Moonlighting Behavior among Migrants: Determinants and Implications for Wellbeing in South Africa

Notwithstanding the wealth of research on migration and subjective wellbeing, the issue of moonlighting and its welfare implication among migrants has not been thoroughly explored in empirical literature. Using rich individual-level panel data from the University of Cape Town's National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS), this study established a number of interesting findings: (a) there is moonlighting among international migrants;(b) hours spent on the primary job and financial motive, among other socio-demographic factors are key predictors of moonlighting;(c) international migrants are more likely to have more than one job, very often to meet contingencies, but mostly to help smoothen consumption over the life cycle;and (d) individuals who spend more hours on their primary job are less likely to moonlight. Regarding wellbeing and happiness, it is evident that moonlighting and hours spent on primary jobs negatively influence self-reported wellbeing and happiness. Given the ravaging effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the potential change in the dynamics of the post-pandemic migration trajectory, job search strategies and economic activities, gaining a deeper appreciation of moonlighting and its implication on the wellbeing of migrants is essential to national and international policy rethinking in order to achieve a triple win for the migrant, the host and origin countries. © 2022, University of the Western Cape. All rights reserved.

The effect of increasing health disaster risk and public spending on economy conditions: a DSGE perspective

PurposeThe main motivation of the present study is to understand the severity of the effect of health shock on Iran's oil economy and analyze the role of government under these conditions.Design/methodology/approachDynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) models can show the precise interactions between market decision-makers in the context of general equilibrium. Since the duration of the virus outbreak and its effect on the economy is not known, it is more appropriate to use these models.FindingsThe results of the survey of hands-on policies scenarios compared to the state of hands-off policy indicate that the effect of government expending shocks on the economy under pandemic disease conditions has much less feedback on macroeconomic variables.Originality/valueAs a proposed policy, it is recommended that the government play a stabilizing role under pandemic disease conditions.Key messages There is no study regarding health shock and its economic effects in Iran using DSGE models. Also, in foreign studies, the health shock in an oil economy has not been modeled.The general idea in the present study is how the prevalence of a pandemic infectious disease affects the dynamics of macroeconomic variables.In three different scenarios, according to the persistence of health disaster risk and the deterioration rate of health capital due to this shock, the model is simulated.In modeling pandemic diseases, quarantine hours are considered as part of the total time of individuals.According to the research findings, it is recommended that the government, as a policy-maker, play a stabilizing role under pandemic crises conditions.

Annual Retention Survey Results

Fiona Ellwood looks at the current recruitment landscape.

The impacts of Covid-19 absences on workers.

We show that Covid-19 illnesses and related work absences persistently reduce labor supply. Using an event study, we estimate that workers with week-long Covid-19 absences are 7 percentage points less likely to be in the labor force one year later compared to otherwise-similar workers who do not miss a week of work for health reasons. Our estimates suggest Covid-19 absences have reduced the U.S. labor force by approximately 500,000 people (0.2 percent of adults) and imply an average labor supply loss per Covid-19 absence equivalent to $9,000 in forgone earnings, about 90 percent of which reflects losses beyond the initial absence week.

Social spending and chronic unemployment: evidence from OECD countries

PurposeSocial spending is at the forefront of the tools used to repair the damage caused by the global epidemic. However, one of the most critical questions in recent days is as follows: what are the effects of social expenditures in eliminating unemployment? The primary purpose of this article is to provide empirical evidence on the impact of social spending on chronic unemployment in the selected organization for economic co-operation and development (OECD) countries.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, the data of 30 selected OECD countries between 1991 and 2018 have been compiled. First, countries have been divided into four categories according to their spending intensity to determine the effects of social spending on the long-term unemployment rate. Then, the auto-regressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach and the error correction models (ECM) examine the variables' short- and long-term interactions.FindingsThe author found that the change in the share of social expenditures in GDP affects chronic unemployment similarly. This finding is consistent with the results of studies in the literature dealing with the relationship between public sector size and unemployment. However, the research findings are specifically about the effects of social expenditures on chronic unemployment. In this respect, the results reflect that expenditures with passive characteristics have an expansionary effect on long-term unemployment. In addition, the progressive effect of social expenditures on chronic unemployment is increasing in countries with high expenditure intensity. In countries with relatively low spending intensity, the impact of social spending is limited to the short run and is lower.Originality/valueMultiple studies have reported that public policies developed in line with the incentives of active employment and public or private sector investments reduce the unemployment rate by positively affecting the output/employment level. This study, unlike other studies, focuses on the effects of social expenditures on chronic unemployment. It also compares the effects of social spending on the long-term unemployment rate for countries with varying spending intensities. Therefore, this article tests the impact of social expenditures used against a concrete socioeconomic problem in the OECD sample. In this respect, the findings contribute to the literature by addressing the relationship between social spending and chronic unemployment.

HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT, DISRUPTED ECONOMIC GROWTH AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS: ANALYZING UNEMPLOYMENT REDUCTION

This study aims to analyze the factors influencing unemployment and determine the role of stakeholders in reducing unemployment in Central Java Province, Indonesia. Data encompasses 35 regencies and municipalities of the Central Province from 2007 to 2020, with the total sample being 490. The employed sequential mixed method includes two analytical tools, namely panel data and vector regression with mactor software;the latter is used to examine the convergence among actors. Six main actors in reducing unemployment are identified, namely Regional Development Planning Agency (Badan Perencanaan Pembangunan Daerah/Bappeda), Department of Labor, Department of Education, community leaders;job training center, and Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (Kamar Dagang dan Industri Indonesia/Kadin). The results of the first analysis show that the variables of economic growth, Human Development Index (HDI) and school enrollment have negative and significant effect on unemployment. The results of convergence analysis highlight the importance of the Department of Labor in linking the supply and demand sides of labor in Central Java.

Can Customers Affect Racial Discrimination in Hiring?

While significant scholarship has documented the prevalence of racial discrimination in hiring, less is known about the forces that exacerbate or mitigate it. In this article, we develop a theoretical argument about the ability of customers to influence racial discrimination in hiring, highlighting the role of direct customer communication and its intersection with online review systems. We deploy a novel method to test our argument. Specifically, we draw on original data from a two-part field experiment that first randomly assigned restaurants to receive one of three different email messages from customers and then audited the restaurants to test for racial discrimination in hiring. While our data collection effort was cut short and disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, making our findings more exploratory than initially anticipated, our data provide evidence that customer communication can reduce racial discrimination under certain conditions. We discuss the implications of these findings for scholarship on organizational decision-making, discrimination, and methodological approaches for studying these topics.

Three essays on child care policy

This dissertation includes three papers that examine the role of child care policy in promoting early childhood education and care and parental labor supply. Paper one investigates the effects of universal pre-kindergarten on center-based early education and care enrollment and child care expenditures by household income with a focus on middle-income children. Paper two considers how the generosity of the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) benefits is associated with child care utilization and maternal labor supply. Paper three assesses the role of co-resident grandparents in parental labor supply during the COVID-19 pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The Use of Interpreters in Health Centers: A Mixed-Methods Analysis

Health centers serve millions of patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) through highly variable language services programs that reflect patient language preferences, the availability of bilingual staff, and very limited sources of third-party funding for interpreters. We conducted a mixed-methods study to understand interpreter services delivery in federally qualified health centers during 2009–2019. Using the Uniform Data System database, we conducted a quantitative analysis to determine characteristics of centers with and without interpreters, defined as staff whose time is devoted to translation and/or interpreter services. We also analyzed Medicaid-relevant policies' association with health centers' interpreter use. The qualitative component used a sample of 28 health centers to identify interpreter services models. We found that the use of interpreters, as measured by the ratio of interpreter full-time equivalents per patients with LEP, decreased between 2009 and 2019. We did not find statistically significant relationships between interpreter staffing and number of patients with LEP served, or in our examination of Medicaid-relevant policies. Our qualitative analysis uncovered homegrown models with varying program characteristics. Key themes included the critical role of bilingual staff, inconsistent interpreter training, and the reasonably smooth transition to virtual interpretation during COVID-19.

Covid and US Farm Labor

Many governments closed their borders in spring 2020 to prevent the spread of Covid, but they also made exceptions to allow farm employers to recruit temporary foreign workers to fill seasonal farm jobs. The pandemic changed many parameters of food systems. Closed restaurants led to widespread layoffs in leisure and hospitality, rates of Covid were high among nonfarm food processing and meatpacking workers, and there was less Covid than expected among the foreign workers who increased their share of employment in production agriculture. The pandemic accelerated three major changes that were already underway, viz., more labor-saving mechanization, more foreign workers, and increased imports of labor-intensive commodities. Mechanization increases the resilience of production agriculture to labor supply shocks. © 2023 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

'Most children's hospitals are struggling'...John Nickens

The article focuses on the challenges facing children's hospitals in the U.S. Topics discussed include the problem on shortage in medical professionals at these hospitals, events that have affected children's hospitals in the country, an increase in the number of child patients in the emergency room, and the conversion of hospital rooms to navigate capacity issues.

Flux in the Educator Labor Market: Acute Staff Shortages and Projected Superintendent Departures. Selected Findings from the Fourth American School District Panel Survey. Data Note: Insights from the American Educator Panels. Research Report. RR-A956-9

Media accounts have described kindergarten through 12th grade teaching staff shortages in 2021-2022 that were severe enough to temporarily close schools for in-person instruction in some areas. Although much has been written about the negative impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on teachers, less is known about the extent to which the pandemic is taking a toll on other types of educators, including superintendents. To obtain a national picture of the various types of staffing challenges that districts are facing in the 2021-2022 school year, RAND researchers surveyed 359 district and charter network leaders in the American School District Panel (ASDP) between October 25, 2021, and December 10, 2021. The representative survey results confirm that media attention to the severe staffing crunch in schools this school year is well placed, and maybe all the more so if current and future variants of COVID19 infect even more school staff and students. Beyond the serious staffing concerns for this school year are concerns in future years about a fiscal cliff and a potential increase in superintendent turnover. [For the companion report "District Leaders' Concerns about Mental Health and Political Polarization in Schools: Selected Findings from the Fourth American School District Panel Survey. Data Note: Insights from the American Educator Panels. Research Report. RR-A956-8," see ED617354.]

District Leaders' Concerns about Mental Health and Political Polarization in Schools: Selected Findings from the Fourth American School District Panel Survey. Data Note: Insights from the American Educator Panels. Research Report. RR-A956-8

Policymakers had hoped that the 2021-2022 school year would be a chance to recover from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic--related disruptions to schooling. Instead, media reports of staff shortages, heated or even violent school board meetings, increased student misbehavior, low student and teacher attendance, and enrollment declines suggest increased -- rather than decreased -- problems during this third pandemic school year. To learn about the prevalence of these challenges nationwide, RAND researchers surveyed 359 district and charter network leaders in the American School District Panel between October 25, 2021, and December 10, 2021. Survey results suggest that districts are confronting serious challenges in the 2021-2022 school year that might be getting in the way of student learning. Although some challenges, such as student and staff mental health, are nearly universal across districts, other challenges are more localized. Historically marginalized districts are confronting extra challenges this school year, such as getting students back in school and low teacher attendance, while a higher percentage of historically advantaged districts are encountering political polarization about COVID-19. [For the companion report "Flux in the Educator Labor Market: Acute Staff Shortages and Projected Superintendent Departures. Selected Findings from the Fourth American School District Panel Survey. Data Note: Insights from the American Educator Panels. Research Report. RR-A956-9," see ED617372.]

THE FALL AND RISE OF IMMIGRANT EMPLOYMENT DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Employment rates fell dramatically between March and April 2020 as the initial shock of the COVID-19 pandemic reverberated through the US labor market. This paper uses data from the CPS Basic Monthly Files to document that the employment decline was particularly severe for immigrants. Historically, immigrant men are more likely to work than native men. The pandemic-related labor market shock eliminated the immigrant employment advantage. After this initial precipitous drop, however, the employment recovery through June 2021 was much stronger for immigrants, and particularly for undocumented immigrants. The steep drop in immigrant employment at the start of the pandemic occurred partly because immigrants were less likely to work in jobs that could be performed remotely and suffered disproportionate employment losses as only workers with remotable skills were able to continue working from home. The stronger employment recovery of undocumented immigrants, relative to that experienced by natives or legal immigrants, is mostly explained by the fact that undocumented workers were not eligible for the generous unemployment insurance (UI) benefits offered to workers during the pandemic. © 2023 by Emerald Publishing Limited.

Pandemic Preference Shocks and Inflation in a New Keynesian Model.

This paper examines two types of preference shocks, shocks to the disutility of working and to the demand for goods relative to services, in an otherwise standard New Keynesian model. Existing literature has primarily focused on productivity and monetary shocks as driving processes. The contribution of this paper is to construct model-based processes for both types of preference shocks using United States data over 1948-2022 from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and Bureau of Labor Statistics and investigate the resulting dynamics in the New Keynesian framework. Constructing historical processes for the shocks provides context for examining the shifts that occurred during the coronavirus pandemic. Both preference shocks show movements of unprecedented magnitude that coincide with the pandemic. In the model, the relative demand shock leads to opposite movements in inflation and labor between the two sectors, while the shock to labor disutility is stagflationary, with inflation rising and output decreasing. A pandemic-motivated experiment with simultaneous large shocks to both labor disutility and relative goods demand generates divergences between the sectors in inflation and labor, but higher inflation and reduced output overall. This demonstrates that preference shocks may be useful for understanding the pandemic-era economy and suggests that they deserve more attention from economists and policymakers. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11293-022-09752-7.

COVID-19 Lockdowns and Female Employment: Evidence from the Philippines.

Using labor force survey (LFS) data collected before and during the COVID-19 lockdowns in the Philippines, we showed that hard lockdowns had a larger negative impact on the employment of women who had minor children compared to women who did not have minor children. Among Southeast Asian countries, the Philippines was among the hardest-hit by the pandemic, in terms of both the number of infected and its economic toll. The large economic toll was partly attributable to the extreme and militarized lockdown imposed at the onset of the pandemic in the country's three most populous and economically-important regions, namely Metro Manila, Calabarzon, and Central Luzon. Using difference-in-differences analysis on pooled LFS data, we showed that female household heads or spouses with children were significantly less likely to have paid employment during the hard lockdown compared to female household heads or spouses without children, even after controlling for important covariates. Among women with children, the employment losses were larger for women with two or more children, suggesting a lockdown-induced parenthood penalty for women in the labor market. This was due in part to the increased care responsibilities disproportionately shouldered by mothers during hard lockdowns, given that children were forced to be at home and do distance learning.

Using the Health and Retirement Study for Research on the Impact of the Working Conditions on the Individual Life Course.

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the utility of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) for studying the impact of working conditions on individuals' health, well-being and labor supply decisions at older ages. I provide a brief overview of the information on working conditions that is currently available in the HRS and discuss implications for studies on the effects of working conditions on the individual life course. I conclude with a discussion of how recent and projected trends in the U.S. workforce are reflected in the current HRS survey content.

Labour supply and policy

This article provides a framework for thinking about labour supply policy in Australia. Several major future challenges for labour supply are identified and the main types of policies that can be used by government to deal with those challenges are described. Recent developments for groups likely to feature in discussions about increasing labour supply are briefly reviewed.

Three essays on child care policy

This dissertation includes three papers that examine the role of child care policy in promoting early childhood education and care and parental labor supply. Paper one investigates the effects of universal pre-kindergarten on center-based early education and care enrollment and child care expenditures by household income with a focus on middle-income children. Paper two considers how the generosity of the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) benefits is associated with child care utilization and maternal labor supply. Paper three assesses the role of co-resident grandparents in parental labor supply during the COVID-19 pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)