Publications

Major Objectives To examine the on going consequences of the deficit reduction programme on measures of labour market inequality To explore the nature of regional variation in public-private sector pay To consider the intrinsic quality of work in the public sector and private sectors of the economy The study is based on the secondary analysis…

This document updates and extend our previous analysis on the public-private sector wage differential using six new quarters of Labour Force Survey (LFS) data. The data are split into two sub-samples – 2009Q1-2010Q4 and 2011Q-2012Q3. The results presented are based on a linear regression of log-hourly earnings against independent variables. The measure of pay we…

The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the Autumn Statement of 2011 that the public sectorpay freeze would come to an end in 2012/13, with public sector pay awards of 1 per cent planned overthe next 2 years thereafter. Emphasis was also placed on making public sector pay more responsive tolocal labour market conditions. Evidence…

In this paper we use the most recently available data from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, April 2011, to examine the size of the gender pay gap in Wales. The paper looks at how the gender pay gap varies across industries and occupations in Wales and analyses how the gender pay gap has…

This article draws on investigations of worker response to two factory closures to develop recent discussions around mobilization theory. With many shared characteristics between the factories, both located in the garment manufacturing sector, and with similar workforces and union organization, certain key distinguishing features between the two provide insights into why worker protest became effectively…

During an ethnographic research project exploring young people’s perceptions of living in a post-industrial semi-rural place, boys aged 13/14 years revealed their semi-clandestine motorbiking activities across mountains trails. It was found that riding motorbikes and fixing engines were potential resources for young boys’ transitions into adult working-class masculinity and sources of competence, pride and enjoyment…

This article deals with issues relating to trade union density and the fact that while over the past 30 years, union densities have followed a declining path in all regions, this retreat was not uniform across space. Analysis of the Labour Force Survey reveals that Wales exhibits among the highest levels of union density in…

The aim of the ESF Leavers’ Surveys is to assist in assessing the effectiveness of the ESF Convergence and Competitiveness Programmes in Wales. To date, separate reports based upon analysis of the 2009 and 2010 surveys have been published. Taken together, the combined programme of research has contributed to a step shift change in our…

This paper presents the initial findings of a study into Welsh graduate mobility within the UK, which has a highly uneven geography of graduate labour. After surveying recent debates, the paper explores the extent to which Wales retains its graduate labour by examining the scale of graduate mobility and its nature in terms of qualifications….