Workforce casualization and training: an enquiry on the intra-firm distribution of gains from flexibility

Overview

Abstract (English)

This paper examines the effect of workplace-specific workforce casualization impacts on workers’ training opportunities. Workforce casualization is often conceived as a source of production flexibility. Non-casual workers may or may not ripe part of the gains from production flexibility, depending on their bargaining power and they technological relationship with casual workers. The potential endogeneity of the focal explanatory variable, poses identification issues. Identification of the casual effect of casualization on training is achieved through rich information on the nature and extent of organizational change in the face of uncertain product markets. The main findings are that workforce casualization has a positive effect on the training chances of non-production workers, but leaves production workers with no gains, and potentially losses, in the distribution of the gains from casualization. A comparison between Canadian and Australian results highlights the business-cycle specific effect of casualization on training.

Abstract (French)

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