This book provides a description of a number of institutional features of the U.S. labor market and prompts an analytical debate about the origins of the institutions it describes and their significance for the operation of the U.S. economic system.
The economic performance of a national economy, as shown by indicators such as the rate of unemployment and inflation, is heavily dependent on the operation of its external and internal labour markets. From this standpoint the book focuses on the functions of internal labour markets and their interaction with external labour markets, comparing those of the Japanese and Western styles. The differing mechanisms of internal labour markets are examined by a strong range of international contributors from Japan, North America and Europe.
Japanese labour market practices have attracted considerable attention in the West for two reasons. Firstly, innovative human resource management (HRM) is responsible for the development of competitive industrial sectors. Secondly, inner flexibility of the labour market has produced low unemployment and wage flexibility. This study, originally published in 2000, provides a thorough investigation of the distinctive features of Japanese internal labour markets (ILM) and occupational labour markets (OLM), closely analyses important changes in ILM and considers future developments. It combines a mixture both of descriptive and of theoretical and econometric work and builds on the authors' wel- known previous research in this area. Also contains a detailed case study and the econometric analysis of HRM policies used by a large Japanese firm. Although the focus is on Japanese ILM, international comparisons are made throughout, mainly with reference to Europe and the United States.
The Dynamics of Labour Market Segmentation is a collection of different papers about the importance of differentiation between groups of workers and the development of employer strategies for controlling the labor process in the market. The book is divided into five parts. Part I discusses the nature of segmentation, duality, the internal labor market, internationalization, and discrimination. Part II tackles the industrial transformation and the evolution of dual labor markets and the paternalism and labor market segmentation theory, and Part III deals with topics such as entrepreneurial strategies of adjustment and internal labor markets; artisan production and economic growth; and outwork and segmented labor markets. Part IV covers the construction of women as second-class workers and the social reproduction and the basic structure of the labor market; Part V explores the labor market segmentation and the business cycle and the relationship between employment and output. The text is recommended for entrepreneurs who wish to understand the labor market as well as social scientists who would like to know the implications of the labor market segmentation not only for the marketplace but also for society as a whole.
Persistent unemployment is recognized as one of the main mechanisms of social and political exclusion. The Dynamics of Full Employment provides a new and fresh approach to the question of full employment in contemporary society. It offers an international
The economic performance of a national economy, as shown by indicators such as the rate of unemployment and inflation, is dependent on the operation of its external and internal labour markets. From this standpoint, this book focuses on the functions and interactions of internal labour markets and their interaction with external labour markets, comparing those of the Japanese and Western styles. The differing mechanisms of internal labour markets are examined by a range of contributors from Japan, North America and Europe.
The objectives of this book are: to review and develop a framework of key analytical concepts in the field of labour market segmentation; to develop and test these concepts against available data; to indicate weaknesses in the data in the light of the analysis; to offer a critique of manpower policies in some European countries in the light of the foregoing analysis; and to indicate areas of further research. The authors hope that this survey of the literature and the comments that accompany it will prove useful to policy makers and students alike. The authors woulp like to acknowledge the role of the Directorate General for Social Affairs of the European Community, Brussels, in initiating and supporting the production of this volume of criticism and discussion. We have especially appreciated the role of David White, on whose advice we came to rely in directing our critique upon the application of segmental theory to matters of labour market policy. Others whose help and advice we have relied on are John Morley, also of the European Community, Peta Small, who typed the several drafts, and our respective wives and families whose encouragement and discreet silences enabled us to get past the nth draft.
"This paper investigates the continuing significance of the internal labour market construct for shaping human resource management practices in an international investment banking organisation"--Abstract.
Internal Labour Markets in Japan analyzes the employment practices of individual firms in Japan, including wages, training, promotion, transfers and turnovers across firms. It provides a comprehensive account of the Japanese ILM, and provides theoretical models that are applied to empirical analysis using the data on Japanese firms. It also includes a detailed case study of a large Japanese firm, and contains a section that deals with the most recent changes in Japanese ILM after the "bubble" economy boom and subsequent recession. An international comparative perspective is used throughout.