How to measure quality in job transitions?

 

Audrey Levêque, Jean-François Orianne & François Pichault (University of Liège,

Belgium)

Defining flexicurityFlexicurity remains a theoretical and “macro” level concept => make it more concrete and operational

Flexicurity = a policy that encourages positive transitions (towards employment or a better job)

Defining flexicurityFlexicurity remains a theoretical and “macro” level concept => make it more concrete and operational

Flexicurity = a policy that encourages positive and quality transitions in a given institutional context

Positive job transitions INPUT

(no job/existing job)

Positive job transitions

OUTPUT(job/better job)

INPUT(no job/existing

job)

Positive and quality job transitions

Process:quality of transition

s

OUTPUT(job

quality)

INPUT(job quality)

Positive and quality job transitions

Process:quality of transition

s

OUTPUT(job

quality)

INPUT(job quality)

CONTEXT

How to measure positive and quality transitions ?

=> INDICATORS

Job quality: output indicators

2 main recent sources:Davoine, L. (2007) and Muñoz de Bustillo, R. et al.

(dir.) (2009)

Job quality dimensions = employment AND workData collected at the individual level (european survey: LFS)

Quality of transitions: process indicators

Characterize the process itself between T and T+n, i.e. between the input and the output of the transition, whatever this transition may be :

Five main fields of transitions

Schmid, 1995

Quality of transitions: process indicators

Most writers focuse on the output only

Method: a focus group of key experts on the labour market in charge of exploring the transversal dimensions of quality in labour market transitions

Data collected at the individual level

Quality of transitions: transversal dimensions

Result of a personal choice If not, possibility of anticipating the transition Strong individual support = efficient, frequent, non-discriminating, coherent and decentralized accompanying actionsPerception of security during the transitionPossibility of acquiring new skills and experience

Quality of transitionsA set of new questions to integrate

into LFS. For example:• ”Were you provided with a regular follow-up

during the transition?”• “If your professional status has changed

during the reference period, did you acquire new skills during this transition (knowledge, know-how, personal skills)?”

Institutional contextIn order to avoid meaningless international comparisons, it is important to refer indicators of job and transition quality to the specific institutional context in which the data were collected, i.e.:• Lifelong learning • Labour market• Social protection• Social dialogueData gathered at meso and/or macro levels

CONCLUSION : transition quality table

Quality of job transitions

- +

+

- Poor

Process quality

Job quality

Quality of job transitions

- +

+ Inefficient

- Poor

Process quality

Job quality

Quality of job transitions

- +

+ Inefficient

- Poor Painful

Process quality

Job quality

Quality of job transitions

- +

+ Inefficient High

- Poor Painful

Process quality

Job quality