Abstract

Which working conditions shape workers’ assessment of the quality of their job or employment? Using a primary dataset (N = 3,784), from a unique survey, we examine the association between a comprehensive range of working conditions and workers’ evaluations of the quality of their own job and employment situation. We create ten dimensions of job quality, distinguishing broadly between objective and subjective determinants. We estimate the relative contribution of each dimension and its several components. Regression results indicate that while objective factors like compensation play a role, a large proportion of the variation in perceived job quality stems from subjective aspects, including job security, meaningfulness of work, and workplace relationships. These findings highlight the importance of non-monetary factors in shaping workers’ job quality, most of which could be improved at least indirectly via practices and policies.

Abstract

Building upon the Job Demands-Resources model, this study examines the relationships among precarious work schedules, work attendance anxiety, and employer support during the early COVID-19 pandemic. For part-time retail workers, the prevalence of precarious work schedules has been a persistent problem. Additionally, new challenges such as work attendance anxiety and lack of employer support emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected through an online survey on the Amazon Mechanical Turk platform. Between July and August 2020, we secured a sample of U.S. part-time workers in “food and beverage retail stores” (N = 179). Using Ordinary Least Squares regression analyses, we find that work attendance anxiety, lack of control over work hours, and non-standard working hours are negatively associated with job satisfaction. In terms of employer support, personal protective equipment is associated with lower levels of work attendance anxiety and alleviates the impact of work attendance anxiety on job satisfaction. The findings provide valuable insights for employers and managers aiming to enhance job satisfaction and effectively respond to challenges posed by health crises

Funding

Summer Research Fellowship 2020, School of Social Policy & Practice, University of Pennsylvania

Conference Poster

Choi, H. & Marinescu, I. (January 2022). ”Anxiety Undermined Job Satisfaction Among Essential Workers in the U.S. during the COVID-19 Pandemic”. Poster presentation, Annual Meeting of the Society for Social Work and Research, Washington, DC.

Abstract

Involuntary part-time employment is a measure of labor market slack that goes beyond the unemployment rate, and broadens our understanding of the state of the labor market. Our study investigates the determinants of the involuntary part-time employment share (i.e., the proportion of involuntary part-time workers in all employment) by accounting for both labor supply (unemployment) and labor demand (job vacancies). We use big data on the near universe of online job vacancies collected by Burning Glass Technologies and the Current Population Survey from 2003 to 2021. We find that, within a commuting zone by Census OCC cell, a 10% increase in the unemployment rate increases the involuntary part-time rate by 0.19 percentage points, while a 10% increase in job vacancies decreases the involuntary part-time rate by 0.07 percentage points. We also provide suggestive evidence that higher labor market concentration, which is indicative of greater labor market power, may raise involuntary part-time employment. Overall, we conclude that higher labor supply and lower labor demand increase involuntary part-time employment.

Funding

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

Conference Presentation

Choi, H. & Marinescu, I. (March 2022). "The Impact of Labor Market Concentration on Unemployment and Underemployment”. Oral presentation, Midwest Economics Association Annual Meeting, Minneapolis.

Choi, H. & Marinescu, I. (November 2022).“The Labor Demand Side of Involuntary Part-time Employment". Oral presentation, Annual Meeting of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, Washington DC. 

Choi, H. & Marinescu, I. (January 2023). “Labor Market Concentration and Involuntary Parttime Employment”. Oral presentation, Meeting of Labor and Employment Relations Association with Allied Social Science Associations, New Orleans, LA.

Abstract

This data article provides a description of the labor market concentration dataset. Using the job vacancy data from Lightcast from 2007Q1 to 2021Q2 (2008 and 2009 data are not available), we measure labor market concentration by using Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) in labor markets defined at the occupation (six-digit SOC), commuting zone, and quarterly level. The HHI is calculated based on the share of vacancies among all the firms that post vacancies in that market. Data includes information on year-quarter, six-digit SOC, commuting zone, lower bound HHI, and higher bound HHI. Given the growing literature on labor monopsony power, this labor market concentration data can be used by researchers in various contexts, aiming to investigate the impact of employer market power on different labor market and social outcomes.

Funding

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

Abstract

Purpose: The America Rescue Plan (ARP) transformed the Child Tax Credit (CTC) into a more generous, inclusive monthly payment from July through December 2021. However, the expansion has been terminated and the annual CTC has been reinstated. The United States is one of the few OECD countries that do not have a child allowance system and South Korea has recently adopted child allowance in 2018. This study aims to comprehensively review the existing literature and evidence on ARP-CTC in the United States and Universal Child Allowance (CA) in Korea.

Design/methodology/approach: The researchers completed a database search between July 1, 2022 and July 20, 2022. For the United States, the search keywords were child tax credit OR expanded child tax credit OR CTC OR child allowance. For Korea, the search keyword was child allowance. Searches were conducted using 79 databases. A total of 36 US studies and 7 Korean studies met all the inclusion criteria and proceeded to the extraction process. A narrative thematic synthesis approach was employed to identify themes in the findings. The results were organized based on the characteristics of the studies and the post-intervention outcomes.

Findings: Studies in the United States focused primarily on economic outcomes, including poverty and material hardship, reflecting the concern policymakers and researchers have about child poverty. On the other hand, Korean studies examined employment, economic well-being, psychological well-being and expenditures in a relatively balanced share. Overall, studies found that both ARP-Child Tax Credits and Universal Child Allowance reduced child poverty and improved material hardship. Also, studies in both countries suggested that both policies had positive impacts on parental psychological well-being.

Originality/value: To the authors knowledge, this paper is the first to comprehensively review the impact of the US ARP-CTC in comparison with the Korean child allowance. Two studies reviewed and updated the literature on US ARP-CTC as a round-up paper. Moreover, the authors conduct cross-national comparative analyses between the United States and Korea. The contexts of the child allowance system in the two nations have both similarities and differences, thereby offering a unique opportunity for a comparative study.

Abstract

This work examines power dynamics at play in the early child-saving movement as illuminated in the case records and annual reports of the Pennsylvania Society to Protect Children from Cruelty (SPCC) from 1878 to 1881 and triangulated with other historical records.1 We draw on ecological systems theory and urban ecology to examine social and spatial relationships between child-saving institutions, communities, and individuals and families. The paper adapts template analysis for archival research as a replicable approach for studying historical power dynamics embedded in social welfare institutions. This approach highlights the changing role of community members in identifying and responding to neglect and abuse and uncovers common themes that continue to impact the modern child welfare system.

Abstract

This article explores working time reduction (WTR) from the perspective of worker preferences for a reconfigured shortened workweek, such as a four-day workweek, and its expected productivity as perceived by workers themselves. Using unique, primary survey data from 2024, we address three key questions: Which workers believe that working one less day per week would not at all hamper their work productivity? What work and job characteristics are associated with the belief that productivity could be maintained with one fewer workdays per week? How might a preference for reduced workdays affect the perception of maintaining productivity? The logistic regression findings indicate that female, white, previously-married, and full-time workers believe that they are more likely than their counterparts to maintain productivity when working shortened workweeks, while construction workers, health care practitioners, and professionals/IT workers are less likely to maintain productivity. In addition, the preference for shorter workweeks strongly increases expected productivity on shorter workweeks.  

Funding

Workrise, Urban Institute 

Abstract

How did the COVID-19 recession affect part-time workers who wanted full-time jobs? This paper compares the patterns and determinants of involuntary part-time employment during the Great Recession of 2007-2009 and the COVID-19 recession of 2020. We use data from the Current Population Survey from January 1994 to December 2022. Based on the experience of the Great Recession, one would have expected a large increase in involuntary part-time work during the COVID-19 Recession. Relative to these expectations, the surge in involuntary part-time employment in 2020 was subdued compared to the increase in unemployment. This can be explained by the distinguishing features of the COVID-19 recession: workers transitioning to unemployment due to business closures, and changes in consumer behavior driven by the fear of contagion. In particular, contact-based industries like leisure and hospitality experienced decreased demand, leading to more layoffs, and less hour reduction than other industries. Thus, they had a higher unemployment rate and a lower share of involuntary part-time workers. In the most adversely affected industries, employers were not able to adjust with hours reduction -- which would have increased involuntary part-time work -- but instead resorted to laying off workers. The labor market recovery from the recession in 2020 was also much swifter than the recovery after 2009: unemployed and under-employed workers in the COVID-19 recession were able to secure new employment relatively quickly, with dramatic decreases in both involuntary part-time employment and unemployment within a few months. This paper reveals how the COVID-19 recession reshaped the labor market through unemployment rather than underemployment, and how favorable conditions facilitate a surprisingly rapid recovery.

Funding

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

Conference Presentation

Choi, H. & Marinescu, I. (March 2022). "Involuntary Part-time Employment in Two Recent Economic Downturns: Lessons from the Great Recession and the COVID-19 Recession.” Oral presentation, Midwest Economics Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.

Brief Summary

Researchers at the University of Illinois’ Project for Middle Class Renewal (PMCR) have developed an  indicator of what determines the quality of jobs and work in the state - Employment Quality in Illinois  (EQ-IL 2.0). EQ-IL 2.0 extends the recent prior PMCR effort by creating a more comprehensive explanation  of what factors determine employment quality. This latest iteration analyzes a larger sample size (5,610 working in Illinois), and a wider range of dimensions and components gleaned from a survey issued in late 2023 to identify empirically the contribution of a vast array of worker-reported working conditions toward explaining workers’ own ratings of the quality of their employment situation. EQ-IL 2.0 is composed of ten (10) core, distinct dimensions, each with associated sub-components. In terms of which of our 10 dimensions (D) of EQ are relatively most salient in explaining the variation in the perceived EQ, in order of strength, out of the total 44% explained by our model (56% cannot be explained by our empirical model), these are: D9 Job Content (9.5%) D4 Job Security/Risk (7.7%) D5 Outlook/Future Prospects (5.6%) D8 Physical Environment of Work (5.5%) D7 Social Environment of Work (4.7%) D10 Empowerment/Voice at Work (3.9%) D6 Hours/Scheduling of Work (1.0%) D1 Compensation/Pay (0.8%) D3 Work-Life Reconciliation Support (0.3%) D2 Employer-Provided Benefits (0.3%). In multivariate estimation models that attempt to explain EQ with all measured job components, controlling for other work and personal characteristics, the statistically significant factors, in order of strength are: 1. How secure is one’s job (D4) 2. Meaningfulness of work (D9) 3. Union membership (D10) 4. Sense of belonging at work (D7) 5. Earnings per hour (D1) 6. Safe emotionally at work (D7) 7. Supervisor support (D7) 8. Opportunities for advancement/promotion (D5) 9. Autonomy (freedom) at job/tasks (D9) 10. Risk of job loss due to AI (D4) 11. Probability of finding a comparable job (D5) 12. # of Usual days worked/week (D6) 13. Opportunities for formal training (D5) 14. Difficulty of coordinating caregiving with work (D3) 15. Typical hours worked/week (D6). 

Brief Summary

As of the time of writing, Illinois has passed a new budget that includes a provision to provide families in the state with a CTC for children under the age of 12. Critics argue that the expansion of CTC may create a moral hazard that reduces the labor supply. Therefore, with passage of this new credit, it is crucial to assess its potential employment effects. This PMCR report offers new empirical evidence using 2019-2021 Survey of Program Participation and Income data, to inform the debate on the possible work disincentives associated with the expanded CTC. By comparing the effects at the Midwest and national levels, the study draws implications for Illinois. The study findings underscore the importance of considering specific demographic factors and prior work history when assessing the impact of the expanded CTC on employment outcomes. While the expanded CTC has not demonstrated significant negative effects on employment or labor force participation overall, the heterogeneous pattern across demographic groups suggests that certain populations may face elevated barriers to workforce participation. Furthermore, individuals with varying work histories may respond differently to policy changes, highlighting the need to account for these differences in employment outcomes. 

Brief Summary

Considering the significance of policy context and aiming to address existing research gaps, this report examines the impact of a ABAWD time limit policy reinstatement on labor market outcomes in Illinois with a specific focus on barriers to work and the SNAP E&T program. Leveraging data from the SNAP Quality Control (QC) data, American Community Survey (ACS), and Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), the report begins with descriptive statistics to elucidate the current landscape of SNAP work requirements in Illinois. Subsequently, it employs multivariate regression, Difference-inDifferences (DiD), and Trippel DiD (DDD) analyses to further explore the impact. Results show that SNAP ABAWD participants with severe barriers to work, such as those unemployed in the past 12 months and with less than a high school education, are particularly affected, experiencing declines in employment and labor force participation compared to those with fewer barriers. However, the findings suggest that training programs may mitigate the negative impact of SNAP time limit reinstatement.