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Literature review states that the basis of employment relations as a field of study is to investigate the nature of the relationship between employer and employee. Thus, this study was conducted to investigate employment relations in the informal sector by using a framework introduced by Goss (1991) to interpreting employment relations in small firms that can be understood with regard to two related dimensions: First, the extent to which employers is dependent on his or her employees, and vice versa; and second, the extent to which employees have the capacity individually or collectivity, to challenge the power of their employer. Based on these two dimensions, four distinct categories have been identified that reveal the complexity and diversity the nature of employment relationships in the informal sector, namely is 'fraternalism', 'paternalism', 'benevolent autocracy' and 'passive acquiescence' The study employ qualitative approach and in-depth interviews with four employers and four workers in the informal sector in Lawas, Sarawak. The findings show that the nature of the employment relations in the informal sector is 'benevolent autocracy' or employers are less dependent on their employees, resulting in limited labour capacity to challenge the employer's power. Characteristics of the informal and unregistered informal sector which result in lack of protection to workers are the main reason for the employment relations in the informal sector. This study also contributes to the redefinition of the term of employment relations in the informal sector and then suggest for policy reforms in the context of the informal sector, particularly in protecting the rights of workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social and economic change today is an attempt to increase rural development that can invite a variety of employment and domestic demands in order to achieve sustainable rural living. Social and economic change nowadays is an attempt to increase the rural development which could invites various employment and domestic demands in order to sustain and survive in rural. It can be traced when women copreneurs are seen as key players in facing the implications of life scenarios for performing various roles and responsibilities between work and life in rural. Copreneurship is a husband and wife business in which both of them shares their responsibilities, commitments and goals. Normally, copreneurship seeks to achieve harmony in order to maintain survival as working with a spouse is considered to facilitate women copreneurs in work and nonwork responsibilities. However, how far are the challenges that women's copreneurs' faced in work with their partners in trying to achieve harmonious survival incorresponding to the increased cost of living is still a question. In short, this paper aims to identify the challenges women copreneurs face in their lives on Mabul Island. Using qualitative methods, the researcher applied in-depth interviews to 7 women copreneurs in Mabul Island. The study found that women copreneurs facing a long working hours and dominate both the business and household tasks than their partner. Working with a partner causes women copreneurs to carry out business tasks with long working hours. Women copreneurs are seen not only as an executors of housekeeping but also as domestic breadwinners. This means that women copreneurs does not only take multiple roles but are also facing dual jobs even in rural areas. This indicates that women copreneurs on Mabul Island are well positioned in rural areas both socially and economically in achieving their household and survival needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Minimum Wage Act was gazetted and became mandatory to be implemented to all private sector organization on the 1st January 2014. Among the private sector organizations that must implement the Minimum Wage Act is the hotel sector. However, the implementation of the minimum wage in the hotel sector was a little bit different compared to the other private sector organizations. This is because, Majlis Perundingan Gaji Negara 2012 stated that the employers in a hotel sector can change all or part of the service charges they have gained to be distributed to their employees by absorbing it into the minimum wage. This situation shows that the hotel sector employers have full power in restructuring their salaries. Based on a qualitative case study research on two hotels whom are unions and a non-unions hotel in Kota Kinabalu, this paper will be comparing the ways that have been taken by both hotels when restructuring their previous wage structure to minimum wage according to the Malaysian Minimum Wage Act. Based on a semi-structured interview on the two hotel management representatives, the findings of this study found that, there was a difference in union and non-union hotels ways of restructuring their minimum wage pays. This study suggests that a non-unionised hotel sector have no problems in implementing the Minimum Wage Act without the supervision of a trade union. This study is crucial in understanding how a non-unionised organization is able restructure their minimum wage without being monitored by a trade union and thus to prove that a non-unionised organization is also fully capable of implementing the Minimum Wage Act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have made significant contribution towards economic growth especially in the creation of job opportunities in Malaysia. Despite this significant contribution, SMEs are however confronted with numerous issues and challenges regarding quality human capital that is knowledgeable, skillful and with specific expertise in running operations within SMEs. Past studies have shown that graduates preferred employment in large companies including multi-nationals (MNCs) over SMEs despite there being more opportunities due to the rapid growth of the latter in the country. A deciding factor identified in these studies as having influence on graduates' career choices concerns job attributes. This study is therefore conducted to examine job attributes that form the basis for decisions by graduating final-year students on whether to work with SMEs or MNCs. Twelve (12) job attributes (salary, benefits, management and relationship quality, training and development, career development, level of responsibility given, job marketability, job security, working hours, occupational safety and health, involvement in the job, and a work and family balance policy) are evaluated in this study. The results indicate a large majority of graduating students choose employment in large companies compared to SMEs due to the perception that bigger companies offer better levels of compliance to these job attributes. It is hoped that this evaluation of job attributes will not only help SMEs understand and recognise the needs and desires of potential employees but also spur them towards offering better and more attractive job packages to entice graduates into their organisations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]