Work-related training and the probability of transitioning from non-permanent to permanent employment

It is widely believed that work-related training increases a worker’s probability of moving up the job-quality ladder. This is usually couched in terms of effects on wages, but it has also been argued that training increases the probability of moving from non-permanent forms of employment to more permanent employment. This hypothesis is tested using nationally representative panel data for Australia, a country where the incidence of non-permanent employment, and especially casual employment, is high by international standards. While a positive association between participation in work-related training and the subsequent probability of moving from either casual or fixed-term contract employment to permanent employment is observed among men, this is shown to be driven not by a causal impact of training on transitions but by differences between those who do and do not receive training; i.e., selection bias.

Employment regulation, game theory, and the lacuna in employee participation in liberal economies

Employee participation is a vital ingredient of what the International Labour Organization (ILO) calls ‘representation security’. This article provides theoretical and empirical insights relating to social policy impact of worker participation, specifically the European Information and Consultation Directive (ICD) for employee voice rights. While existing research on the ICD offers important empirical insights, there is a need for further theoretical analysis to examine the potential effectiveness of the regulations in liberal market economies (LMEs). Drawing on data from 16 case studies, the article uses game theory and the prisoner's dilemma framework to explain why national implementing legislation is largely ineffective in diffusing mutual gains cooperation in two LMEs: UK and the Republic of Ireland. Three theoretical (metaphorical) propositions advance understanding of the policy impact of national information & consultation regulations in LMEs.

Pro-internationalisation policies and outward foreign direct investment

This thesis addresses the impacts of public policies on outward foreign direct investment, seeking to contribute to a better understanding of the interplay between pro-internationalisation policies and firm behaviour. Home country measures associated with these policies are explored in terms of use and awareness, as determinants of foreign direct investment, as drivers of policy objectives, in terms of perceived importance and impact in different scenarios of internationalisation. Using a comprehensive database of 441 Portuguese firms, being those that had participated at least in one of the 11 types of public support between 1994 and 2009. The empirical papers presented here reveal a moderating effect of firm capabilities and internationalisation conditions on policy objectives. In fact, firms’ resources and capabilities frame the awareness and use of home country support measures, the existence of public policy determinants of foreign direct investment, the decision to carry out more aggressive modes of entry and the choice of more demanding environments, the impact of policy objectives, and the perceived importance of incentives. In practical terms, the findings of this thesis points that firms’ resources and capabilities are negatively associated with the use of public support, contrasting with awareness, which is found to increase with firms’ resources and capabilities. This insight sheds light on a potential problem of incentives allocation. Our results support the established theorizing about the co-evolution of government and firms' policies, home country measures being found as determinants of foreign direct investment. It is also shown that prointernationalization policies reinforce the firms’ resources and capabilities, which seems to have a positive impact on international growth. An evaluation of public policy, from the foreign direct investor's lens, supports the argument that firms involved in more demanding projects tend to attribute more importance to public supports. Behind the specific and concrete contributions identified in each of the empirical papers, as a whole this thesis makes methodological contributions by introducing the evaluation of impacts of public policies to the field of international business through the firm perspective; these contributions are achieved by taking the pro-internationalisation policies of a small open economy to better understand the impacts of public policies, and by shedding light on co-evolution between resource and institutional-based views.

The Educational and Employment Aspirations of Adolescents from Areas of High Deprivation in London

Adolescents from areas of high deprivation are often assumed to have low aspirations for the future. However, recent research has suggested otherwise and there have been calls for more substantial investigation into the relationship between poverty and aspiration. This article reports levels and variation in aspiration from 1,214 adolescents (49.5% male; 50.5% female) living in areas of high deprivation across 20 London boroughs. A strength of this study is our large and diverse population of low socio-economic status (SES) adolescents, comprising of white British (22%), black African (21%), black Caribbean (9%), Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi/Other Asian (24%), mixed ethnicity (9%), and 15% defining themselves as Other. Our measures indicated a high group level of reported aspiration with notable variations. Females reported higher educational (but not occupational) aspirations than males; white British students reported lower educational and occupational aspirations than other ethnic groups; and black African children reported the highest educational aspirations. Perceived parental support for education had the largest positive association with aspirations. In contrast to previous findings from studies carried out in the United States, aspirations were found to be negatively associated with perceptions of school and school peer environment. These measures explored feelings of safety, happiness and belonging within the school environment and school peer group. We discuss possible explanations for this unexpected finding within our population of adolescents from UK state schools and how it might affect future policy interventions. This study makes an important contribution to the literature on adolescent aspirations because of the unique nature of the data sample and the multiple domains of functioning and aspiration measured.

Technology-related strategies in labour-intensive industries from Southern European Regions: consequences for local employment

Tese dout., Economia, Universidade do Algarve, 2010

South Carolina’s employment situation-January 2014

The South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce publishes news releases with monthly statistics about the employment situation of the state, including unemployment rate, employment by industry, and local area unemployment by county and MSA.

South Carolina’s employment situation-February 2014

The South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce publishes news releases with monthly statistics about the employment situation of the state, including unemployment rate, employment by industry, and local area unemployment by county and MSA.

South Carolina’s employment situation-March 2014

The South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce publishes news releases with monthly statistics about the employment situation of the state, including unemployment rate, employment by industry, and local area unemployment by county and MSA.

South Carolina’s employment situation-April 2014

The South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce publishes news releases with monthly statistics about the employment situation of the state, including unemployment rate, employment by industry, and local area unemployment by county and MSA.

South Carolina's employment situation-December 2014

The South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce publishes news releases with monthly statistics about the employment situation of the state, including unemployment rate, employment by industry, and local area unemployment by county and MSA.

South Carolina's employment situation-January 2015

The South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce publishes news releases with monthly statistics about the employment situation of the state, including unemployment rate, employment by industry, and local area unemployment by county and MSA.

South Carolina's employment situation-May 2015

The South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce publishes news releases with monthly statistics about the employment situation of the state, including unemployment rate, employment by industry, and local area unemployment by county and MSA.

South Carolina's employment situation-June 2015

The South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce publishes news releases with monthly statistics about the employment situation of the state, including unemployment rate, employment by industry, and local area unemployment by county and MSA.

O reconhecimento de adquiridos experienciais como impulsionador de novos projectos

Trabalho de projecto de mestrado, Ciências da Educação (Formação de Adultos), Universidade de Lisboa, Instituto de Educação, 2011