• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.117-138
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• 2004

The purpose of this article is to show a model on enhancing labor market flexibility and to compare labor market flexibility, considering that the model on labor market flexibility, universally acceptable, are not found. The writer classified the scope of labor market flexibility into three parts such as indirect adjustment, direct adjustment and policy adjustment. The writer further classified the contents of labor market flexibility into eleven sub-parts. This kind of classification regarding labor market flexibility is unique and comprehensive. Based on this classification, the writer measured the degree of labor market flexibility of four countries such as USA, Japan, Germany, and Korea. According to the results, the ranks of labor market flexibility are USA, Japan, Korea, Germany.

• East Asian Economic Review
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.275-301
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• 2020

We analyze state-level matching efficiencies in the Indian labor market using stochastic frontier analysis. The key contribution of this research is the estimation of matching efficiencies at the state level because these can be used for a state-level measure of labor market conditions. Next, we explore the relationship between the estimated matching efficiencies and population density, labor market flexibility, and the Ease of Doing Business index, respectively. The results show that matching efficiency is heterogeneous across states with considerable variation in accordance with the regional diversity in India. However, we find that there is little relationship between the estimated matching efficiencies and the labor market conditions of interest, suggesting that other regional diversity affects matching efficiencies across states in India.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.475-509
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• 2011

Taking 195 Korean businesses and sorting them out according to the unit types, this study looks into how flexibility strategy in labor market, which consists of numerical flexibility and functional flexibility, takes effect on the organization's outcome variable, which in turn consists of productivity, labor-management cooperation, and job security. In addition, the present study analyzes the role of labor union's moderating effect on the relationship among labor market flexibility, labor-management cooperation, and job security. It is found out as a result that numerical flexibility has no meaningful relation with productivity, labor-management cooperation, and job security, while functional flexibility has a considerably positive relation with them. This result confirms the importance of functional flexibility of business strategy in labor market. The West has continuously insisted the importance of functional flexibility, pointing out problems of numerical flexibility. On the other hand, considering that this study has confirmed functional flexibility's meaningful relation, while it has not found out numerical flexibility's negative relation, it is necessary to study further on the relationship between these two kinds of flexibility. The result of analysis on the role of union power's moderating effect confirms only the union power's interaction effect in the relation between numerical flexibility and labor-management cooperation. The possibility of union's opportunistic behavior can be detected in this result.

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.129-159
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• 2018

The foremost aim of the paper is to evaluate the flexibility and stability of the Korean labor market through a cross-country comparison with OECD countries. Evaluating by the OECD Employment Protection Legislation Index, the flexibility of permanent job layoff in Korea is close to the average of OECD countries. Employment of temporary workers appears to be relatively flexible allowing for effective indicators such as the proportion of temporary workers among paid employees. As regards security, the levels of job security, income security and combination security are all far below the OECD average. A panel data analysis of OECD countries reveals that labor productivity increases as regulations on permanent job layoff become looser and regulations on temporary employment become more rigorous.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.14
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• pp.117-132
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• 2004

The purpose of this study is to propose empirically the improvement measures of labor conditions of the contingent worker. Since early 1980s, the labour market in Korea has given rise to a rapid growth in contingent worker. Last year, the number has shot over 7 million mark, with the ratio standing above the 50%. This study analyses the improvement measures of labor conditions of the contingent worker. This study present five major improvement measures of labor conditions of the contingent worker. First, It's establish of the relations between organizational flexibility of the labour market and the contingent worker. Second, It's needs to realize wages level of the contingent worker. Third, the contingent worker convert standard workforce step by step. Fourth, it's make no discrimination of the between contingent worker and standard workforce. Fifthly, the government place restrictions of the contingent worker rates.

• East Asian Economic Review
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.273-309
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• 2021

The development of regulatory systems varies between transition and non-transition economies. This suggests that they provide different incentives for entrepreneurial development and could have varied effects on the economy because they have different methods to deal with market failure. However, limited empirical evidence exists to prove the assumption of dichotomy. Using comprehensive data for institutional quality, labor market and financial market development, this research sought to analyze their effect on employment growth at micro level. The results show that the quality of institutions in transition economies are poorer relative to those in non-transition economies, but their financial and labor markets are more developed than the latter. Further analysis for the transition sample shows that the three variables are individually positively related with employment growth. For the non-transition sample, institutional quality and labor market flexibility bear a positive and significant effect on employment. Financial market development enters the model with a negative coefficient when regressed alone, but a joint test of significance finds that all the variables have a positive effect on employment growth. This result could imply that there is interdependence between institutional quality, labor flexibility and financial market development in firm-employment-growth relationship, or complementarity between regulations and the quality of institutions. Alternatively, this finding suggests that a stringently regulated credit market in non-transition economies have a selection effect-allocating credit only to entrepreneurs who already demonstrate strong growth potential. In sum, despite differences in the evolution of regulatory environment between the two samples, both of them complement employment growth at firm level. The overall implication of these findings is that less rigid regulations and coherent policies that are enforced with impartiality provide incentives for firms to expand.

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.25-46
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• 2010

The outstanding performance of some nations in Central and Northern Europe such as Denmark and the Netherlands in the labor market is much indebted to their policy to help labor flexicurity. In this study, the possibility of replicating the Dutch or Danish performance in the labor market is explored in case of adopting such policy in the 22 OECD countries. If implementing the flexicurity policy in the 22 member countries of the OECD leads to strong performance in the labor market, this policy can be globally shared as universal labor policy to provide a win-win situation among the labor, management and the authorities on the matter, paving the way for replacing the Anglo-Saxon policy characterized by high flexibility and low security, or the European alternative with a lower level of flexibility and a higher level of security. According to findings from our research, flexicurity policy can not produce any tangible accomplishments in the labor market by only itself. Therefore, we may safely reach the conclusion that flexicurity policy has a limited positive influence on the labor market of some northern or central European countries. Given the striking difference in inherent conditions between such European countries and OECD countries, it is not sensible for OECD nations to adopt labor policy in the direction of flexicurity.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.45-112
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• 2002

Enhancing labor market flexibility is currently posted as one of the major economic policy objectives in Korea. However, the labor market effects of specific policies to achieve it have not been sufficiently investigated. This paper takes up the issue of employment protection deregulation and surveys and empirically analyzes its policy effects. Academic researches generally confirm that deregulation tends to promote labor turnover and employment of the disadvantaged groups such as the youth and female by raising the overall efficiency of the economy, but its effects on unemployment is not clear. In the Korean labor market, both job creation and destruction, and labor mobility have increased after the economic crisis of 1998, but they can not be seen as deregulation effects as the changes are confined to the temporary and daily employment whose labor markets are least regulated whereas the regular employment market remains virtally unchanged. Such results suggest that labor market deregulation need to be pursued consistently as a policy goal since the labor demand condition shift and the need for expanding regular employment necessitates it, for which detailed policy agenda for removing market inefficiencies should be carefully arranged.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.83-112
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• 1998

The unemployment rate in Korea increased sharply since the deep economic depression. The rapid increase of unemployment rate is attributed, in part, to economic shock, but more basically to the structural problem of labor market. Moreover over 2-3 years later, the labor market perspective looks dismal. To overcome the labor market crisis, the fundamental reforms aimed at improving the labor market function is required. Thus the focus of policy should shift from reducing unemployment to increasing employment.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.79-112
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• 2000

This study was focused on the contrasting pattern of part-time employment between Japan and Taiwan where the environments are similar in terms of expanding service industries and increasing flexibility of labor. In Japan, the expansion of part-time employment and its feminization have occurred, whereas they have not at all in Taiwan. The purpose of this study was to examine the reasons behind this phenomena, and to explore what relations they might have with the supply of women\`s labor in each country. Data analysis showed the following results. First, when the phenomena of part-time employment in Japan and Taiwan are summarized as \`active\` and \`inactive\` models, the difference could be explained by a structure-oriented approach rather than an individual-oriented approach. In other words, the difference between the two countries is mainly because of the structural characteristics of the labor market. a combination of capitalism and patriarchy, and an effect of state welfare and family policies rather than a \`voluntaristic choice\` due tn household work and child rearing. In light of this. the labor market segmentation and flexibility of labor theory in particular provided a useful frame for explanation. Second, with regard to the supply of women\`s labor, the difference between Japan and Taiwan could be found in the structure of the labor market and in family response strategies. The large corporation-oriented and strictly divided labor market structure in Japan activated part-time employment and its feminization, whereas, the small family-oriented businesses and less divided labor market in Taiwan supported the continuity of full-time employment of married women. There was also a room for informal employment in Taiwan which made part-time employment unnecessary. This study showed that even within similar environments of expanding service industry and pursuing flexibility of labor different measures and adaptations were possible. The case of Taiwan in particular, showed the significance of an informal labor market which was a part of industrialization process and a strategy of producing various products through a subcontracting network.