Comments on: CASUAL AND PART-TIME WORKERS ON THE LIVE REGISTER, MAY 2002 - JULY 2010 http://dublinopinion.com/2010/08/07/casual-and-part-time-work-in-ireland-may-2002-july-2009/ It's a group blog. What more do you need to know? Thu, 24 May 2012 14:58:17 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 By: Conor McCabe http://dublinopinion.com/2010/08/07/casual-and-part-time-work-in-ireland-may-2002-july-2009/#comment-74004 Conor McCabe Mon, 09 Aug 2010 09:51:32 +0000 http://dublinopinion.com/2010/08/07/casual-and-part-time-work-in-ireland-may-2002-july-2009/#comment-74004 I'm not too sure Eoin. Still trying to work this through, but I think what is going on is that in more recent times - let's say 2002 to 2007 - the people who made up the 4% who were singing on were not the same 4% who were signing on a year later. However, now, the people who were signing on a year ago are still signing today. That's the worrying part. We're into a new phase with regard unemployment There was a turnover in the live register, it was quite dynamic even though it appeared static. The reason why it appeared static is because of the employment opportunities in the economy, and that is one aspect that has changed. There's a downturn in the number of part-time workers, but there's no increase in full employment, so it's a double whammy: part-time work is falling, and long-term unemployment is increasing. But, part-time work is falling and unemployment increasing because of the increase in businesses shutting-down, whereas before the move by businesses to cut hours, not people, was acting as a brake on the unemployment figures - and I know it seems funny to talk about a brake on unemployment when we were already at 13.5% but that's why it is worrying. It's set to increase, and it is not going to drop for a long time yet, because now the businesses that were hanging on and employing people part-time in hope of an upturn, well, Fianna Fail and the Greens have just killed them. I’m not too sure Eoin. Still trying to work this through, but I think what is going on is that in more recent times - let’s say 2002 to 2007 - the people who made up the 4% who were singing on were not the same 4% who were signing on a year later. However, now, the people who were signing on a year ago are still signing today. That’s the worrying part. We’re into a new phase with regard unemployment

There was a turnover in the live register, it was quite dynamic even though it appeared static. The reason why it appeared static is because of the employment opportunities in the economy, and that is one aspect that has changed.

There’s a downturn in the number of part-time workers, but there’s no increase in full employment, so it’s a double whammy: part-time work is falling, and long-term unemployment is increasing.

But, part-time work is falling and unemployment increasing because of the increase in businesses shutting-down, whereas before the move by businesses to cut hours, not people, was acting as a brake on the unemployment figures - and I know it seems funny to talk about a brake on unemployment when we were already at 13.5% but that’s why it is worrying. It’s set to increase, and it is not going to drop for a long time yet, because now the businesses that were hanging on and employing people part-time in hope of an upturn, well, Fianna Fail and the Greens have just killed them.

]]> By: Eoin O'Mahony http://dublinopinion.com/2010/08/07/casual-and-part-time-work-in-ireland-may-2002-july-2009/#comment-74003 Eoin O'Mahony Mon, 09 Aug 2010 09:30:04 +0000 http://dublinopinion.com/2010/08/07/casual-and-part-time-work-in-ireland-may-2002-july-2009/#comment-74003 Very helpful analysis Conor. Can we expect another round of mass lay offs then, at least silently done because many of these will be of these part-time and casual layoffs? Very helpful analysis Conor. Can we expect another round of mass lay offs then, at least silently done because many of these will be of these part-time and casual layoffs?

]]> By: Conor McCabe http://dublinopinion.com/2010/08/07/casual-and-part-time-work-in-ireland-may-2002-july-2009/#comment-73990 Conor McCabe Sat, 07 Aug 2010 11:14:56 +0000 http://dublinopinion.com/2010/08/07/casual-and-part-time-work-in-ireland-may-2002-july-2009/#comment-73990 Sorry tombuku, I should say that I think it would be worth highlighting corporate profits and tax-take - I'm just talking about in relation to part-time/casual employment, that's all. Sorry tombuku, I should say that I think it would be worth highlighting corporate profits and tax-take - I’m just talking about in relation to part-time/casual employment, that’s all.

]]> By: Conor McCabe http://dublinopinion.com/2010/08/07/casual-and-part-time-work-in-ireland-may-2002-july-2009/#comment-73989 Conor McCabe Sat, 07 Aug 2010 10:54:39 +0000 http://dublinopinion.com/2010/08/07/casual-and-part-time-work-in-ireland-may-2002-july-2009/#comment-73989 I could but I'm not too sure it would be that helpful, as the majority of Irish people don't work for those type of corporations. Foreign Direct Investment dominates industry and exports but not employment. I could but I’m not too sure it would be that helpful, as the majority of Irish people don’t work for those type of corporations. Foreign Direct Investment dominates industry and exports but not employment.

]]> By: Tomboktu http://dublinopinion.com/2010/08/07/casual-and-part-time-work-in-ireland-may-2002-july-2009/#comment-73988 Tomboktu Sat, 07 Aug 2010 10:20:10 +0000 http://dublinopinion.com/2010/08/07/casual-and-part-time-work-in-ireland-may-2002-july-2009/#comment-73988 I suppose you can't do a graph of corporate profits (or tax-based transfers, I suppose, for some companies here) to go with that? Anticap doesn't go as far as a graph, but he does pull a quote from the NYT's wire service on what's happening in the USA: <blockquote>For now, companies appear nervous about expanding their payrolls. “Businesses just don’t want to hire,” said Allen Sinai, chief global economist at Decision Economics. “Workers are too costly and it’s very easy to substitute technology for labor.” He added that with corporate earnings rising partly on the back of cost-cutting, employers are reluctant to give up profits. “So while corporate earnings were spectacular,” Mr. Sinai said, “the job market just stinks.” July’s labor numbers showed that the average weekly hours worked in private-sector jobs ticked up to 33.5 hours from 33.4 hours in June, suggesting that employers were pushing for productivity gains among existing employees.</blockquote> I suppose you can’t do a graph of corporate profits (or tax-based transfers, I suppose, for some companies here) to go with that?

Anticap doesn’t go as far as a graph, but he does pull a quote from the NYT’s wire service on what’s happening in the USA:

For now, companies appear nervous about expanding their payrolls. “Businesses just don’t want to hire,” said Allen Sinai, chief global economist at Decision Economics. “Workers are too costly and it’s very easy to substitute technology for labor.”

He added that with corporate earnings rising partly on the back of cost-cutting, employers are reluctant to give up profits. “So while corporate earnings were spectacular,” Mr. Sinai said, “the job market just stinks.”

July’s labor numbers showed that the average weekly hours worked in private-sector jobs ticked up to 33.5 hours from 33.4 hours in June, suggesting that employers were pushing for productivity gains among existing employees.

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