Abstract Industry 4.0 is introducing rapid and epochal changes and challenges. Among these, the issue of skills and job profiles is assuming a critical role. In fact, the literature highlights not only the necessary integration of existing skills in professional profiles, but also the inevitable creation of new ones to properly manage the digitalisation trends. Although, the state of the art mostly focuses on building models to assess the digital maturity of companies, considering instead the impact on the labor market as a hazy issue. Moreover, the literature tends to offer qualitative approaches to the topic, making the results uncertain; on the other side, quantitative ones tend to be mainly applied on structured databases, while the supply and demand of competences (findable in CVs, vacancies or firm’s job profiles) are less treated. The goal of the present research is developing a measure for quantifying the readiness of employees belonging to a big firm with respect to the Industry 4.0 paradigm. To reach the goal, a data-driven approach based on text mining techniques is applied to a case study. In particular the present methodology makes use of a previously developed enriched dictionary of technologies and methods 4.0 (Chiarello et al., 2018). The source is used to analyze job profiles’ descriptions belonging to Whirlpool, a multinational company with a structured database of jobs and skills. The process allows the identification of technologies, techniques and related skills contained in job descriptions. Starting from these, the Industry 4.0 impact on each job profile is measured. Finally, the metadata of the job profiles are analyzed to evaluate to which extent the skills of profiles 4.0-ready and non-4.0-ready differ. In the end, the work provides a framework for estimating the Industry 4.0 readiness of enterprises’ human capital which demonstrates to be fast, adaptable and reusable.
Abstract This study analyses gender disparity in a highly skilled labour force within the modern knowledge-based economy. It explores the global gender pay disparity among software developers, examining structural barriers like the “glass ceiling” and “sticky floor” effects across different economic and geographical regions. Using quantile regression and Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition, the research analyses countries based on the World Bank classification to understand variations. The study reveals a moderate gender pay gap of 8.8% in High-Income countries, in contrast to 36.6% in lower-middle-income countries and a pronounced 47.9% in South Asia. Further, the study establishes the presence of a glass ceiling phenomenon among high-income and upper-middle-income countries in contrast to the sticky floor effect in lower-middle-income countries. Moreover, the study identifies that the unexplained component is higher in Non-High-Income countries than in High-Income countries. The study emphasises the need for Lower-Middle-Income regions, especially in South Asia, to adopt strategies from High-Income countries to create a more equitable workplace.
Nahid Foroughi, Mahmoud Moradi, Keikhosro Yakideh
et al.
AbstractThis study investigated the impact of improvement strategies on key performance indicators in the water and wastewater sector using a system dynamics approach. The main objective was to develop models for simulating the complex interactions between strategies and performance variables to enhance sustainability and performance management. Performance indicators were categorized as input indicators (including accounts receivable period, per-capita subscriber debt, non-revenue water, and labor cost share of sales) and output indicators (such as asset turnover ratio, per-capita subscriber coverage, market growth, and employee professionalism). Based on the literature, policy documents, company reports, and expert opinions, 14 improvement strategies were identified and incorporated into two system dynamics models. Results indicated that implementing these strategies reduced accounts receivable periods and labor costs while improving asset turnover, service coverage, market growth, and employee skills. These findings demonstrate that system dynamics modeling is an effective tool for strategic decision-making and performance improvement in the water and wastewater sector.Introductionith the increasing complexity and rapid changes in competitive environments, organizations require innovative approaches to enhance performance and achieve sustainable competitive advantage. Performance management is a fundamental approach that, in addition to evaluation, encompasses continuous feedback, goal setting, training, and incentive systems (Aguinis & Pierce, 2008). Prior research has emphasized that analyzing causal relationships and dynamic interactions within organizations, particularly under multi-factor conditions, can enhance decision-making (Tseng & Levy, 2019). In this context, systems thinking and simulation models have gained importance as tools for predicting policy impacts and designing improvement strategies (Shafiee et al., 2021; Eidin et al., 2024). Nevertheless, many studies have primarily focused on ranking and benchmarking performance rather than addressing operational interventions (Kameli et al., 2023). In the Iranian water and wastewater sector, limited resources and deteriorating infrastructure further highlight the necessity of adopting advanced analytical approaches (Hejazi et al., 2024). Accordingly, this study applies system dynamics modeling to examine how improvement strategies influence key input and output indicators in the water and wastewater sector, while providing a framework for enhancing sustainability and supporting strategic decision-making.Literature ReviewThe system dynamics approach, introduced by Forrester (1961), is a framework grounded in systems science and computer-based simulation that enables the analysis of complex system behavior and the prediction of long-term policy effects. Features such as feedback loops, stocks and flows, nonlinear relationships, and mutual interactions make it an effective tool for modeling organizational and infrastructural systems (Mustafee et al., 2010; Mielczarek, 2016). Numerous studies have demonstrated that system dynamics is an effective method for performance analysis and strategic decision-making, including in wastewater network asset management, automotive supply chains, urban and water resource management, and complex projects (Mohammadifardi et al., 2019; Norouzian-Maleki et al., 2022; Calderon-Tellez et al., 2024). However, most studies have focused only on partial analyses of performance indicators, and integrated evaluations of multiple strategies and both input and output indicators remain scarce. In the water and wastewater sector, the development of separate models for resource-related input indicators and performance-related output indicators, along with the simulation of their interactions, remains limited. The present study addresses this gap by introducing two distinct models and analyzing the combined effects of improvement strategies, thereby providing an innovative and context-specific framework for comprehensive performance assessment in this sector.MethodologyThis descriptive-analytical study employed a system dynamics approach to examine the long-term effects of 14 improvement strategies on key performance indicators in water and wastewater companies. Eight input indicators (accounts receivable period, per-capita subscriber debt, non-revenue water, and labor cost share) and output indicators (asset turnover ratio, per-capita subscriber coverage, market growth, and employee professionalism) were identified based on the literature and expert opinions. Two system dynamics models were developed, encompassing financial, operational, and human resource subsystems. Reinforcing loops represented the positive effects of network expansion, reduction of non-revenue water, and employee motivation, while balancing loops captured the moderating effects of accounts receivable management and constraints associated with sales growth. These models enabled the simulation of improvement scenarios and the identification of key leverage points affecting system performance.ResultsUsing Sterman’s five-step modeling process (2000), input and output system dynamics models were simulated for the selected indicators. Variable relationships were established based on financial data, industry standards, water and wastewater regulations, and the opinions of ten experts to evaluate the long-term effects of improvement strategies on key company performance metrics.Structural and behavioral tests confirmed the validity of the models, and sensitivity analysis showed that the provincial pricing coefficient had the greatest impact on net sales, with a ±20% change resulting in approximately a 20% change in sales. In contrast, other key parameters, such as the conversion rate of unauthorized connections and government funding allocation, had minimal effects (less than 0.1%) on the growth rate of service units. These results indicate that the models are stable with respect to input variations, with the primary sensitivity associated with pricing policies.Eight scenarios were developed: four aimed at improving operational efficiency and reducing financial constraints, and four targeting productivity enhancement and market growth. Simulation of the input model showed that the simultaneous implementation of incentive/punitive strategies, private sector involvement, and network expansion reduced accounts receivable issues, controlled resource losses, and optimized labor costs. The output model demonstrated that a combination of developmental actions, tariff adjustments, and human resource empowerment improved asset productivity and service coverage, stabilized market growth, and enhanced employee skills and expertise. Overall, the results indicate that the coordinated and targeted application of strategies creates an optimal balance between short-term efficiency, financial sustainability, and long-term development. The developed models provide water and wastewater managers with a systematic tool to support strategic decision-making and evaluate long-term impacts.DiscussionThis study demonstrated that, through system dynamics modeling, the simultaneous interaction of managerial, financial, and infrastructure strategies significantly affects the efficiency and sustainability of water and wastewater companies. Separating input and output indicators and designing distinct models enabled the analysis of the combined effects of 14 improvement strategies, showing that enhancements in accounts receivable management, reduction of resource losses, and optimization of labor costs were accompanied by increased asset productivity, network expansion, and improved employee skills. The results confirmed that a combination of incentive-based strategies, financing of smart technologies, and infrastructure development can effectively balance short-term objectives with long-term goals. Financial resource constraints and external factors, such as inflation and demand fluctuations, emphasize the importance of active management and complementary policies. Overall, the findings indicate that successful management in these companies requires an integrated and synergistic approach across human capital, financial structure, and infrastructure.ConclusionThis study confirmed the effectiveness of the system dynamics approach in analyzing and predicting the long-term effects of improvement strategies in water and wastewater companies. The developed models, by simulating the complex interactions among 14 strategies and key performance indicators, enable evidence-based decision-making with a systems perspective. The results showed that a combination of managerial actions, infrastructure development, and human capital empowerment not only enhances operational efficiency but also strengthens financial sustainability and service accessibility. This study recommends that companies focus on integrated strategies and continuous performance monitoring, while future research should consider the impact of external factors such as climate change and emerging technologies in future models. Overall, this study offers a practical and context-specific framework for comprehensive performance improvement in water and wastewater companies.
The use of an economics, effects-based, approach in EU Law is normally understood within the context of the enforcement of the EU Competition provisions. It embodies the post-Modernisation shift from a formalistic application of these provisions, and particularly of Article 102 TFEU, to a method of analysis that focuses on the capability of a certain behaviour to harm competition using market dynamics and defined economic tools. This paper draws comparisons between this specialised approach and the interpretation increasingly followed by the Court of Justice in the field of free movement of goods and persons. There, the Court has moved from using a formalistic analytical framework based on the existence or absence of discrimination to one that considers the effects of a measure on the demand side of the market or in preventing or limiting access to other markets by EU migrants. The paper outlines the clear and important differences between the fields of free movement and competition law but also seeks to ascertain the existence of parallel analytical trends and the implications of these for the direction of the Single Market. It considers two themes. First, it examines the shift from a predominantly formalistic approach to specialised and general effects-based approaches, respectively, in the competition and free movement case law. Second, as these analytical frameworks have developed and their implications have become clearer, it identifies the emergence of trends in both areas towards a refinement or revision of their parameters.
Motherhood for women remains a factor causing gender inequality in the labor market. This study examines the gender aspects of the professionalism of female teachers in Ukraine within the context of the expansion of their employment rights at the turn of the 19th to 20th century. The research employs a gender approach, methods of socio-cultural history, and elements of discourse analysis.
Employment of female teachers in primary schools was associated with an increase in female graduates with pedagogical qualifications from secondary education institutions. The gender-restrictive legislation of the Russian Empire led to labor market disparities between the demand for male labor and the supply of female labor. To address the shortage of subject-specific teachers in two-class urban schools, a temporary admission of female teachers was considered. Feedback from the directors of public schools supported this measure, highlighting the professionalism, diligence, and general cultural competencies of female teachers.
The study reveals that school authorities had gender-related concerns regarding the employment of female teachers. The preferred candidates were women over 25 years old with teaching experience and authority among male students. Marriage and motherhood were identified as gender markers of professionalism that shaped women’s attitudes toward their work. The professional reputation of these teachers was often influenced by their husband’s status, the success (or lack thereof) of their marriage and family life, and whether they had young children. The most in-demand type of female educator was the single, diligent, and unpretentious worker. Single women who were breadwinners with minor children constituted the most socially vulnerable category of teachers, often willing to accept any available teaching position.
Bruno Gawryszewski, Lívia Mouriño de Mello, Natália Silva Pereira
O artigo tem como objetivo discutir o porquê do Novo Ensino Médio ser reivindicado pelos setores dominantes brasileiros como uma janela de oportunidade para adequar a qualificação da força de trabalho às reivindicações das empresas e às aspirações dos jovens. Discutimos o contexto de crise do capital e as transformações do mundo do trabalho e as formulações da CNI acerca da força de trabalho sob o lema da Indústria 4.0. Concluímos que a qualificação reivindicada para a força de trabalho está em consonância com o Novo Ensino Médio, e expressa determinantes e limites do próprio sistema capital.
Palavra-chave: Crise do capital; Qualificação; Ensino Médio; Trabalho-Educação.
Special aspects of education, Labor market. Labor supply. Labor demand
Data sharing has been offered as a useful tool to open up impregnable markets to competition. EU law has a rich tradition in enabling business-to-business data sharing in a sector-specific (or vertical) fashion, which has formed the basis of the quest for an internal market where data flows freely. Two recent legislative instruments, the Digital Markets Act and the Data Act, contain industry- and actor-specific data sharing provisions. By unleashing troves of data hoarded by large incumbents, the Acts aspire to empower small and medium-sized enterprises, unlocking organic innovation. Notwithstanding the normative desirability of such a goal, it is unclear whether verticalized rules on data sharing can foster innovation by entrants and smaller undertakings. This Article legally and economically appraises the Acts to shed light on this issue. Read together, the data sharing provisions under the Digital Markets Act and the Data Act pursue the common aim of spurring disruptive (market creating) and complementary innovation. However, the Acts suffer from legal uncertainty and are liable to produce unintended economic consequences, such as diminishing the ability of complementors to satisfy consumers whilst simultaneously strengthening incumbent platform operators. The conclusions cast doubt on whether the vertical data sharing rules of the Acts can achieve their intended objectives, that is, ensuring the contestability of digital markets by promoting organic innovation by smaller scale firms.
Abordamos o perfil da Sociedade de Consumo pela perspectiva da Ecologia Política, para, a partir da análise histórica da constituição desse modelo societário, (a) construir um entendimento de quais foram as transformações que a definem, (b) compreender a influência dos Anos Dourados do Capitalismo; e a partir daí, (c) pensar a questão das necessidades ante o padrão de produção e consumo sustentável. Efetuar tal caracterização ganha relevo no contexto da disputa ideológica da constituição do imaginário sobre qual comportamento de consumo adotar na sociedade orientada pelo American Way of Life.
Palavras-chave: Ecologia Política; Educação Ambiental; Sociedade de Consumo; Anos Dourados do Capitalismo; Produção-Destrutiva
Special aspects of education, Labor market. Labor supply. Labor demand
Introduction. The particular role of statistical evaluation of the impact of education on changes in the supply of labor resources in the labor market is corroborated in the presented paper. A comparative analysis is conducted related to the evaluation of the impact of the structure of competencies and education of accountants and auditors on meeting the demands of the labor market. The presented study employed the quantitative research design. It allows to provide replies to questions concerning the relationships existing between variables in order to elucidate, predict and control the respective phenomena. The purpose of the paper is to investigate the sustainability of qualifications among accounting graduates in accordance with the demands of the labor market. Results. The authors deem it necessary to conduct further research for the purpose of searching for modern tools, particularly in terms of quantitative and qualitative evaluation of human resources at every life cycle of an individual. A survey was carried out among 250 auditors - graduates of Oles Honchar Dnipro National University. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was utilized for data analysis. The following statistical tools were employed: Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for normality; Pearson correlation coefficient for validity; Cronbach's Alpha for reliability statistics; frequency and descriptive analysis; T-test. Conclusion. The analysis of the data showed that the university’s contribution to improving the skills of accounting graduates is high, with the mean value (skills of accounting graduates) amounting to 3.86, the test value = 16.5 and P-value = 0. Furthermore, the results of the data analysis also identified positive feedback with regard to the university's contribution to the professional development of accounting graduates, with results showing that the university plays a prominent role therein, the mean value (suitability of accounting curricula) equals 3.67, test value=-12.5 and P-value=0. Recommendations were provided for the improvement of the educational process related to professional training of future accountants and auditors. Prospects for further research lie in the analysis of the compliance of accounting curricula employed in universities with the demands of the labor market.
The problem of unemployment is a permanent one because elements of imbalance appear in the process of macro-stability. In the context of a free market, we can also discuss about the labour market, which can no longer be regulated administratively, so that labour is absorbed, reconverted and unemployment is eliminated as much as possible, leaving supply and demand to settle employment. Unemployment is an element of balance in a certain way, because it regulates the need for labour with the needs and the existence on the labour market of available people, but they should be in the structure by profession, by trade, required by the market. From time to time, when macroeconomic destabilization occurs, unemployment as the valve for the use of the working population makes its presence felt. Under the current circumstances, in which the world economy, of the European countries and consequently also of Romania are under the effect of the coronavirus health crisis, combined with the financial and economic crisis, inflation has become a growing phenomenon, being even worrying. The unemployed population receives for a limited period of time a payment, after which it becomes an unoccupied free population. A paradox is also that as the quotas of the unemployed increase and there are vacancies that are taken out to be filled, the latter are not completed, because the structure of the places taken out to be filled does not correspond to the needs of the economy in terms of structure by trades, by professions. During the current crisis that we have spoken of, it is very clear that unemployment has increased quite a lot compared to January this year, but even more worrying is the fact that a large number, more than 1.3 million people, are in technical unemployment, who will eventually be able to supply the number of people who get unemployed. In order to consider how the labor resource can be used in Romania, we must take into account that over 1.5 million people, who returned from the European states where they worked, not on the basis of contract and precise commitments, returned to the country being part of the number of those unoccupied people.
In the article there researched problems of the management of youth labor-market segment conjuncture. The important part in this question is assigned to the working out labor resources-balance forecast. There considered main tendencies and perspectives of the development of regional youth labor-market segment. The author carried out the analyses of deficient and over professions on the basis of the amount of tension ratio on separate professions of workers and of fice employees.
The problem of research is the low and low wages in the agricultural sector, which makes it an employment sector, indicating that there is imbalance in the structure of the labor market in the agricultural sector, and thus the current deviation of agricultural employment from the optimum level that achieves economic efficiency, hence the main objective of The research is to assess the equilibrium situation of the labor market in the Egyptian agricultural sector, and determine the most important factors affecting it, through the study of both sides of the demand and supply of agricultural labor through Simultaneous Equations Model. The most important results obtained were: 1 - For the function of demand for agricultural labor: It was found from the estimated equation that the increase in the wages of the agricultural worker by one pound leads to a significant statistical decrease at a significant level of 5% in the demand for agricultural labor by about 135 thousand workers, as shown from the estimated equation Effect of production value Agricultural demand for agricultural employment amounted to about 29.7 thousand workers million workers. The impact of the supply of agricultural labor in the demand for agricultural labor, which reached about 645 thousand workers, was also shown. 2- For the agricultural labor supply function, the estimated equation shows that increasing demand for agricultural labor leads to an increase in the supply of agricultural labor by 1 million and 9,000 workers. It is also shown from the estimated equation that increasing the wage of the agricultural worker by one pound leads to an increase in the supply of agricultural labor by about 39 thousand workers. 3- As for the equilibrium situation of the labor market in the Egyptian agricultural sector, it was found that the wage of the agricultural worker amounted to about 43.338 thousand pounds / year, ie about 118.73 pounds / day, which is different from the actual situation of the wage of the agricultural worker, which averaged 26.164 thousand pounds / year Ie about 71.68 pounds / day as an average for the last three years. This means that the wage of the worker in the agricultural sector is less than the equivalent of 47.05 pounds per day. In addition, the total number of agricultural workers in the agricultural sector reached about 6.34 million workers, which differs from the actual situation of the supply of agricultural labor which reached 7.780 million workers as an average for the last three years. This means increasing the supply of agricultural labor to the balanced size of agricultural labor by (1.44 million workers), which explains the low wages in the agricultural sector, in order to load the agriculture sector with a larger number of workers than is supposed to be and hence the low wage in the agricultural sector and thus become an employment sector that will negatively affect the attractiveness of investments in the agricultural sector Which represents a sector Wide in the Egyptian economy is not negligible.
The article analyzes the characteristics of the labor market on the Internet that affect the formation of personnel policy of the enterprise. The authors propose a developed software product to order the processing a large amount of information and determine the parameters and key indicators which determine the successful personnel policy of the enterprise. The software tools includes an analysis of the basic parameters of the labor market on the Internet: the ratio of supply and demand for major vacancies, average wages of supply and demand, the dynamics of supply and demand, taking into account the region (territorial specifics). The possibilities of programmatic monitoring of the labor market in order to promptly adjust the personnel policy of an organization to key personnel positions based on the dynamics of changes in the labor market environment make it possible to increase the effectiveness of personnel policy and its productivity. Comparative analysis of key parameters of the labor market in various cities of the Russian Federation and possible directions of personnel policy formation in the major vacancies in organizations allows optimal analysis of large amounts of information opened on the Internet (job banks, data of personnel and recruiting agencies, job banks and resume in social networks taking into account the region), allows you to quickly and correctly make management decisions in the field of personnel management. The article discusses the contact of the parameters of the labor market with the main directions of the personnel policy of the enterprise: the organization of personnel selection, adaptation, training, motivation and incentives, evaluation, etc., taking into account possible personnel risks.
The labor market in Romania and Bulgaria is influenced by the economic and social, political system, as well as the environment, that is why the supply and demand on the labor market has many times different trends. The desired labor force must be highly satisfactory and skilled, flexible and efficient, stable and loyal. The supply is influenced by the factors such as education system, vocational training, social area, even the family. The issue on the young graduates insertion on the labor market is present not only in Romania and Bulgaria, but the unemployment rate in Europe is much higher as unemployment rate in USA. The statistics regarding the unemployment shoed, in 2016, that the number of unemployed continues to increase in Europe, it is much higher than the unemployment rate in the United States of America, the image is tough especially for the young under 25 years old. Starting from aspects, the present study aims at making an analysis of the degree of young insertion on the labor market from the two neighbouring countries, and the proposal of some solutions to lead to the increase of the insertion degree and the unemployment decrease among the young graduates. The most marginalized group of young persons is the group formed of those who not only they do not have a job, but also no studies. For both countries, one of the education system priorities is the achievement of the interdependency between different components of the education system, as each individual starts in his educational path from the primary education, and passes to the following levels, or chooses other types of education (vocational).
O trabalho focalizou práticas de formação profissional e de formação política
organizadas e dirigidas por trabalhadores e militantes que se juntavam a eles, em uma
trajetória de solidariedade e resistência no chão de fábrica e com uma história
conhecida no meio operário.
Special aspects of education, Labor market. Labor supply. Labor demand