• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.53
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• pp.129-153
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• 2003

This study examines the socio-economic impacts of recent welfare reform in the United States. Based on the neo-conservative critique to the traditional public assistance system for low-income families, the 1996 welfare reform has given greater emphases on reducing welfare dependency and increasing work effort and self-sufficiency among welfare recipients. In particular, the welfare reform legislation instituted 60-month lifetime limits on cash assistance, expanded mandatory work requirements, and placed financial penalties for noncompliance. With the well-timed economic boom in the second half of the 1990s, the welfare reform seems to achieve considerable progress; welfare caseload has declined sharply to reach less than 50% of its 1994 peak, single mothers' labor force participation has increased substantially, and child poverty has decreased. In spite of these good signals, the welfare reform also has several potential problems. Many welfare leavers participate in the labor market, but not all (or most) of them. The economic well being of working welfare leavers did not increased significantly, because earnings increase was canceled out by parallel decrease in welfare benefits. Furthermore, most of working welfare leavers are employed in jobs with poor employment stability and low wages, making them highly vulnerable to frequent layoff, long-time joblessness, persistent poverty, and welfare recidivism. Another serious problem of the welfare reform is that a substantial number of welfare recipients are faced with extreme difficulties in finding jobs, because they have severe barriers to employment. The new welfare system with 5-year time limit can severely threaten the livelihoods of these people. The welfare reform presupposes that welfare recipients can achieve self-reliance by increasing their labor market activities. However, empirical evidences suggest that many people are unable to respond to the new, work-oriented welfare strategy. It may be a very difficult task to achieve both objectives of the welfare reform((1) providing adequate income security for low-income families and (2) promoting self-sufficiency) at the same time, because sometimes they are conflicting each other. With this in mind, a possible solution can be to distinguish welfare recipients into "(Very)-Hard-to-Employ" group and "(Relatively)-Ready-to-Work" group, based on elaborate examinations of a wide range of personal conditions. For the former group, the primary objective of welfare policies should be the first one(providing income security). For the "Ready-to-Work" group, follow-up services to promote job retention and advancement, as well as skill-training and job-search services, are very important. The U. S. experiences of the welfare reform provide some useful implications for newly developing Korean public assistance policies for the able-bodied low-income population.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.553-563
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• 2020

Suicide is one of the major social problems in Korea, and its suicide rate is highest among the OECD countries. It has been reported that employment instability in labour market is causal factor of suicide ideation. Because the unemployed and temporary or part-time workers are reported to have high level of suicide ideation due to unstable job security, and they are likely to be a high risk group for suicide, it is necessary to do in-depth research on the effect of job stability on suicide ideation and the protective factors. For this purpose this study investigates the relationship between employment status and suicide ideation, and examine the moderating effect of family function. Data of 1,235 adults from the national-wide 'Longitudinal Study of Suicide Survivors' Mental Health were analyzed. Employment status were associated with the level of suicide ideation(B=-.904, p<.001), and the level of suicide ideation was the highest in the unemployed group. And the moderating effect of family function was statistically significant(B=-.218, p<.05), and good family function buffers the effect of unstable job status on suicide as a protective factor. Based on these findings, policy and practical implications for suicide prevention for precarious employment from the family dimension are discussed.

• Korean Journal of Labor Studies
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.65-105
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• 2018

This study examines the employment relations of TNC subsidiaries in Central and Eastern Europe(CEE). Specifically, this study analyzes the employment relations of Volkswagen subsidiaries, which has led the restructuring the CEE's automobile industry since the collapse of socialist regimes, and Hyundai subsidiaries, which has sought to cast employment relations through Greenfield Investment as a latecomer. After the collapse of socialism, with the massive inflow of foreign direct investment and the social legacy of weak labor unions, CEE has been included in the global production network as low-wage production base. Both VW and Hyundai have entered the CEE with their own characteristics and global strategies that have been developed in their home countries and have developed the local production. In the process, both have formed local employment relations, combining low-wage, unstable employment, and weak labor unions of CEE under their own strategy. In recent years, however, it has been doubtful of the sustainability of employment relations based on the advantages of low-wage production bases, as the pools of low-wage workforce decline and new union movements occur in CEE. These changes in CEE are an indication of the inherent contradiction of low-wage production base strategies.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.73-103
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• 2005

This study takes of youth panel data(2002-2003), there is the purpose to know to youth employed's labor mobility conditions of employment status conversion and examine on factors affecting conversion of employment status. Main analysis result and policy imply, is as following. First, although youth employed's non-standard employment shows some decrease, employment youth hierarchy was construed that youth of our country is consisting very changefully because appear great turnover that is converted by unemployment or Not economically activity population same period. Specially, non-standard employment phenomenon of woman or low in scholarship person appeared notedly, and because phenomenon that is converted by unemployment or Not economically activity population is expose that is deepened, discriminating policy of government dimension is required for employment stabilization of these class. Second, show result that danger to escape to non-standard job risk trap which seeking employment activity of youth class is arranged case or company which is formed by official path is suitable becomes low, must formulate path of employment about youth class and improve qualitative level of employment through suitable job placement education of youth class or function (technology) level. Third, when was construed, but take into account that the although large enterprise have low risk in non-standard job, recently employment of youth class consists very limited, rather small scale business or smaller enterprise's competitive power preferably need to be plan. Finally, danger to non-standard job youth employed's company form is government connection wonder was expose that high, Such result can do that it is difficult by limited research period, but reflect actuality that youth unemployment policy of our country is enforced laying stress on public labor or unregular job employment such as internship system. Therefore, current youth unemployment policy may have to change by employment policy that can secure stable work record by youth class or act as bridge-building that promote conversion by full-time job.

• 한국노년학
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.727-745
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• 2017

This study purported to examine the effects of precarious employment and social capital on the changes of self-rated health status among the middle aged and the young-old population in South Korea. The study analyzed 12 year follow-up data generated by the Korean Labor and Income Panel Study(KLIPS 6-17), which included 10532 employed subjects aged 55 to 75. Multi-level growth curve modeling was performed by fixed and random effect models using STATA 13.0 program. Afterwards, Hausman test was performed, which resulted in support of the estimation by fixed effect model. The results showed that a day labor position was significant factor affecting the deteriorated changes of self-rated health status over time. In addition, wage, weekly working hours, and private/relational social capitals were also found to be significant factors affecting the changes of the self-rated health status. The results supported the divergence hypothesis as well as the cumulative advantage theory. Efforts should be made to develop and implement various employment support policies and social service programs to alleviate the health inequality of the employed workers over their middle-aged to young-old period.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.177-189
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• 2017

The purpose of this research is to investigate the factors which effect the intention to reemploy after the retirement and the mediation effect of the social capitalism for retired and prospective retired baby boomers. Starting from 2010, baby boomers have been retiring at a large scale. However retirement at a large scale without securing provision for fiancial wise in later life can lead to many issues regarding social and fiancial wise such as instability of labour market and increase of spending in society welfare cost and such on. Change of individual's self prospective and institutional support to help prepare find new career for next 3decade after the retirement needs to be concretized. The results of this study suggest that the management orientation affects the social capital positively and the autonomous orientation does not affect the relationship between career orientation and social capital. In terms of the relationship between career orientation and reemployment intention, management orientation does not affect the intention of the entrepreneur but affects the reemployment intention positively, while the autonomous intention affects neither entrepreneurial intention nor reemployment intention (+), Respectively. Social capital has a positive effect on the intention of reemployment, and the mediating effect of social capital on the relationship between career orientation and reemployment. Also, while in the work force, potential retiring baby boomer workers should be systematically supported with education, training and reemployment program based on individual's career orientation and allowing them to stay for a longer period in the labour market can be the implication to the solution for the economic stability and increasing social cost such as public pensions.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.37
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• pp.143-169
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• 1999

The problems of unemployment have been recognized as male problems even though the female unemployment problems are as significant as those of men since IMF. The women who have experienced insecure employment and lower wage than men in the labor market are having more serious economic difficulties after being unemployed. Especially economic problems of the unemployed female headed families are anticipated to be tremendous because the female heads do not have spouses who can act as a buffer seeking or beginning to work to reduce economic hardship. The purpose of this paper is to compare living conditions and utilization of the unemployment programs between male and female heads of the family who are unemployed and discouraged workers. It will examine the functionalism, human capital theory, and feminist perspectives on the cause of female unemployment in order to help understanding of their living situations after being unemployed. Then, it will compare the socio-demographic characteristics, their economic activities before being unemployed, their living conditions and changes in family life after being unemployed, their efforts to overcome unemployment and utilization of various government unemployment programs. It used the national data of National Unemployment Survey of Korean Institute of Health and Social Affairs conducted in 1998 and analyzed 283 female and 1,528 male family heads who are unemployed and discouraged workers. It reveals that the female family heads experienced lower economic status in the labor market before being unemployed, are having more serious economic hardship because of it, utilize more of the government programs such as public work and public assistance than the male family heads but less of the public loans for the unemployed. It recommends expansion of public work and public assistance, more vigorous advertisement of various unemployment programs, and active training of job creation technique for female family heads.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.119-142
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• 2005

The purpose of this study is to explore and describe of the reality of working poor in Korea. In spite of the increasing attention to the working poor, usual definitions of the working poor have some measurement questions. The definition of the working poor should focus on the key dimensions of work and poverty. This study defines working poor as all "persons who have devoted prior 6 months to working or looking for work and who lived in families with incomes below the poverty threshold". This study also defines poverty threshold based on the both concept of absolute and relative poverty. According to this definition, the working poor are almost equally divided between men and women and the majority of them are of prime working age. These characteristics of working poor are seems to be quite different from common sense. Also, serious deficiencies of human capital contribute to the employment problems of the working poor. Their education levels are much less than those of the working non-poor. The distributions of the employment status, occupation, and industry show also that the working poor are highly concentrated in a few low-wage jobs.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.41-70
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• 2005

The object of the study is to examine the change of social-economic structure and poverty-shape to escape poverty. In Korea, the working poor have been increased by flexibility and division of labor market since the economic crisis in 1997, and are faced with hard conditions due to the vulnerable welfare system. Especially the workers who engage in irregular jobs were increased by restructure of labor market. Besides they are in unstable employment terms such as low payment, low-skill and exclusion from welfare-benefit. Many small independent businessmen are also in danger of poverty for enterprises trend to move abroad by globalization. Poverty policy in our country was focused on the absolute poor class that has relation with old age, unemployment, disable, disease etc, so they were the object of welfare policy. The poverties, however, are increasing rapidly after the economic crisis, and they work so hard but are still poor, that is, participation in labor market doesn't become an element to escape poverty. Thus the emergence of new poverties whose core consists of the working poor becomes to need new poverty policy. The study is to survey change of their economic conditions, their welfare conditions, their experiences and responses of social dangers after the economic crisis, then to explore the policy to escape poverty. As the result of the study, it shows that the working poor experienced many kinds of social dangers like unemployment, decrease of income etc. In their welfare conditions as their responses to the social dangers, the benefit of social insurance, enterprise welfare like legal retirement pay and paid leave and private welfare such as private pension and insurance are low. The working poor are faced with social dangers, moreover, they don't have skill or education for adapting themselves to information society. The study says that it needs variable policies for the working poor to escape poverty, and suggests payment & tax policies as stable income policy, occupational discipline and skill-education for promoting the quality of employment, moreover, social insurance as expansion of social welfare policy and housing & education policies whose objects are the working poor.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.64 no.4
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• pp.233-259
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• 2012

Recently, the youth employment crisis which is characterized by high unemployment and low employment rate has been considerably serious, while jobless growth has been observed. However, job shortage and unstable labor status of the old are also main issues. To solve this problem, the job creation and deferred retirement for the old has been proceeded. Consequently, it has caused to the intergenerational war on job due to equity of job creation for the youth. However, it is not desirable that the problem would be diagnosed and the policy would be set up although little attention has so far been paid to test empirically this kind of substitution relation. Thus, this research has been analyzed whether the employment relation between the youth and the old is substitution or not. The analysis method is panel data analysis in 15 OECD countries including Korea(1990~2000). Major findings are as follows. First, only half of the youth and the old works. It provides the evidence that the employment crisis is not a problem of special generation but all of them. Second, employment relation between generations followed by panel analysis is not substitution relation. This findings can be interpreted as evidence that it is unlikely to solve the youth employment matter even though the government encourages the early retirement.