The Department of Political Science cordially invites you to the political science departmental seminar
Levels and specificity of skills in Europe: alternative approach towards measurement
presented by
Žilvinas Martinaitis
Kaunas University of Technology
Date: October 31, 2013 – 13.30,
Venue: CEU, Nádor u. 9, Faculty Tower Room #908.
Abstract: ‘Skills‘ is a central concept in a number of academic and policy debates. Yet measurement of skills of labour force remains highly problematic. The dominant approach uses signals of individual capacities (for e.g. level of education) as a proxy of skills. This paper develops and tests methodology for more direct measurement of skills by focusing on how individuals perform their tasks rather than what they could be capable of doing. The level of skills is measured on three dimensions: degree of uncertainty, autonomy and skills-building. Assessment of specificity of skills focuses on transferability of skills (difficulty of switching employer) and specificity of work (difficulty of replacing employees). Empirical analysis utilises survey data on more than 20 European countries.
