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This study critically engages with the 'end of neoliberalism' debates which have peaked following the globally detrimental impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. The paper suggests that crises of the pandemic predetermine neither the end of neoliberalism nor its regeneration. It is argued that 'death or resurrection' of neoliberalism is conditioned in the ways through which subjects experience ongoing crises and translate them into particular actions. On that basis, the paper focuses on Turkey's labour regime under pandemic conditions to reveal how the imaginings and political practices of the Turkish state, companies, and (self-employed courier) workers regenerate the enduring principles of neoliberalism – including (global) market competitiveness, deregulation, labour market flexibility, economic individualism, and status-seeking – even in moments of crises. The paper concludes with a brief discussion on the emerging visibility of alternative modes of practices, which potentially involve new possibilities to mobilise towards post-neoliberal politics under crisis-ridden pandemic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existing empirical studies concerning labour market rigidity associated with the labour laws in India suggest an adverse impact of rigidity on total factor productivity (TFP). In this paper, we improve upon both the measurement of spatiotemporal variation in labour market flexibility and plant-level TFP from production function estimates in the presence of institutional rigidity in labour inputs adjustment due to job security legislation based on the recent advancement in the literature. We use an unbalanced panel of manufacturing plants from the Annual Survey of Industries panel data from 1999–2000 to 2016–17 to analyse the relationship between labour market rigidity/flexibility and TFP. We find that establishments that fall under the purview of job security legislation have higher productivity than those outside the ambit of job security legislation. The results suggest that rigidity associated with job security provisions does not harm TFP, and higher flexibility is negatively associated with TFP. However, we find considerable heterogeneity in the flexibility–TFP relationship across various industry groups. The heterogeneity in the flexibility–TFP relationship suggests that flexibility-inducing labour policy may improve TFP in some industries and, at the same time, decrease it in others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Question: The aim of this paper is to construct a numerical measure of EPL which takes into consideration the implementation of legislation and employment structure. Motivation: It is recognized in the literature that in countries with a significant share of the shadow economy the labour market flexibility is de facto higher than the original EPL index based on de iure conditions implies. Since the sub-index which refers to the workers with permanent contracts has the largest weight in the EPL index calculation, taking into consideration the share of workers with regular contracts in total employment would give a clearer picture about the real influence of individual sub-indices. Idea: For international comparisons of de iure strictness of the employment protection legislation, we use the latest official OECD data on EPL index and its sub-indices. The OECD data for Serbia shows only the values for EPR, EPC and EPRC sub-indices. After calculation of EPT sub-index and EPL index for Serbia, three adjusted indices are developed in order to capture the effective (i.e., de facto) strictness of the employment protection legislation in different countries. Data: The analysis was based on the latest available official OECD data on the EPL indices (2012 to 2015, depending on a country). For the calculation of missing sub-indices for Serbia, the main source of information was the Labour Law. Data on shadow economy are based on Krstic et al. (2013) and Schneider (2016), while the data regarding employment structure stem from Labour Force Surveys. Tools: Calculation of EPT and EPL indices was conducted in accordance with the official OECD methodology for calculating summary indicators of EPL strictness. The methodology for calculation of adjusted indices is developed on the initial basis of the previous research from Berger et al. (2016), Eamets & Paas (2007a), Boeri & van Ours (2008), Rutkowski & Scarpetta (2005) and Jandric (2014). Findings: The analysis was performed for 26 European countries. Rankings of European countries according to de facto strictness of the employment protection legislation differ significantly from the rankings made upon de iure strictness of the EPL. De facto external numerical flexibility of the labour market in Serbia is higher than when measured by the original unadjusted indices. Contribution: The main contribution of the paper is the development of the method for international comparisons of EPL, which provides a way to distinguish between de facto and de iure rigidity of employment protection legislation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worsening joblessness in India is put forward here from the multiple and interconnected argumentative lens of formal-informal dichotomy by labour productivity differential, market size constraint, labour market flexibility, capital inflows, political constraint, corporate industrialization and welfare economic implications. In the process, the limitations of the classic developmental ideas of Kuznets, Lewis and Schumpeter are critiqued. Thereafter, an alternative policy framework is proposed to achieve economic development focused on employment, equity and environmental uplift. The paper shows how the massive unemployment problem can be managed in India's democratic set up by departing from conventional wisdom about industrialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Recent economic recession has highlighted the role of labour market flexibility as a key factor of competitiveness of a country. Despite the fact that labour mobility can essentially be seen as part of labour market flexibility, there is notable research gap concerning spatial mobility and other facets of labour market flexibility. The purpose of this special issue is to fill these gaps. Design/methodology/approach – The papers in the special issue represent various quantitative methods and databases, whereas mainly micro data (workplace, labour force or immigrant surveys, job search portal, etc.) is used. However, the type of labour market flexibility addressed is both micro- and macro-level. Findings – It is demonstrated that labour occupational mobility is determined by the business cycle, numerical flexibility, occupational categories, and sector. Spatial mobility may have counterintuitive effects on individual occupational mobility depending on gender and it is related to various flexibilities in the workplace. It is also suggested that different types of flexibilities on a firm level are interdependent of each other. Originality/value – The special issue adds to the labour market related knowledge by integrating labour market flexibility and mobility. Individually, both phenomena have been studied before, but not much research is devoted to their inter-linkages. The special issue also contributes by examining labour market flexibility and spatial mobility in the context of different countries, economic cycles, and institutional settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to shed knowledge about the relationship between the inter-firm job mobility and the occupational transitions in Spain during the last years. In particular, it is tested whether if the type of job-to-job mobility (voluntary or involuntary) has some influence on the workers careers. The empirical analysis is based on panel data provided by the Living Condition Survey, which is conducted by the Spanish Statistics Institute (INE). The period analysed covers the years between 2005 and 2010 (both inclusive), what allows observing the labour mobility patterns in the recent Spanish economic crisis. Design/methodology/approach -- The econometric specification used to analyse occupational mobility corresponds to a random effect panel multinomial logit model. The econometric model is estimated separately for workers that have remained at the same firm and for workers who have changed firms; for the latter group, a dummy variable indicating whether the individual quit or was laid off is included as a regressor. Findings -- The results derived from the estimates of the econometric specifications show that individuals who voluntarily leave a firm find the decision has a positive effect on their careers, as their probability of upward occupational mobility is more than 90 per cent higher than for individuals who leave their previous position as a result of having been laid off. Social implications -- This result is an argument in favour of adopting active labour market policies that help improve information flows in the labour market and allow workers a better understanding of potential job offers from outside firms. Originality/value -- This paper analyses the relationship between inter-firm mobility and occupational transitions that has not yet addressed in the economic literature for Spain. Paper type Research paper [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on position of older workers on labour market. It tries to identify and shortly describe the main factors affecting chances of older workers to get and keep a job. There are many approaches how to evaluate the opportunities and obstacles faced by older workers. On the basis of review of literature this paper points to significant problems that population ageing can bring to labour market. The differences between changes in productivity and changes in earnings might lead to reduction of employment of older workers. Technological progress or structural changes in industrial economies leads to other difficulties associated with ageing. Both employment and hiring of older workers are influenced by institutional arrangement. The future reforms should be aimed at improving flexibility of the labour market or eliminating stickiness of wages. The attention should be also paid to pension system and social security system. Finally, better education, training and health might help to delay the retirement as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper conceptualizes changes in the labour market and suggests labour market policies/reforms after Slovenia has joined the European Monetary Union. The loss of monetary sovereignty implies that in case of an external shock the labour market is burdened by a large amount of the adjustment process. But to increase flexibility of the labour market requires politically unpopular reforms. At the moment, Slovenia is faced with high inflation and a rigid labour market, which is also a key element of its low competitiveness. The reforms were halted under the pressure of their unpopularity. The paper, although concentrating on Slovenia, has general implications since the experiences of the newcomer to EMU are significant for other transition economies which are expected to follow the same path. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The paper connects labour market flexibility with the number of workers living in poverty. • A dynamic panel cointegrating technique is applied to 15 european union countries. • Results suggests that higher flexibility increases the number of poor workers. • The effects are amplified when the poverty of the whole population is considered. • The supposed increased efficiency may lead to a weakening of the social fabric. Labour market flexibility is one of the main pillars of the European policy framework, as it is perceived as an instrument to promote growth with positive spillover effects on the workers' income. The aim of this article is to investigate the effect of competition in the labour market on workers' living conditions from a macroeconomic perspective. An empirical dynamic panel co-integration technique connecting indicators of workers' poverty to an index of 'labour flexibility' is applied to 15 European Union countries. The results suggest that higher flexibility of the labour market is correlated, in the long run, with a higher number of workers living in poverty, considered in both relative and absolute terms. When examining the population as a whole, these results seem to be amplified, suggesting that the strategy of pressure on the labour market could be detrimental not only for workers but also for general living conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ruling National Democratic Alliance regime in India pushed through three labour codes in September 2020 namely the Code on Social Security; Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code; and the Industrial Relations Code. These alongside the Code on Wages approved earlier in 2019 amalgamate several labour laws. This study is an endeavour towards a critical examination of the Industrial Relations Code, 2020. It engages in a comparative analysis of the various provisions of the Code vis-à-vis the laws which were its predecessors. Some key features of the Code as well as their ramifications are probed. Further, their potential impact on trade unionism and the right to strike is discussed. The relationship between capital and labour is adversarial rather than complementary. This paper argues that reforms in the real sense must seek to balance the interests of both parties rather than that of employers alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper pursues two aims. The first is to argue that the foundation of Marx's theory of capitalist exploitation is to be found, not in the labour theory of value, but rather in the contract of employment, the legal frame of the capital-labour relation. The second is to suggest that the partial externalisation of the reproduction cost of labour power has been an important source of relative surplus value, along with the productivity increase, emphasised by Marx, in the industries supplying wage goods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The research question which this paper aims to address is: To what extent does (labour) flexibility contribute to crisis resistance at establishment level? More specifically, the authors seek to analyse the determinants of variation in the extent to which establishments showed resistance to the global financial crisis (GFC), i.e. the extent to which they were affected by the crisis, focusing on an available secondary dataset related to organizational, industry-level, and (numerical) labour flexibility. Design/methodology/approach – Based on a unique cross-sectional dataset of 8,000 establishments in Germany, the authors use binary logistic regression to assess the link between organizational characteristics, industry-specific factors and workforce characteristics, and the fact that some establishments were affected by the GFC while others were not affected. Findings – Establishment size, being located in western Germany and business problems before the crisis were positively associated with being affected by the crisis. The sector of economic activity also played a significant role. Contrary to predictions relating to the strategies employed by flexible firms, the extent to which they made use of temporary agency workers or of fixed-term employees showed no significant association with crisis resistance. Practical implications – The dependent variable measures the management respondent's (subjective) perception of being affected by the crisis, although it does not specify the ways in which a company has been affected, for example by a drop in demand or by difficulty in extending credit. The set of independent variables permits several tentative conclusions regarding numerical and functional flexibility, but it does not take alternative forms of flexibility into account. Originality/value – Using a unique and representative dataset, the findings suggest a less important role for numerical flexibility in establishment performance and crisis resistance when compared to other variables, at least within the authors' research framework and its exceptional external economic circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indonesia continues to bear the scars of the 1997 financial crisis, with the highest open unemployment rate in Southeast Asia. The orthodox interpretation is that the post-crisis era in Indonesia is typified by overly generous labour legislation that has seen an aggressive pursuit of minimum wages and other provisions. The consequent rise in real wages adversely impacted the investment climate and impeded employment growth in the formal sector. Detailed sectoral analysis reveals very little evidence of a wage-driven cost squeeze on profit margins. Econometric estimation of sectoral employment functions shows that output growth plays a more significant role in determining employment than real wage. This is also confirmed by enterprise surveys which reveal that current labour legislation is not at the top of the list of concerns among investors. Thus, this paper contends that Indonesia's current labour woes are best understood as the reflection of structural change and a demand-constrained economy. Any employment-creation strategy must therefore consider both demand and cost factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this paper is on a microeconomic analysis of the annual transition rate from temporary to permanent work of individual workers in Canada for the period 1999–2004. Given that a large proportion of temporary employment is involuntary, an understanding of the factors associated with the transition to permanent work may inform public policy. Factors associated with the transition, namely, human capital, household structures and labour market segmentation are analyzed using data from the Statistics Canada’s Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID) for the period 1999–2004, limited to paid workers aged 20–64 years, excluding students. Among the key factors associated with the transitions are younger age and low unemployment rates. The analysis adds to the Canadian and international literature on transitions from temporary to permanent work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the link between labour market flexibility and innovation is analysed paying particular attention to the different technological regimes of economic activities and the different geographical areas of the Italian economy. A dynamic panel data specification is used to assess the endogenous relationship between patents, included as a proxy for innovation, and job turnover and wages, which represent labour market indicators. Our results show that higher job turnover only has a significant and negative impact on patent activities in regional sectors of Northern Italy, while blue and white collar wages have been generally found to have a positive and significant impact on innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an empirical analysis of the Italian total factor productivity (TFP) growth for the 1995-2012 period that takes into account the factors explaining cross-regional differences in productivity growth. We focus on the changes in the quality of labor caused by the increasing use of temporary workers and on the migration flows of human-capital, which almost unidirectionally moved from the Southern to the Northern-Centre regions. Empirical results provide evidence of a non-linearity (U-shaped) in the relationship between the use of temporary workers and TFP growth, which suggests that TFP growth in some Southern regions benefited from the increase in the share of temporary workers after the early 2000s, while regions in the Centre-North regions experienced an opposite effect, with the share of temporary workers being negatively related to TFP growth. Results also show that migration flows of qualified human capital had a positive impact on TFP growth in the regions of destinations, while the number of emigrants have a positive effect on the TFP growth in the regions of origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Worsening joblessness in India is put forward here from the multiple and inter-connected argumentative lens of formal-informal dichotomy by labour productivity differential, market size constraint, labour market flexibility, capital inflows, political constraint, corporate industrialization and welfare economic implications. In the process, the limitations of the classic developmental ideas of Kuznets, Lewis and Schumpeter are critiqued. Thereafter, an alternative policy framework is proposed to achieve economic development focused on employment, equity and environmental uplift. The paper shows how the massive unemployment problem can be managed in India’s democratic set up by departing from conventional wisdom about industrialization.

This paper analyses the complex relationship between work flexibility strategies and workplace training at the firm level, thus filling a gap in the relative literature that only takes into account supply-side factors and fails to discriminate between on- and offthe job training. To achieve this purpose, we discuss the implications of two different theoretical frameworks grounding on human capital theory and systemic flexibility, respectively, and go on developing alternative hypotheses on the association between the presence of temporary and part-time workers at firm-level and training investments, both off-the-job and on-the-job. By using data on Italian firms, we get different results according to the type of non-standard contract and training. Part-time and temporary contracts carry out distinct functions with respect to off-the-job and on-the-job training, respectively. The former is more consistent with the human capital approach, whereas the latter is in line with the strategic management approach. These results are discussed in view of a structural labour market reform enacted by the Italian government in 2015, the so-called "Jobs Act". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has largely undermined most economies in the world. To a significant extent the reasons behind this economic nosedive are rooted in the sphere of labour market. The imposed restriction measures made many workers stay at home, and part of them even lost their jobs. The speed of economic recovery in different countries varied depending on how quarantine restrictions were eased. One crucial factor in this process is labour market flexibility and its ability to adapt to changing economic conditions. The purpose of the paper is to explore the relationship between the labour market flexibility and the speed of GDP recovery when the pandemic was waning and the quarantine restrictions were being removed. Methodologically, the study relies on labour economics. The methods are multivariate and logistic regression analysis. The data for the study is sourced from the World Bank and Eurostat and comprises statistics for assessing labour market flexibility and GDP in various countries for 2020–2021. The findings indicate a reverse relationship between the speed of GDP growth recovery during the post-COVID period and the share of part-time employment. Yet taking into account that part-time employment is not only an indicator of the labour market flexibility, but also reflects a general slowdown in production and unemployment, we can attach low speed of recovery to a greater weakness of an economy. The obtained results are insufficient to reject the hypothesis that a more flexible labour market accelerates the recovery of a national economy. At the same time, the study demonstrates that the West European countries generally got over the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis faster than other EU countries. The research contributes to understanding the transformation processes in the labour market under the pandemic as well as provides support for labour market policy development and implementation.

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This paper deals with the role of the labor market in moderating the growth-effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) in developing countries. FDI has developed rapidly and become the main source of economic growth in developing countries. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of labor market flexibility in mediating the impact of FDI on economic growth in developing countries. Panel threshold regression analysis proposed by Hansen (1999) is employed to assess the hypothesis of the study. Findings/Originality: The results provide the empirical finding of the role labor market in moderating the growth effect of FDI in developed and developing countries and fill this gap by assessing the role of labor market flexibility as an absorptive capacity in FDI-growth link in developing countries.

The present paper investigates the development of non- wage employment (NWE) in the context of sensible changes in economic structure, by increasing the relative importance of the services' sector and labour force supply due to an expansion of higher education. We identify factors which favour the expansion of NWE in the context of transition to knowledge-based economy in the countries with solid market economy. A comparative analysis is made about the relative importance of employment in European Union member countries and a series of correlations performed with other structural indicators of the labour force market. On this basis, the conclusion is that the NWE physiognomy is dependent to a significant extent on the development degree and sectoral structure of the economy in various countries. The analysis of the NWE development is deepened in the case of Romania by paying special attention to the case of higher educated individuals. It is found that the increases in the number of self-employed persons with higher education is mainly a forced choice for avoiding entering unemployment and only at secondaty level the expression of a new type of entrepreneurial spirit, as in the case of countries with consolidated market economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development economists generally concur that the implications of economic reform for employment are influenced by an economy's institutional framework. This paper examines the extent to which differences in regional labour market flexibility shaped the impact of unanticipated economic reforms on employment in formal manufacturing firms in India in the 1990s, using pooled cross-sectional firm survey data. It employs a difference-in-differences strategy for this analysis and finds that, on average and ceteris paribus in the 1990–1997 period, declines in input tariffs were associated with increased employment in formal firms across all Indian states, while FDI reform was associated with increased (reduced) formal firm employment in states with flexible (inflexible) labour markets. Supporting analysis indicates that these results were underpinned, at least in part, by product market competition within the formal sector. As policy makers in developing economies increasingly emphasise increases in formal employment as a key policy objective, these findings are of general interest. They underline the relevance of market structure and geographical variation in institutional characteristics to a study of the effects of economic reform. Furthermore, this paper highlights the continuing relevance of formal sector analysis, notwithstanding the persistent primacy of informal enterprises in developing economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the centrality of the issue of labour market flexibility, attempts to consistently measure levels of flexibility, either within or across countries, have been remarkably scarce. This paper makes a significant contribution towards filling this gap by presenting a set of labour market flexibility indicators for the UK. Derived from survey-data sources, the indexes relate directly to theoretical considerations on the issue of flexibility and cover a 20-year period (1979–1998) at sub-national detail (Standard Statistical Regions). Examination of their temporal evolution and regional variation reveals a number of interesting findings, most notably that increases in flexibility have not been uniform across space and that persistent regional differences exist in functional specialisations in flexibility with the most significant pattern of regional differentiation being not in the levels of (overall) flexibility but in the types of flexible arrangements that prevail in each region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we examine the impact of temporary work on two dimensions of social inequality: income and career mobility. Additionally, we are taking a comparative perspective on this subject by comparing Germany and the UK. To investigate the effects of temporary work we use data from the German Socio-Economic Panel and the British Household Panel Study on non-self-employed respondents. The results show that temporary work does influence the system of social inequality: we found wage penalties and an increased probability of severe negative effects on the working careers of temporarily employed persons in both countries (net of education, age, and a variety of other covariates). Thus we can conclude that temporary employment represents a substantial socio-economic risk for employees. Most importantly, this holds true for both the German and the British case, two quite distinct labour market regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a discussion of the general reasons for conducting comparative research, the need for a socio-legal functional approach and the motives for subjecting Swedish, English and German labour law to study. Anna Christensen's theory of the normative field of law is discussed and applied to the field of comparative labour law research. The focus of the research is the legal regulation of the managerial prerogative (especially the employer's right to direct and allocate work) in the light of the increasing trend towards greater flexibility in employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B ENNER C. (2003) Labour flexibility and regional development: the role of labour market intermediaries, Reg. Studies 37 , 621-633. As contemporary labour markets have become more complex, volatile and unpredictable, labour market intermediaries (LMIs) have played an increasingly prominent role in shaping labour flexibility and regional development. Existing theories of regional development, however, do not adequately account for this prominent role. Using Silicon Valley as a case study, this paper contributes to developing a theory of intermediaries and regional development by highlighting the role LMIs play in three important labour market functions - reducing transactions costs, building networks and managing risk. In doing this, intermediaries play a critical role in shaping the speed and character of labour market adjustment, thus contributing directly to regional development, with significant implications for regional development policy. B ENNER C. (2003) La flexibilité du travail et l'amé nagement du territoire: le rôle des intermédiaires dans le marché du travail, Reg. Studies 37 , 621-633. Au fur et à mesure que les marchés du travail sont devenus plus complexes, plus précaires et plus imprévisibles, les intermédiaires dans le marché du travail (IMT) ont joué un rôle de plus en plus important dans la dé termination de la flexibilité du travail et de l'aménagement du territoire. Toujours est-il que les théories actuelles de l'amé nagement du territoire ne tient pas compte convenablement de ce rôle important. A partir d'une étude de cas, à savoir la Silicon Valley, cet article cherche à contribuer à la construction d'une thé orie des intermédiaires et de l'aménagement du territoire tout en soulignant le rôle des IMT dans trois fonctions importantes sur le marché du travail - la réduction des frais de transaction, la construction de réseaux et la gestion du risque. De cette manière, les intermédiaires jouent un rôle primordial dans la détermination de la vitesse et de la nature de l'ajustement du marché du travail, ainsi contribuant directement à l'aménagement du territoire, d'où d'importantes conséquences pour la politique d'aménagement du territoire. B ENNER C. (2003) Flexibilität der Arbeiterschaft und regionale Entwicklung: Die Rolle der Arbeitsmarktvermittler, Reg. Studies 37 , 621-633. Da die heutigen Arbeitsmärkte komplexer, unbeständiger und unvorsehbarer geworden sind, haben Arbeitsmarktvermittler (Labour Market Intermediaries=LMIs) eine zunehmend wichtige Rolle bei der Gestaltung der Flexibilität der Arbeiterschaft und der regionalen Entwicklung gespielt. Vorhandene Theorien der Regionalentwicklung geben jedoch nur unzulängliche Auskunft über die Bedeutung ihrer Rolle. Mit Hilfe einer Fachstudie von Silicon Valley trägt dieser Aufsatz zur Entwicklung einer Theorie der Vermittler und regionaler Entwicklung bei, indem er die Rolle hervorhebt, die LMIs in drei bedeutenden Arbeitsmarktfunktionen spielen: der Reduzierung der Abwicklungskosten, der Konstruktion von Netzwerken und der Absicherung von Risiken. In dieser Kapazität spielen die Vermittler eine kritische Rolle, indem sie Tempo und Charakter der Arbeitsmarktanpassung gestalten, und so direkt zur Regionalentwicklung beitragen; dies hat signifikante Implikationen für die regionale Entwicklungspolitik. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the effect of labour strategies and management types on firm performance in Chinese enterprises. We use two large panel surveys on Chinese enterprises, spanning almost two decades of transition. Our findings suggest that, as commonly thought, there are significant differences across ownership types in China in the degree to which flexible labour market strategies are utilized; and more flexible strategies (such as bonus-reward systems) do seem to significantly enhance performance. However, after controlling for different degrees of labour market flexibility, ownership differences have little influence on enterprise performance (with the exception that foreign joint ventures clearly outperform other types in growth and labour productivity). This important result suggests that the impact of Chinese ownership types on performance is felt through cost-impacts rather than via direct differences in competitive behaviour or the goals of enterprise decision-makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human resource management literature has covered the issues relating to labour market flexibility (LMF), and highlighted a trend in many sectors towards increasing reliance on peripheral workers. Construction has been cited as a model in terms of its ability to exploit the benefits of LMF in its widespread use of peripheral workers as a response to an uncertain operating environment. This paper examines employers' quests for LMF in the construction industry in Singapore, explores the prevailing approaches to labour use in the industry, considers the rationales for the reliance on peripheral workers, and evaluates the merits and disadvantages of this practice. It argues that Singapore's construction firms have always relied on a traditional form of employment based on a labour subcontracting system, but recent years have witnessed changes in the structure of the system as well as an increase in the proportion of foreign workers in the labour force. In addition, it is argued that the conditions for the increasing use of these peripheral workers are different from those suggested to be underlying the quest for 'flexibility' in industrialized countries. The practice is observed to have considerable adverse effects, although firms derive some of the benefits relating to LMF. Possible measures are put forward for improving construction labour use strategies in Singapore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development economists generally concur that the implications of economic reform for employment are influenced by an economy’s institutional framework. This paper examines the extent to which differences in regional labour market flexibility shaped the impact of unanticipated economic reforms on employment in formal manufacturing firms in India in the 1990s, using pooled cross-sectional firm survey data. It employs a difference-in-differences strategy for this analysis and finds that, on average and ceteris paribus in the 1990–1997 period, declines in input tariffs were associated with increased employment in formal firms across all Indian states, while FDI reform was associated with increased (reduced) formal firm employment in states with flexible (inflexible) labour markets. Supporting analysis indicates that these results were underpinned, at least in part, by product market competition within the formal sector. As policy makers in developing economies increasingly emphasise increases in formal employment as a key policy objective, these findings are of general interest. They underline the relevance of market structure and geographical variation in institutional characteristics to a study of the effects of economic reform. Furthermore, this paper highlights the continuing relevance of formal sector analysis, notwithstanding the persistent primacy of informal enterprises in developing economies.

There has been much debate on how to design employment protection regulations that balance the need to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) on the one hand and to protect workers' rights on the other hand. This study explores this 'dilemma', using a multi‐country dataset from 2003 to 2015 and treating hiring and firing regulation (HFR) and the other explanatory variables as endogenous. The findings indicate that flexible HFR is essential for FDI promotion in the early stages of economic development of a country, but the impact of labour market flexibility on FDI gradually decreases and eventually turns statistically insignificant with economic advancement. In other words, a flexible HFRs are more important for developing countries, but such flexibility does not have to be sustained in a 'race to the bottom' manner: once a country reaches higher income levels, it has more room to focus on labour standards to protect workers without compromising on the attractiveness of the country for FDI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theory and economic intuition suggest that domestic institutions influence the employment impact of economic reform, but the evidence base is thin. This paper seeks to address this by examining the extent to which differences in regional labour market flexibility shaped the impact of unanticipated economic reforms on employment in informal (unregistered) manufacturing enterprises in India (1990–2001). It employs a difference-in-differences strategy and finds that tariff reductions are not associated with significant employment shifts in informal enterprises, a finding that may be attributable to the fact that these enterprises rarely engage in international trade. However, on average and ceteris paribus, delicensing (FDI reform) is associated with statistically significant increases (increases) in informal employment and informal enterprise numbers in inflexible (flexible) labour markets. There is some evidence that the delicensing effect is attributable to increases in product market competition in delicensed industries. However, the channel underlying the result associated with FDI reform is less clear. In light of the persistent primacy of the informal sector in India and other developing economies, these findings have substantial policy relevance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated negotiated Labour Market Flexibility (LMF) in small hazardous firms in the context of increased immigrant labourers and the non-availability of the local labour force. Extant literature discussed negotiation between the employer and employees, only if the firm satisfies the following conditions: firm-specificity, employee categorisation into core-periphery, and shared ethnic identities between the employees and employer. However, in this study, we broke away from these conditional boundaries, and used the Grounded theory to capture both entrepreneurs' and employees' views. Interestingly, we found a socially constructed interdependence between them, stemming from mutual reciprocity. The findings offer significant implications for substantive theory and practice in the realm of LMF in general, and negotiated flexible work arrangements in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Transfer: European Review of Labour & Research is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. 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.)