Journal Article

This article examines how the social skills of migrants are moulded in workplaces and employment-related situations. It surveys literature on social skills, workplaces, social remittances and relational learning. It devotes attention to destination workplaces as spaces where people who left their comfort zones experience disjuncture between origin and destination. This can bring insights, noticing differences and making comparisons. On return to their workplaces in their origin countries, migrants are able to reflect upon and eventually remit these experiences, packaged as social remittances. Three categories of social skill were distilled from biographical interviews with returnees to Poland: (1) the capability for cross-cultural communication; (2) the capability for dealing with emotional labour; (3) the capability for taking initiative and acting independently. The study analysed situations of disjuncture as a result of migration which led to learning, non-learning and alienation. By bringing migration to the forefront, we consider social skills as social remittances.

The number of ‘future of work’ studies, which estimate the potential impact of automation on employment, has grown rapidly in the past few years. They have, however, received very little critical attention and warrant closer examination. One cause for concern is the shortcomings of their methodological approach, which relies on measuring the technical feasibility of automating particular occupations and tasks. Doing so, however, creates an illusory sense of certainty and discounts the role of non-technical determinates behind advances in, and the utilisation of, automated technologies. Second, the way in which they frame their policy recommendations –as balancing an unfortunate trade-off between economic growth and unemployment – obscures the benefits that fuller automation may bring. This paper argues that these particular characteristics of ‘future of work’ studies invites comparison with the works of Adam Smith, who explored these issues in a closely connected, yet largely forgotten, way. First, Smith emphasised the role of non-technical determinates in technological progress and in this way paints a fuller picture of how automated technologies may develop. Second, Smith provides a normative perspective that would encourage these studies to see the potential of automated technologies to actually reconcile the apparent trade-offs.

This paper considers the inclusion of TVET and skills in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and analyses the key changes likely to impact on TVET and skill systems from now until 2030. It argues that despite SDG implementation and monitoring challenges, the new emphasis on TVET, skills and lifelong learning will reinforce efforts of international, bilateral and multi-lateral organizations. It concludes that the SDG targets relevant to TVET and skills development reflect existing priorities and normative principles adopted by development actors and mirror the recent resurgence of interest in TVET and skills development more widely. In considering the various key drivers likely to influence the development of labour markets and TVET systems from now until 2030, the paper concludes that, while many of the emerging issues may have not been explicitly considered during formulation of the SDGs, they too will have a potentially positive effect on SDG implementation.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of labor mismatches on wages and on job satisfaction for the Spanish case, with a distinction been made between educational and skills-related measures of mismatch. Design/methodology/approach - The focus is placed on the usage that the individuals do of their skills in the workplace and different measures of skills use are considered to check the robustness of the results. Findings - Using data from PIAAC, the results suggest that whereas educational mismatch shows greater effects on wages, the effects of labor mismatch on job satisfaction are better explained by the relative use of individual skills in the workplace. Research limitations/implications - Both educational and skills mismatches are relevant for understanding the economic effects of labor mismatch. Nevertheless, it should be taken into account that educational mismatch is not an accurate proxy for skills mismatch, mainly when the non-monetary effects of labor mismatch are addressed. Practical implications There is room to increase workers' skills utilization in the workplace, which, in turn, would contribute to enhance individual job satisfaction and, consequently, workers productivity. Social implications - A process of upgrading in the Spanish labor market would allow to take full advantage of recent investments in education and skills formation done in the country in the last decades. Originality/value - This study contributes to the literature on labor mismatch by explicitly considering that educational and skills mismatch might reflect different phenomena and by analyzing the effects of both types of mismatches on different labor market outcomes.

Higher education can be both memorable and a vital pathway to the workforce. However, entering post-secondary life with the cognitive ability to handle the academic rigor is often not enough to succeed and persist in an environment that requires students to also possess soft-skills such as resilience, adaptability, perseverance, self-advocacy, and self-regulation (Adams, 2012; Cunha {&} Heckman, 2007; Egalite, Mills, {&} Greene, 2016). Therefore, this meta-synthesis sought to gain a better understanding of soft-skills deficits in adult learners by synthesizing current Canadian studies on the topic. It was found that interventions in higher education that resulted in soft-skills acquisition among learners were commonly geared toward graduate students and tied to social interactions among community agencies, faculty members, and peer groups. Thus, further research is discussed around examining the reciprocal effects of peer-mentoring on the soft-skills development of first-year undergraduate students, as well as the long-term impact this approach might have on student retention, achievement, and success beyond higher education., Published abstract.

To date, there has been little examination of those who complete training in male-dominated sectors and continue to work in these sectors within regional Australia. Therefore, in this preliminary qualitative study, we examine the attraction and retention issues of women entering male-dominated trades within regional [New South Wales NSW. This paper reports on findings from our initial industry consultation sessions of 35 participants within regional areas of NSW. Findings highlight retention issues such as workplace cultures, spotlighting, expecting women to fit into dysfunctional cultures and lack of career pathways. While these are preliminary findings and generalizations cannot be made for all regional areas, implications for practice and future research are discussed.

This article examines the effects of discrimination based on race, ethnic background, nationality, religion, sex, age, disability and sexual orientation on skill underutilization and under-skilling in 30 European countries. People who experienced a variety of forms of workplace discrimination were more likely to report over-skilling, defined as having skills for more demanding roles than required for their job. Paradoxically, some forms of labour market discrimination were also linked to under-skilling, where people report requiring more training to fulfil their job role. The findings are explained in terms of how discrimination in the labour market can have differential impacts on access to career progression and training opportunities across organizations. Differences between self-report and statistical estimates of discrimination are observed. Broader implications for the interpretation of statistical models in discrimination research are discussed.

We construct an applied general equilibrium model to account for diverging patterns of the skill premium. Our framework assesses the roles of various factors that affect the demand and supply of skilled and unskilled labor—shifts in the skill composition of the labor supply, changes in the terms of trade and the complementarity between skilled labor and equipment capital in production. We find that increases in relative skilled labor supply due to demographic changes lead to a decline in the skill premium, while equipment capital deepening raises the relative demand for skilled labor, which in turn increases the skill premium. In addition, terms of trade changes lead to the reallocation of resources toward sectors in which countries enjoy comparative advantages. Since our model incorporates multiple factors simultaneously, it can generate either rising or falling skill premium paths. When we parametrize the model to the Baltic states—countries that were similar along many dimensions at the onset of their transition from centrally planned to market-oriented economies—our model can closely account for the diverging patterns of skill premia observed in the Baltics between 1995 and 2008.

Previous research examining skill mismatch in the labour market has ignored potential implications for workers outside of the work environment. We argue that the psychological strain that the discrepancy between worker’s skills and job requirements wields on workers spills over into the non-work sphere, increasing work–life conflict. This study explores the consequence of skill mismatch for work–family life and various dimensions of job satisfaction. Using the 2011 British Workplace Employment Relations Survey (WERS), we find that both over- and underskilled workers reported lower satisfaction with achievement and autonomy, opportunity for development, and pay and security. Results also suggest that not only does skill mismatch have a negative influence on work–life conflict but that this association is completely mediated through job satisfaction. Given this better understanding of the complex ways that skill mismatch in employment shapes non-work life, implications for employees and firms are discussed.