No abstract

Purpose -The paper aims to examine worker job attribute preferences, by which is meant the extent to which individuals desire a variety of specific qualities and outcomes from their paid work. It seeks to examine how these preferences are ranked and to identify their principal correlates. Design/methodology/approach -The study makes use of a quantitative methodology, notably the application of an ordered probit model to analyse a data set which has its origins in the 2006 Skills Survey. Findings -"Work you like doing"; a "secure job"; "friendly people to work with"; and "opportunities to use your abilities" are the four highest ranked job attribute preferences. Worker job attribute preferences vary with the characteristics of the worker, including gender, domestic circumstances, highest qualification held and occupation.Research limitations/implications -The study reports "correlations" and does not imply "causation". The findings are for the year 2006. On the assumption that job attribute preferences are constrained by the employment opportunities available, the findings may change with the economic cycle, in a manner comparable to recent research findings about some facets of job satisfaction. Originality/value -This is the first detailed statistical examination of this subset of questions in the survey in question.

Workforce development is becoming a higher priority for government, both as a means of addressing social exclusion and raising competitiveness. However there is limited evidence of the contribution of training to the success of individual firms and even less evidence of the impact of such training activity on small to medium‐sized enterprise (SME) employees. This paper draws on a survey of 1,000 employees to investigate the impact of a training intervention on employees in SME workplaces. It explores issues associated with the equity of provision of training in the workplace and the impact of training on the employability of SME employees in the labour market. The results suggest that training interventions lead to positive outcomes for the majority of SME employees, particularly those working in organisations with relatively formalised training practices. It concludes by suggesting that there should be a greater focus on the employee dimension in research and policy regarding training in SMEs.

The purpose of this paper is to estimate the extent of “over‐qualification” (i.e. holding a qualification which is above that required to gain entry to the job being done) and “skills under‐utilisation” (i.e. being in a job which does not make use of the knowledge and skills possessed) in the United Kingdom and to examine whether these conditions are correlated with age

SHUTT J. and SUTHERLAND J. (2003) Encouraging the transition into self- employment, Reg. Studies 37 , 97-103. A feature of the current New Deal policy is the encouragement now given to young people to consider becoming self- employed. This article reports the findings of an evaluation of a Prince's Trust sponsored scheme in the Yorkshire and Humber region to facilitate the transition into self-employment and uses these findings to make policy recommendations of relevance to the current operation of the New Deal programme.Youth Unemployment, Self-employment, Youth Enterprise, Small Business, New Deal,