Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Skilled labour'

The topic of international skilled labour mobility has received growing attention within the field of population geography and other disciplines. This interest reflects the large growth of international skilled labour mobility, especially during the 1980s. Attention of prior research has focused on the migratory movement of managers and professionals as they radiate across the globe, recording and representing the dispersal of international investment and the overseas expansion of producers of goods and services. The research examines Scotland's participation in the international exchange of skilled labour. The research undertaken addresses the varying theoretical, conceptual and methodological approaches of prior research on international skilled labour mobility in geography, as well as in other disciplines, such as management studies and occupational psychology. In doing so, the interplay between work and non-work spheres in shaping Scottish international skilled labour mobility is highlighted, as is the differing temporal and spatial focus of existing studies. The author's research thus investigates both the economic and social contexts of Scottish international skilled labour mobility, these contexts being characterised at macro, meso and micro level. In addition, the research adopts a broader definition of skilled labour movements than prior research, and so the study discusses the place of short term business travel as well as longer term migratory movements and the relationship between them. In illustrating the economic context of Scottish international skilled labour mobility, the research outlines macro level changes in the Scottish economy and the role of foreign direct investment as a source and channel of Scottish skill exchange. In turn, the specific institutional characteristics of activities generating these labour flows are examined and related to the occupational status of mobile persons.

Employing highly qualified and skilled workers is crucial for firms in the knowledge economy, as they compete in an increasingly complex and turbulent business environment. Whilst substantial research has focused on the potential benefits of investment in skilled labour, little attention has been given to its downside. This thesis examines one important aspect, namely increases in the firm’s equity risk. The quality of human capital in individual firms is generally unobservable. To bypass this, a labour skill index is constructed using industry-level data, representing the degree to which firms in a given industry rely on skilled labour. The index is calculated annually from 1990 to 2014 across a wide range of industries, and is the main test variable throughout the empirical chapters. The major findings of this thesis are as follows. First, firms located in more highly skilled industries are perceived by investors as having more volatile fundamentals, reflected in greater idiosyncratic return volatility. The relationship is moderated by the presence of broad-based employee ownership, highlighting the latter’s risk management implications. Second, with respect to the level of broad-based employee ownership, it displays an inverted U-shaped relationship with the labour skill index. The positive relationship between the two is reversed only for firms at the top end of the skill spectrum. Third, firms that rely more heavily on skilled labour incur a higher implied cost of equity. This is attributed to increased operating leverage which amplifies firms’ exposure to systematic risk. Summarising, this thesis provides evidence that reliance on skilled labour exacerbates both idiosyncratic and systematic components of the firm’s equity risk. In addition, this thesis corroborates broad-based employee ownership as a form of employee governance, and shows that its presence mitigates firm-specific return volatility associated with investment in skilled labour.

Using theoretical and empirical approaches, this thesis asks whether skilled and unskilled labour complement or substitute one another in production. We primarily investigate whether an increase in the proportion of workers with skills would raise or lower demand for those who remain unskilled. A secondary issue is the role of factor prices in labour demand. To study the role of factor prices, we estimate labour demand elasticities and Alien elasticities of substitution between capital and up to five occupations in South Africa. We supplement firmlevel data with household survey information and confirm theoretically that the elasticities can be estimated from a cost function under non-constant returns to scale. We show that separable disaggregated inputs can be used to find aggregate elasticities: more skilled and less skilled aggregates are p-complements, so a fall in skilled wages would lead to a rise in demand for less skilled labour. Disaggregated estimates suggest unskilled workers are p-complements with semi-skilled workers but p-substitutes with skilled/artisanal labour. We investigate the effects of a rise in skill supply on the relatively unskilled by estimating Hicks elasticities of complementarity and factor price. Aggregated estimates suggest more skilled and less skilled labour are q-complements, so an exogenous rise in the supply of skilled labour would raise demand for less skilled labour. Disaggregated estimates suggest skilled/artisanal and unskilled labour are q-complements while semi-skilled and unskilled labour are q-substitutes. The results allow for imperfectly elastic product demand and rigid wages. Using an endogenous growth model, we show technological progress is skill-biased in the South if it is in the North, resulting in rising wage inequality in developing countries. Assuming skilled and unskilled labour are perfect substitutes, we model expanded educational access as it adds relatively educated cohorts to the labour market. A rising skill composition causes accelerated skill-biased technological change and wage inequality. Relaxing the assumption of perfect substitutability, a one-off rise in skill supply only raises wage inequality if the elasticity of substitution is high, higher than existing empirical estimates.

Depuis quelques générations, la libéralisation des échanges et des marchés facilite considérablement les mouvements transfrontaliers de biens, de services, de capitaux et d’informations. Ce processus d’intégration est porteur de gains de bien-être inédits pour la population mondiale. Des perspectives importantes s’ouvrent aussi pour les pays en développement, dont la croissance pourrait tirer de nouvelles stimulations de la mise en œuvre de réformes favorables aux échanges et à l’ouverture des marchés. Mais un pan de l’édifice de la mondialisation est demeuré en grande partie étranger à ce processus de libéralisation : les mouvements de capital humain, qui restent soumis à un contrôle et à des restrictions sévères. Il y a lieu de le déplorer, car la libéralisation des migrations temporaires de main-d’œuvre pourrait constituer un moteur de croissance économique et de développement plus efficace que tout autre levier d’action politique. Nombre de pays en développement sont doués d’un important capital humain. C’est un facteur de production et un mode de prestation de services où ils sont nombreux à jouir d’un avantage comparatif. Nous avons circonscrit notre champ d’étude à la migration temporaire de main-d’œuvre qualifiée des pays pauvres vers les pays riches. Notre exposé est axé sur trois études de cas poussées, celui de pays figurant parmi les principaux exportateurs de main-d’œuvre au monde – l’Égypte, l’Inde et les Philippines – dont nous examinons quelques-unes des activités de services les plus saillantes, à savoir respectivement : l’éducation, la santé et les technologies de l’information
More than half a century of trade and market liberalisation have greatly facilitated the movement of goods, services, capital and information across borders. This integration process has brought unprecedented welfare gains to the wor1d's population and there is much scope to stimulate further economic growth in developing countries through market and trade friendly reforms. One piece in the globalisation puzzle has largely been excluded from the liberalisation process: the movement of human capital remains highly controlled and restricted. This is regrettable since the liberalisation of temporary labour movement could have a greater impact on economic growth and development than any other single policy. Many developing countries are well endowed with human capital and it is a factor of production and a mode of service delivery in which many developing countries enjoy a comparative advantage. This dissertation focuses on temporary migration of skilled workers from poor to rich countries. The underlying assumption-based on economic models and empirical findings-is that a more liberal environment for temporary labour mobility would bring substantial welfare gains by stimulating economic growth and development. Consequently, the focal point is on trade rather than immigration (or so called 'brain circulation' rather than 'brain drain'). The dissertation is centred on three in-depth studies of some of the world's leading labour sending countries: Egypt, India and the Philippines; and some of their most prominent services sectors: education, IT, and health services

Japan is enigmatic for migration scholars. The country will lose a quarter of its population in 40 years with the elderly ratio climbing to nearly 40%, remaining one of the most aging economies. Nevertheless, it still retains the lowest share of migrants in the labour market among OECD members. It seems no grand design for the future generation is shared by policymakers or citizens: how should the country open up a practical prospect under this hard reality? This research addresses the enigma through the optics of highly skilled migration which has been one of the pivotal agendas of the recent policy development in Japan. In attempting to fuel the economy, the Japanese government has lately devoted themselves to attracting highly skilled migrants (HSMs). One of the implemented policies is a points-based system; however, it has failed to deliver the expectation at the outset. With this policy failure in mind, this study aims to fill the important research gaps on HSMs in Japan: the mechanism of skilled migration and its interplay with policies. In other words, what makes HSMs decide to work in Japan and how the public policies influence their decisions. The study centres on these micro-macro interplays. The dissertation is structured to explore the labyrinth made up of three mazes—societal, labour and policy dimensions that HSMs in Japan face. Based on the qualitative inquiry, the study will unfold the dynamism of the mazes through the perception of HSMs and migration experts. In so doing, the research offers new insights to academic arguments by producing concepts such as ‘coerced harmonisation’ and ‘no choice democracy’, whose implications are not limited to skilled migration but cover the overall migration agendas. Throughout, the discussion will present how the lessons drawn from Japan can contribute to addressing the pressing migration issues in other countries.

Magister Commercii - MCom
The South African economy is faced with a crisis of persistently high and rising unemployment rates. Although this is a cause for serious concern, the statistic captures a segment of the working-age population enduring recurrent spells of unemployment – a vulnerable group for consideration that these figures fail to uncover. The dilemma could be linked to the influx of previously disadvantaged groups (i.e. Africans and females) into the labour market since the dawn of democracy. Thus, the newly appointed South African government inherits an economy that had systematically disadvantaged most of the population, leading to an oversupply of labour, where highly-skilled labour appears to be more appealing in comparison to the relatively low-skilled labour offered by these persons. Historically suppressed groups thus disproportionately bear the brunt of this unemployment, where some may have involuntarily remained rooted in unemployment for longer periods of time than those considered unemployed on a temporal basis. The importance of exploring and understanding the roles of some underlying forces is extremely crucial to wrestle this pressing issue in a South African context, when examining labour market dynamics. This study therefore explores the nature and extent of chronic unemployment by examining the data of the first four available waves (2008, 2010/2011, 2012 and 2014/2015) of the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS). The empirical findings reveal that those significantly more susceptible to chronic unemployment are: African individuals with either incomplete secondary education or at most a Matric qualification in tandem with an additional certificate/diploma, residing in traditional areas in less wealthy provinces (i.e. Free State and Mpumalanga). Furthermore, the results demonstrate that these chronically unemployed individuals are more likely to form part of the youth (25-44 years), be non-poor, with their household composition consisting of one to five household members where the minority enjoy wage employment whereas the majority endure spells of unemployment. Ultimately, they devote themselves to informal employment and occupations requiring semi-skilled and relatively unskilled labour in the community, social and personal services industry and on average earn R 3 342 per month in 2016 December prices.

The aim of this thesis is to make a comprehensive assessment of economic impacts of different skilled level of international immigration labour on the UK by using a multiregion, multi-sector CGE-ILA model as a tool, with four main extensions from the IFPRI standard CGE framework, namely, the four-level nested CES production functions, highly disaggregated household data, two foreign regions and the assumption of imperfect labour market. The model is calibrated to a purpose-built 41x41 SAM dataset for the UK 2004. By employing four sets of criterions, the analysis combines four skill-type of immigration labour to look at their impacts on the UK economy from six aspects: economic growth, international trade, wage and unemployment, incomes of institutions, employment in sectors, production prices and scale of production. The main findings are: 1) The inflow of higher-skilled labour can make significant contribution to UK economy and alleviate wage inequality; although lower-skilled immigration labour also has the positive effects on UK economy, they can worsen the wage inequality. 2) Only increase of small proportion (<8%) of highly-skilled immigration labour will reduce total unemployment. 3) Increase of immigration labour has positive effects on the incomes of all institutions, of which enterprises and government gain the larger benefit than households do. The higher the skill of immigration labour has, the larger the contribution they will make. 4) The unskilled immigration labour has the larger positive effects on UK economy than the semi-skilled has, and has the positive impacts on reducing the activity prices of the some sectors in the Primary and Secondary Industry, and then encourages more exports than imports. 5) The semi-skilled immigration labour is the least needed in the UK labour market, if the reduction of unemployment is the prior consideration. Thus, the policy implication of the current study is that the highly-skilled immigration labour is urgently and largely needed by the UK economy; the recommended scale of immigration labour is a mix with a large proportion of higher-skilled labour force and a small proportion of the lower-skilled.

The study sought to understand the labour-market experiences of Kenyan women living in Swedenfrom a precarity standpoint. Specifically, from the point of view of uncertainty and vulnerability ofAfrican migrants workers in the labor market. The research explored how individual, structural, andcultural factors influenced the choice of profession and the labour market participation of Kenyanmigrant women in Sweden. Intersectionality, Precarity and the Dual Labor Market theory were thetheories picked to make sense of the particular vulnerabilities experienced, and strategies adoptedby Kenya migrant women in the Swedish labour market. A qualitative approach was adopted by thestudy and a case-study specifically used. Semi -structured interviews were used as the tool for datacollection and the data coded and analyses thematically. The research found out that African wokenfaced challenges in the Swedish labour market despite their academic qualifications, workexperience or Swedish language skills. Gender and ethnicity were found to be contributing factorsto these women being embedded mostly in the secondary segments of the labour market. Dualismor the labor market segmentation theory- divided into two sections; the primary and the secondaryjobs proved useful as it enabled the research make sense of the participants embeddedness in thesecondary labour markets. The concept of precarity was helpful in analysing various precariouswork undertaken by the participants from the beginning of their migration to Sweden and aftermany years of being in the country. The combination of the dual labor market theory with theintersectionality approach was significant to the study as it highlighted the dichotomy and thecomplexity of interactions between race, gender and ethnicity in the labor market. The findings ofthe research generally confirmed previous studies that show that highly skilled migrant women aremostly situated in the secondary segments of the labour market or face discrimination whenpositioned in primary jobs due to their different ethnicity and different culture. The studyrecommends that further research be done with a a larger sample and the same study done in otherEuropean countries for comparison purposes.

With the recent influx of foreign-born individuals migrating to Sweden, this study aims to answer the question, “do high skilled foreign-born individuals relate positively to average wages in Sweden?”. We specifically observe high skilled foreign-born individuals and their contribution to the average wage across different municipalities in Sweden between the years 2011 and 2018. The method carried out in this study consisted of an empirical analysis where the significance of economic factors was interpreted in order to understand the variation in wages. The data was extracted from Statistics Sweden. The relationship of the share of highly educated foreign-born individuals has proved to be insignificant with respect to average wages in Sweden. Different theories are discussed in this paper in order to identify the key labour market outcomes due to the labour supply shock. Our findings disclose that differences in wages are present, meaning that natives and foreign-born individuals are complements in the short run

This thesis describes the current situation on the Swedish labour market as many skilledmigrants have problems to find a relevant job. It explains the barriers for employment, aswell as the support mechanisms used to help the integration on the labour market. Particularfocus lies on the job search motivation, and how do the difficulties to find a job in arelevant professional field affect the job search motivation, and what are the reasons forthese effects. Thematic analysis is used to find recurring themes in the data collected from 5 semistructured interviews, 2 questionnaires and 1 additional interview from an employeeworking with the skilled migrants. Empirical findings show, that the respondents feel that local companies prefer localemployees, and that the migrants ascribe their difficulties to find a relevant job position todiscrimination, as it is common that they get rejected without being able to meet thecompany’s representatives in person. Countless rejected applications are causing feelings offrustration, hopelessness and the migrants’ doubt their ability to find a relevant job, whichleads to decreased job search motivation and underemployment. Furthermore, therespondents are rather motivated by extrinsic motivational factors than intrinsic motivators.However, the findings show that they believe that the job search becomes easier withaccumulated experience and that the difficulties with finding the right job makes therespondents more committed to the attained job. Finally, the authors formulate suggestionsfor further research. KEYWORDS: labour market integration, skilled migrants, job search motivation

This thesis analyzes the political discourse on skilled labour migration in Germany between 2005 and 2009 and investigates how and why skilled labour migration polices are negotiated in the Federal Republic of Germany. In particular the thesis highlights the significance of underlying policy maker motives within the policy formation process of Germany s 2009 Action Programme on Skilled Labour Migration as well as their ultimate imprint on the legislation. The critical discourse analysis of parliamentary debate in Germany between 2005 and 2009 in conjunction with interviews with relevant national policy makers, institutional actors, labour market stakeholder, and independent policy advisors reveals that there is a significant discrepancy between policy maker intent in regards to skilled labour migration legislation and the stated intent of the 2009 Action Programme. While the stated aim of the Action Programme is to facilitate and promote skilled labour migration to Germany, the analysis of relevant political debate and the stakeholder interviews reveals that German policy makers are primarily motivated to protect and promote preferential labour market access for domestic workers while at the same time restricting undesired labour migration to Germany. As a result, the policy measures of the 2009 Action Programme on Skilled Labour Migration have a strong protectionist and restrictionist emphasis. Moreover, the thesis reveals that the complex and multilayered power-negotiations over skilled labour migration legislation between the various policy makers, institutional actors, and labour market stakeholders are largely shaped and framed by domestic political considerations. Notwithstanding the widely acknowledged global competition over skilled workers and the need for German labour market to maintain competitive within the global economy, immigration policy makers in Germany are primarily motivated by factors that are firmly embedded within the national political sphere and that aim to control, limit, and restrict territorial access of foreign workers into the national labour market. This in turn highlights the need for migration scholars to reposition and re-conceptualize the role of the nation-state and as an active agent in shaping international labour migration flows.

The quick service restaurant industry in South Africa is plagued by high staff turnover and the cost associated with this. This is especially true for the semi-skilled employees at ground level, working in the restaurants in this industry. These workers are poorly paid and work erratic hours in difficult circumstances. The aim of this study is to identify the factors that influence job satisfaction within this industry. The study also aims to isolate the predominant reasons for both voluntary and involuntary staff turnover.
Mini Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2015.
zk2016
Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)
MBA
Unrestricted

Canada has been active in attracting highly-skilled, foreign-trained workers to overcome its labour shortage, facilitate its economic growth, and enhance its global competency. While promoting gender equality in the workplace and advancing women’s labour market participation are ongoing focuses of Canada’s attention, the arrival of an increased number of skilled immigrant women and their marginalized experiences in the Canadian labour market reflects a critical problem that the underuse of highly skilled immigrant women’s professional skills might be a loss for both Canada and individual immigrants. This research reveals the lived experience of highly skilled Chinese immigrant women in the Canadian labour market, and analyzes how the barriers to their career restoration were constructed. It adopts Seyla Benhabib’s weak version of postmodern feminist theory and Dorothy Smith’s Institutional Ethnography methodology. Based on interview data with 46 highly skilled Chinese immigrant women, this research identifies these immigrant women’s standpoint within the institutional arrangements and understands the barriers to their career restoration as discursively constructed outcomes. This research contends that the settlement services for new immigrants funded by the federal government fall short of meeting the particular needs of highly skilled immigrants who intend to find highly skilled jobs that match their qualifications. This research also makes recommendations for improving existing language training and employment-related settlement services in order to better assist highly skilled immigrants in using their skills to a larger extent.

Purpose of this treatise: The aim of this research is to determine, if the skilled labour shortage has had any impact on how construction projects are executed. If there is an impact the study aims to determine the nature and extent of the problem. Design/methodology/approach: A review of related literature was conducted, mainly to ensure that existing research is not replicated, in order to generate new ideas. The quantitative research approach was applied for this research. The questionnaire was designed so that scores can be easily summed in order to obtain an overall measure of the attitudes and opinions of the respondents. Findings: The results revealed that the skilled labour shortage has a negative effect on how construction projects are executed. The results further revealed that the biggest concern amongst employers and management of construction companies was the negative impact the shortage of skilled labour has on the levels of workmanship. Research limitations: The sample (construction companies) is mostly situated in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Practical implications: The research is of importance to managers and supervisors of construction companies of all sizes. The findings of this study will assist in ensuring that projects are efficiently managed irrespective of the current skills crisis in the construction industry.

Current Migration Studies literature in Europe can broadly be divided into two major strands. First is dominated by studies on the East-West migration of working class or asylum seeking, postcolonial ethnic groups and problems associated with their subsequent integration/assimilation into the host society. The second, more recent, strand of migration research is that of highly skilled professional migrants, usually hypermobile white men moving across highly-developed countries (for example within the EU), or from developed to less developed countries. This thesis aims to fill a major gap in the existing migration studies literature by focussing on a group of highly skilled Pakistani professionals. Based on a combination of participant observation and in-depth interviews with thirteen Pakistani male accountants and their partners in London, this thesis will explore their personal and professional lives in detail. In particular, it aims to compare this group with a) other highly skilled migrants in Europe and b) working class Pakistani immigrants who have dominated the migration stream to the UK. In terms of their social background, this group is strikingly different to the latter due to its urban, middle class origins where all men and most women possess tertiary level degrees. They do not follow the typical migration channel of chain migration to the UK and do not tend to live in ethnic clusters as other Pakistani migrants. Marital status sets them apart from European migrants of similar professional background. The thesis shows that experience of working in the one of the biggest accounting firms in the UK is overall positive for many participants but the overemphasis on social skills over technical expertise in the firm’s appraisal system is a major problem since the centrality of drinking in after-work socialisation meant they could not fully participate in such bonding activities. This thesis also captures the life experiences of migrant spouses in terms of marriage, migration, children and “incorporation” into husband’s work. Last, the thesis explores the future aspirations of the participants which mainly include a long term plan of acquiring British nationality as the means to a more lucrative job in the Middle-East. The Middle-East as a permanent destination was considered perfect due to its booming economy, proximity to Pakistan (still viewed as “homeland”) and most importantly Islamic culture which was seen fundamental in upbringing of their children. However, some women were apprehensive of such a move due to the restrictions on women in some Middle-Eastern countries.

This thesis is a socio-legal study of the employment conditions of temporary foreign workers (TFWs) in the Saudi Arabian labour market in general and the construction sector in particular, with emphasis on low-skilled TFWs. This thesis adopts a socio-legal approach to the human rights situation of low-skilled TFWs working in the Saudi construction sector. By using migration theories, a human rights-based approach and Islamic perspectives on labour rights, the study questions the efficacy of Saudi domestic law in providing protection to low-skilled foreign workers in the construction sector. This is done by examining the current labour admission policies and the structure of the regulatory framework, including the ‘kafala’ system, recruitment procedures, employment law, working conditions, occupational safety and health hazards and access to the justice system. Grounded theory methodology is followed, with empirical data collection using semi-structured interviewing techniques in two major Saudi cities, Riyadh and Makkah. The data collected from the fieldwork provides the basis for understanding the current situation of low-skilled TFWs, by listening to their experiences. The thesis finds a link between the legal status of temporary foreign workers and the work visa system, which leads to a continuation of exploitation, mistreatment, discrimination, forced labour and the servitude of foreign labour in Saudi Arabia.

The main objective of this bachelor thesis is to analyse the dynamic and complex decision-making process that households with temporary overseas migrating family members do before migrating. The aim of this thesis is to understand why this phenomenon occurs in less developed areas, though the background of the thesis is trying to address the need of positive relationship between migration and development. Based on the theorectical benchmark of neoclassical microeconomic theory and new economics of labour migration theory certain factors were identified that could influence the decision to migrate. By using a mixed method with qualitative semi-structed face-to-face interviews combined with a survey of nine question relating to specific factors this study was able to create an understanding of the reality of migrant households, though a micro field study was conducted in Kebumen regency in Indonesia. The findings clearly shows that temporary overseas migration from less developed areas is a household decision that is influenced by local gender aspects and addressed by new well-functioning established markets for overseas work. Our findings also suggests that temporary migration is a way for the family to spread their risks, related to income and farming activites, and to achive further development, where other markets and institutions do not meet their needs. Policies regarding these gender aspects and the need of institutions that could improve the situation are recommended though remittances in that case might have a more long-term sustainable impact on the households.

Today Sweden is facing a significant shortage of highly educated labour force, which is recognized by various companies and which can have adverse consequences on the firms as well as the country as a whole. One of the solutions to this problem is identified to be highly skilled migrants (HSMs). Thus the purpose of this thesis is to research the impact that HSMs have on Swedish companies. By carrying out a qualitative research approach, a deeper understanding of the influences of HSMs on the internationalisation and the organisational innovation is gained, while the chosen abductive method allows exploring the subject by taking into consideration the real life issue as well as the related theories at the same time. The theoretical framework aids to build a foundation for this thesis regarding the relevant theories, including the bottom-up organisational design, the brain gain, RBV theory, internationalisation models and organisational innovation processes. This helps to construct a theoretical model which presents a theoretical answer to the research questions of the thesis. Thus the theoretical model helps to analyse the empirical data gathered from the interviews with five representatives of different Swedish companies. The cross-referencing of the cases helps to find the similarities and differences of the impact of HSMs in these companies. This is followed by the conclusions based on the analysis chapter. The main theoretical implications include the findings that the market and cultural knowledge seem to be the most important assets that HSMs bring, which, together with different educational backgrounds, technological competencies and networks, aid the internationalisation of the companies that can be understood through the Network and Born Global models. Furthermore, it is found that the new perspectives of HSMs encourage the organisational innovation through the increased tacit knowledge inside the organisations. Moreover, the managerial implications include recognising of the importance of HSMs for the Swedish companies and thus seeking a more international workforce, empowering the employees and being able to exploit the resources that they bring, while at the same time managing the cultural clashes that might occur. Therefore, this thesis helps to build a foundation for viewing HSMs a solution to Sweden’s problem of the lack of highly skilled workers.

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS)
Brain drain has been labelled as one of the greatest development challenges facing African countries as it challenges capacity building, retention of skilled workers and sustained growth. Over the past two decades, a large number of Zimbabwean academics have left the country in search of economic opportunity and further academic training. This out-movement of academics has been exacerbated by political crisis and economic crisis in the country over the same period. Although some studies have sought to explain the causes, consequences and recommended policy responses to this human capital flight, they have not been able to critically assess, from the perspective of the emigrated academics, the conditions that would make them repatriate, their willingness to return to their home country and contribute to training, research and development; or their disposition towards engaging with Zimbabwean universities.

This study examines the 2019 ‘FEG’ through policy process and interest-based lenses, thus aiming to address the relationship between labour shortages and migration policy. Hence, the roles of political stakeholders and interest groups in the policy process are discerned.

This thesis studies the role of the third sector organisation [TSO] in highly skilled refugees' employment integration in Sweden. It attempts to contribute to the migration studies literature and nonprofit sector studies by focusing on the underresearched highly skilled refugees and several TSOs in Sweden, one of the major receiving countries in Europe during the refugee crisis. It discovers the challenges faced by the highly skilled refugees and the TSOs' solution to help them overcome the obstacles using Bourdieusian capital theory. In doing so, the TSOs are also shaping the integration concept of the nation, which is proven to be ambiguous. On the one hand, they preserve the construction of refugees as needing care and their difference from Sweden as weakness. On the other hand, they challenge the idea that integration is primarily refugees' responsibility and attempt to change employers' unwillingness to hire with the concept of diversity as a strength. Despite that, the TSOs do not significantly challenge the dominant integration concept in Sweden and the state. This thesis argues that it may be explained by the strong trust between the government and civil society stemmed from the nation's historical development as an egalitarian welfare state.

За даними ООН, Україна належить до категорії держав з чітко вираженим еміграційним спрямуванням. Вагомий внесок у вивчення теорії та практики трудової міграції зробили провідні вітчизняні вчені – В. Будкін, О. Власюк, А. Кравченко, Ю. Макогон, Н. Марченко, С. Писаренко, М. Романюк, А. Філіпенко, І. Школа; російські вчені – С. Глінкіна, А. Кірєєв, Н. Кулікова, г. Овчінніков, І. Сініцина. Міграція трудових ресурсів – це переміщення кваліфікованої робочої сили та працездатного населення в національному або міждержавному просторі, внаслідок якого відбувається відтік чи притік тих кадрів, що забезпечують галузі виробництва, культури, науки, техніки тощо.

In Canada, the non-recognition of foreign credentials remains a considerable policy issue as well as a challenge for skilled immigrants. Many studies have shed light on the difficulties that foreign professionals face when seeking a placement in the Canadian job market. This thesis focused on the experiences of professional women from Morocco on the basis of the premise that every racialized group’s immigration experience deserves a space in the literature to voice their realities and inspire policy considerations. As a result, this study focused on examining the experiences of Moroccan women in the Canadian job market and the impact thereof, on their socio-economic status, and as such, health and well-being. In order to effectively capture the experiences of this particular community, a fieldwork study was conducted in the form of semi-structured individual interviews with twelve women who immigrated to Canada from Morocco with professional qualifications. Based on the participants’ accounts, I described that systemic discrimination as manifested in Othering and racialization remain major obstacles to the realization of equal access in the Canadian labour market. All in all, this research provides valuable insight into the plight of skilled immigrants in Canada and thus, offers strong policy recommendations to facilitate a more effective integration process for this group into the Canadian Job market.

International migration of physicians and nurses is a growing concern in India as it is linked to skill and staff shortages in the Indian health system. This research investigated the migration intention of Indian physicians and nurses internationally with a special focus on Australia. The research employed a mixed methods approach, involving surveys and interviews with physicians, nurses and key informants. The conceptual framework driving the analysis employed a push-pull framework of migration. The study has both policy and practical implications for retention of physicians and nurses in India and in relation to the regulatory environment of skilled migration in Australia.

This thesis project examined underemployment at the state and national levels. Underemployment is the inability of highly skilled migrants with degrees from their home countries to enter the workforce in the receiving country. Pending and enacted legislation was analyzed at the state level to determine in which ways the state of Oregon can implement similar policies to effectively incorporate underemployed immigrants into the state workforce. This project utilized primary data sources at the state and federal level, migrant interviews were used as illustrations of the barriers that exist for underemployed migrants, and secondary data sources from the fields of economics, social sciences, political sciences, and population studies were utilized to provide an understanding of how underemployment is addressed at the national level. Overall, my research found underemployed professional migrants are greatly underutilized, which translates into missed economic opportunities for individual migrants and for the United States as a whole.

Brain drain and brain circulation are forms of skilled labour migration which have a significant impact on New Zealand’s economic growth. Based on their importance, it is suggested that economies rethink how they compete for skilled labour in an international labour market. This research study reviews economic and non-economic factors that influence an individual’s decisions to stay or leave New Zealand. Data is collected from a survey sample of Lincoln University final year undergraduate and postgraduate students, who represent New Zealand’s future skilled labour. The research study employs a data reduction technique called factor analysis to collate large sets of variables into small sets for econometric analysis. The key econometric tool, logit analysis, provides probabilities of graduates leaving New Zealand and marginal effects of changes in key economic and non-economic variables. These key findings, providing new knowledge, are used to engage in a policy discussion in the last chapter. The research study importantly maintains focus on three key stakeholders, the government, the business community and the individual/student when addressing and analysing New Zealand’s brain drain and brain circulation issues.

Die aus der deutschen Wiedervereinigung resultierenden ökonomischen und demografischen Veränderungsprozesse stellen große Herausforderungen für die Regionalentwicklung dar: Nachdem die ostdeutschen Arbeitsmärkte lange Zeit von einem Überangebot an Arbeitskräften geprägt waren und zahlreiche (vor allem junge, gut ausgebildete) Menschen in die alten Bundesländer abwanderten, zeichnet sich mittlerweile eine Trendwende ab. Infolge des demografischen Wandels (Bevölkerungsalterung und -schrumpfung) geht die Zahl der Personen im erwerbsfähigen Alter kontinuierlich zurück. Dies wirkt sich vor allem auf das Rückgrat der ostdeutschen Wirtschaft, die kleinen und mittelständischen Unternehmen, aus. Schon heute machen sich Schwierigkeiten bei der Besetzung offener Arbeitsstellen bemerkbar und vielerorts wird bereits von einem „Fachkräftemangel“ gesprochen. Um die Zukunftsfähigkeit der ansässigen Unternehmen zu sichern, entwickeln regionale Organisationen Strategien, die eine ausreichende Versorgung der Unternehmen mit Fachkräften gewährleisten und damit zur regionalen Resilienz beitragen sollen. Während diese vor allem auf eine erhöhte Arbeitsbeteiligung bestimmter Gruppen (z.B. ältere Arbeitnehmer, Frauen, Arbeitslose) abzielen, lässt sich vermehrt auch eine gezielte Anwerbung von Fachkräften aus anderen Regionen beobachten. Angesichts der Tatsache, dass mittlerweile ein beachtlicher Teil der abgewanderten Ostdeutschen in seine „alte Heimat“ zurückkehren möchte, kommt dieser Personengruppe dabei ein besonderes Interesse zu. Auf diesen Erkenntnissen aufbauend setzt sich die Forschungsarbeit mit folgenden Fragestellungen auseinander: (1) Wie beschäftigen sich die relevanten Organisationen in Ostdeutschland mit der regionalen Fachkräftesicherung? (2) Welche Rolle spielt dabei die gezielte Anwerbung von Rück- und Zuwanderern? und (3) Wie können Rück- und Zuwanderungsinitiativen zur Resilienz ostdeutscher Regionen gegenüber dem rückläufigen Erwerbspersonenpotenzials beitragen? Auf Basis einer Literatur- und Internetrecherche werden die wichtigsten Rück- und Zuwanderungsinitiativen in ostdeutschen Regionen erfasst und charakterisiert. Darauf aufbauend werden anhand der Informationen der Trägerorganisationen weitere, mit dem Thema „Fachkräftesicherung“ betraute Organisationen identifiziert. Diese Grundgesamtheit stellt den Ausgangspunkt für eine schriftliche Befragung dar. Auf Grundlage der Befragungsergebnisse werden Trends sowie Besonderheiten bei der regionalen Fachkräftesicherung ermittelt. Im Rahmen einer anschließenden Fallstudienuntersuchung wird ein detaillierter Einblick in die Arbeitsweisen und Kooperationsbeziehungen ausgewählter Rück- und Zuwanderungsinitiativen gewonnen. Anhand von Experteninterviews werden weitere Erkenntnisse über den Beitrag dieser Initiativen zur Resilienz regionaler Arbeitsmärkte gewonnen. Die empirischen Ergebnisse zeigen, dass sich aktuell eine Vielzahl verschiedener Organisationen mit dem Thema der regionalen Fachkräftesicherung beschäftigt: Neben den Agenturen für Arbeit, den Industrie- und Handelskammern sowie den Handwerkskammern sind dies verschiedene Wirtschafts- bzw. Branchenverbände und Gewerkschaften. Darüber hinaus spielen auch Ministerien, Förderbanken, kommunale Einrichtungen, Career Services von Hochschulen und ehrenamtliche Vereine eine Rolle. Obwohl Rück- und Zuwanderer nicht die Hauptzielgruppe ihrer Maßnahmen darstellen, finden sie dennoch Berücksichtigung. Außerdem stehen die meisten Organisationen mit dreizehn Initiativen, welche sich auf eine gezielte Anwerbung von (Re-) Migranten spezialisiert haben, in Kontakt. Bei Letzteren gehören die Vermittlung von Arbeitsplätzen, die Information und Beratung bei der Arbeitssuche sowie Dual Career Services (Informationen und Beratung bei der Arbeitsplatzsuche der Partnerin/ des Partners) zu den wichtigsten Leistungsangeboten. Zwar ist eine direkte Messung ihres Erfolges nicht möglich und eine dauerhafte Finanzierung, aufgrund ihres Projektcharakters, nur selten garantiert, dennoch tragen sie aber zur regionalen Fachkräftesicherung bei: Durch den Aufbau von Netzwerken, der Sensibilisierung ansässiger Unternehmen sowie der aktiven Vermarktung des Standorts werden vorhandene Ressourcen mobilisiert und bestehende Vulnerabilitäten abgebaut. Durch das Einwirken weiterer, externer Prozesse stellt sich schließlich eine erhöhte Resilienz ostdeutscher Regionen gegenüber dem rückläufigen Erwerbspersonenpotenzial ein. Daraus leiten sich Handlungsempfehlungen ab, die eine weitere Intensivierung der regionalen Kooperation vorschlagen
Germany’s reunification caused economic and demographic changes that represent major challenges for regional development: After the East German labour markets experienced a long period of labour oversupply and the emigration of many (particularly young and well educated) people to former West Germany, they are now facing a reversal. Due to demographic changes (the aging and shrinking of the population) the number of people in working age has been steadily declining. This especially affects small and medium sized businesses, the backbone of the East German economy. Already, it has become noticeably difficult to fill vacant positions, and a “shortage of skilled labour” is widely discussed. In order to future-proof local businesses, regional organisations have developed strategies that ensure a sufficient supply of skilled labour and an increased regional resilience. Although these strategies mainly aim towards increasing labour market participation among certain groups (e.g. older workers, women, the unemployed), the recruitment of skilled labour from other regions has also noticeably increased. Since a significant proportion among emigrated East Germans would like to return ‘home’ now, this group is of particular interest. Based on these findings, this research paper deals with the following questions: (1) What do relevant organisations in East Germany do about securing regional skilled labour? (2) What role does the targeted recruitment of immigrants and return migrants play in this context? (3) How can immigration and return migration initiatives contribute to making East German regions resilient against the diminishing work force potential? Based on a combined literature and Internet research, this paper identifies and characterises the most important immigration and return migration initiatives in East Germany. Further, it uses information provided by these initiatives’ support organisations to identify other organisations whose remit is to safeguard skilled labour. The resulting statistical population then forms the basis for a written survey. Based on the survey results, the paper investigates trends and anomalies in securing regional skilled labour. A subsequent multiple case study analysis provides detailed insights into the working methods and cooperation among selected immigration and return migration initiatives. Expert interviews provide additional information on how these initiatives contribute towards regional labour market resilience. As the empirical results show, there currently exist a number of organisations dealing with the shortage of skilled labour. These include regional employment agencies, chambers of industry and commerce, and chambers of crafts, as well as various trade associations and unions. In addition, government departments, business development banks, local authorities, university career services, and voluntary associations also play an important role. Even though immigrants and return migrants are not considered to be their main targets, these organisations do include them in their measures. Furthermore, most of the surveyed organisations are in contact with the thirteen initiatives that focus on targeted recruitment of immigrants and return migrants. The most important services provided by immigration and return migration initiatives include job placements, information and advice during the job search, as well as dual career services. Even though it isn’t possible to directly measure their impact, and although they are rarely guaranteed permanent financing due to their project-based nature, these initiatives do contribute towards securing regional skilled labour: By developing networks, sensitizing local companies, and actively advertising the region, they mobilise existing resources and reduce regional vulnerabilities. The influence of additional external processes eventually creates an increase in regional resilience towards the declining labour force potential. Derived from these findings, this paper recommends several action points that propose a further intensification of regional cooperation

Die aus der deutschen Wiedervereinigung resultierenden ökonomischen und demografischen Veränderungsprozesse stellen große Herausforderungen für die Regionalentwicklung dar: Nachdem die ostdeutschen Arbeitsmärkte lange Zeit von einem Überangebot an Arbeitskräften geprägt waren und zahlreiche (vor allem junge, gut ausgebildete) Menschen in die alten Bundesländer abwanderten, zeichnet sich mittlerweile eine Trendwende ab. Infolge des demografischen Wandels (Bevölkerungsalterung und -schrumpfung) geht die Zahl der Personen im erwerbsfähigen Alter kontinuierlich zurück. Dies wirkt sich vor allem auf das Rückgrat der ostdeutschen Wirtschaft, die kleinen und mittelständischen Unternehmen, aus. Schon heute machen sich Schwierigkeiten bei der Besetzung offener Arbeitsstellen bemerkbar und vielerorts wird bereits von einem „Fachkräftemangel“ gesprochen. Um die Zukunftsfähigkeit der ansässigen Unternehmen zu sichern, entwickeln regionale Organisationen Strategien, die eine ausreichende Versorgung der Unternehmen mit Fachkräften gewährleisten und damit zur regionalen Resilienz beitragen sollen. Während diese vor allem auf eine erhöhte Arbeitsbeteiligung bestimmter Gruppen (z.B. ältere Arbeitnehmer, Frauen, Arbeitslose) abzielen, lässt sich vermehrt auch eine gezielte Anwerbung von Fachkräften aus anderen Regionen beobachten. Angesichts der Tatsache, dass mittlerweile ein beachtlicher Teil der abgewanderten Ostdeutschen in seine „alte Heimat“ zurückkehren möchte, kommt dieser Personengruppe dabei ein besonderes Interesse zu. Auf diesen Erkenntnissen aufbauend setzt sich die Forschungsarbeit mit folgenden Fragestellungen auseinander: (1) Wie beschäftigen sich die relevanten Organisationen in Ostdeutschland mit der regionalen Fachkräftesicherung? (2) Welche Rolle spielt dabei die gezielte Anwerbung von Rück- und Zuwanderern? und (3) Wie können Rück- und Zuwanderungsinitiativen zur Resilienz ostdeutscher Regionen gegenüber dem rückläufigen Erwerbspersonenpotenzials beitragen? Auf Basis einer Literatur- und Internetrecherche werden die wichtigsten Rück- und Zuwanderungsinitiativen in ostdeutschen Regionen erfasst und charakterisiert. Darauf aufbauend werden anhand der Informationen der Trägerorganisationen weitere, mit dem Thema „Fachkräftesicherung“ betraute Organisationen identifiziert. Diese Grundgesamtheit stellt den Ausgangspunkt für eine schriftliche Befragung dar. Auf Grundlage der Befragungsergebnisse werden Trends sowie Besonderheiten bei der regionalen Fachkräftesicherung ermittelt. Im Rahmen einer anschließenden Fallstudienuntersuchung wird ein detaillierter Einblick in die Arbeitsweisen und Kooperationsbeziehungen ausgewählter Rück- und Zuwanderungsinitiativen gewonnen. Anhand von Experteninterviews werden weitere Erkenntnisse über den Beitrag dieser Initiativen zur Resilienz regionaler Arbeitsmärkte gewonnen. Die empirischen Ergebnisse zeigen, dass sich aktuell eine Vielzahl verschiedener Organisationen mit dem Thema der regionalen Fachkräftesicherung beschäftigt: Neben den Agenturen für Arbeit, den Industrie- und Handelskammern sowie den Handwerkskammern sind dies verschiedene Wirtschafts- bzw. Branchenverbände und Gewerkschaften. Darüber hinaus spielen auch Ministerien, Förderbanken, kommunale Einrichtungen, Career Services von Hochschulen und ehrenamtliche Vereine eine Rolle. Obwohl Rück- und Zuwanderer nicht die Hauptzielgruppe ihrer Maßnahmen darstellen, finden sie dennoch Berücksichtigung. Außerdem stehen die meisten Organisationen mit dreizehn Initiativen, welche sich auf eine gezielte Anwerbung von (Re-) Migranten spezialisiert haben, in Kontakt. Bei Letzteren gehören die Vermittlung von Arbeitsplätzen, die Information und Beratung bei der Arbeitssuche sowie Dual Career Services (Informationen und Beratung bei der Arbeitsplatzsuche der Partnerin/ des Partners) zu den wichtigsten Leistungsangeboten. Zwar ist eine direkte Messung ihres Erfolges nicht möglich und eine dauerhafte Finanzierung, aufgrund ihres Projektcharakters, nur selten garantiert, dennoch tragen sie aber zur regionalen Fachkräftesicherung bei: Durch den Aufbau von Netzwerken, der Sensibilisierung ansässiger Unternehmen sowie der aktiven Vermarktung des Standorts werden vorhandene Ressourcen mobilisiert und bestehende Vulnerabilitäten abgebaut. Durch das Einwirken weiterer, externer Prozesse stellt sich schließlich eine erhöhte Resilienz ostdeutscher Regionen gegenüber dem rückläufigen Erwerbspersonenpotenzial ein. Daraus leiten sich Handlungsempfehlungen ab, die eine weitere Intensivierung der regionalen Kooperation vorschlagen.:Abbildungsverzeichnis XI Tabellenverzeichnis XIII Abkürzungsverzeichnis XIV 1 Einleitung 1 1.1 Problemstellung 1 1.2 Zielsetzung der Arbeit 3 1.3 Aufbau der Arbeit 5 2 Theoretischer Bezugsrahmen und forschungsleitende Fragen 7 2.1 Rückgang des Erwerbspersonenpotenzials und Fachkräftemangel 8 2.1.1 Komponenten des Arbeitsmarktes in Deutschland 8 2.1.2 Begriffsbestimmung: Erwerbspersonenpotenzial, Arbeitskräftemangel, Fachkräftemangel, Fachkräftesicherung 10 2.2 Entstehung regionaler Arbeitsmärkte 12 2.2.1 Neoklassisches Grundmodell des Arbeitsmarktes 12 2.2.2 Segmentationstheorie 13 2.2.3 Regulationstheoretisch orientierte Regionalforschung 15 2.2.4 Zusammenfassung der wesentlichen Punkte 15 2.3 Erklärung von (interregionalen) Migrationsbewegungen 16 2.3.1 Ökonomische Ansätze zur Erklärung von Migration 17 2.3.2 Nichtökonomische Migrationstheorien 18 2.3.3 Mehrebenenkonzept zur (Rück-) Wanderungsforschung 19 2.3.4 Zusammenfassung der wesentlichen Punkte 20 2.4 Steigerung der Innovations- und Wettbewerbsfähigkeit in der Regionalentwicklung 21 2.4.1 Cluster 21 2.4.2 Regionale Innovationssysteme 23 2.4.3 Zusammenfassung 23 2.5 Integration der Theoriestränge durch den Ansatz der regionalen Resilienz 24 2.5.1 Der Resilienz-Begriff im Kontext verschiedener Wissenschaftsdisziplinen 25 2.5.2 Unterschiedliche Interpretationen des Resilienz-Begriffs 27 2.5.3 Resilienz regionaler Arbeitsmärkte 30 2.5.4 Operationalisierung des Resilienz-Ansatzes 32 2.6 Forschungsleitende Fragen 34 3 Forschungsstrategie und methodische Vorgehensweise 37 3.1 Forschungsstrategie 37 3.2 Querschnittdesign 39 3.2.1 Abgrenzung des Untersuchungsgebiets 39 3.2.2 Sekundärstatistische Analyse 40 3.2.3 Dokumentenanalyse und Sampling 41 3.2.4 Schriftliche Befragung 42 3.2.4.1 Konstruktion des Erhebungsinstruments 43 3.2.4.2 Durchführung und Rücklauf der Befragung 45 3.2.4.3 Analyse und Darstellung der erhobenen Daten 47 3.3 Multiples Fallstudiendesign 48 3.3.1 Fallauswahl 48 3.3.2 Experteninterviews 49 3.3.2.1 Auswahl der Gesprächspartner 50 3.3.2.2 Durchführung der Untersuchung 51 3.3.2.3 Analyse der erhobenen Daten 52 3.3.3 Dokumentenanalyse 53 3.4 Kritische Reflexion der verwendeten Forschungsmethoden 53 4 Fachkräftesicherung und Migration als Herausforderungen für die Regionalentwicklung in Ostdeutschland 57 4.1 Fachkräftesicherung unter den Bedingungen einer alternden und schrumpfenden Gesellschaft 57 4.1.1 Auswirkungen des demografischen Wandels auf die regionalen Arbeitsmärkte in Ostdeutschland 58 4.1.2 Analyse des aktuellen und zukünftigen Fachkräftebedarfs in Ostdeutschland 61 4.1.3 Zielgruppen der regionalen Fachkräftesicherungsstrategien 68 4.2 Rück- und Zuwanderung nach Ostdeutschland 70 4.2.1 Zuwanderung nach Ostdeutschland 71 4.2.2 Rückwanderung nach Ostdeutschland 73 4.2.2.1 Datenverfügbarkeit und Definition der wichtigsten Begriffe 74 4.2.2.2 Zahlen zur Rückwanderung nach Ostdeutschland 76 4.2.2.3 Motive für die Rückwanderung nach Ostdeutschland 77 4.2.2.4 Räumliche und zeitliche Muster der Rückwanderung nach Ostdeutschland 78 4.2.2.5 Demografische und sozio-ökonomische Situation der Rückwanderer 79 4.2.2.6 Potenzial von Rückwanderern für die Regionalentwicklung in Ostdeutschland 80 4.3 Anwerbung von Rück- und Zuwanderern in Ostdeutschland 83 4.3.1 Gesetzlicher Rahmen zur Anwerbung hochqualifizierter Arbeitskräfte 83 4.3.1.1 Green Card 84 4.3.1.2 Vom Ausländerrecht zur gesteuerten Arbeitsmigration 84 4.3.1.3 Freizügigkeitsgesetz 86 4.3.1.4 Anerkennung ausländischer Abschlüsse 86 4.3.1.5 Blaue Karte EU 87 4.3.2 Bundesweite Maßnahmen zur Fachkräftesicherung durch Rück- und Zuwanderung 88 4.3.2.1 Virtuelle Informationsportale 88 4.3.2.2 Fachkräfte-Offensive 89 4.3.2.3 Jobmonitor 89 4.3.2.4 Innovationsbüro „Fachkräfte für die Region“ 90 4.3.2.5 Kompetenzzentrum für Fachkräftesicherung 90 4.3.2.6 Die „Zukunftsinitiative Fachkräftesicherung“ 90 4.3.2.7 Sonderprogramm zur Förderung der beruflichen Mobilität von ausbildungsinteressierten Jugendlichen und arbeitslosen Fachkräfte aus Europa (MobiPro-EU) 91 4.3.3 Regionale Ansätze zur Anwerbung von Rück- und Zuwanderern in Ostdeutschland 92 4.3.3.1 Leistungen zur Anwerbung von Rück- und Zuwanderern 92 4.3.3.2 Kriterien für eine Gesamtschau der im Untersuchungsraum existierenden Initiativen 99 5 Aktuelle Strategien der Fachkräftesicherung in Ostdeutschland 103 5.1 Politikumfeld und institutioneller Kontext 103 5.2 Beschäftigung mit dem Thema regionale Fachkräftesicherung 106 5.3 Berücksichtigung von Rück- und Zuwanderern117 5.4 Zusammenfassung der wesentlichen Punkte 127 6 Rück- und Zuwanderungsinitiativen als Beitrag zur Resilienz regionaler Arbeitsmärkte in Ostdeutschland 131 6.1 Agentur mv4you 131 6.1.1 Aktivitäten der Initiative 131 6.1.2 Kooperation mit anderen regionalen Initiativen 134 6.1.3 Aktuelle Entwicklungen 137 6.2 Initiative „Fachkräfte für Sachsen. Sachse komm’ zurück!“ 137 6.2.1 Aktivitäten der Initiative 137 6.2.2 Kooperation mit anderen regionalen Initiativen 139 6.2.3 Aktuelle Entwicklungen 143 6.3 Willkommens-Agentur Uckermark 143 6.3.1 Aktivitäten der Initiative 143 6.3.2 Kooperation mit anderen regionalen Initiativen 147 6.3.3 Aktuelle Entwicklungen 150 6.4 Der Beitrag von Rück- und Zuwanderungsinitiativen zum Aufbau einer regionalen Anpassungskapazität 151 6.4.1 Entwicklung der gezielten Anwerbung von Rück- und Zuwanderern in Ostdeutschland 151 6.4.2 Finanzierung der Rück- und Zuwanderungsinitiativen 152 6.4.3 Beitrag zur regionalen Fachkräftesicherung 152 6.4.4 Verstärkte Berücksichtigung von (internationalen) Zuwanderern 153 6.4.5 Regionsübergreifende Kooperation 154 6.4.6 Schwierigkeiten bei der direkten Messung des Erfolgs 155 6.4.7 Beitrag zur regionalen Resilienz 156 7 Schlussfolgerungen 161 7.1 Zusammenfassung der Ergebnisse 161 7.2 Schlussfolgerungen für die Praxis 168 7.3 Schlussfolgerungen für die wissenschaftliche Diskussion und weiterer Forschungsbedarf 170 8 Literaturverzeichnis 173 9 Anhang 191
Germany’s reunification caused economic and demographic changes that represent major challenges for regional development: After the East German labour markets experienced a long period of labour oversupply and the emigration of many (particularly young and well educated) people to former West Germany, they are now facing a reversal. Due to demographic changes (the aging and shrinking of the population) the number of people in working age has been steadily declining. This especially affects small and medium sized businesses, the backbone of the East German economy. Already, it has become noticeably difficult to fill vacant positions, and a “shortage of skilled labour” is widely discussed. In order to future-proof local businesses, regional organisations have developed strategies that ensure a sufficient supply of skilled labour and an increased regional resilience. Although these strategies mainly aim towards increasing labour market participation among certain groups (e.g. older workers, women, the unemployed), the recruitment of skilled labour from other regions has also noticeably increased. Since a significant proportion among emigrated East Germans would like to return ‘home’ now, this group is of particular interest. Based on these findings, this research paper deals with the following questions: (1) What do relevant organisations in East Germany do about securing regional skilled labour? (2) What role does the targeted recruitment of immigrants and return migrants play in this context? (3) How can immigration and return migration initiatives contribute to making East German regions resilient against the diminishing work force potential? Based on a combined literature and Internet research, this paper identifies and characterises the most important immigration and return migration initiatives in East Germany. Further, it uses information provided by these initiatives’ support organisations to identify other organisations whose remit is to safeguard skilled labour. The resulting statistical population then forms the basis for a written survey. Based on the survey results, the paper investigates trends and anomalies in securing regional skilled labour. A subsequent multiple case study analysis provides detailed insights into the working methods and cooperation among selected immigration and return migration initiatives. Expert interviews provide additional information on how these initiatives contribute towards regional labour market resilience. As the empirical results show, there currently exist a number of organisations dealing with the shortage of skilled labour. These include regional employment agencies, chambers of industry and commerce, and chambers of crafts, as well as various trade associations and unions. In addition, government departments, business development banks, local authorities, university career services, and voluntary associations also play an important role. Even though immigrants and return migrants are not considered to be their main targets, these organisations do include them in their measures. Furthermore, most of the surveyed organisations are in contact with the thirteen initiatives that focus on targeted recruitment of immigrants and return migrants. The most important services provided by immigration and return migration initiatives include job placements, information and advice during the job search, as well as dual career services. Even though it isn’t possible to directly measure their impact, and although they are rarely guaranteed permanent financing due to their project-based nature, these initiatives do contribute towards securing regional skilled labour: By developing networks, sensitizing local companies, and actively advertising the region, they mobilise existing resources and reduce regional vulnerabilities. The influence of additional external processes eventually creates an increase in regional resilience towards the declining labour force potential. Derived from these findings, this paper recommends several action points that propose a further intensification of regional cooperation.:Abbildungsverzeichnis XI Tabellenverzeichnis XIII Abkürzungsverzeichnis XIV 1 Einleitung 1 1.1 Problemstellung 1 1.2 Zielsetzung der Arbeit 3 1.3 Aufbau der Arbeit 5 2 Theoretischer Bezugsrahmen und forschungsleitende Fragen 7 2.1 Rückgang des Erwerbspersonenpotenzials und Fachkräftemangel 8 2.1.1 Komponenten des Arbeitsmarktes in Deutschland 8 2.1.2 Begriffsbestimmung: Erwerbspersonenpotenzial, Arbeitskräftemangel, Fachkräftemangel, Fachkräftesicherung 10 2.2 Entstehung regionaler Arbeitsmärkte 12 2.2.1 Neoklassisches Grundmodell des Arbeitsmarktes 12 2.2.2 Segmentationstheorie 13 2.2.3 Regulationstheoretisch orientierte Regionalforschung 15 2.2.4 Zusammenfassung der wesentlichen Punkte 15 2.3 Erklärung von (interregionalen) Migrationsbewegungen 16 2.3.1 Ökonomische Ansätze zur Erklärung von Migration 17 2.3.2 Nichtökonomische Migrationstheorien 18 2.3.3 Mehrebenenkonzept zur (Rück-) Wanderungsforschung 19 2.3.4 Zusammenfassung der wesentlichen Punkte 20 2.4 Steigerung der Innovations- und Wettbewerbsfähigkeit in der Regionalentwicklung 21 2.4.1 Cluster 21 2.4.2 Regionale Innovationssysteme 23 2.4.3 Zusammenfassung 23 2.5 Integration der Theoriestränge durch den Ansatz der regionalen Resilienz 24 2.5.1 Der Resilienz-Begriff im Kontext verschiedener Wissenschaftsdisziplinen 25 2.5.2 Unterschiedliche Interpretationen des Resilienz-Begriffs 27 2.5.3 Resilienz regionaler Arbeitsmärkte 30 2.5.4 Operationalisierung des Resilienz-Ansatzes 32 2.6 Forschungsleitende Fragen 34 3 Forschungsstrategie und methodische Vorgehensweise 37 3.1 Forschungsstrategie 37 3.2 Querschnittdesign 39 3.2.1 Abgrenzung des Untersuchungsgebiets 39 3.2.2 Sekundärstatistische Analyse 40 3.2.3 Dokumentenanalyse und Sampling 41 3.2.4 Schriftliche Befragung 42 3.2.4.1 Konstruktion des Erhebungsinstruments 43 3.2.4.2 Durchführung und Rücklauf der Befragung 45 3.2.4.3 Analyse und Darstellung der erhobenen Daten 47 3.3 Multiples Fallstudiendesign 48 3.3.1 Fallauswahl 48 3.3.2 Experteninterviews 49 3.3.2.1 Auswahl der Gesprächspartner 50 3.3.2.2 Durchführung der Untersuchung 51 3.3.2.3 Analyse der erhobenen Daten 52 3.3.3 Dokumentenanalyse 53 3.4 Kritische Reflexion der verwendeten Forschungsmethoden 53 4 Fachkräftesicherung und Migration als Herausforderungen für die Regionalentwicklung in Ostdeutschland 57 4.1 Fachkräftesicherung unter den Bedingungen einer alternden und schrumpfenden Gesellschaft 57 4.1.1 Auswirkungen des demografischen Wandels auf die regionalen Arbeitsmärkte in Ostdeutschland 58 4.1.2 Analyse des aktuellen und zukünftigen Fachkräftebedarfs in Ostdeutschland 61 4.1.3 Zielgruppen der regionalen Fachkräftesicherungsstrategien 68 4.2 Rück- und Zuwanderung nach Ostdeutschland 70 4.2.1 Zuwanderung nach Ostdeutschland 71 4.2.2 Rückwanderung nach Ostdeutschland 73 4.2.2.1 Datenverfügbarkeit und Definition der wichtigsten Begriffe 74 4.2.2.2 Zahlen zur Rückwanderung nach Ostdeutschland 76 4.2.2.3 Motive für die Rückwanderung nach Ostdeutschland 77 4.2.2.4 Räumliche und zeitliche Muster der Rückwanderung nach Ostdeutschland 78 4.2.2.5 Demografische und sozio-ökonomische Situation der Rückwanderer 79 4.2.2.6 Potenzial von Rückwanderern für die Regionalentwicklung in Ostdeutschland 80 4.3 Anwerbung von Rück- und Zuwanderern in Ostdeutschland 83 4.3.1 Gesetzlicher Rahmen zur Anwerbung hochqualifizierter Arbeitskräfte 83 4.3.1.1 Green Card 84 4.3.1.2 Vom Ausländerrecht zur gesteuerten Arbeitsmigration 84 4.3.1.3 Freizügigkeitsgesetz 86 4.3.1.4 Anerkennung ausländischer Abschlüsse 86 4.3.1.5 Blaue Karte EU 87 4.3.2 Bundesweite Maßnahmen zur Fachkräftesicherung durch Rück- und Zuwanderung 88 4.3.2.1 Virtuelle Informationsportale 88 4.3.2.2 Fachkräfte-Offensive 89 4.3.2.3 Jobmonitor 89 4.3.2.4 Innovationsbüro „Fachkräfte für die Region“ 90 4.3.2.5 Kompetenzzentrum für Fachkräftesicherung 90 4.3.2.6 Die „Zukunftsinitiative Fachkräftesicherung“ 90 4.3.2.7 Sonderprogramm zur Förderung der beruflichen Mobilität von ausbildungsinteressierten Jugendlichen und arbeitslosen Fachkräfte aus Europa (MobiPro-EU) 91 4.3.3 Regionale Ansätze zur Anwerbung von Rück- und Zuwanderern in Ostdeutschland 92 4.3.3.1 Leistungen zur Anwerbung von Rück- und Zuwanderern 92 4.3.3.2 Kriterien für eine Gesamtschau der im Untersuchungsraum existierenden Initiativen 99 5 Aktuelle Strategien der Fachkräftesicherung in Ostdeutschland 103 5.1 Politikumfeld und institutioneller Kontext 103 5.2 Beschäftigung mit dem Thema regionale Fachkräftesicherung 106 5.3 Berücksichtigung von Rück- und Zuwanderern117 5.4 Zusammenfassung der wesentlichen Punkte 127 6 Rück- und Zuwanderungsinitiativen als Beitrag zur Resilienz regionaler Arbeitsmärkte in Ostdeutschland 131 6.1 Agentur mv4you 131 6.1.1 Aktivitäten der Initiative 131 6.1.2 Kooperation mit anderen regionalen Initiativen 134 6.1.3 Aktuelle Entwicklungen 137 6.2 Initiative „Fachkräfte für Sachsen. Sachse komm’ zurück!“ 137 6.2.1 Aktivitäten der Initiative 137 6.2.2 Kooperation mit anderen regionalen Initiativen 139 6.2.3 Aktuelle Entwicklungen 143 6.3 Willkommens-Agentur Uckermark 143 6.3.1 Aktivitäten der Initiative 143 6.3.2 Kooperation mit anderen regionalen Initiativen 147 6.3.3 Aktuelle Entwicklungen 150 6.4 Der Beitrag von Rück- und Zuwanderungsinitiativen zum Aufbau einer regionalen Anpassungskapazität 151 6.4.1 Entwicklung der gezielten Anwerbung von Rück- und Zuwanderern in Ostdeutschland 151 6.4.2 Finanzierung der Rück- und Zuwanderungsinitiativen 152 6.4.3 Beitrag zur regionalen Fachkräftesicherung 152 6.4.4 Verstärkte Berücksichtigung von (internationalen) Zuwanderern 153 6.4.5 Regionsübergreifende Kooperation 154 6.4.6 Schwierigkeiten bei der direkten Messung des Erfolgs 155 6.4.7 Beitrag zur regionalen Resilienz 156 7 Schlussfolgerungen 161 7.1 Zusammenfassung der Ergebnisse 161 7.2 Schlussfolgerungen für die Praxis 168 7.3 Schlussfolgerungen für die wissenschaftliche Diskussion und weiterer Forschungsbedarf 170 8 Literaturverzeichnis 173 9 Anhang 191

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Economics, 2008.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 137-142).
This dissertation consists of three chapters on the youth and low-skilled labor markets. In Chapter 1, I show that teen employment is significantly more responsive than adult employment to immigration, and that growth in low-skilled immigration appears to be a partial explanation for recent declines in teen employment rates. Using variation in immigrant shares across metropolitan areas between 1980 and 2000, I demonstrate that the impact of immigration on youth employment is at least twice as large as the impact on adults, and that immigration affects school enrollment decisions and the type of jobs held by native youth. These effects are strongest for black youth and youth from poorer and less educated families. The estimates suggest that a 10 percentage point increase in the immigrant share of a city's low-skilled population reduces the teen employment rate by 5 percentage points, implying that between one-third and one-half of the fall in teen employment between 1990 and 2005 can be explained by increased immigration. In Chapter 2, co-authored with David H. Autor and Alan Manning, we offer a fresh analysis of the effect of state and federal minimum wages on earnings inequality over 1979 to 2007, exploiting substantially longer state-level wage panels than were available to earlier analyses as well as a proliferation of recent state minimum wage laws. We obtain identification using cross-state and over-time variation in the 'bite' of federal and applicable state minimum wages, as per influential studies by Lee (1999) and Teulings (2000, 2003).
(cont.) Distinct from this work, we use statutory minimum wages as instrumental variables for the bite of the minimum wage, thereby purging simultaneity bias stemming from errors-in-variables, which we hypothesize causes upward bias in prior OLS estimates. While we uphold the finding that the minimum wage reduces inequality in the lower tail of the wage distribution, we estimate that earlier OLS models overestimate this impact greatly-by 150 to 450 percent. Models purged of simultaneity bias indicate that the minimum wage explains at most one-third of the rapid rise in inequality during the 1980s, and a comparable share of the more modest subsequent rise. These impacts are still larger than would be implied by a simple mechanical application of the minimum to the distribution, suggesting spillovers. We identify these spillovers by structurally estimating the latent wage distribution, calculating the mechanical effect of the minimum wage through truncation, and inferring spillovers by comparison of the mechanical and observed distributions. Spillovers account for one-third to one-half of the minimum's modest impact on percentiles in the lower tail of the wage distribution. Their magnitude has declined in parallel with the direct effects of the minimum, though their share of the total effect has risen.
(cont.) In Chapter 3, I explore the extent to which polarization in the adult labor market-i.e. a gradual increase in the share of adults working in the highest and lowest paying occupations, caused by technology-induced (computers) changes in labor demand-has impacted youth employment. I show that, since 1980, teen employment rates fell more in states and commuting zones for which the share of adults in low-paying occupations increased the most. I also find that this measure of polarization is strongly associated with lower teen and low-skilled adult wages, and more weakly associated with lower employment rates for low-skilled adults. These results can be rationalized in a model of local labor markets for which a reduction in the price of computing capital reduces labor demand for middle -income, routine-task intensive (manufacturing) jobs, pushing these workers into lower-paying service jobs. This chapter therefore provides evidence that a portion of the recent decline in youth employment is attributable to a reduction in labor demand for youth, due to an increase in the supply of substitutable labor (i.e. the gradual movement of less-educated adults from middle-paying to lower-paying occupations).
by Christopher Lane Smith.
Ph.D.

This thesis explores the incidence, the determinants and the consequences of overeducation and overskilling on individuals and firm performance in Malaysia. Three datasets were utilised: the 2007 Productivity Investment Climate Survey (PICS-2), the 1988 Malaysia Family Life Survey (MFLS-2) and the 2007 Graduate Tracer Study (GTS-07). The PICS-2 focused on overeducation and overskilling in the manufacturing sector whilst the MFLS-2 and GTS-07 highlighted overeducation on married respondents and graduates, respectively. With respect to the incidence, overeducation ranges from 19 to 32% whilst overskilling stands at 29%: moderately overskilled (7%) and severely overskilled (22%). As regards the determinants, workplace characteristics such as firm size, ownership, workforce composition and types of hiring practice play a role on overeducation and overskilling decision. Furthermore, labour market size and greater spatial flexibility, such as access to cars and public transportation, along with the individuals' heterogeneity in ability and skills also influence the overeducation incidence. On top of that, being overeducated increases the probability of being overskilled. In terms of consequences, overeducation and overskilling lead to lower earnings. Ordinary least square (OLS) and the random effects (RE) estimate that the earnings loss due to overeducation range from 2 to 24%, with a range of 2 to 11% for overskilled workers. The degree of overeducation and overskilling matters with the overeducation penalty (GTS-07) being larger for the severely overeducated than for the moderately overeducated, whilst severely overskilled workers (PICS-2) face a greater earnings loss compared with the moderately overskilled. Using a quantile regression, some evidences indicate overeducation and overskilling penalty related to unobserved individual abilities, especially for the males' sample. What is more, the GTS-07 reveals that overeducation leads to a lower job satisfaction and increases the on-the-job search behaviour amongst the overeducated workers. Both negative effects are much higher for the workers who are severely rather than moderately overeducated. As regards firm performance, negative externalities from having mismatched workers at the workplace are observed, as these tend to reduce firm performance. However, these negative externalities are largely contributed by having a higher proportion of overeducated as compared to overskilled workers. Apart from quit rate, overeducation decreased the workplace average pay, labour productivity, output and sales per worker but increased in absenteeism. By contrast, hardly any impact is observed regarding overskilling on firm performance apart from the average workplace pay. This suggests that reducing the incidence of mismatch, particularly educational mismatch in the workplace, is essential in improving firm performance thus remaining competitive domestically and globally. This thesis contributes to the existing literature by providing empirical evidence on the incidence and the consequences of overeducation and overskilling on individuals and firm performance in Malaysia. Similar study remains to be very scarce in the context of a developing country.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine relationships between gender and race, disability status, single parent status, and economically disadvantaged status of students enrolled in Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology advanced manufacturing skills programs. Furthermore, this study determined if there were significant relationships between race and disability status, single parent status, and economically disadvantaged status of students enrolled in Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology advanced manufacturing skills programs. Finally, differences in completion rates between female and male students as well as differences in completion rates between white and nonwhite students enrolled in Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology advanced manufacturing skills programs. Archival data from Fall 2014 were collected from the Office of Research and Assessment at the Tennessee Board of Regents for each student at the point of enrollment. Chi-square tests of independence were used to determine if significant relationships existed between demographic variables and completion rates. Significant relationships were found between gender and race where there more white females and males than nonwhite females and males. Significant relationships between gender and disability status were discovered where there were more students of both genders who were not disabled than were disabled. Significant relationships between race and single parent status were found in that more nonwhite students were single parents than white students. Significant relationships between race and economically disadvantaged status indicated more nonwhite students were economically disadvantaged than white students. Significant differences between gender and program completion rate were realized in that more males completed their programs of study than females. Finally, significant differences were discovered between race and program completion rate revealing more white students completed their programs of study than nonwhite students. However, there were no significant differences found between race and disability, between gender and economically disadvantaged status, and gender and single parent status.

The thesis focuses on the demand side of the labour market in conjecturing that 'the degree of attractiveness' of industry and firms to high-skilled workers could be an important determinant of regional labour market mismatch. Using data from the unexplored Employers Skills Survey, a dichotomous mismatch index based on skill-shortage vacancies is modelled as a function of firm and industry-level characteristics. Oacaxa-Blinder (OB) type decompositions are implemented to investigate the extent to which the predictors affect mismatch differently in England and Scotland. Two exploratory extensions are considered: (i) the inclusion of the Pareto shape parameter of an industry's firm size distribution, as an index of industry-level (average) productivity; (ii) a control for whether a firm is part of a multi-site organisation, believed as indicative of a firm export-status. UK level mismatch appears to be negatively correlated with both firm size and skill intensity. This is consistent with both a wide body of empirical evidence and an emerging two-sided heterogeneity theoretical literature showing that more productive firms are larger and tend to attract better workers. We also find a negative relationship between both the Pareto shape parameter and the multi-plant control, and firmlevel mismatch. At a regional level the key determinants seem to lose predictive power in Scotland where only the multi-site control retains statistical significance. To our knowledge, no study for the UK has to date ever: (i) used the same mismatch measure; (ii) adopted firm and industry-level characteristics as predictors of skill mismatch; (iii) decomposed skill mismatch using OB procedures. From a policy perspective, our findings suggest that addressing skill mismatch requires complementing policies targeting skill acquisition with interventions aimed at enhancing firms' and clusters' attractiveness to high skill workers. Migration, international trade openness and skill mismatch are in fact intrinsically intertwined and central to Scotland's post-Brexit future.