Mismatch Unemployment and Local Labour-Market Efficiency

The Role of Employer and Vacancy Characteristics

Bibliographic Data

ID4139340
AuthorsJohn Adams (0000-0002-2727-615X, Department of Economics, Napier University, Edinburgh, EH10 5DT, Scotland, corresponding author), Malcolm Greig (Department of Economics, Napier University, Edinburgh, EH10 5DT, Scotland, corresponding author), Ronald W Mcquaid (0000-0002-5342-7097, Department of Economics, Napier University, Edinburgh, EH10 5DT, Scotland, corresponding author)
Year2000
Volume32
Issue10
Pages1841-1856
Publication date2000-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEnvironment and Planning A Economy and Space (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0308-518X • E-ISSN: 1472-3409
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1068/a3342
OpenAlexW2022003479
LanguageEN
Citations received14
References cited36

Much of the theoretical and policy debate on local labour markets has focused upon improving the educational, training, and other 'supply-side' characteristics of job seekers. However, complementary employer 'demand-side' factors, in particular the characteristics of employers, job openings, and recruitment practices, are also important in local labour markets but have been relatively neglected in the literature. The authors investigate such factors and argue that job vacancies in an environment of high unemployment are not only the result of traditional 'structural' or 'skill mismatch between local labour markets, but may result from a mismatch between employer and job-seeker expectations combined with an asymmetry of information between these groups, resulting in 'frictional mismatch' within local labour markets. Skill shortages can therefore be seen as a subset of wider recruitment difficulties. The authors survey a sample of employers to examine their characteristics, vacancies, and recruitment practices. The results provide evidence on the importance of employer and job factors on the flow of people into job vacancies. They also indicate that certain recruitment practices and inherent characteristics of vacancies and employers result in job offers that are either unattractive or inaccessible to the unemployed and hence increase the duration of job vacancies. It is argued that research into and design of local labour-market policies need to take more explicit account of the employer and job characteristics when discussing skill mismatch

Business · Economic growth · Economic shortage · Economics · Labour economics · Political science · Seekers · Structural unemployment · Unemployment · Employment and Welfare Studies · Labor market dynamics and wage inequality · Regional Economics and Spatial Analysis

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