• 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.

• 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.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.123-134
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• 1999

This study investigated the participation of household labor of employed wives and husbands and it’s influential variables. The subjects of this study were 287 couples(employed wives and husbands) living in Seoul. The data were analyzed by various statistical methods such as Frequency, Percentile, Pearson’s Correlation Analysis and Multiple Regression Analysis. The results of this research were as follows: 1. Wives spend on average of 7 hours and 23 minutes(per day), of 6 hours and 35 minutes(per weekday), of 12 hours and 7 minutes (per weekends) on household labor, whereas husbands spend on average of hours and 38 minutes(per day), of 2 hours and 11 minutes(per weekday), of 5 hours and 18 minutes(per weekends) on household labor. Wives performed most childcare, next, food of the household labors. Husbands performed most childcare, next housing of the household labors. 2. In wives’participation of household labor, the influencial variables were the number of child, wive’s age and wive’s education level. In husbands’participation of household labor, the influencial variables were the number of child, husband’s sex role attitude, wive’s age, and flexibility of wive’s work.

• 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.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.25-42
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• 2019

This research examined the mediation effect of Workforce Agility (WA) on the relationship between environmental uncertainty and operational performance. We manipulated the control variables that are known to be affected by employment flexibility. Employment flexibility is caused by idiosyncratic characteristics of Korean port system. The analysis was tested by Baron & Kenny's method. The result indicates that each path of the proposed model is significant. Furthermore, the mediation effect was checked with the Sobel Test. The research revealed that environment uncertainty poses an indirect effect on operational performance. Both supply/demand uncertainty and technological uncertainty affected operational performance through the mediation effect of WA. Most of the distribution centers located in Busan Newport Distripark are operated in a bimodal labor (human resource) system which includes both permanent employees (workers) and temporary employees (workers). This empirical research provides theoretical and managerial implications by suggesting ways to increase efficiency in distribution center operation through WA enhancement, and to improve the unloading labor system.

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.1-47
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• 2014

Longitudinal analysis of individual wage data received from the Korea Labor and Income Panel Survey (KLIPS) for the 1998-2012 period reveals that nominal wage reductions are prevailing among job stayers. It is also found that the probability of nominal wage cut is higher in the period of lower inflation or higher unemployment, and affected by various individual or group characteristics. Additional analysis of two establishment-based average wage series and the KLIPS shows that real wages are substantially procyclical, which is attributed to the strong procyclicality of nominal wages rather than countercyclicality of inflation. Current findings defy wage-rigidity-based explanations of unemployment fluctuations or models that predict wage rigidity, inlcluding segmented labor market hypotheses.

• 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.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.345-358
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• 1997

This study investigated the pattern of division of household labor between married couples and the determining variables of the division of household work. In addition, this study examined the effect of the pattern of the division of household work and the sense of fairness on marital satisfaction. Two hundreds forty two married couples living near seoul were selected. Both wives and husbands reported their daily time-use pattern. According to the results, flexibility of husbands' work schedules hours of market work of husbands, husbands' sex role attitudes, and the presence of household assistant affected significantly on the extent of household work time. In addition, husbands' household work time had direct effects on marital satisfaction of couples. In wives' hours of household labor, the significant variables were wives' employment status, presence of younger children, total income, wives' sex role attitudes, and hours of household labor performed by housework assistant. In addition, wives' sense of fairness had impact significantly on marital satisfaction.

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.161-182
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• 2002

The self-employment can provide work time flexibility. Work time flexibility would be a critical factor for married females' labor supply considering allocation of their time to market work and household work. This study used the 1998 and 2000 Korea Labor and Income Panel Survey for the empirical analyses. Applying the bivariate probit model with partial observability, this study analyzed factors related to the choice of participation in labor market and choice of self-employment. Also, this study examined the effects of marriage and the presence of younger children on changes in decisions related to labor supply using the multinomial logit model: exit from the labor market, increasing and decreasing work hours. The presence of the younger children showed a significantly negative effect on the participation in labor market while positive, but insignificant, effect on self-employment. Compared with females working for others, self-employers without employees and unpaid family workers are less likely to exit labor market rather than increasing work hours. The self-employment would be a good alternative to evade females' career interruption and therefore to enhance the potential human resources.

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.1-31
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• 2021

This paper estimates the employment effects among 55~59 years old men of delayed mandatory retirement act between 2016 and 2019. Although the positive employment effects appear to have reclined during the period, they have remained non-trivial and may have encroached youth employment. The results suggest that wages should be flexibly adjusted in the market so that labor demand can sufficiently expand to accommodate the increased labor supply among the old without hurting the young.