Umeå University's logo

umu.sePublications
Change search
ExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
BETA

Project

Project type/Form of grant
Project grant
Title [sv]
Familjenätverkens betydelse på den svenska arbetsmarknaden
Title [en]
Kinship in the Swedish labor market
Abstract [sv]
Familjen har länge ansetts vara en viktig faktor för tillgång till arbete under förmodern tid. Trots flertalet institutionella förändringar som syftar till att öka transparensen visar studier i både Sverige och andra utvecklade länder att familjenätverk fortfarande spelar en stor roll för unga som ska träda in på arbetsmarknaden och att denna betydelse i vissa fall till och med ökat under 1900-talet. Föreliggande projekt ämnar bygga vidare på denna litteratur. Vi gör detta genom att (i) analysera vilken betydelse familjenätverk utöver föräldrarna spelar för att förstå hur familjeband påverkar vem som får ett jobb och inte, (ii) studera hur en över/underrepresentation av familjemedlemmar är relaterat till företags konkurrenskraft och hur detta har förändrats över tid (1960-2010) med hänsyn till arbetskraftens och företagets övriga karaktäristik och lokalisering, och (iii) fråga informanter om deras syn på att rekrytera familjemedlemmar och släktingar. Genom att kombinera kvantitativa analyser på longitudinell individdata kopplat till information om företag och region, med intervjuer med representanter från företag om deras syn på familjerelaterad rekrytering, kommer detta projekt kunna bidra med ny kunskap om till vilken grad en ökad transparens som karaktäriserar många välfärdssamhällen också kan ses på arbetsmarknaden. Därmed kommer projektet generera insikter om de mekanismer som påverkar olika gruppers inträde på arbetsmarknaden och deras fortsatta karriärmöjligheter.
Abstract [en]
From having been considered an essential feature of pre-modern societies, family networks still play an important role for finding and getting a job, and has even in some arenas increased in importance despite increased formalization and institutional arrangements aiming to make the recruitment process more transparent. While previous studies in Sweden and elsewhere have shown the immense role of parents for youths when entering the labor market, this project aims to advance this topic further. We do so by analysing the prevalence and impact of family relations in all Swedish workplaces. In particular, we aim to advance existing knowledge by (i) assessing the role of extended family networks (not only parents) to measure the potential kinship bias that may structure who gets a job and who does not, (ii) estimate how kinship bias may influence firm performance by also considering sector, location and other social divisions such as gender, age and ethnicity, and how this has changed over time (1960-2010), and (iii) asking informants whether they perceive kin related recruitment as successful or problematic. By combining quantitative analyses on longitudinal micro-data and interviews with firm representatives, this project will contribute with important insights on to what extent assumed transparency in a modern welfare state trickle down to its labor market and to the mechanisms structuring labor market entry and career-development for different groups of labor.
Publications (1 of 1) Show all publications
Adjei, E. & Eriksson, R. (2021). Family co-occurrence and firm productivity. In: Basco R, Stough R, Suwala L (Ed.), Family Business and Regional Development: (pp. 83-102). Routledge
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Family co-occurrence and firm productivity
2021 (English)In: Family Business and Regional Development / [ed] Basco R, Stough R, Suwala L, Routledge, 2021, p. 83-102Chapter in book (Refereed)
Abstract [en]

Our book chapter examines the effects of family co-occurrence (i.e. the presence of familial relationships inside a firm, including between co-workers and between employees and the owner) on firm productivity. Analysing a set of Swedish firms over the 1995–2012 period, we find a positive and significant relationship between family co-occurrence and firm productivity. This positive relationship is particularly evident in smaller regions characterized by a more specialized industry mix. When looking at the specific case of family co-occurrence involving familial relationships with firm owners, we find that the positive productivity effect of familial relationships with firm owners varies depending on the type of family tie. While familial co-occurrence involving partners or spouses is positive and abates the negative effects of employees having very similar or very diverse skills (e.g. based on education), family co-occurrence involving siblings is pretty much non-existent. In sum, our findings suggest that family co-occurrence in workplaces does influence productivity and that the positive or negative impact of familial relationships on productivity is contingent on the type of family tie, the family members’ skills, and the regional context.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Routledge, 2021
Series
Routledge Advances in Regional Economies, Science and Policy
Keywords
Family-ties, family co-occurence, firm performance, productivity
National Category
Economic Geography Business Administration
Research subject
Social and Economic Geography
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-176636 (URN)10.4324/9780429058097-7 (DOI)2-s2.0-85104161507 (Scopus ID)978-0-367-17861-1 (ISBN)978-0-429-05809-7 (ISBN)
Available from: 2020-11-12 Created: 2020-11-12 Last updated: 2024-07-02Bibliographically approved
Co-InvestigatorHolm, Einar
Co-InvestigatorEriksson, Rikard
Principal InvestigatorEriksson, Rikard
Co-InvestigatorHaugen, Katarina
Coordinating organisation
Umeå University
Funder
Period
2014-01-01 - 2016-12-31
National Category
Human GeographyEconomic Geography
Identifiers
DiVA, id: project:505Project, id: P13-1044:1_RJ

Search in DiVA

Human GeographyEconomic Geography

Search outside of DiVA

GoogleGoogle Scholar