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Towards More Sustainable Labour Markets: Concepts, Developments, Policies and Impact Evaluations

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2021) | Viewed by 29155

Special Issue Editors

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Madalina Ecaterina Popescu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. The Informatics and Economic Cybernetics Department, The Faculty of Economic Cybernetics, Statistics and Informatics, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Piața Romană 6, București 010374, Romania
2. Wages, Income and Taxation Department, National Scientific Research Institute for Labour and Social Protection, Wages, 010643, Bucharest, Romania
Interests: Econometric Modeling; Econometric Analysis; Applied Econometrics; Forecasting; Microeconometrics; Economics Analysis; Applied Economics; Algorithms; Culture; Politics; Education Macroeconomics
Dr. Eva Militaru

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Wages, Income and Taxation Department, National Scientific Research Institute for Labour and Social Protection, Wages, 010643, Bucharest, Romania
Interests: Econometric Modeling; Economic Policy Analysis; Taxation; Microeconometrics; Poverty Analysis; Economic Forecasting; Public Policy Analysis; Developing Countries; Impact Assessment; Monitoring and Evaluation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Economic development is strongly linked with labour market and the goal of sustainable development cannot be achieved without increased employment quality, greater labour market flexibility, skilled labour force and integration of vulnerable groups in the labour market. Leading towards more sustainable labour markets implies an urgent need to properly estimate the main implications of public policies upon labour market and to conduct policy impact studies that could provide reliable and sound results.

Therefore, the purpose of this Special Issue consists in a) exploring and better understanding the factors leading to labour market sustainability and the effectiveness of the current public policies worldwide upon labour market, as well as b) in finding conceptual, methodological and empirical solutions in designing and assessing the effects of public policies on the labour market. 

Thus, this Special Issue of Sustainability invites research papers to discuss and analyse specific problems of labour market sustainability and public policy implications on one or more dimensions of socio-economic sustainability. We welcome both original empirical studies focusing on methodological approaches, as well as conceptual and research studies dealing with policy design and implementation worldwide in order to encourage socio-economic sustainable transformations of the labour markets to meet the Agenda 2030.

Being part of the “Economic, Business and Management Aspects of Sustainability” section of the Sustainability journal, we address new empirical findings that are of interest to a broader audience within the effects of sustainability issues. We encourage studies from various disciplines and broad scientific methods when discussing evidence-based policy trade-offs, socio-economic implications, challenges and opportunities.

Thematically, this special issue includes topics like: labour market governance, legislation and policies for sustainability, labour market integration of vulnerable groups, quality of employment, local labour markets and regional development, skills development and utilization of human capital to support socio-economic sustainability, aging population and demographic issues, corporate sustainability and fiscal policy implications, urbanization and labour market implications, as well as contributions to SDGs 2030.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Madalina Ecaterina Popescu
Dr. Eva Militaru
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Labour market governance, legislation and policies
  • Local labour markets and regional development
  • Quality of employment
  • Labour market integration of vulnerable groups
  • Skills and human capital utilization
  • Aging population and demographic issues
  • Corporate sustainability and fiscal policy implications
  • Urbanization and labour market implications
  • Contributions to SDGs 2030

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 325 KiB  
Article
Sustainable Care and Factors Associated with Quality of Life among Older Beneficiaries of Social Services
by Mihaela Ghența, Aniela Matei, Luise Mladen-Macovei, Maria Denisa Vasilescu and Elen-Silvana Bobârnat
Sustainability 2021, 13(3), 1572; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031572 - 2 Feb 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2998
Abstract
Population aging has led to an increased recognition of the problems encountered by older persons. As a consequence, the most recent years have been marked by a series of changes with regard to the organization and provision of social services for dependent older [...] Read more.
Population aging has led to an increased recognition of the problems encountered by older persons. As a consequence, the most recent years have been marked by a series of changes with regard to the organization and provision of social services for dependent older people. The aim of this article is to identify factors associated with the quality of life in old age, using a logistic regression applied to the data collected following a field survey among the beneficiaries of social services. The analysis revealed that men are more likely to appreciate that life does not make sense, compared to dependent elderly women. Age is also a significant factor that influences the quality of life: the older the people are, the more they tend to think in a positive manner about their life. Health, social participation and food are also important factors that influence the perception regarding the quality of life. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Towards More Sustainable Labour Markets: Concepts, Developments, Policies and Impact Evaluations)
18 pages, 2767 KiB  
Article
Performance Evaluation of Sheltered Workshops. Does Legal Status Matter?
by María-Celia López-Penabad, José Manuel Maside-Sanfiz, Juan Torrelles-Manent and Carmen López-Andión
Sustainability 2021, 13(3), 1100; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031100 - 21 Jan 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2411
Abstract
Social enterprise pursues both social and economic goals and is recognized as a formula for achieving sustainable development. Sheltered workshops (SWs) are a manifestation of this phenomenon, their main objective being the labor market integration of disabled people. In this paper, the efficiency [...] Read more.
Social enterprise pursues both social and economic goals and is recognized as a formula for achieving sustainable development. Sheltered workshops (SWs) are a manifestation of this phenomenon, their main objective being the labor market integration of disabled people. In this paper, the efficiency of SWs has been studied taking into account the operational and the core social aspects, as well as their distinct nature, namely for-profit or non-profit status. Additionally, we have analyzed the relationship between the social efficiency and the economic returns of these entities. To do this, a semiparametric methodology, combining different data envelopment analysis (DEA) models with truncated regression estimation has been used. It is the non-profit and top-performing SWs that achieve the best social and economic efficiency. For-profit and low-performing SWs show further reductions in social efficiency as a result of the economic crisis and uncertainty in subsidy-related public policies. Their extensive social proactiveness and high economic strength in the crisis period positively influenced their social and economic efficiency. We have also proven that it is the most profitable SWs that have the greatest social efficiency. We consider that our results constitute a useful complement to other evaluation models for social enterprise. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Towards More Sustainable Labour Markets: Concepts, Developments, Policies and Impact Evaluations)
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23 pages, 6761 KiB  
Article
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Romanian Labor Market
by Carmen Valentina Radulescu, Georgiana-Raluca Ladaru, Sorin Burlacu, Florentina Constantin, Corina Ioanăș and Ionut Laurentiu Petre
Sustainability 2021, 13(1), 271; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010271 - 30 Dec 2020
Cited by 56 | Viewed by 9753
Abstract
The present research aims to establish the impact that the current crisis situation the planet is facing, namely the COVID-19 pandemic, has had so far on the Romanian labor force market. In this context, given the lack of information and information regarding this [...] Read more.
The present research aims to establish the impact that the current crisis situation the planet is facing, namely the COVID-19 pandemic, has had so far on the Romanian labor force market. In this context, given the lack of information and information regarding this pandemic and its effects, the administration of a questionnaire among the population was considered to identify the research results. The method of semantic differential and the method of ordering the ranks were used for the interpretation of the results. With the help of this questionnaire, it will be possible to answer the question of the research in this study: What are the main effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Romanian labor market? The main results showed that the COVID-19 pandemic affected the Romanian workforce; the respondents of the applied questionnaire claimed that they obtained better results and maintained a similar income, but the health crisis also influenced the mentality of employees, with respondents stating that in the event of changing jobs, they would consider it very important for the new employer to ensure the conditions for preventing and combating COVID-19, as well as complex health insurance. However, analyzing at the macroeconomic level, it was found that the COVID-19 pandemic induced an increase in the number of unemployed people in the Romanian labor market. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Towards More Sustainable Labour Markets: Concepts, Developments, Policies and Impact Evaluations)
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23 pages, 3251 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Factors of Production Shocks on Labor Productivity: New Evidence Using Panel VAR Analysis
by Nurliyana Mohd Basri, Zulkefly Abdul Karim and Noorasiah Sulaiman
Sustainability 2020, 12(20), 8710; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12208710 - 20 Oct 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3889
Abstract
Labor productivity has an essential role in creating a more sustainable labor market platform, leading to better economic sustainability. However, the sluggish growth in labor productivity in Malaysia could hinder the vision in realizing the status of a high-income nation in the future. [...] Read more.
Labor productivity has an essential role in creating a more sustainable labor market platform, leading to better economic sustainability. However, the sluggish growth in labor productivity in Malaysia could hinder the vision in realizing the status of a high-income nation in the future. Thus, understanding how production shocks affect labor productivity sustainability is crucial for firms in managing their inputs (resources). This paper aims to elucidate how shocks in wage, capital intensity, and human capital may affect the dynamic of labor productivity in the Malaysian manufacturing industry. The study further explains the magnitude of this impact on labor productivity. This study employs the panel vector autoregression (PVAR) model in analyzing the propagation of the shocks through the impulse response function and variance decomposition. The main findings reveal that shocks in production factors have a positive and significant transitional impact on productivity and the cumulative effects are positive over time. The economic impact of wage shock is material, whereas capital intensity shock is moderate and only exerts a minor effect on labor productivity emanating from human capital shock. These findings provide further insights into assisting policymakers in amplifying the current labor market policy for sustainable economic growth. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Towards More Sustainable Labour Markets: Concepts, Developments, Policies and Impact Evaluations)
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16 pages, 3644 KiB  
Article
Influence of Accession of the Visegrad Group Countries to the EU on the Situation in Their Labour Markets
by Beata Bieszk-Stolorz and Krzysztof Dmytrów
Sustainability 2020, 12(16), 6694; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12166694 - 18 Aug 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3698
Abstract
In 2004, ten new countries, including the Visegrad Group (V4) ones, accessed the European Union. These countries are ex-communist. They are still in the process of transition from a centrally planned to a free-market economy. It is interesting to check how their economies [...] Read more.
In 2004, ten new countries, including the Visegrad Group (V4) ones, accessed the European Union. These countries are ex-communist. They are still in the process of transition from a centrally planned to a free-market economy. It is interesting to check how their economies have changed after their accession to the EU. Reducing inequalities in labour markets is one of the aspects of sustainable development. The goal of this research is an assessment of the situation in the labour markets in the V4 countries with respect to the whole EU. The research was carried out on the data from Eurostat (2002–2019) and was conducted by means of the multidimensional scaling technique. Before joining the EU, the situation in the labour market in the V4 countries (excluding Czechia) was much worse than in most EU-member states. After joining the EU, the situation in these countries gradually improved. In 2019, the situation in the labour market in Czechia was one of the best in the EU and the remaining three V4 countries moved into the EU-average. The joining of the V4 countries to the EU had a positive impact on the situation in their labour markets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Towards More Sustainable Labour Markets: Concepts, Developments, Policies and Impact Evaluations)
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19 pages, 2248 KiB  
Article
Investigating Labor Market Discrimination in Romania
by Larisa Stanila, Maria Denisa Vasilescu and Eva Militaru
Sustainability 2020, 12(12), 4983; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12124983 - 18 Jun 2020
Viewed by 3732
Abstract
An inclusive labor market, with equal opportunities for all, is a desideratum of all states, and one of the Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations for the year 2030. Discrimination can take many forms, based on many reasons, and has a [...] Read more.
An inclusive labor market, with equal opportunities for all, is a desideratum of all states, and one of the Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations for the year 2030. Discrimination can take many forms, based on many reasons, and has a strong impact on the living standards of individuals. Discrimination in the labor market can negatively affect economic performances. The aim of the research is to investigate the perception of individuals regarding discrimination, with a focus on the characteristics of the individuals who feel discriminated in Romania in a work-related context. In order to capture the relevant aspects, we turned to descriptive analysis and logistic regression. The analysis revealed that around 14% of the respondents participating in the survey faced a discriminating situation in a work-related context during the last year. Moreover, less than half of these individuals have taken any action against the discrimination act, the others believing that nothing would have changed. The logistic regression results indicated that Roma people have 6.7 times higher chances to be discriminated in a work-related context as compared to a Romanian individual. Moreover, higher educated individuals are more likely to experience discrimination in the labor market. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Towards More Sustainable Labour Markets: Concepts, Developments, Policies and Impact Evaluations)
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