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This paper examines the determinants of job-related training and workplace voice. Using data from a unique 2016 cross-national survey of Australian, British, Canadian and American employees, the paper contrasts two classic formulations in the literature; (1) the neoclassical/human capital approach which predicts that individual characteristics (such as age and education) which increase the efficiency of learning, will have the largest impact on the allocation of training (i.e. younger and more educated employees will be afforded training) and (2) the traditional institutional approach which favors the structural characteristics present at the industry and firm level, the nature of the job itself and the strategic choices of firms as the major predictors of job-related training.

We find that age - a key factor in the human capital model - plays a significant role in the allocation of training but that education (in keeping with recent evidence) does not. In sum the human capital model provides, at best, only a partial explanation for the differences in training observed across individuals. In contrast, variables invoked by the institutional literature (i.e. occupation level; industry; ownership type; and market structure) are highly significant and account for a much greater proportion of the variance in training observed across workers. Other institutional factors such as the presence of a union and a human resource department were strong positive predictors of job-related training. But most important were product-market strategy and employee voice. Respondents working in firms utilizing a 'high road/high quality' product/service strategy and with a workplace consultative committee were significantly more likely to receive training than similar workers employed in observably similar firms. This last finding supports the industrial relations view of voice as an important channel by which training is optimally delivered inside the firm.

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Greece's labour market entered the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 shock following several years of sustained employment growth and with wages picking up. Unemployment remained high and employment rates were low, especially among women, the young and older workers. The shock led to a sharp fall in labour force activity and has stalled new hiring. The improved social protection and temporary support measures have helped to support households' incomes and protect jobs during the COVID-19 crisis. However, high tax and social security contribution rates, together with little in-work support for the low-paid, continue abetting high structural informality. This heightens insecurity - by excluding many workers from activation policies or social and employment protection - and weakens productivity.

This paper applies the 2018 OECD Jobs Strategy [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 134.545] to Greece to identify reforms that can help to overcome the COVID-19 crisis and create a virtuous cycle between productivity, job creation, and wellbeing. Boosting the capacity of employment services and activation policies would support the recovery from the COVID-19 shock, in addition to durably improving employment prospects especially of long-term unemployed. Giving workplaces further flexibility to adapt collective agreements to specific circumstances would help align wage growth with productivity developments and help businesses to weather the COVID-19 shock. Building on the population's solid education levels by equipping workers with the skills needed by the labour market can support employment and incomes. This will require a substantial boost to professional education and training at all levels and ages.

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This journal introduces the recent developments in Japan in the field of labor to a global audience. It is comprised of four sections: (1) trends; (2) judgements and orders - reporting on major judicial precedents related to labor and commentary on these; (3) Japan's employment system and public policy 2017-2022; and (4) statistical indicators. The articles in this issue are: [Trends] Thirty years since JTUC-Rengo's foundation: challenges and prospects for Japan's labor movement / Noboru Ogino (pages 2-6); [Judgements and orders] Legal liability regarding 'power harassment' and the scope of that liability: the Fukuda Denshi Nagano Hanbai case, Tokyo High Court (Oct. 18, 2017) 1179 Rodo Hanrei 47 / Hiromitsu Takihara (pages 7-13); [Japan's employment system and public policy 2017-2022] Fringe benefits / Ryoji Nakamura (pages 14-20). Show less

The Global Deal for Decent Work and Inclusive Growth is a global multi-stakeholder partnership whose objective is to jointly address the challenges in the global labour market and enable all people to benefit from globalisation. The fundamental idea at the heart of the Global Deal is to highlight and promote the potential of sound industrial relations and enhanced social dialogue as a means to foster decent work, quality jobs, and increased productivity - and by extension greater equality and inclusive growth. It is conceived as a concrete input to the UN 2030 Agenda and is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This report is the result of a collaborative work between the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Global Deal Support Unit, which has been hosted by the OECD since 2019.

The report emphasises the role that social dialogue has to play in promoting lifelong learning and skills development, and in addressing the changes and challenges brought about by the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 crisis, as well as the benefits of involving social partners in adult-learning systems to prepare for the future of work. The report shows how Global Deal partners (64 partners have made 99 voluntary commitments as of September 2020) have engaged in efforts to promote and strengthen social dialogue. Chapter one, on managing and recovering from COVID-19, explores how social dialogue has been used as an instrument to support the recovery from the crisis. Chapter two focuses on social dialogue and the promotion of lifelong learning and skills development, which are fundamental enablers of decent work, productivity and sustainability. Chapter three explores the role of social partners in adult-learning systems. In particular, it looks at the role that trade unions and employers' organisations play in anticipating skills need, establishing joint priorities in adult-learning strategies, facilitating access to lifelong learning (including by fostering a learning environment at work), financing training and ensuring the quality of training. The chapter combines quantitative and qualitative evidence using OECD analysis and presents examples of programmes and initiatives where the social partners have played a central role. It describes existing and emerging challenges for adult-learning systems - how the so-called megatrends - technological progress, globalisation, environmental change and population ageing - are altering the skills required to enter and progress in the labour market. Finally, chapter four reviews the voluntary commitments made by Global Deal partners. It considers the types of commitments made and the actions taken by different types of partners, with a view to highlighting areas of progress and showcasing good practices that could inspire reforms or improvements, based on the needs, practices and traditions of different stakeholders.

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This paper argues that trade unions represent natural allies for career services, as they have shared interests in addressing issues of social justice at work. This potentially valuable partnership has been underdeveloped. Two case studies of innovative practice will be presented, one relating to guidance practice in the Netherlands, the other related to career education proposals in Scotland. The challenges to be overcome in union involvement in careers work are explored. Working with unions represents a pragmatic approach to career guidance practice that is responsive to the social justice implications of new employment relationships.

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This paper explores the implications of the digital labour platforms for labour regulation in China and the potential applicability of existing laws and regulations to platform work. The growth of digital labour platforms worldwide creates both opportunities and challenges to the world of work as well as the traditional approaches of regulating work and setting minimum standards. This paper explores the implications of the digital labour platforms for labour regulation in China and the potential applicability of existing laws and regulations to platform work. It begins by defining platform work and reviewing its scope, composition and characteristics, with a focus on working conditions in China, followed by analysis on how labour regulation is complicated by the platform business models. In analysing the existing regulatory frameworks, the regulatory gaps become apparent. The paper concludes with policy options based on relevant international standards and the approaches to regulating platforms in other countries and the Chinese context, including its economic and policy environment as well as its industrial relations system.

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International political discourse has implied that upskilling leads to higher productivity and growth. Combining aspects from skills theory and institutional theory, this article asks what role upskilling can play in making bad jobs better, drawing on previous research about the process of professionalising the cleaning occupation in Norway. In line with institutional theory on educational transfer, it interprets a change in educational skills - the introduction of the trade certificate for cleaners - as a way of legitimising an occupation with a dubious reputation, 'borrowing' legitimacy from the educational system. The trade certificate functioned as a component in the 'reverse signalling' of skills towards procurers of cleaning services and potential employees, which was intended to improve skill use and by that, job quality. I suggest this strategy was founded on a reliance on knowledge society narratives: that education and skills yield complexity, productivity and job quality. However, this change in 'formal structure' did little to change industry job quality, which was subjected to a strict tender-based regime where price generally outweighed skills. A general application of a collective wage agreement was necessary to improve job quality, demonstrating the limits of upskilling for changing work design, even in a collective bargaining system.

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This report is based on the fourth edition of the European Company Survey (ECS), which was carried out jointly by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) and the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) in 2019. The purpose of the ECS is to map, assess and quantify information on company policies and practices across Europe on a harmonised basis. The survey collected information from 21,869 human resources managers and 3,073 employee representatives in the 27 EU Member States and the United Kingdom. The unit of enquiry for the survey is the establishment: the local unit or site. This report covers a wide range of workplace practices and strategies concerning work organisation, human resource management, skills use and skills development, and direct and indirect employee involvement in organisational decision-making. A key objective is to show how workplace practices are combined and how these 'bundles of practices' are associated with the win-win outcome of workplace well-being and establishment performance.

The analysis finds that the establishments that are most likely to generate this win-win outcome are those that combine a high degree of worker autonomy, a balanced motivational strategy, a comprehensive training and learning strategy, and high levels of direct employee involvement in decision-making, as well as offering managerial support for these practices. To boost the adoption of employee-oriented practices - particularly in relation to autonomy, skills and employee involvement - managers should be offered appropriate support, as they play a key role in the decision to initiate workplace change. They are also crucial to its success, as they must continuously support the workplace practices implemented.

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The paper empirically examines labor-management communication concerning in-house training programs and its relation to the actual on- and off-the-job training policy and wage structure. Using governmental datasets from Japan, we study how different labor-management communication institutions may affect the training interests of employers and employees differently. We classify these institutions in terms of whether they have a legal (i.e. statutory) foundation ('de jure') or not ('de facto'). We find that collective bargaining, with legal grounds, may crowd out employees' willingness to communicate about training. However, the existence of 'de facto' communication channels such as joint labor-management councils or shop floor committees is positively correlated with both on- and off-the-job of training. At the same time, the existence of unions is positively correlated with the steepness of wage profiles for mid-career workers, which is consistent with the fact that employers and employees assume a long-term relationship. Thus, we show that a multi-tiered structure of labor-management communication, together with a long-term orientation toward the employment relationship, contributes to strengthen employees' voice in training matters.

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Megatrends, such as digitalisation, globalisation, demographic change and climate change, are transforming the world of work, with knock-on effects for working conditions and job quality. Against this background, this report from the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) examines working conditions and job quality from a sectoral perspective, using data from the 2015 European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS). The report first outlines the sectoral characteristics underpinning employment - economic structure, demographics, occupational level and employment status. It then goes on to focus on four main topics: (1) changing tasks, skills, training and employability; (2) nonstandard employment and employment security; (3) health, well-being and flexible work organisation; and (4) employee representation and voice. Differences in working conditions arising from age, gender, occupation and education level are taken into account.

According to the analysis, developing measures to address relevant issues such as skills development, job security and work intensity should be a priority for policy. The data also show that the presence of employee representation and voice is key to improving the situation of employees.

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