South Africa is characterised by its high and persistent level of unemployment, in particular among the youth. The high youth unemployment is attributed to various reasons, ranging from their lack of work experience, skills mismatch to employment and wage rigidities. The South African government proposed the youth wage subsidy to be implemented in 2011, with the primary aim of solving the youth unemployment problem. This study starts by providing a literature review on the youth labour market trends since the transition; it emerged that there is a lack of studies focusing exclusively on how youths fare in the labour market. Next, the demographic and educational attainment characteristics of the youth narrow labour force, employed and narrow unemployed are analysed under the narrow or strict definition, using the 1995-1999 October Household Surveys (OHSs), the 2000-2007 Labour Force Surveys (LFSs) and the 2008-2011 Quarterly Labour Force Surveys (QLFSs). With regard to unemployed youths, it is found that they are more likely to be blacks, without Matric and have never worked before. The main causes of youth unemployment are then discussed in detail, before the thesis moves on to examine the various active and passive labour market policies that could help to address the youth unemployment problem. The possible pros and cons of the youth wage subsidy, one of the active policies and the focus of this study, are discussed in greater detail. In particular, the claim by institutions such as COSATU that the introduction of the subsidy would lead to elderly workers (who are not subsidised) being replaced by the youth workers (who are subsidised) is not entirely correct, as these two groups of workers could be complementary instead of substitutes, and the introduction of the subsidy programme could result in an increase of demand for both elderly and youth workers. It is concluded that, although the youth wage subsidy could be one of the feasible solutions to stimulate demand for youth labour, it is not sufficient to address youth unemployment. It needs to be complemented by the other policies, such as a job search subsidy (targeting discouraged work seekers) and public employment programmes (e.g. Expanded Public Works Programme); but it is most important to note that these policies could only be fully effective if the root causes of youth unemployment are addressed by the government. / Magister Economicae - MEcon

This dissertation contains three essays on firm-sponsored training. Paper 1 develops a general theoretical framework in a frictional labour market to investigate how firms decide to sponsor how much general as well as specific training to workers assuming complementarity between the two types of training as well as education. It shows that firms’ profit maximizing decisions provide firms with an incentive to provide more training, general as well specific, to the more educated workers, more training for more educated workers may lead to low turnover rate, and the resulting life-time profile of firm-sponsored training is U-shaped or decreasing. The policy implications are that governments can subsidize both education and training to improve efficiency. Paper 2 and paper 3 try to provide empirical evidence from different perspectives, respectively determinants and effects of three types of firm-sponsored training, i.e., class-room training, on-the-job-training, and career-related but not job directly related training based on Statistics Canada’s Worker Place and Employee Survey (WES) of 2003/2004. The major empirical findings arising from our estimation results are: (1) Education is positively and significantly associated with the incidence of all three types of training, and significantly positively correlated with the intensity of on-the-job training. (2) Workers in larger firms are more likely to obtain classroom training and on-the-job training than workers in smaller firms. (3) Job tenure is significant and negative for the intensity of classroom training or on-the-job training. (4) Classroom-training and on-the-job training increases the average earnings of workers but less than average resultant firm-level productivity growth. Firm sponsored career related training has no significant impact on a worker’s earnings but increases the firm’s productivity significantly. All these findings by and large are consistent with the theory developed in first paper.

Youth face a lot of problems when trying to enter and sustain in the labour market after high education. According to statistical data, youth unemployment rates are significantly higher in comparison with common unemployment level in all European countries. Level of youth integration into the labour market in Lithuania is one of the lowest in the context of Europe. Institutions of European Union and member states implements measures, initiatives and programs in order to improve youth situation in employment after education as soon as possible. Comparative overview of youth employment situation in Lithuania and Finland reveals data of implemented international surveys in youth employment field and highlights differences between selected countries. Qualitative research seeks to reveal what kind of difficulties youth in Lithuania face when trying to enter the labour market and how implemented youth employment policies helps to combat with these obstacles. / Jaunimas, įgijęs aukštąjį išsilavinimą, susiduria su daugeliu problemų siekdamas įžengti ir įsitvirtinti darbo rinkoje. Statistiniai duomenys rodo, kad jaunimo nedarbo lygis yra ženkliai didesnis už bendrąjį nedarbo lygį visose Europos šalyse. Lietuva Europos kontekste atsiduria vienoje iš paskutinių pozicijų pagal jaunimo integracijos į darbo rinką lygį. Europos Sąjungos institucijos ir valstybės narės įgyvendina priemones, iniciatyvas, programas, kuriomis siekiama suteikti jaunimui daugiau galimybių įsilieti į darbo rinką kuo greičiau po mokslo laipsnio įgijimo. Lyginamoji, jaunimo užimtumo situacijos Lietuvoje ir Suomijoje, apžvalga pateikia tarptautinių tyrimų duomenis jaunimo užimtumo srityje ir atskleidžia pagrindinius skirtumus šalyse. Kokybiniu tyrimu siekiama išsiaiškinti su kokiais sunkumais jauni žmonės susiduria, siekdami įsilieti į darbo rinką, baigę aukštąjį mokslą Lietuvoje ir kaip šalyje įgyvendinamos politinės priemonės padeda šiuos sunkumus įveikti.

This dissertation contains three essays on firm-sponsored training. Paper 1 develops a general theoretical framework in a frictional labour market to investigate how firms decide to sponsor how much general as well as specific training to workers assuming complementarity between the two types of training as well as education. It shows that firms’ profit maximizing decisions provide firms with an incentive to provide more training, general as well specific, to the more educated workers, more training for more educated workers may lead to low turnover rate, and the resulting life-time profile of firm-sponsored training is U-shaped or decreasing. The policy implications are that governments can subsidize both education and training to improve efficiency. Paper 2 and paper 3 try to provide empirical evidence from different perspectives, respectively determinants and effects of three types of firm-sponsored training, i.e., class-room training, on-the-job-training, and career-related but not job directly related training based on Statistics Canada’s Worker Place and Employee Survey (WES) of 2003/2004. The major empirical findings arising from our estimation results are: (1) Education is positively and significantly associated with the incidence of all three types of training, and significantly positively correlated with the intensity of on-the-job training. (2) Workers in larger firms are more likely to obtain classroom training and on-the-job training than workers in smaller firms. (3) Job tenure is significant and negative for the intensity of classroom training or on-the-job training. (4) Classroom-training and on-the-job training increases the average earnings of workers but less than average resultant firm-level productivity growth. Firm sponsored career related training has no significant impact on a worker’s earnings but increases the firm’s productivity significantly. All these findings by and large are consistent with the theory developed in first paper.

This thesis examines the learning dynamics underpinning the resurgence of Canada's office furniture manufacturing sector, which underwent dramatic growth following its near collapse in the wake of the North American trade liberalization beginning in the late 1980s. It investigates the role that design and quality have played in prompting a move up-market and enhancing the sector's competitiveness. It also focuses on other leaning processes that drive economic growth, looking at attempts to transfer workplace practices from Continental Europe to Canada, as well as the institutional obstacles that shape and constrain these processes. Finally, it examines how furniture firms learn from their customers, and the key role played by market intermediaries such as sales agents, dealers, interior designers, and architects in linking producers with consumers as well as influencing the final furniture product. The learned behaviour hypothesis that is central to this thesis suggests that globally competitive firms operating in a Canadian institutional context prosper by learning how to produce (i.e. industrial practices and processes) and what to produce (i.e. design-intensive, high quality products) from the above sources that are both internal and external to the manufacturing firm. The scope of research considers the social and organizational practices through which manufacturing knowledge is integrated into innovation processes, as well as their dynamics, spatiality and temporality, the institutional forces that shape the skills, training, tenure and design dimensions of a high performance workplace, and the mechanisms and conditions that mediate the transfer of manufacturing knowledge at a distance. The empirical analysis entails a mixed-methods approach including a survey questionnaire and in-depth interviews with industry experts. The analysis contributes to core debates in economic geography and the social sciences concerning the role of proximity and distance in innovative production, and the structure / agency debate. In summary, it finds that economic growth in the office furniture sector in Canada is dependent upon not only local knowledge networks and flows but also global sources of innovation and competitive advantage. It also advances an agency-centered institutionalist economic geography by showing that institutions interact in complex ways with the decision-making of economic actors to shape local labour dynamics and the behaviour of firms.

This thesis examines the learning dynamics underpinning the resurgence of Canada's office furniture manufacturing sector, which underwent dramatic growth following its near collapse in the wake of the North American trade liberalization beginning in the late 1980s. It investigates the role that design and quality have played in prompting a move up-market and enhancing the sector's competitiveness. It also focuses on other leaning processes that drive economic growth, looking at attempts to transfer workplace practices from Continental Europe to Canada, as well as the institutional obstacles that shape and constrain these processes. Finally, it examines how furniture firms learn from their customers, and the key role played by market intermediaries such as sales agents, dealers, interior designers, and architects in linking producers with consumers as well as influencing the final furniture product. The learned behaviour hypothesis that is central to this thesis suggests that globally competitive firms operating in a Canadian institutional context prosper by learning how to produce (i.e. industrial practices and processes) and what to produce (i.e. design-intensive, high quality products) from the above sources that are both internal and external to the manufacturing firm. The scope of research considers the social and organizational practices through which manufacturing knowledge is integrated into innovation processes, as well as their dynamics, spatiality and temporality, the institutional forces that shape the skills, training, tenure and design dimensions of a high performance workplace, and the mechanisms and conditions that mediate the transfer of manufacturing knowledge at a distance. The empirical analysis entails a mixed-methods approach including a survey questionnaire and in-depth interviews with industry experts. The analysis contributes to core debates in economic geography and the social sciences concerning the role of proximity and distance in innovative production, and the structure / agency debate. In summary, it finds that economic growth in the office furniture sector in Canada is dependent upon not only local knowledge networks and flows but also global sources of innovation and competitive advantage. It also advances an agency-centered institutionalist economic geography by showing that institutions interact in complex ways with the decision-making of economic actors to shape local labour dynamics and the behaviour of firms.

ABSTRACT A SOCIOLOGICAL STUDY OF WORKING URBAN POOR IN ISTANBUL AND GAZiANTEP Neriman A&ccedil / ikalin PhD, Department of Sociology Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sibel Kalaycioglu Eyl&uuml / l, 2004, 242 pages In this study, the aim is to find some indications about urban poverty in Turkey, which recently became a major topic in sociological studies. In order to study this topic, the thesis focuses on working urban poor to be able to examine the effects of the changing labor market. Urban poverty in general, and more specifically the working urban poor, are analysed in three levels, namely macro, mezzo and micro. In the macro level, the effects of great transformations after the 1980&rsquo / s and the new international division of labor, on the emergence of new urban poor is discussed. In the mezzo level, &ldquo / Structural Adjusment Policies&rdquo / as one of the significant impacts of this transformation, which mostly have affected the underdeveleped countries like Turkey is understood. The thesis, however, will mostly focus on the micro aspects of poverty. In the micro level, family and kinship reciprocal relations and mutual ties of solidarity / values and customs about social and economic life / survival strategies / the effects of culture of poverty / and factors of disempowerment are examined. Furthermore, the starting definitions of the urban poor are based on Peter Lloyd&rsquo / s study, which was carried out in Peru. In this context, a field study was carried out in Istanbul and Gaziantep to find out some indications to understand the regional differences of the working urban poor in Turkey. Turkey has also been affected by the conjunctural changes in the world and a new urban poor has been also emerging. In terms of regional differences of working urban poor istanbul labor market reflects the effects of new international division of labour and the structural adjustment policies more than Gaziantep. istanbul has an urban labour market which mainly performs as the periphery of international capital. Urban labour market in Gaziantep however, includes rural and local elements of causal labour as well, besides its links to the new international division of labour. In the micro level, istanbul working urban poor represent more western and urban values, more literacy and higher level of education and more positive attributes to the role of education, better working conditions of casual labour, more feelings of isolation but also more hopeful for future prospects and more motivated for initiating coping mechanisms. On the other hand, Gaziantep working urban poor represent a very complicated and multi-step migration process compared to istanbul migrants and migrant women in Gaziantep tend to work more in pieceworking jobs due to agro-industry. Hence, the thesis argues that to designate urban poverty and more specifically working urban poor in Turkey, regional, cultural factors and dynamics of migration are significant.

This thesis is a study of social divisions and an assessment of the impact of neoliberalism upon them. Its purpose is to investigate the nature of contemporary social divisions, and whether or not the ????underclass???? is a useful way of conceiving the social and economic marginalisation of some individuals. The underclass thesis crystallises in a powerful and contentious way some fundamental premises that underpin the neoliberal philosophy, namely that the welfare state is considered a threat to freedom, discourages work, and is socially and economically damaging. Thus there ought to be a reduced role for the state in the provision of welfare. There are two fundamental weaknesses in social democratic critics???? contributions to debates about welfare reform. The first relates to a focus on residual welfare and measurements of poverty, largely neglecting the systems of power that underlie welfare distribution. The second relates to the omission of agency. Critics???? responses have tended to ignore the behaviour of the welfare beneficiaries targeted by current reform. In order to address both of these issues, I have formulated a critical post-traditional paradigm of social divisions. The study comprises three stages. The first is an historical overview of neoliberal policy developments and a quantitative analysis of social divisions. The findings indicate that neoliberal nations have the lowest commitment to welfare, and the highest levels of poverty and widening inequality. In Australia, labour market changes and educational underachievement are likely to contribute to new and emerging divisions, and the cumulative nature of disadvantage is apparent within low socio-economic areas. The second stage of the study examines the policies of the Howard Coalition Government in Australia and focuses on the prevalence of the underclass phenomenon in current welfare reform. Records central to the Government????s welfare reform agenda are analysed to examine policy makers???? normative beliefs. The findings reveal that the underclass thesis is an ideological construct that legitimises a reduction of welfare provision and control of the unemployed. The third stage of the study focuses on the experiences of unemployment among young people, and the views and experiences of welfare providers who work with them. The data show that individuals make decisions about their lives from the range of options they perceive to be available to them at a particular point in time. These options are not limited to those made available by the provisions of the welfare state, nor are they solely the product of inter-generational welfare. The welfare providers enforce the Government????s position on welfare reform by endorsing a version of the underclass thesis in their work and directing their interventions at the individual. Considered together, the findings reveal that a conservative neoliberal social policy fails to capture the complex interaction that occurs between individuals and their social environment, and the impact this has on their labour market activities. By successfully converting the problem of welfare dependency into a private issue, a neoliberal social policy is legitimised and current social arrangements are maintained. / PhD Doctorate

Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Umeå universitet, 2006. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

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