Labour-Market Flexibility and Individual Careers: A Comparative Study (Technical and Vocational Education and Training: Issues, Concerns and Prospects Book 13)

With labour markets across the world and even in social democratic Europe in a state of unprecedented flux, the problem of how to balance job-market demands, personal career interests and private life becomes a central issue for millions of employees. So how do modern work and employment arrangements restructure individual careers and what is required of individuals in order to manage career transitions successfully over time? This is one of very few in-depth empirical studies to analyse how labour-market trends, organizational change and the subjective work orientations of individuals interact. The author’s detailed assessment is based on a comparison of the structural contexts, work orientations and employment histories of nurses and ICT technicians in Germany and the UK. These two core service occupations, as well as the national contexts of the two European nations, have quite different working environments and vocational traditions. Nursing is an institutionalized semi-profession with clear criteria of qualification and career continuity, while information and communication technology (ICT) is a new, evolving field with workers from varied skill backgrounds and high job mobility. To arrive at an understanding of how individual career trajectories are changing, this book closely examines the interplay of labour-market demands, employees’ work and career orientations and the development of their skills. It records the ways in which employees adapt to increased labour-market flexibility, which, on the one hand, induces discontinuities of careers, employment and work, and on the other, generates new skill requirements and learning expectations, as well as unforeseen opportunities. Series Editor's Introduction 6 Contents 9 List of Tables 12 1 Introduction 13 1.1 Research Context 17 1.2 Research Questions 24 1.3 Methodological Approach 26 1.3.1 Frameworks of Reference 26 1.3.2 Research Steps and Selection of Participants 30 1.3.3 Interview Method and Data Analysis 31 2 Skills and Labour Markets in Germany and the UK 34 2.1 Introduction 34 2.2 Skills and Labour Markets in Germany 37 2.3 Skills and Labour Markets in the UK 41 2.4 Flexibility, Mobility and Employability 45 2.4.1 Flexibility 46 2.4.2 Mobility and Commitment 48 2.4.3 Employability 51 2.5 From 'Skills' to 'Competences' 55 2.6 Reflections 61 3 Work and Career Orientations of Nurses 65 3.1 Introduction 65 3.2 Description of the Nursing Sample 67 3.3 Background and Sectoral Context 77 3.3.1 Structural Changes in Germany 77 3.3.2 The Professionalization of Nursing in Germany and the UK 80 3.3.3 Structural Changes in the UK 81 3.3.4 Basic Training Requirements in Germany and the UK 82 3.4 Modes of Flexibility and Learning Demands 84 3.4.1 Organizational Restructuring Geared Towards More Flexible Allocation of Staff and Skills 85 3.4.2 Increasing Complexity at Work and Extended Role Performance 86 3.4.3 Changing Professional Profiles and Learning 89 3.5 Work and Career Orientations of Nurses 91 3.5.1 Work Orientations 92 3.5.2 Career Orientations 99 3.5.3 Status and External Recognition 108 3.6 The Role of Learning, Skills and Professional Development 109 3.6.1 Skills and Core Competences 111 3.6.2 Learning and Professional Development 115 3.7 The Role of Peers and Practice Communities 122 3.8 Conclusions 128 4 Work and Career Orientations of IT Technicians 138 4.1 Description of the IT Sample 139 4.2 Background and Sectoral Context 153 4.2.1 Skill Shortages as a Dominant Feature 155 4.3 Modes of Flexibility and Learning Demands 158 4.3.1 UK: Moving Staff Around 158 4.3.2 Germany: Work Organization Along Project-Based Work 160 4.3.3 Horizontal Mobility as a Means to Profiling One's Own Individual Career 162 4.3.4 High Learning Intensity as Part of the Professional Culture 164 4.4 Work and Career Orientations of IT Technicians 165 4.4.1 Type I-1: Employees with Technical Non-IT Background and High Learning Affinity 168 4.4.2 Type I-2: Employees with Background in Telecommunications -- Successful Convergence 172 4.4.3 Type I-3: Employees with Background in Telecommunications -- Unsuccessful Convergence 176 4.4.4 Type II: IT-Specific Qualification Combined with Strategic Career but Seeking to Align Broader Goals 179 4.4.5 Type III: No Formal Qualification -- The Self-Taught IT Specialist 181 4.4.5.1 Reflections on Work Orientations of IT Technicians 182 4.4.5.2 Reflections on Career Orientations of IT Technicians 185 4.4.6 The Two Faces of Work Centrality and Fast Changing Work Environments 188 4.5 The Role of Learning, Skills and Professional Development 192 4.6 The Role of Peers and Practice Communities 197 4.7 Conclusions 200 5 Reflections on Empirical Findings 209 5.1 Nurses and IT Technicians -- Summary of Empirical Findings 211 5.2 German and the UK Labour Markets -- Opportunities and Constraints 215 6 Key Issues and Dominant Themes 219 6.1 Control and Agency in Modern Work Contexts 219 6.2 Creating Coherent Career Narratives and Identity Continuities 222 6.2.1 The Notion of 'Identity' 222 6.2.2 Work-Related Identities 225 6.2.3 Creating Work-Related Identity Continuities 228 6.3 Tensions Between Careers, Skill Profiles and Work Identity 230 6.3.1 Developing Specialist or General Skills or Both? 230 6.3.2 Skills and Individual Careers 231 7 Conclusions 236 Annexure I Guidelines for Conducting Interviews with Managers 241 Annexure II Guidelines for Interviews with Employees 243 Appendix: Methods 245 Research Steps 247 Database and Sample 248 Semi-structured Interview Method 252 Data Analysis 254 References 257 Author Index 269 Subject Index 272 With labour markets across the world and even in social democratic Europe in a state of unprecedented flux, this exhaustive study addresses the problem of how to balance job market demands, personal career interests and private life becomes a central issue for millions of employees. So how do modern work and employment arrangements restructure individual careers and what is required of individuals in order to manage career transitions successfully over time? This is one of very few in-depth empirical studies to analyze how labour market trends, organisational change and the subjective work orientations of individuals interact. The author’s detailed assessment is based on a comparison of the structural contexts, work orientations and employment histories of nurses and ICT technicians in Germany and the UK. These two core service occupations, as well as the national contexts of the two European nations, have quite different working environments and vocational traditions. Nursing is an institutionalized semi-profession with clear criteria of qualification and career continuity, while information and communication technology (ICT) is a new, evolving field with varied skill backgrounds and high job mobility. To arrive at an understanding of how individual career trajectories are changing, this book closely examines the interplay of labour market demands, employees’ work and career orientations and the development of their skills. It records the ways in which employees adapt to increased labour market flexibility, which, on the one hand, induces discontinuities of careers, employment and work, and on the other, generates new skill requirements and learning expectations, as well as unforeseen opportunities. Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Introduction....Pages 1-21 Skills and Labour Markets in Germany and the UK....Pages 23-53 Work and Career Orientations of Nurses....Pages 55-127 Work and Career Orientations of IT Technicians....Pages 129-199 Reflections on Empirical Findings....Pages 201-210 Key Issues and Dominant Themes....Pages 211-227 Conclusions....Pages 229-233 Back Matter....Pages 235-271