Journal Article

A key component of sustainable welfare policy is the extension of working life (EWL). Currently this aim is chiefly pursued by financial policies, neglecting the potential role of quality of working life (QWL) in attracting people to remain employed. National survey data for Britain in the years 1992, 2006 and 2012 demonstrate deteriorating overall job attitude among older employees, following the changed competitive and technological conditions of the 1990s. The investigation goes on to diagnose aspects of the work situation implicated in adverse experience of work among older employees. Work demands and the nature of work emerge as key areas of discontent, with additional evidence of insecurity, and dissatisfaction with pensions, emerging over the recent recession. Policies potentially addressing QWL, with particular attention to the role of employers, are reviewed in the conclusion.

The idea of a Universal Basic Income (UBI) has moved rapidly up the British political agenda in recent years, with support from the Green Party, the Royal Society of Arts, and left-wing writers such as Paul Mason. Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has set up a working group to examine its implications, and four Scottish councils are hoping to launch pilot schemes. Contemporary British interest in UBI forms part of a lively global debate about automation, inequality and precarious labour, but it also draws on a long history of proposals for tax-benefit reform within UK social policy. This article identifies five waves of enthusiasm for basic income in Britain over the past century and highlights patterns of continuity and change. It shows that interest in the proposal has been greatest at times of pessimism about the future of the labour market, though concerns about the ethics and affordability of unconditional payments have always been difficult to shake. Advocates of UBI have also struggled to reconcile the technocratic approach of its Conservative and Liberal supporters with the transformative ambitions of the radical left. It remains to be seen whether the recent growth of left-wing support for UBI will improve its prospects of implementation.

Purpose – Entrepreneurial competencies are seen as important to business growth and success. The purpose of this paper is therefore to undertake a literature review of research on entrepreneurial competence in order to: provide an integrated account of contributions relating to entrepreneurial competencies by different authors working in different countries and different industry sectors and at different points in time; and, develop an agenda for future research, and practice in relation to entrepreneurial competencies. Design/methodology/approach – The article starts with a review of the development of the concept of competence, with particular reference to its use in the context of management competencies. It then draws together views on the notion of entrepreneurial competence before exploring and summarising research on the link between entrepreneurial competencies and business performance and growth. A core section then compares the models of entrepreneurial competencies cited in the literature, and on this basis proposes a set of entrepreneurial competencies which can be used as the basis for further research and practice. Finally, the different perspectives adopted by researchers to the measurement of entrepreneurial competencies are reviewed. Findings – Conclusions suggest that although the concept of entrepreneurial competencies is used widely by government agencies and others in their drive for economic development and business success, the core concept of entrepreneurial competencies, its measurement and its relationship to entrepreneurial performance and business success is in need of further rigorous research and development in practice. Originality/value – This article integrates previous models of entrepreneurial competencies towards the development of an entrepreneurial competency framework.

We develop a new methodology for quantifying the tasks undertaken within occupations using over 3,000 verbs from more than 12,000 occupational descriptions in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOTs). Using micro data from the United States from 1880 to 2000, we find an increase in the employment share of interactive occupations within sectors over time that is larger in metro areas than non metro areas. We interpret these findings using a model in which reductions in transport and communication costs induce urban areas to specialize according to their comparative advantage in interactive tasks. We present suggestive evidence relating increases in employment in interactive occupations to improvements in transport and communication technologies. Our findings highlight a change in the nature of agglomeration over time toward an increased emphasis on human interaction.

The contemporary job market is facing the arrival of new type of employee -generation Z representatives, known as “digital natives”, who are described as technological, social, global and developed, the most connected, clever and educated generation that ever existed before, driven by social media, influenced by brands and musical culture. At the moment, this generation is considered to be two billion big. This study is looking at the existing methods of generation Z staff attraction and retention in the company Evolution (Latvia), where they make a majority. Further analyzing which of the methods are perceived as most efficient and which values of this generation are met by the company. Methods include company literature review, questionnaires and interviews. It was concluded the Gen Z have specific preferences in communication and can be reached through a variety of social platforms and special events provided by the company. As potential and current employees, they are not looking for life-long employment, put forward their specific values and expect the potential employer to attract them by meeting their needs in terms of flexible working hours, flexible (varied) jobs where their individuality can be applied, company excellent reputation, innovation, speed of change, platform for educational and promotional advancement, specific fringe benefits.

The Indian IT and ITES industry has witnessed attrition as high as 15% according to Deloitte Human Capital Consulting in its Compensation Trends Survey 2013-14. Hence, the focus of most organizations in this industry is to reduce the turnover intention of employees ultimately resulting into reduction of actual turnover. Finding out all the factors which contribute to the turnover intention among employees is employers' high priority. The aim of this paper is to find out if job-leisure conflict influences the IT professionals' turnover intention. This paper further examines the relationship between job-leisure conflict, job satisfaction and turnover intention for professionals working in IT service provider organizations in India. It is hypothesized that job satisfaction will mediate the relationship between job-leisure conflict and turnover intention. The proposed model is grounded in the social-exchange theory and ideology of individualization. Data were collected from 173 IT professionals. Findings supported a significant positive relationship between job-leisure conflict and turnover intention and significant negative relationship between job satisfaction and turnover intention. It was also confirmed that job satisfaction plays a mediating role between job-leisure conflict and turnover intention. Implications, potential future research areas are discussed.

The present paper addresses the impact of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Foresight and the resulting STI policy thereof on the critical issue of future industry studies, the demand for employment. The impact evaluation exercise relating STI Foresight and employment proposed here converges and integrates different scientific sectors such as the interdependence between employment and welfare framework; the role and weight of technology change to employment dimension; the prospects of emerging and future technologies impacting employment in future industry; the contribution of science, technology and innovation (STI) policies to promoting the generation and real application of new technologies. The paper follows the premise that STI Foresight, as well as Future Technology Analysis, offer a robust basis for the elaboration and monitoring of STI policies with anticipatory intelligence. The core of the paper is dedicated to address the main question of how to identify and choose variables and indicators able to reflect vectors towards the future of employment. The selected vectors are referred to cross effects, trends, and time scales. As far the relationship of technology and employment is concerned, the paper examines cross effect impacts resulting from an input-output analysis, trends indicated in Future Technology Analysis, and time scaling of the technology lifecycle. These parameters are meant to constitute the basic elements for impact evaluation algorithms. In this connection, the paper proposes concepts, measurement techniques, and methods for the evaluation of foresight exercises influencing future changes on employment. Linking policymaking, Foresight, and specific future-looking themes, the paper offers building blocks for constructing standards for the evaluation of foresight exercises.

Due to recent technological advances, organizations currently face massive changes of their work design and leadership. Unfortunately, the exact nature of these changes is still unclear as most existing studies were conducted during earlier stages of the digital transformation and the available literature is highly fragmented. To provide an up-to-date overview on the changes in work design and leadership resulting from the digital transformation and to structure our existing knowledge in this domain, we conducted an open-ended online survey with 49 recognized digitalization experts and identified key themes of change. In sum, four key themes of change affecting both work design and leadership emerged, namely changes in work-life and health, the use of information and communication technology, performance and talent management and organizational hierarchies. In addition, two macro-level change dimensions regarding the structure of work and relationship-oriented leadership evolved. While some of the identified changes were partly covered in earlier studies, others have so far not received much attention despite their apparently high relevance in the current stage of the digital transformation. The results of this study therefore provide an important basis for future research and help organizations to strategically prepare for the requirements of the digital age.

Vast changes in the world of work spurred by rapid technological growth and globalization have called for a more inclusive, progressive, and forward-thinking conceptualization of vocational theory, practice, training, and policy. Discussions across 8 discussion groups at the 2007 joint symposium of the International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance, Society for Vocational Psychology, and National Career Development Association addressed various topics in the field of vocational psychology and career guidance. Several themes emerged that have captured the attention of career scholars and practitioners across the globe: culture and context in theory and practice, research as a process within a contextual system, partnership and collaboration, and social responsibility and public policy.