. Simultaneously, it became possible to use early retirement with benefit discounts. Reform 2 increased the age of early retirement stepwise from 60 to 63. We investigate behavioral responses to the reforms using administrative data and difference-in-differences strategies. We find strong and significant causal effects of both reforms. Individuals postponed retirement, stayed employed longer, postponed unemployment, and shifted to alternative pathways into retirement. The overall use of the retirement system declined by about 1.5 and 2 months per person after each of the two reforms. Individuals with low pension wealth and those who were affected immediately by the reform responded more strongly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors investigate whether a cut in unemployment benefit payout periods enacted in Germany in 2006 affected older workers' labor market transitions. The authors use rich administrative data and exploit a difference-in-differences approach. During 2004–2007, using monthly observations, they compare a reference group of 40–44 year olds with constant benefit payout periods to older treatment groups with reduced payout durations. Compared to the reference group, those groups with reduced payout periods had lower job exit rates, higher rates of finding a job, higher propensity to remain employed, and lower propensity to remain unemployed. These patterns suggest that the reform may have contributed to the recent rise in old-age employment in Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faced with competitive labor markets, firms increasingly use employer branding to build a qualified workforce and engage their employees. However, our understanding of the impact of employer branding orientation on firm performance and the theoretical firm‐level mechanisms underlying this potential impact is very limited. To address this gap, we integrate brand marketing theory with human resource management (HRM) research to develop a model explicating how employer branding orientation is linked to firm performance through a dual route by enhancing both recruitment efficiency (i.e., external route: applicants) and positive affective climate (i.e., internal route: incumbent employees). The results of a multisource study (i.e., top management, human resource managers, employees) with 93 firms show employer branding orientation is positively related to firm performance through positive affective climate but not recruitment efficiency. Using a brand equity approach to HRM, our results advance the literature by demonstrating the generalizability of employer branding effects independent of concrete brand attributes and explaining the firm‐level mediating mechanisms linking it to firm performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article compares the hiring patterns of start-ups and incumbent firms to analyze whether start-ups offer relatively more job opportunities to disadvantaged workers. Using administrative linked employer–employee data for Germany that provide the complete employment biographies of newly hired workers, the authors show that young firms are more likely than incumbents to hire applicants who are older, foreign, or unemployed, or who have unstable employment histories, arrive from outside the labor force, or were affected by a plant closure. Analysis of entry wages shows that penalties for these disadvantaged workers, however, are higher in start-ups than in incumbent firms. Therefore, even if start-ups provide employment opportunities for certain groups of disadvantaged workers, the quality of these jobs in terms of initial remuneration appears to be low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Regional Science Policy & Practice is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper examines the relationship between the volunteer labour supply as a component of social capital accumulation and birth cohorts. Using cross-sectional data from Germany, we apply pseudo time series and panel methods to study the connection between volunteering, active membership status, and public and private good motivations to capture an apparently changing perception of volunteer work. Our results suggest that volunteering establishes itself as a stable behaviour. Active membership and motives to volunteer to do something for a common good have predictive power. The results suggest that the volunteer labour supply is associated with some kind of institutionalised structures and a public good orientation rather than 'just having a good time'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postpartum mothers have to decide whether to leave the workforce for some time and, if so, when to return to paid work. Two kinds of regrets might evolve as a result of women's leave‐related decisions: stay‐at‐home and return‐to‐work regrets. The present research investigates how these forms of regrets are associated with women's affective organizational commitment. We conducted a four‐wave longitudinal study with female participants mostly living in Switzerland (61%) and Germany (37%). The first measurement occasion took place during pregnancy (N = 294), and the subsequent three postnatal measurement points were at 6 (n = 281), 12 (n = 254), and 24 months (n = 230) after childbirth. As expected, higher organizational commitment during pregnancy predicted stronger stay‐at‐home regrets. By contrast, women's prenatal organizational commitment did not turn out to be predictive for lowered return‐to‐work regrets. We further assumed cross‐lagged associations between post‐birth organizational commitment and return‐to‐work regrets. Our results suggest that return‐to‐work regrets are predictive of decreases in affective organizational commitment. Reversed causation, that is, effects from postnatal organizational commitment to return‐to‐work regrets, could not be confirmed. Results are discussed regarding theoretical, methodological, and practical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use quasi‐experimental expansion of publicly funded childcare slots for children under the age of three from Germany and exploit regional variations of this large‐scale expansion to account for endogenous and selective fertility decisions. To account for left and right censoring, we implement this quasi‐experimental framework into the setting of the semiparametric Cox hazard model. By using spatial data on childcare provision at the level of counties and microdata from the German Socio‐Economic Panel (SOEP) from 1998 to 2012, we find a significant increase in the transition probability to first birth by 11.9% for native childless couples who were in the labor force before childbearing. With regard to transition to the second birth, however, no significant effect is found from the increase in childcare slots. With a particular focus on the transition to first birth, the effects are demonstrated not to be driven by selective residency choices and internal migration patterns. Furthermore, a large set of robustness checks is applied to show that highly educated mothers react the most, while effects are not attributable to the upper decile of income distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we start out from theoretical concepts about different types of migrants that feature prominently in the immigration literature. By applying latent class analysis to a unique 'mini‐panel' data set on recent Polish and Turkish immigrants in Germany, we identify two types of migrants that are in line with the literature, namely settlers and target‐earners. We label a third group that is best described as educational target‐earners: 'young learners/professionals'. Regarding variation in these groups' early sociocultural integration patterns, results suggest that they reflect primarily differences in migrants' intention to stay, individual resources such as education, and opportunities for integration related to newcomers' involvement in the educational system or labour force. In sum, migrant types – though certainly more intuitively appealing and vivid than single 'variables' – seem to have limited explanatory power when it comes to predicting newcomers' early integration trajectories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the short-, medium-, and long-run employment effects of a substantial change in Germany's parental leave benefit program. In 2007, a means-tested parental leave transfer program that paid benefits for up to 2 years was replaced with an earnings-related transfer that paid benefits for up to 1 year. The reform changed the regulation for prior benefit recipients and added benefits for those who were not eligible before. Although long-run labor force participation did not change substantially—the reform sped up mothers' labor market return after their benefits expired. Likely pathways for this substantial reform effect are changes in social norms and in mothers' preferences for economic independence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migration to Germany has been a fact of life for the average German since the 1960s. Immigrants started arriving from countries like Turkey, Spain, Greece, or Italy as a post-war labor force was invited to Germany to address workforce shortages. Many of these immigrants ultimately brought their families to live in Germany. One group of these newcomers was Aramean families of Syriac Orthodox faith, forced to flee the Tur Abdin region in southeast Turkey via Syria, Lebanon, and Northern Iraq. This paper will discuss the background and impetus for moving to the West for this immigrant group in detail. It will review the impacts on the life of devout Syriac Orthodox families while living in Germany, a secular country. It will also take an initial look at whether evangelical communities in Germany can come alongside this group, still suffering from a different kind of persecution: the "otherness" of living in Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The contribution of physician assistants (PAs) to the German healthcare workforce has increased significantly since their introduction in 2005. From five training programs, the number has increased to the current 18, with 560 PAs awarded the PA bachelor of science degree as of 2020. Despite the growth, researchers lack systemic and reliable empirical data that provide insight into the German PA educational and professional profile. The German University Association Physician Assistant (DHPA) undertook the first nationwide cross-sectional survey on PAs in Germany to understand the German PA movement. This survey aimed to describe German PAs' entry into the profession and PA educational and job satisfaction. Methods: PA alumni of all universities affiliated with the DHPA and all subscribers of the Facebook online social media platform PA Blog were invited to complete an online questionnaire. Results: Of the 282 PAs who completed the survey, 77% were female and under age 25 years. Almost all (94%) were employed, predominantly as PAs (91%, 241 of 265), although some held other positions. Most worked full time (87%), with some citing child-care needs as reasons for part-time employment (n = 21). Few reported unemployment (1.4%, 4 of 282). Eighty-two percent said they would probably or very likely choose the same course of study again. Most employed participants found the inclusion of frequent rotations between didactic and clinical training in PA programs beneficial. However, a small number of participants (26.8%) agreed that German PA programs' didactic and clinical teaching objectives were well aligned. Conclusions: German PAs have a high level of satisfaction with their profession and report low unemployment. Improvement in the alignment of didactic and clinical educational objectives to improve academic qualifications and satisfaction emerged as an area of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To examine whether inactive nurses are willing to return to nursing during the COVID‐19 pandemic, the reasons for or against their decision and further, possibly relevant factors. Design: Cross‐sectional online survey. Methods: We developed a questionnaire, addressing registration, professional experiences, anticipations, and internal and external factors that might affect the decision of inactive nurses to return to nursing during the pandemic. Between 27 April and 15 June 2020, we recruited participants in Germany via social networks, organizations and institutions and asked them to forward the link to wherever other inactive nurses might be reached. Results: Three hundred and thirty‐two participants (73% female) could be included in the analysis. The majority of the participants (n = 262, 79%) were general nurses. The main reason for registering was 'want to do my bit to manage the crisis' (n = 73, 22.8%). More than two thirds of the participants (n = 230, 69%) were not or not yet registered. One hundred and twelve (49%) out of 220 participants, who gave reasons why they did not register, selected they 'could not see a necessity at that time'. The few inactive nurses who were deployed reported a variety of experiences. Conclusions: Different factors influence the nurses' decision to register or not. A critical factor for their decision was previous experiences that had made them leave the job and prevented a return—even for a limited time in a special situation. Impact From the responses of the participants in this study, it can be deduced that: negative experiences made while working in nursing influence the willingness to volunteer for a deployment; only one‐third of the inactive nurses would be willing to return to the nursing profession to help manage the Corona pandemic; policymakers and nursing leaders should not rely on the availability of inactive nurses in a crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Occupational change encompasses change of profession, employer and work tasks. This study gives an overview on occupational change in later working life and provides empirical evidence on voluntary, involuntary and desired occupational changes in the older workforce in Germany. The analyses were based on longitudinal data from 2,835 participants of the German lidA Cohort Study, a representative study of employees born in 1959 or 1965. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were performed in order to characterise the change groups in their previous job situation. The findings indicate that occupational change among older workers is frequent. In four years, 13.4 per cent changed employer, 10.5 per cent profession and 45.1 per cent work tasks. In addition, the desire for change often remains unfulfilled: the share of older workers who wanted to but did not change was 17.6 per cent for profession, 13.2 per cent for employer and 8.9 per cent for work tasks. The change groups investigated differ in terms of their socio-demographic background, health and job factors such as seniority and leadership quality. In times of ageing populations, the potential of occupational change among older workers requires more consideration in society, policy and research. Special attention should also be paid to the group of workers who would have liked to change but feel that they cannot leave. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Germany has experienced a strong and sustained labour market upswing since the mid‐2000s. While various studies have highlighted different specific reasons for this development, this study contributes to the debate by simultaneously considering a broad set of candidate factors for the upswing in a unified methodological framework and systematically weighing them against each other on an empirical basis. We develop a structural macroeconometric framework that leaves as many of the systematic interlinkages as possible for empirical determination while operating with a minimal set of restrictions in order to identify economically meaningful shocks. For this purpose, we combine short‐ and long‐run restrictions based on established assumptions on labour force development, technological change, and search and matching in the labour market. Matching efficiency, the intensity of job creation, the growing labour force, and the declining propensity to separate explain most of the German labour market upswing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forecasts predict a growing shortage of skilled nursing staff in countries worldwide. Nurse migration is already a common strategy used to address nursing workforce needs. Germany, the UK, and Australia are reviewed here as examples of destination countries for nurse migrants. Agreements exist between countries to facilitate nurse migration; however, it is not evident how nurse migrants have contributed to data on which these arrangements are based. We examined existing primary research on nurse migration, including educational needs and initiatives to support policymakers', stakeholders', and health professions educators' decisions on measures for ethical and sustainable nurse migration. We conducted a rapid evidence assessment to review available empirical research data which involved, was developed with, or considered migrant nurses to address the research question: what are the findings of research that directly involves migrant nurses in producing primary research data? A total of 56 papers were included. Four main themes were identified in this research data: Research does not clearly define what is meant by the term migrant nurses; discrimination is often reported by migrant nurses; language and communication competencies are important; and structured integration programs are highly valued by migrant nurses and destination healthcare employers. Migrant nurses continue to experience discrimination and reduced career opportunities and therefore should be included in research about them to better inform policy. Structured integration programs can improve the experience of migrant nurses by providing language support (if necessary), a country-specific bridging program and help with organisational hurdles. Not only researching migrant nurses but making them active partners in research is of great importance for successful, ethical, and sustainable migration policies. A broader evidence base, especially with regard to the views and experiences of migrant nurses and their educational support needs, should be promoted to make future immigration policy more needs-based, sustainable and ethically acceptable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers a probit model for panel data in which the individual effects vary over time by interacting with unobserved factors. In estimation we adopt a correlated random effects approach for individual effects to get around the incidental parameter problem. This allows us to construct (asymptotically) unbiased estimators for average marginal effects (AMEs), which are often the ultimate quantities of interest in many empirical studies. We derive the asymptotic distributions for the AME estimators as well as provide the consistent estimators for their asymptotic variances. Next, we design a specification test for detecting whether individual effects are time‐varying or not, and establish the asymptotic distribution for the proposed test statistic under the null hypothesis of no time variation of individual effects. Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate satisfactory finite sample performance of our proposed method. An empirical application to study the effect of fertility on labour force participation (LFP) is provided. We find that fertility has a larger impact on female LFP in Germany than in the US during the 1980s. We also provide some new empirical evidence of a even stronger effect of fertility on LFP during the 2010s in Germany, which might call for a reconsideration of relevant policies recently enacted such as the subsidized child care programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Germany's labour market faces substantial challenges caused by demographic change in the next decade. However, a country comparison with Sweden and Switzerland reveals hidden labour market potentials. Raising the employment rate towards the Swiss level implies an increase of 1.83 billion labour hours. An alignment of weekly working hours as well as annual working weeks in Germany with the (higher) values of those in Sweden and Switzerland would raise annual labour volume to 4.71 billion working hours. A reduction of involuntary part time work in Germany leads to an increase of 691 million working hours. A better utilisation of the existing labour force potential can thus contribute to tackle the adverse effects of demographic change and enable a state budget consolidation after the crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current paper contributes to the existing literature on migration by explaining the emigration pattern from Denmark, Finland and Sweden to Germany. We have tried to discover the reason why people migrate from high-income European Union (EU) member states to Germany, which for a long time has hosted the highest number of migrants when compared to other EU member states. We have employed gravity models using fixed effects and ordinary least squares estimation for 1998 - 2019. Our results have indicated that Germany, compared to other EU member states, is more competitive in terms of its labour market efficiency. Germany is an attractive destination for migrants from Denmark, Finland and Sweden in terms of its employment rate, wages and effective government support of its labour force programmes. The current research provides insights into enhancing German competitiveness in terms of labour market factors, which is important for both the migrant and native populations. The results show that if wisely managed, the labour market attracts the labour force, which can address critical social issues Europe is currently facing. In particular, competition issues for high-skilled workers, an aging population, and a low birth rate. The study indicates that the long-term attractiveness of Germany for migrants is based on the efficient participation of the government in labour management-related decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although German mothers' labor force participation has increased in recent decades, German men's participation in domestic labor has not increased proportionally. Thus, mothers still face a "double burden." We analyzed the total time parents spent on childcare and on various particular activities, such as learning with children, playing with children, basic childcare, talking with children, managing children's activities, and reading with children. We identified a very slow gender convergence in childcare patterns in Germany over the last two decades. However, as in other Western countries, German parents' division of childcare remains unequal; mothers do much more routine care and spend more time overall on care than fathers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We estimate a dynamic structural model of labor supply, retirement, and informal caregiving to study short and long-term costs of informal caregiving in Germany. Incorporating labor market frictions and the German tax and benefit system, we find that in the absence of Germany's public long-term insurance scheme, informal elderly care has adverse and persistent effects on labor market outcomes and, thus, negatively affects lifetime earnings and future pension benefits. These consequences of caregiving are heterogeneous and depend on age, previous earnings, and institutional regulations. Policy simulations suggest that while public long-term care insurance policies are fiscally costly and induce negative labor market effects, they can largely offset the personal costs of caregiving and increase welfare, especially for low-income individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the German post‐reunification context dominated by economic uncertainty and structural change, this paper studies the effects of import shocks from China on the fertility decisions of individuals working in the German manufacturing sector between 1995 and 2016. While focusing on trade shocks related to Chinese imported goods, the paper explores individual fertility via the labor market outcomes of manufacturing workers, roughly a fifth of German employment. I investigate the gender‐specific effects of Chinese import competition on individual fertility and explain the channels mediating each of them. I find that globalization affects overall fertility negatively, but the effect is positive for women and negative for men. Results indicate a reduction in the employment opportunity of individuals, an increase in marginal employment and higher economic insecurity. There is a substitution effect in the labor supply of women, here prevalently concentrated in low‐technology sectors: as female earnings fall and their opportunity cost of work is lower, the prospect of having children possibly becomes a more rewarding alternative. Given concerns over low fertility in Germany, findings are particularly important for understanding the German social and economic structure that enabled the country's post‐reunification transformation but also allowed heavy labor market segmentation and atypical work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie ( KZfSS) is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: The increasing nursing shortages worldwide has focused attention on the need to find more effective ways to recruit and retain nurses. The aim of this study was to gain understanding of factors that keep German nurses in nursing and explore their perceptions of factors that contribute to nurses leaving or staying in the profession. Methods: An explorative qualitative study was undertaken at four different hospitals (two university hospitals and two public hospitals) in Baden-Wuerttemberg, a state in South Germany. Semi-structured face-to-face or telephone interviews were conducted with 21 state-qualified nurses who had graduated from a German nursing program. Each interview was pseudonymized and transcribed. Transcripts were coded according to Qualitative Content Analysis with data structured into themes and subthemes. The study was reported according to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Studies (COREQ) checklist for qualitative research. Results: Two themes emerged from the analysis and each theme had several subthemes: a) PUSH FACTORS i.e. factors that may push nurses to consider leaving the profession included limited career prospects, generational barriers, poor public image of nursing, and workplace pressures; b) PULL FACTORS i.e. factors that nurses wished for and could keep them in the profession included professional pride, improved remuneration, recognition of nursing, professionalisation, and improving the image of nursing as a profession. Conclusion: The decision to leave or stay in nursing is influenced by a complex range of dynamic push and pull factors. Nurse Managers responsible for stabilizing the workforce and maintaining their health system will continue to have to navigate challenges until working conditions, appropriate wages and career development opportunities are addressed. A key to tackling nursing shortages may be focusing on pull factors and nurse managers listening in particular to the perspectives of junior nurses directly involved in patient care, as giving them opportunity to further develop professionally, reinforcing a strong and supportive workplace relationships, paying an appropriate salary, and improving the public image of nursing profession. Registration number: The study has been prospectively registered (27 June 2019) at the German Clinical Trial Register (DRKS00017465). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article offers a comparative study of recent joint initiatives by Danish and German social partners within the industrial cleaning sector. It examines how, and to what extent, the day-to-day realities of industrial cleaners vary due to distinct regulatory regimes and explores why social dialogue initiatives have not had a greater impact in terms of improving wages, working conditions and social benefits. The authors find that, whilst sector institutions help counteract precariousness for some cleaning workers, the increasingly intense competition within industrial cleaning contributes to increased segmentation as employers seek various loopholes within existing labour market regulation to cut costs. Therefore, the labour force within the cleaning sector is increasingly segmented, with some cleaners ending up in highly precarious situations, whilst others are helped by various joint initiatives by social partners to improve atypical workers' conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]