Abstract
This chapter provides a cross-national comparison of the labour markets regimes of the West- and East-EU member countries with the West-Balkan country of Albania. The aim is to establish whether or not cross-national variations in propensities of being hired in a non-standard job are the result of differences in national institutional regimes and labour market regulations. An adapted version of the Fraser Index is used to measure rigidity in relation to labour market regulation. The econometric analysis indicates that the net effect of more stringent labour market regulation varies: in less affluent East-EU economies and in Albania in particular, more workers use involuntary, non-standard jobs as a means to escape unemployment, reflecting precarization of working lives. In affluent West-EU economies, interventionist policies are associated with high levels of voluntary, non-standard work and low unemployment.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
- 1.
Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- 2.
- 3.
The non-transition cluster includes East-EU and non-EU, namely the Western Balkans.
- 4.
- 5.
See for example the case of the austerity agenda in Albania (Dizdari et al., 2019).
- 6.
The self-employed and those recorded as in unpaid domestic work were excluded from the sample.
- 7.
High quality ‘good’ jobs, SFE are categorised as jobs that are permanent and full-time while low quality ‘bad’ jobs, NSFE include temporary full-time, permanent part-time and temporary part-time work.
- 8.
The latter is similar to the Fraser Institute index (Aleksynska & Cazes, 2014) and is constructed using indicators from the World Bank’s database on Labour Market Regulation (hereafter, LMR).
- 9.
In general, these are not used in the interpretation of the results.
References
Acemoglu, D. (2003). Why not a political Coase theorem? Social conflict, commitment, and politics. Journal of Comparative Economics, 31, 620–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jce.2003.09.003
Adam, F., Kristan, P., & Tomsšič, M. (2009). Varieties of capitalism in Eastern Europe (with special emphasis on Estonia and Slovenia). Communist and Post-Communist Studies, 42, 65–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postcomstud.2009.02.005
Aidukaite, J. (2011). Welfare reforms and socio-economic trends in the 10 new EU member states of Central and Eastern Europe. Communist and Post-Communist Studies, 44, 211–219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postcomstud.2011.07.005
Aleksynska, M. (2018). Temporary employment, work quality, and job satisfaction. Journal of Comparative Economics, Wellbeing in Post-Socialist Countries, 46, 722–735. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jce.2018.07.004
Aleksynska, M., & Cazes, S. (2014). Comparing indicators of labour market regulations across databases: A post scriptum to the employing workers debate (No. 50). Conditions of Work and Employment Series. International Labour Organisation, Geneva.
Andrews, C., de Montesquiou, A., Arevalo Sanchez, I., Dutta, P. V., Paul, B. V., Samaranayake, S., Heisey, J., Clay, T., & Chaudhary, S. (2021). The State of Economic Inclusion Report 2021: The Potential to Scale. The World Bank. https://doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-1598-0
Arthur, M. B., & Rousseau, D. M. (2001). The boundaryless career: A new employment principle for a new organizational era. Oxford University Press.
Arts, W., & Gelissen, J. (2002). Three worlds of welfare capitalism or more? A state-of-the-art report. Journal of European Social Policy, 12, 137–158. https://doi.org/10.1177/0952872002012002114
Babos, P. (2014). Step or trap? Transition from fixed-term contracts in Central Eastern Europe. Post-Communist Economies, 26, 39–52. https://doi.org/10.1080/14631377.2014.874230
Balkan Insight. (2019). UK drug gangs recruit in Albania’s remote north. Balkan Insight. Retrieved January 6, 2021, from https://balkaninsight.com/2019/06/19/uk-drug-gangs-recruit-in-albanias-remote-north/
Bartlett, W. (2013). The political economy of welfare reform in the Western Balkans. In C. Ruggeri Laderchi & S. Savastano (Eds.), Poverty and exclusion in the Western Balkans: New directions in measurement and policy, economic studies in inequality, social exclusion and well-being (pp. 245–259). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4945-4_14
Bassanini, A., & Duval, R. (2006). Employment patterns in OECD countries. https://doi.org/10.1787/702031136412
Betcherman, G. (2012). Labor market institutions: A review of the literature. Policy Research Working Papers. The World Bank. https://doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-6276
Bonoli, G. (1997). Classifying welfare states: A two-dimension approach. Journal of Social Policy, 26, 351–372. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047279497005059
Botero, J. C., Djankov, S., Porta, R. L., Lopez-de-Silanes, F., & Shleifer, A. (2004). The regulation of labor. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 119, 1339–1382. https://doi.org/10.1162/0033553042476215
Briscoe, J. P., Hall, D. T., & Frautschy DeMuth, R. L. (2006). Protean and boundaryless careers: An empirical exploration. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 69, 30–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2005.09.003
Buchen, C. (2007). Estonia and Slovenia as antipodes. In D. Lane & M. Myant (Eds.), Varieties of capitalism in post-communist countries, studies in economic transition (pp. 65–89). Palgrave Macmillan UK. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230627574_4
Carletto, C., Davis, B., Stampini, M., & Zezza, A. (2006). A country on the move: International migration in post-communist Albania. International Migration Review, 40, 767–785. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-7379.2006.00043.x
Castles, F. G., & Obinger, H. (2008). Worlds, families, regimes: Country clusters in European and OECD area public policy. West European Politics, 31, 321–344. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402380701835140
Cerami, A., & Stubbs, P. (2011). Post-communist welfare capitalisms: Bringing institutions and political agency back in (SSRN Scholarly Paper No. ID 1977289). Social Science Research Network, Rochester, NY.
Cerami, A., & Vanhuysse, P. (2009). Introduction: Social policy pathways, twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall. In Post-communist welfare pathways (pp. 1–14). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230245808_1
Cipollone, A., Patacchini, E., & Vallanti, G. (2014). Female labour market participation in Europe: Novel evidence on trends and shaping factors. IZA Journal of European Labor Studies, 3, 18. https://doi.org/10.1186/2193-9012-3-18
Clegg, D. (2007). Continental drift: On unemployment policy change in Bismarckian welfare states. Social Policy & Administration, 41, 597–617. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9515.2007.00574.x
Cook, L. (2010). More rights, less power: Labor standards and labor markets in East European post-communist states. Studies in Comparative International Development, 45, 170–197. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12116-010-9065-9
Dizdari, V., Troshani, A., & Drishti, E. (2019). The bumpy road of the externally transferred austerity agenda in Albania and its fragmentary effects on local public services. In A. Lippi & T. N. Tsekos (Eds.), Local public services in times of austerity across Mediterranean Europe, governance and public management (pp. 193–216). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76225-8_9
Doing Business. (2017). Labor market regulation—Doing Business—World Bank Group.
Drishti, E., & Carmichael, F. (2022). “Dead-end jobs or steppingstones? Precarious work in Albania”, Personnel Review, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-04-2021-0275
Esping-Andersen, G. (1990). The three worlds of welfare capitalism. Polity Press.
Farkas, B. (2011). The Central and Eastern European model of capitalism. Post-Communist Economies, 23, 15–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/14631377.2011.546972
Feldmann, H. (2008). The quality of industrial relations and unemployment around the world. Economics Letters, 99, 200–203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2007.06.028
Fenger, M. (2007). Welfare regimes in Central and Eastern Europe: Incorporating post-communist countries in a welfare regime typology. Contemporary Issues and Ideas in Social Sciences, 3, 1–30.
Ferrera, M. (1996). The “Southern Model” of welfare in social Europe. Journal of European Social Policy, 6, 17–37. https://doi.org/10.1177/095892879600600102
Gallie, D., & Paugam, S. (Eds.). (2000). Welfare regimes and the experience of unemployment in Europe. OUP.
Gangl, M. (2000). Education and labour market entry across Europe: The impact of institutional arrangements in training systems and labour markets (No. 25). MZES Working Papers. MZES.
Gangl, M. (2004). Welfare states and the scar effects of unemployment: A comparative analysis of the United States and West Germany. American Journal of Sociology, 109, 1319–1364. https://doi.org/10.1086/381902
Gebel, M. (2013). Is a temporary job better than unemployment? A cross-country comparison based on British, German, and Swiss panel data. Schmollers Jahrbuch, 133, 143–155. https://doi.org/10.3790/schm.133.2.143
Green, A., & Livanos, I. (2017). Involuntary non-standard employment in Europe. European Urban and Regional Studies, 24, 175–192. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969776415622257
Hall, P. A., & Soskice, D. (2003). Varieties of capitalism and institutional complementarities. In Institutional conflicts and complementarities (pp. 43–76). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-4062-2_3
Heckman, J. J. (1981). Heterogeneity and state dependence. In Studies in labor markets (pp. 91–140). University of Chicago Press.
Holmlund, B., & Storrie, D. (2002). Temporary work in turbulent times: The Swedish experience. The Economic Journal, 112, F245–F269. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0297.00042
Houseman, S. N., & Ōsawa, M. (2003). Nonstandard work in developed economies: Causes and consequences. W.E. Upjohn Institute.
Imami, D., Polese, A., Zhllima, E., & Rama, K. (2017). Clientelism, informal networks and politics in transition countries—The case of education sector in Albania. Presented at the 29th Annual EAEPE Conference.
Jahoda, M. (1982). Employment and unemployment: A social-psychological analysis. CUP Archive.
Kahn, L. M. (2010). Employment protection reforms, employment and the incidence of temporary jobs in Europe: 1996–2001. Labour Economics, 17, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2009.05.001
Kahn, L. M. (2012). Labor market policy: A comparative view on the costs and benefits of labor market flexibility. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 31, 94–110. https://doi.org/10.1002/pam.20602
Kauhanen, M., & Nätti, J. (2015). Involuntary temporary and part-time work, job quality and well-being at work. Social Indicators Research, 120, 783–799. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-014-0617-7
Kiersztyn, A. (2017). Non-standard employment and subjective insecurity: How can we capture job precarity using survey data? In A. L. Kalleberg & S. P. Vallas (Eds.), Precarious work (Research in the Sociology of Work) (pp. 91–122). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0277-283320170000031003
Koch, M., & Fritz, M. (Eds.). (2013). Non-standard employment in Europe—Paradigms, prevalence and policy responses (Work and Welfare in Europe). Palgrave Macmillan UK.
Kosta, B., & Williams, C. C. (2018). Recommendations for tackling undeclared work in Albania, employment and social affairs platform. Tirana, Albania.
Kovtun, D., Cirkel, A. M., Murgasova, Z., Smith, D., & Tambunlertchai, S. (2014). Labor markets in the Western Balkan countries. IMF Working Paper. European Department.
Kyyrä, T., Arranz, J. M., & García-Serrano, C. (2017). Does part-time work help unemployed workers to find full-time work? Evidence from Spain (No. 10770). IZA Discussion Papers. Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
Lane, D., & Myant, M. (2016). Varieties of capitalism in post-communist countries. Springer.
Lehmann, H., & Muravyev, A. (2010). Labor market institutions and labor market performance: What can we learn from transition countries? (SSRN Scholarly Paper No. ID 1681525). Social Science Research Network, Rochester, NY.
Lehmann, H., & Muravyev, A. (2012). Labour market institutions and labour market performance. Economics of Transition and Institutional Change, 20, 235–269. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0351.2012.00435.x
Long, J. S., & Freese, J. (2014). Regression models for categorical dependent variables using Stata (2nd ed.). Stata Press.
Mai, Q. (2017). Precarious work in Europe: Assessing cross-national differences and institutional determinants of work precarity in 32 European countries. In A. L. Kalleberg & S. P. Vallas (Eds.), Precarious work (Research in the Sociology of Work) (pp. 273–306). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0277-283320170000031009
Mykhnenko, V. (2007). Poland and Ukraine: Institutional structures and economic performance. In D. Lane & M. Myant (Eds.), Varieties of capitalism in post-communist countries (Studies in Economic Transition) (pp. 124–145). Palgrave Macmillan UK. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230627574_7
OECD. (2015). Non-standard work, job polarisation and inequality. In In it together: Why less inequality benefits all.
Pfeffer, J. (2001). Fighting the war for talent is hazardous to your organization’s health. Organizational Dynamics, 29, 248–259. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0090-2616(01)00031-6
Regional Cooperation Council. (2021). Regional Cooperation Council | Human Capital.
Toots, A., & Bachmann, J. (2010). Contemporary welfare regimes in Baltic states: Adapting post-communist conditions to post-modern challenges. Studies of Transition States and Societies, II, 31–44.
Whelan, C. T., & Maître, B. (2010). Welfare regime and social class variation in poverty and economic vulnerability in Europe: An analysis of EU-SILC. Journal of European Social Policy, 20, 316–332. https://doi.org/10.1177/0958928710374378
World Bank. (2017). Western Balkans Labor Market Report 2017 (No. 113922). World Bank and Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies.
Yıldırım, K., & Kitschelt, H. (2020). Analytical perspectives on varieties of clientelism. Democratization, 27, 20–43. https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2019.1641798
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Ethics declarations
Authors have nothing to disclose
Appendix: Variables and Descriptive Statistics
Appendix: Variables and Descriptive Statistics
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Drishti, E., Carmichael, F. (2022). Cross-national Comparison of Job Types: Analysis Using the EU LFS and Albanian LFS. In: Bartlett, W., Uvalić, M. (eds) Towards Economic Inclusion in the Western Balkans. New Perspectives on South-East Europe. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-06112-7_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-06112-7_5
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-06111-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-06112-7
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)