Agency employment is a unique flexible tool, which is able to respond quickly to changing conditions and demands of the current labour market. It also provides flexible employment contracts and employment to risk groups in the labour market, thereby it helps to reduce unemployment. However, the flexibility of agency work is accompanied by high uncertainty. Agency employment is in the Czech Republic still underestimated and its use does not reach the level of most European countries. This may be caused by the prejudices and stereotypes of Czech society based on the generalization of the illegal activities of some employment agencies on all agencies and by the importance of job security for the majority of the Czech population. The aim was to detect and analyze the attitude of the people to the employment agencies and agency employment. Results from own representative research showed that people in the Czech Republic don't trust to employment agencies, they wouldn't use the while searching the job and they wouldn't accept the job in the form of agency employment. Their attitudes then differ depending on their own experience with agency employment, their awareness of functioning of employment agencies and sociodemographic characteristics, namely gender, education and personal income. Created typology showed...

Konkurrensen och transparensen på arbetsmarknaden har ökat och det blir därmed allt viktigare för företag att arbeta med sitt arbetsgivarvarumärke för att tilltala potentiell och befintlig arbetskraft. I och med gig-ekonomins framväxt har det även skapats en ny trend på arbetsmarknaden, där allt fler väljer att arbeta under tidsbegränsade anställningsformer. Den ökade konkurrensen, transparensen och användningen av tillfälliga anställningsformer är förändringar på arbetsmarknaden företag måste ta hänsyn till och bidrar till utmaningar företag möter i sitt arbete med sitt arbetsgivarvarumärke för att tilltala potentiell och befintlig arbetskraft med olika anställningsformer. I och med dessa förändringar på arbetsmarknaden finns skäl för forskning som tar ett helhetsgrepp kring arbetet med arbetsgivarvarumärken mot tillfällig arbetskraft.  Syftet med denna studie är att identifiera utmaningar företag möter gällande deras arbete med sitt arbetsgivarvarumärke för att tilltala tillfällig arbetskraft. För att besvara studiens syfte har vi undersökt hur tillfällig arbetskraft upplever företags arbete med sitt arbetsgivarvarumärke. Studien har utförts genom kvalitativa intervjuer med fyra personer som arbetar som konsulter inom högkomptensområden. Intervjuerna utgick från en intervjuguide baserad på tidigare forskning inom arbetsgivarvarumärken med vissa förbestämda teman, men som också gav utrymme för respondenterna att leda in intervjun på andra områden. Resultatet från dessa intervjuer har sedan analyserats i koppling till relevanta teoriområden för att nå studiens slutsatser.  Studien visar på fyra övergripande utmaningar företag möter i arbetet med sitt arbetsgivarvarumärke för att tilltala tillfällig arbetskraft. Företag möter en utmaning i att ha kontroll över den information som finns att tillgå för tillfällig arbetskraft innan uppdraget, dels via företagets egna kanaler men också via ambassadörer. Företag möter även utmaningar gällande att ha effektiva lösningar för att den tillfälliga arbetskraften ska kunna utföra sitt arbete på ett tillfredsställande sätt inom den tidsram som finns till förfogande, detta är kopplat till deras introduktion, företagets kultur samt relationer på företaget. Det finns också en tvetydighet kring hur stort ansvar företag har för den tillfälliga arbetskraften vilket leder till en utmaning för företag att förstå hur dessa otydliga förhållanden påverkar hur företag ska arbeta med sitt arbetsgivarvarumärke. Slutligen möter företag också en utmaning kopplad till deras strategiska arbete med sitt arbetsgivarvarumärke för att tilltala tillfällig arbetskraft, gällande vad det ska innehålla samt att inte förlita sig på att enskilda fast anställda ser till att tillfällig arbetskrafts upplevelse av företaget blir bra.  Baserat på dessa slutsatser presenteras rekommendationer för företag att använda sig av i sitt arbete med sitt arbetsgivarvarumärke för att tilltala tillfällig arbetskraft både internt och externt.

Agency employment is a unique flexible tool, which is able to respond quickly to changing conditions and demands of the current labour market. It also provides flexible employment contracts and employment to risk groups in the labour market, thereby it helps to reduce unemployment. However, the flexibility of agency work is accompanied by high uncertainty. Agency employment is in the Czech Republic still underestimated and its use does not reach the level of most European countries. This may be caused by the prejudices and stereotypes of Czech society based on the generalization of the illegal activities of some employment agencies on all agencies and by the importance of job security for the majority of the Czech population. The aim was to detect and analyze the attitude and confidence of the people in the recruitment agencies and agency employment. Results from own representative research showed that people in the Czech Republic don't trust to recruitment agencies and they wouldn't accept the job in the form of agency employment. Their trust and general attitude then differ depending on sociodemographic characteristics, namely gender, education and size of place of their residence. Women, people with higher education and people from the big cities have more positive attitude to agency employment....

Today's labor market includes expectations of flexibility and security for employers and employees, but these does not always go hand in hand. The majority of all fixed-term employees in Sweden are under the age of 29, and the employment form can be seen as an opportunity but also as a source of insecurity for employees. Research shows that fixed-term employees run a higher risk of losing their job during economic fluctuations and that the perceived risk of losing their job can lead to stress and poor health. The purpose of this study is to gain an increased understanding of perceived job security and stress in young adults with temporary employment during the current recession. The theoretical frame of reference applied is the flexicurity-model based on Wilthagen and Tros, Muffels and Wilthagen and also Karasek and Theorell's demand-control-support model. The results of the study show that the informants experience their employment as insecure and that the recession has contributed to increased uncertainty. The study also shows that informants experience a low degree of control in their employment and partly high demands, and that a lack of support can be a cause of stress. Temporary employment can offer flexibility for employers, but can lead to restrictions in private life and perceived stress and anxiety for young adults who depend on their work as a source of income. / Dagens arbetsmarknad innefattar förväntningar på flexibilitet och trygghet för arbetsgivare och arbetstagare, men som inte alltid går hand i hand. Merparten av alla tidsbegränsat anställda i Sverige är under 29 år och anställningsformen kan ses som möjlighet men kan också innebära otrygghet för arbetstagare. Forskning visar att tidsbegränsat anställda löper högre risk att förlora jobbet vid konjunktursvängningar och att upplevd risk att förlora jobbet kan leda till stress och ohälsa. Syftet med studien är att få ökad förståelse om upplevd anställningstrygghet och stress hos unga vuxna med tidsbegränsad anställning under rådande lågkonjunktur. Den teoretiska referensramen som tillämpats är dels flexicurity-modellen med utgångspunkt i Wilthagen och Tros samt Muffels och Wilthagen och dels Karasek och Theorells krav-kontroll-stödmodell. Resultatet i studien visar att informanterna upplever sin anställning som otrygg och att lågkonjunkturen bidragit till ytterligare otrygghet. Studien visar även att informanterna upplever låg grad av kontroll i sin anställning och delvis höga krav samt att brist på stöd kan vara en orsak till stress. Den tidsbegränsade anställningen kan innebära flexibilitet för arbetsgivare, men kan leda till begränsningar i privatlivet samt upplevd stress och oro för unga vuxna som är beroende av sitt arbete som inkomstkälla.

This doctoral thesis deals with the regulation of non-standard employment in Southern Africa: the case of South Africa with reference to several other SADC countries. The growth and presence of non-standard employment since the 1970s has revealed an important concern in a number of countries, both at the global and national levels. The overall significance of non-standard employment has increased in recent decades in both developed and developing states, as its use has grown exponentially across economic sectors and employment. Non-standard employment is the opposite of the standard employment relationship, which is work that is full time and indefinite. Non-standard employment includes an unequal employment relationship between an employee and an employer. Some workers choose to work in non-standard employment, and the choice has positive results. Nonetheless, for the majority of workers, non-standard employment is associated with job insecurity, exploitation, and the absence of trade unions and collective bargaining. Non-standard employment can also create challenges for firms, the labour market and the economy, including society at large. Backing decent work for all entails a comprehensive understanding of non-standard employment and its ramifications. This study explores the regulation and protection of non-standard employment in Southern Africa with focus on South Africa. The study draws on international and regional labour standards, the South African Constitution of 1996, and the national experience to make policy recommendations that will ensure workers are protected, firms are sustainable and labour markets operate well. Social justice and the democratisation of the workplace cannot be achieved if workers in non-standard employment are excluded from the labour relations system. / Mercantile Law / LL. D.

Diese Dissertation besteht aus drei Aufsätzen, die zur empirischen Literatur über Beschäftigung und Löhne auf dem deutschen Arbeitsmarkt beitragen. Der erste Aufsatz untersucht die Auswirkungen eines großen und unerwarteten Zustroms von Migranten auf den westdeutschen Arbeitsmarkt zwischen 1988 und 1993 auf die Löhne und Beschäftigung der einheimischen Arbeitnehmer. Die Analyse zeigt, dass ein Anstieg der lokalen Beschäftigung von Migranten die durchschnittlichen Löhne und Beschäftigung kurzfristig reduziert, der Effekt langfristig jedoch verschwindet. Der zweite Aufsatz analysiert den kausalen Effekt einer Lockerung des deutschen Kündigungsschutzgesetzes (KSchG) im Jahr 2004 auf unterschiedliche Arbeitsmarktergebnisse auf Firmenebene. Dazu nutzt der Aufsatz eine Änderung des Schwellenwerts der Mindestbetriebsgröße zur Anwendbarkeit des KSchG von fünf auf zehn Beschäftigte als ein Quasi-Experiment. Die Ergebnisse der empirischen Analyse liefern keine robuste Evidenz für einen Effekt auf die Einstellungs-, Abgangs-, Nettobeschäftigungs- und Churning-Raten sowie auf Löhne und temporäre Beschäftigung. Dagegen gibt es Evidenz, dass die Einstellungs- und Nettobeschäftigungsraten von Frauen zugenommen haben. Der dritte Aufsatz untersucht die Entwicklung der MINT-Beschäftigung und -Löhne in Westdeutschland zwischen 1980 und 2010. Die Analyse deutet auf einen Anstieg der MINT-Beschäftigung und -Löhne, der zeitlich mit dem Anstieg der Lohnungleichheit zusammenfällt. Darüber hinaus zeigt der Aufsatz, dass die Zunahme des Lohnunterschieds zwischen MINT und nicht-MINT Arbeitern durch Angebots- und Nachfragefaktoren im Rahmen eines MINT-verzerrten technologischen Wandels auf Basis einer CES-Produktionsfunktion erklärbar ist. Zuletzt deutet eine alternative Analyse der MINT-Prämie unter Nutzung von Schätzwerten aus einem Modell mit additiven Arbeiter- und Firmeneffekten darauf hin, dass der durch Firmeneffekte erklärte Anteil der MINT-Prämie mit der Zeit bedeutend zugenommen hat. / This thesis consists of three essays that contribute to the empirical literature on employment and wages in the German labor market. The first essay investigates the impact of a large and unexpected inflow of immigrants into the West German labor market between 1988 and 1993 on native wages and employment. The analysis indicates that an increase in local immigrant employment reduces average native wages and employment in the short run; however, the effect tends to vanish in the longer term. The second essay analyzes the causal effect of a relaxation of the German Protection Against Dismissal Act (PADA) in 2004 on different labor market outcomes at the firm level. Specifically, the essay exploits a change of the minimum establishment size threshold determining coverage by the PADA from five to ten employees as a quasi-experiment. The results from the empirical analysis do not provide robust evidence for an effect on overall hiring, separation, job flow, and churning rates as well as wages and temporary employment. However, there is some evidence of increases in the hiring and job flow rates of women. The third essay studies trends in STEM employment and wages in West Germany between 1980 and 2010. The analysis indicates an increase in STEM employment and wages that coincides with the rise in wage inequality during the same period. Moreover, the essay shows that the increase in the wage differential between STEM and non-STEM workers can be explained by supply and demand factors under a STEM-biased technological change within a CES production framework. Finally, an alternative assessment of the STEM premium exploits estimates from a model with additive worker and firm fixed effects and suggests that the fraction of the STEM premium that is explained by firm effects has increased considerably over time.

This thesis consists of four self-contained studies in empirical labor economics. Micro data on both employers and workers are used to analyze the questions asked in the essays. By using disaggregated information, issues related to firm and individual heterogeneity can be studied.The first essay, The Impact of Temporary Contracts on Gross Job and Worker Flows (with Mahmood Arai), examines job and worker flow dynamics for temporary and permanent contracts. The micro approach to job flows concerns changes in employment at the plant or firm level. Data used in earlier research on gross labor flows do not allow for a distinction between different types of employment contracts (an exception is Abowd et al. (1999). This distinction is especially important in Europe since several European countries discriminate between permanent and temporary contracts in their employment legislation.The data contain quarterly information on the stock of permanent and temporary contracts, as well as direct information on hires and separations for permanent and temporary workers. The information is from a representative sample of around 10,000 Swedish private establishments.The results indicate that temporary contracts, covering only around 10 percent of all contracts, stand for half of all gross job (and worker) flows. This means that gross job (and worker) flow rates for temporary contracts are around 10 times larger than job (and worker) flows for permanent contracts. Our results imply that job reallocation associated with temporary contracts is acyclical in both manufacturing and non-manufacturing sectors. For permanent contracts, job reallocation only exhibits a countercyclical pattern in manufacturing, characterized by a low fraction of temporary contracts. Services employing a higher fraction of temporary contracts exhibit no cyclical pattern in job reallocation, implying that establishments in services use temporary contracts as an adjustment buffer and can adjust its labor input more smoothly.The share of temporary contracts varies with the industry structure and changes as a result of sectoral shifts. This implies that cross-country comparisons, as well as studies of the dynamics of job and worker flows, based on aggregated time-series data, can be distorted by the impact of the fraction of temporary labor on gross labor flows. This, in turn, makes the distinction between permanent and temporary contracts crucial in analyzing job and worker flows, especially when labor protection laws discriminate between short-and long-term employment contracts. The second essay, Wage Dispersion and Allocation of Jobs, investigates the relationship between job turnover and the distribution of wages. One possible explanation for similar labor reallocation rates across labor markets with very different employment-protection legislations is related to differences in wage setting institutions. Bertola and Rogerson (1997) argue that although job-security laws lead to lower job flows, their impact might be reduced if differences in wage-setting institutions have opposite effects. Bertola and Rogerson’s conclusion is that when labor protection laws and wages are jointly considered, the result might very well be that job flows in countries with high adjustment costs and a compressed wage structure mimic those in countries with low adjustment costs and decentralized wages.Using establishment data on job turnover and wages for a panel of around 10,000 establishments in the Swedish private sector, the relationship between wage compression and job reallocation is studied at the industry level.Estimating industry fixed-effects models for 14 two-digit industries yield results indicating large sector differences regarding the effect of the degree of wage dispersion on job reallocation. In accordance with the Bertola and Rogerson hypothesis, this effect is positive in the manufacturing sector. Running separate regressions for job creation and job destruction shows a negative and significant effect of wage dispersion on job destruction, whereas it is insignificant in the job-creation equation. These results are in accordance with wages being more rigid downwards than upwards. The quantitative effect of the impact of wage dispersion on job turnover is limited, however. A one standard deviation increase in wage dispersion reduces the total job reallocation by around 10 percent. Turning to the non-manufacturing sector, the Bertola and Rogerson hypothesis is not supported.Further results include (i) a strong positive effect of the industry-share of temporary employees on job reallocation and (ii) a negative relationship between the use of overtime and job turnover.In the third essay, Wages, Profits and Individual Unemployment Risk: Evidence from Matched Worker-Firm Data (with Mahmood Arai), the impact of firm performance on individual wages is studied. Several studies have found a positive and significant effect of profits on wages. The most widely suggested interpretation for this phenomenon is that employers and employees engage in rent-sharing, thereby splitting the profits created between themselves.The purpose of this study is to examine the extent of rent-sharing and the impact of individual and aggregated unemployment risk on wages of individual workers. We use a sample of over 170,000 Swedish employees for 1991 and 1995 matched with their employing firm’s profits and the unemployment registers. The matched data contain detailed information on individual characteristics, including their unemployment experience during 1992-1995 as well as annual profits as reported in the firms’ balance-sheet reports.The contribution of this paper is that it provides evidence on the wage determination, based on disaggregated individual and firm data dealing with the problems of firm and worker heterogeneity, and the endogeneity of profits. Our results imply positive effects of profits on wages, both in 1991 and 1995. The reported elasticities imply that the wage inequality in Sweden due to the spread in profits is as high as 13% of the mean wages in 1991, according to Lester’s range of pay. These correlations are robust for controlling for time-invariant unobserved individual- and firm characteristics.Using firm-reported short-term product market elasticity and the number of competitors as instruments for profits suggest Lester’s measure of wage inequality due to profits to be as high as 50% of the mean wages.Finally, we investigate the impact of individual heterogeneity with respect to unemployment risk that might also affect wages. We include the individuals’ unemployment event record in our regressions, and our results confirm that individuals with a higher unemployment risk also have lower wages. Including aggregated measures along with individual unemployment risk in our estimations show results suggesting that there exists a robust negative correlation between unemployment risk and wages at various aggregation levels.The final essay, Pay Inequality and Firm Performance: Evidence from Matched Employer-Employee Data, tests several implications from tournament models on the same matched employer-employee data set as in essay 3.According to a variety of theories, the wage distribution both within and between firms can have important effects on individual productivity and firm performance. One argument for high wage differentials, based on incentive effects, is found in Lazear and Rosen’s (1981) tournament theory. Higher wage differentials lead to higher individual effort, and are therefore productivity enhancing. This, in turn, suggests that there is a positive relationship between wage dispersion and productivity. The opposite relationship is found in theories stressing fairness and cooperation between co-workers.For white-collar workers, the results show a positive effect of intra-firm pay spread on firm performance for 1991 and 1995. This applies to different measures of wage dispersion, capturing both raw differences and differences corrected for the fact that part of the wage spread is due to differences in human capital accumulation. To take firm heterogeneity into account, difference equations are estimated on a panel of firms. Once more, consistent with tournament theory, a positive and significant effect of wage dispersion on profits is found. The results for managers are based on information on about 10,000 managers. For various measures of wage dispersion and specifications, a positive and significant association between managerial pay and profits is found. No support is found for the hypothesis of a positive relationship between the number of managers (contestants) and wage spread. Instead, the results show a negative and significant effect of the number of executives and pay spread among managers.Finally, consistent with tournament theory, higher wage dispersion is found in firms operating in volatile product markets characterized by a high degree of output uncertainty. / Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögsk., 2002

Temporary employment has become more common on the labor market. In 1990, time-limited employments corresponded to 9 percent of all employments in Sweden. Today, time-limited employments account for 17.9 percent of the entire labor market. In this context, it is interesting to investigate how the occupational categories that employs temporary employees most, to investigate the employees' experiences of cohesion and community within these professions. The purpose of this study is to increase understanding of how cohesion is affected by the widespread use of temporary employment in these workplaces and to gain a deeper insight into the employees' perceived job security. Previous research talks about the importance of social relations between different groups and the importance of community in the workplace, and also highlights the difficulty of establishing contact and equal cohesion of employment. The theoretical starting points we have used are Guy Standing Precariat (2013) and Elias and Scotson The Established and the Outsiders (1999). The result of this study shows that the experience of occupational safety depends largely on our respondents' type of employment, however the result does not clearly indicate a difference between permanent and temporary employees in terms of cohesion and community experiences depends on the form of employment. Though, we have found several other explanations, such as work experience, for these differences. / Tillfälliga anställningar har blivit allt vanligare på arbetsmarknaden. Från att tidsbegränsade anställningar har motsvarat 9 procent av alla anställda 1990, motsvarar tidsbegränsat anställda idag 17,9 procent av hela arbetsmarknaden i Sverige. Det är med denna bakgrund intressant att undersöka hur de yrkeskategorier som utnyttjar tillfälligt anställda mest, för att undersöka de anställdas upplevelser kring sammanhållning och gemenskap inom dessa yrken. Syftet med denna studie är att öka förståelsen för hur sammanhållningen påverkas genom utbredd användning av tillfälliga anställningar på arbetsplatser och få en djupare inblick i de anställdas upplevda arbetstrygghet. Den tidigare forskningen talar om vikten av de sociala relationerna mellan olika grupper och hur betydelsefullt det är med gemenskap på arbetsplatsen, och belyser också svårigheter att skapa kontakt och lika sammanhållning över anställningsformerna. De teoretiska utgångspunkter vi har använt oss av är Guy Standings Prekariatet (2013) och Elias och Scotson Etablerade och outsiders (1999). Resultatet av denna studie visar att upplevelsen av arbetstrygghet till stor del beror på respondenternas arbetsform, men skillnaden mellan fast och tillfälligt anställda visar inte tydlig att skillnaden i upplevelser om sammanhållning och gemenskap, beror på anställningsformen. Utan att vi istället funnit flera förklaringar till skillnaderna, så som arbetserfarenhet.

This diploma thesis deals with use of alternative work arrangements. It introduces the topic of job flexibility and alternative work arrangements. It focuses mainly on the use of four main alternative work arrangements as provided by the International Labour Organization, which are: temporary employment, part-time work, temporary agency work and self-employment. The text compares data regarding these four alternative work arrangements in the European Union. The thesis also includes a qualitative research carried out in big organizations in Prague that assesses what forms of alternative work arrangements do they use, what are the reasons for opting for some of the alternative work arrangements in an organization and it identifies the most beneficial alternative work arrangements, applicant groups and job positions that the alternative work arrangements are used for the most. KEY WORDS labour market flexibility, non-standard employment, flexible working arrangements, temporary employment, part-time work, temporary agency work, self-employment

Denna studie undersöker hur individer påverkas av att arbeta under osäkra anställningsförhållanden. Genom att genomföra sju kvalitativa intervjuer med personer anställda på olika osäkra eller tidsbegränsade anställningar, samt med en tillsvidareanställd och en chef på ett företag med visstidsanställda, syftar studien till att skapa en djupare förståelse för hur osäkra arbetsförhållanden påverkar människors välbefinnande och vardag. Resultaten visar att respondenterna upplevde både positiva och negativa effekter av de osäkra anställningsformerna. Å ena sidan uttrycker många hur de känner en oro för sin arbetssituation, men upplever samtidigt en viss trygghet på respektive arbetsplats. Dock är drömmen om en fast anställning gemensam för alla respondenter. Osäkerheten och oron bidrar bland annat till stress, ekonomisk otrygghet och svårigheter att upprätthålla en balans mellan arbete och fritid för respondenterna. Å andra sidan uppskattar vissa av respondenterna flexibiliteten, trivs med sina kollegor och den gemenskap som finns på arbetsplatsen. Sammanfattningsvis visar studien att osäkra anställningsförhållanden påverkar individen på olika sätt, både positivt och negativt, vilket skapar en djupare förståelse för konsekvenserna av dessa arbetsförhållanden. / This study examines how individuals are affected by working under precarious employment conditions. By conducting seven qualitative interviews with individuals employed in various insecure or temporary positions, as well as with a permanent employee and a manager at a company employing fixed-term workers, the study aims to gain a deeper understanding of how insecure working conditions impact people's well-being and everyday lives. The results reveal that respondents experienced both positive and negative effects of insecure employment arrangements. On one hand, many express concerns about their work situation but also find a certain sense of security within their respective workplaces. However, the desire for permanent employment is a common thread among all respondents. The uncertainty and anxiety contribute to stress, financial insecurity, and difficulties in maintaining a work-life balance for the participants. On the other hand, some respondents appreciate the flexibility, enjoy their colleagues' company, and value the sense of community in their workplace. In summary, the study demonstrates that insecure employment conditions affect individuals in different ways, both positively and negatively, providing a deeper understanding of the consequences of such employment arrangements.