The associations of decent work with wellbeing and career capabilities: a meta-analysis.

Introduction: As a global sustainable development goal, the decent work notion has been promoted all over the world at theoretical, practical, and research levels for the purpose of enhancing people's capacity to enjoy freedom, equity, security, and human dignity at work. However, conclusive findings of the impact of decent work on people's wellbeing and longer-term career development are still missing due to a lack of systematic reviews on this topic. This study aims to (a) investigate the associations of decent work with people's wellbeing and their capabilities for sustaining career development and (b) examine the differential associations across different subgroups. Methods: Databases of literature archived on or before 4 March 2022 were searched. A total of 46 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis for the combined Pearson correlation coefficient (r) to estimate the associations of decent work with wellbeing and career capabilities, among which 30 studies (16,026 participants) were used for calculating the association between decent work and wellbeing whereas 26 studies (12,384 participants) were used for decent work and career capabilities. Results and discussion: First, decent work demonstrates a medium association with wellbeing (r = .48, 95% CI [.45, .51]), and a medium association with career capabilities (r = .44, 95% CI [.40, .49]). Second, no significant differences with respect to the association of decent work with wellbeing and career capabilities were identified across subgroups categorized by developed/developing countries, population type, social status of participants as employee or student, participants from vulnerable/general groups, aspects of wellbeing/career capabilities, and study design. These results pose important implications for informing future research and practice to measure and promote decent work across the world.

Validating the decent work scale incorporated with a social recognition component among young adult social workers.

The decent work notion has sparkled a keen academic interest in studying the psychological influence of decent work on workers in organizational contexts. Duffy's decent work notion has left a window for addressing the interpersonal barriers on or factors for enhancing people's equal access to decent work, which may enhance the capacity of the decent work notion and the psychology of working theory to promote inclusiveness within the organizational context through leveraging the interpersonal mechanisms. Against this backdrop, a across-sectional study was conducted to validate a decent work scale incorporated with a social recognition component among young adult social workers aged 21-29 in Hong Kong (N = 362). The results of confirmatory factor analyses supported the six-factor-higher-order model of the decent work scale incorporated with a social recognition component. Decent work incorporated with social recognition correlated with job demands, job resources, and work engagement in the expected directions, and the results of average variance extracted analyses supported the discriminant validity of the decent work scale incorporated with social recognition. The value added by decent work in enhancing work engagement after controlling the effects of job resources justifies the concurrent validity of the concept. The expanded notion of decent work incorporated with the social recognition component is deemed applicable to informing further research and practice.

Enhancing the career capabilities of NEET youth in Hong Kong: an experience-driven framework.

Inspired by Amartya Sen's conceptualization of capability, this article examined how the introduction of an experience-driven (ED) framework into the capability approach helps inform the delivery of a career support service project targeted at youth aged 15-21, who are not in education, employment or training (NEET youth) with difficulties to develop their career capabilities. Based on a thematic analysis of ten individual interview transcripts collected from five career practitioners and five ex-users, the study discussed four interlocking domains of experiences and experience-driven career interventions for enhancing youth's capabilities to aspire and realize aspirations with a transition from the zone of proximal development to the zone of aspired development, namely, recognition, exposures, self-growth and transferability. We recommended further research studies on evaluating the effectiveness of using the ED framework for applying the capability approach to strengthening the career capabilities of service users characterized by diversity and vulnerability in different service settings.

Améliorer les capacités de carrière des jeunes NEET à Hong Kong: un cadre axé sur l'expérience. Inspiré par la conceptualisation de la capacité d'Amartya Sen, cet article a examiné comment l'introduction d'un cadre axé sur l'expérience (ED) dans l'approche de la capacité aide à éclairer la prestation d'un projet de service de soutien à la carrière destiné aux jeunes âgés de 15 à 21 ans, qui ne sont pas aux études., à l'emploi ou à la formation (jeunes NEET) ayant des difficultés à développer leurs capacités professionnelles. Sur la base d'une analyse thématique de dix transcriptions d'entretiens individuels recueillies auprès de cinq praticiens de carrière et de cinq anciens utilisateurs, l'étude a examiné quatre domaines interdépendants d'expériences et d'interventions de carrière axées sur l'expérience pour améliorer les capacités des jeunes à aspirer et à réaliser leurs aspirations avec une transition de la zone de développement proximal à la zone de développement aspiré, à savoir, la reconnaissance, les expositions, l'auto-croissance et la transférabilité. Nous avons recommandé d'autres études de recherche sur l'évaluation de l'efficacité de l'utilisation du cadre ED pour appliquer l'approche par les capacités au renforcement des capacités professionnelles des utilisateurs de services caractérisés par la diversité et la vulnérabilité dans différents contextes de services.

Mejora de las capacidades profesionales de los jóvenes NINI en Hong Kong: un marco basado en la experiencia. Inspirado en la conceptualización de capacidad de Amartya Sen, este artículo examinó cómo la introducción de un marco basado en la experiencia (ED) en el enfoque de capacidad ayuda a informar la entrega de un proyecto de servicio de apoyo profesional dirigido a jóvenes de 15 a 21 años que no están en la educación., empleo o formación (jóvenes NINI) con dificultades para desarrollar sus capacidades profesionales. Basado en un análisis temático de diez transcripciones de entrevistas individuales recopiladas de cinco profesionales de la carrera y cinco ex usuarios, el estudio analizó cuatro dominios entrelazados de experiencias e intervenciones profesionales basadas en la experiencia para mejorar las capacidades de los jóvenes para aspirar y realizar aspiraciones con una transición de la zona. de desarrollo próximo a la zona de desarrollo aspirado, a saber, reconocimiento, exposiciones, autocrecimiento y transferibilidad. Recomendamos más estudios de investigación sobre la evaluación de la efectividad del uso del marco ED para aplicar el enfoque de capacidad para fortalecer las capacidades profesionales de los usuarios del servicio caracterizados por la diversidad y la vulnerabilidad en diferentes entornos de servicio.

Prevalence and correlates of metabolic syndrome in Hong Kong Chinese adults-a random community sample study.

The study investigates the prevalence and correlates of metabolic syndrome (MS) among Hong Kong Chinese adults. Random cluster sampling design and International Diabetes Federation (IDF) MS criteria were adopted. Totally 737 adults participated in questionnaire survey and received waist circumference (WC) measurement. Among them 335 showed central obesity (WC > 80 and 85 cm for women and men respectively). Subsequently 229 accepted blood test. Totally 71 participants met MS criteria, suggesting an overall prevalence of 14.1%. Both central obesity and MS increase sharply with age. Chi-square/ANOVA analyses revealed significant positive associations between central obesity with: being male, marital status being married/cohabit, lower education level, occupation as managers or housewives, and alcohol consumption. For MS, the significant positive correlates were: lower education level, occupation as service workers or housewives, lower income level, and alcohol consumption. After controlling for age, binary logistic regression analyses suggested the significant risk factors for central obesity were being male (OR = 1.4), married/cohabit (OR = 1.8), longer working hours (OR = 1.5), eating less vegetables (OR = 1.5), and alcohol consumption (OR = 1.8). For MS, only alcohol consumption appeared to be a significant risk factor (OR = 2.3). Multivariate binary logistic regressions also supported that age group and alcohol consumption were significant predictors of MS. To conclude, adopting randomized cluster sampling and IDF criteria, the study revealed a prevalence rate of MS at 14.1%. Alcohol consumption appears to be the strongest risk factor of MS, which however needs further investigation.