Janine Leschke - Böcker

Exacerbated by the Great Recession, youth transitions to employment and adulthood have become increasingly protracted, precarious, and differentiated by gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Youth Labor in Transition examines young people's integration into employment, alongside the decisions and consequences of migrating to find work and later returning home. The authors identify key policy challenges for the future related to NEETS, overeducation, self-employment, and ethnic differences in outcomes. This illustrates the need to encompass a wider understanding of youth employment and job insecurity by including an analysis of economic production and how it relates to social reproduction of labor if policy intervention is to be effective. The mapping and extensive analysis in this book are the result of a 3½-year, European Union-funded research project (Strategic Transitions for Youth Labour in Europe, or STYLE; http://www.style-research.eu) coordinated by Jacqueline O'Reilly. With an overall budget of just under 5 million euros and involving 25 research partners; an international advisory network and local advisory boards of employers, unions, and policymakers; and non-governmental organizations from more than 20 European countries, STYLE is one of the largest European Commission-funded research projects to exist on this topic. Consequently, this book will appeal to an array of audiences, including academic and policy researchers in sociology, political science, economics, management studies, and more particular labor market and social policy; policy communities; and bachelor's- and master's-level students in courses on European studies or any of the aforementioned subject areas.

One of the most important consequences of EU enlargement in May 2004 was to extend the principle of the free movement of labour to the citizens of the central and eastern European new member states. In this book a team of labour economists and migration experts sheds light on the dimensions, characteristics and impacts of cross-border labour migration in selected sending (Hungary, Latvia and Poland) and receiving (Austria, Germany, Sweden and the UK) countries. Separate contributions detail the policy responses by governments, employers and trade unions in these countries to the challenges posed by both inward and outward migration. By setting out and analyzing the facts for seven countries, which vary greatly in their geographical situation, policies, and outcomes, the book contributes to the debate on this crucial issue in the ongoing process of European integration.

This timely book explores job quality in contemporary labour markets, investigating how rapid transformations such as digitalisation, the green transition, fragmentation and shifting demographics are reshaping the world of work. Presenting fresh perspectives and updated tools to analyse challenges related to gig work, AI, algorithmic management, multiple jobholding and the environmental crisis, it reevaluates the definition of what makes a good job in the modern era.Contributing authors build on insights from the capabilities approach, multiple deprivation and precarity to explore how gender, class, and migration status shape access to good-quality jobs, and how experiences of work differ according to socio-economic background and work arrangements. The book also expands the notion of job quality beyond individual well-being to include broader goals such as fairness, sustainability and social inclusion. Bridging disciplines and regions, it integrates theoretical and empirical insights with practical guidance to help improve job quality in an era of profound and ongoing transformation.Job Quality in a Turbulent Era is an essential read for scholars and students of sociology, political science, employment relations, labour law and business. Offering conceptual and empirical insights this book is also an important resource for policymakers and practitioners concerned with labour market issues.

The debate on the free movement of labour within the EU has gained new momentum in the wake of the economic crisis. Building on the earlier Ashgate publication EU Labour Migration Since Enlargement, the editors have assembled a team of experts from across Europe to shed light on the critical issues raised by internal labour mobility within the EU in the context of economic crisis and labour market pressures. The book's chapters tease out the links between economic developments, regulatory frameworks and migration patterns in different European countries. A central focus is on issues of skills and skills mismatch and how they relate to migration forms, duration and individual decisions to stay or return. Based on detailed analysis of European and national-level sources, the results presented clearly contradict assumptions about a "knowledge driven migration". Rather, over-qualification and the corresponding underutilisation of migrant workers' skills emerge as a pervasive phenomenon. At the same time the characteristics of migrants - not just skills, but socio-demographic characteristics and attitudes - and also their labour market integration are shown to be very diverse and to vary substantially between different sending and receiving countries. This calls for a differentiated analysis and raises complex issues for policymakers. Examples where policy has contributed to positive outcomes for both migrants and domestic workforces are identified. Unique in analysing labour migration flows within the European Union in a comparative manner putting skills into the centre and taking account of the effects of the economic crisis, while addressing policy concerns this is a valuable resource for academics, policymakers and practitioners alike.

The debate on the free movement of labour within the EU has gained new momentum in the wake of the economic crisis. Building on the earlier Ashgate publication EU Labour Migration Since Enlargement, the editors have assembled a team of experts from across Europe to shed light on the critical issues raised by internal labour mobility within the EU in the context of economic crisis and labour market pressures. The book's chapters tease out the links between economic developments, regulatory frameworks and migration patterns in different European countries. A central focus is on issues of skills and skills mismatch and how they relate to migration forms, duration and individual decisions to stay or return. Based on detailed analysis of European and national-level sources, the results presented clearly contradict assumptions about a "knowledge driven migration". Rather, over-qualification and the corresponding underutilisation of migrant workers' skills emerge as a pervasive phenomenon. At the same time the characteristics of migrants - not just skills, but socio-demographic characteristics and attitudes - and also their labour market integration are shown to be very diverse and to vary substantially between different sending and receiving countries. This calls for a differentiated analysis and raises complex issues for policymakers. Examples where policy has contributed to positive outcomes for both migrants and domestic workforces are identified. Unique in analysing labour migration flows within the European Union in a comparative manner putting skills into the centre and taking account of the effects of the economic crisis, while addressing policy concerns this is a valuable resource for academics, policymakers and practitioners alike.

This book offers a comprehensive exploration of the ongoing digital transformation of public employment services (PES) – the most radical remaking of the welfare state in a generation.As PES shift from analogue to fully digitised services, this volume bridges the gap between technology, policy and frontline service provision. It provides a well-rounded analysis of the practical opportunities and challenges posed by digital welfare, reconnecting and reconciling technical possibilities and political ambitions with what is socially necessary as welfare systems undergo radical change.

The Research Handbook on Decent Work in a Post-COVID-19 World is an essential read, assessing prospects for employment, labour standards and the organisation of work in the wake of the pandemic. Contributing authors cover key developments and challenges in the field, from low pay to social protection.This Research Handbook investigates topics that have become more prominent since the COVID-19 pandemic, such as telework and essential workers. The book’s five central themes of inclusion and equality, the impact of technology, risks and regulation, governance and representation, and global developments provide a framework to examine the challenges and opportunities currently facing workers, trade unions, employers and policy makers. Scholars and students in fields such as employment relations, human resource management and political economy will find this to be a vital read. The book will also be of value to policy makers, HR practitioners, trade unions and others seeking to understand contemporary issues relating to decent work.