The measurement and determinants of skill acquisition in young workers' first job

The article analyses participation in five types of training (formal on-site, formal off-site, informal co-worker training, learning by watching and learning by doing) and self-assessed skill acquisition in young Flemish workers' first job. A skill production function is estimated whereby the simultaneity of participation in the different types of training and skill acquisition is taken into account. The results clearly demonstrate the importance of informal training. Formal training participation is found to be only a fraction of total training participation. Moreover, the determinants of total training participation and skill acquisition differ from those of formal training participation. While some training types are complementary, others are clearly substitutes. Finally, most types of training generate additional skills. Nonetheless, learning by doing is found to be complementary to formal education in the production of both specific and general skills, whereas formal training serves as a substitute

Flexible Systems in HR

Editorial special issueThe final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40171-016-0125-5Research on the concept of ‘flexibility’ has produced a substantive scholarly in recent decades and has evolved as a focal area of management research (Mønsted 1991; Sushil 1994; Skipper et al. 2014; Krishna et al. 2015). According to Sushil (2001) ‘Flexibility offers freedom of choice and is highly context specific’. Here, ‘context specific’ refers to the role of contingencies within flexibility which might render it as a form of a firm’s dynamic capability. The dynamic capability scholarship argues that in order to achieve excellence, organizations should develop capabilities complementary to their competencies (Teece et al. 1997; Helfat and Peteraf 2009). Thus, flexible HR practices can help organizations in achieving sustainable competitiveness through creating, integrating, reconfiguring, and building on its human resource base. For example, organizations can achieve competitive edge by customizing training and development programs

Investeren in employability. De impact van levenslang leren en tijdelijke arbeid op arbeidsmarktkansen

One of the assumptions in career literature is that lifelong employment is giving way to lifelong employability. Employability refers to the capacity of people to gain and retain work. Gaining work experience and lifelong learning are two possible ways to strengthen one’s position on the labour market. In this article, we investigate the impact of work experience through temporary employment and of training on the labour market opportunities of unemployed and temporary employees. The results indicate that temporary employment is a more effective integration mechanism for unemployed than training. Yet, for those unemployed entering the labour market via temporary jobs, it is vital to get a permanent job fairly soon. Those staying in temporary jobs run a higher risk of becoming unemployed again. The study moreover reveals that although lifelong learning strengthens the labour market position of temporary employees, it does not remove the low mobility between labour market segments. The study points out the importance for employability research to attach attention not only to individual capacities and employability enhancing activities but also to labour market mechanisms influencing labour market opportunities.

The relationship between motivation to work and workers' pay flexibility. The moderation of age

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of motivation to work in explaining workers’ pay flexibility – as measured by their reservation wage ratio – across the lifespan. This is important since pay inflexibility may undermine mature age workers’ retention at the workforce. Design/methodology/approach – Relying on self-determination theory the paper broadens the role of “motivation to work” from the overall work valence an individual attaches to work to the underlying work values (i.e. the perceived value of work for its intrinsic vs extrinsic outcomes) and work motives (i.e. the underlying autonomous vs controlled reasons regulating one’s work participation). The authors conducted hierarchical linear regression analyses on a sample of 1,577 Belgian workers to explore how individuals’ work values and work motives, in addition to work valence, shape workers’ reservation wage ratios across the lifespan. Findings – Results indicate that work valence and holding relative intrinsic work values and relative autonomous work motives are associated with lower reservation wage ratios. Finally, age moderates all three relationships. Whereas the negative impact of work valence and relative autonomous work motives is stronger at older age, the negative impact of relative intrinsic work values is stronger at younger age. Research limitations/implications – Motivational predictors are differently related to reservation wage ratios across the lifespan. Practical implications – By fostering overall work valence and autonomous work motivation practitioners can exert influence on mature age workers’ pay flexibility. Originality/value – This study extends prior research on pay flexibility by focussing on the content of motivation to work (i.e. work values, work motives) and its role across the lifespan.status: publishe

Loopbaanperspectieven op werk. Wat we (niet) weten over loopbanen in Vlaanderen

Specific assumptions about career paths, about how transitions influence career success and about the crucial competencies for career management dominate recent labor market thinking. These assumptions form the basis for current labor market policies, both in Flanders and in Europe. Yet, little is known about the validity of these assumptions. In this paper, we identify the main assumptions shaping labor market research and policies. Referring to findings of empirical research, we critically assess five of these assumptions more into detail. Based on this examination, we develop an agenda for future policy related career research.

Haalbaarheidsstudie loopbaanpanel: technisch rapport

nrpages: 56status: publishe