Stabilität und De-Stabilität am betrieblichen Arbeitsmarkt

Erwerbsarbeit wird in der Literatur durch eine gesteigerte Formenvielfalt gekennzeichnet. Anknüpfend an diese Diskussion soll gezeigt werden, welche Beschäftigungsmuster west- und ostdeutsche Unternehmen heute bevorzugen. Hierfür wird anhand qualitativer Betriebsfallanalysen die Rolle der Unternehmen, d.h. konkret die Bedeutung ihrer Übergangspolitik hinsichtlich des Einflusses auf unterschiedliche Ein-, Auf- und Ausstiegswege im Kontext arbeitsmarkttheoretischer Annahmen untersucht. Dabei wird im Ergebnis deutlich: Zum Erhalt der Qualifikation und Motivation der Beschäftigten richten personalverantwortliche Entscheidungsträger ihre Handlungen an der Fortexistenz dauerhafter Beschäftigungsverhältnisse aus. Hierbei zeigt sich, das Beschäftigungsstrukturen als Ergebnisse früherer Handlungen Entscheidungsspielräume erheblich beeinträchtigen können.Based on the discussion about the increased variety of occupational forms, this article focuses on the question which patterns of employment enterprises in East and West Germany actually prefer. Founded on qualitative case studies, the role of enterprises and specifically the influence of their policies on occupational transitions is analysed and discussed within the context of labour market theories. Empirical results demonstrate, that in order to keep the qualification and motivation of the employees decision-makers in personnel management adjust their actions to the continuity of durable employment. In this context patterns of employment as results of earlier actions can lessen the scope for current decisions

Engagiert bis ins hohe Alter? Organisationsgebundenes ehrenamtliches Engagement in der zweiten Lebenshälfte

Der Anteil von Personen, die ein ehrenamtliches Engagement ausüben, hat sich unter den 40- bis 85-Jährigen zwischen den Jahren 1996 und 2014 verdoppelt. Im Jahr 2014 zeigen sich deutliche Unterschiede im ehrenamtlichen Engagement nach Geschlecht, Bildung, Landesteil und Erwerbsstatus. Im Jahr 2014 ist jede vierte ehrenamtlich engagierte Person im Alter von 50 bis 85 Jahren in einer Seniorengruppe aktiv. Ein Drittel der im Jahr 2014 ehrenamtlich Engagierten hat in den letzten sechs Jahren ein neues Engagement aufgenommen und zwei Drittel üben ihr Engagement schon länger als sechs Jahre aus

Extratropical Cyclones and Associated Climate Impacts in the Northeastern United States

There is growing concern that some aspects of severe weather could become more frequent and extreme across the northeastern United States (USNE) as a consequence of climate change. Extratropical cyclones and frontal systems are a common factor in a variety of severe weather hazards in the region. This dissertation examines three types of meteorological events impacting the USNE – ice storms, heavy rainfall, and high-wind events. The first research topic utilizes the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model in a case study of the December 2013 New England ice storm. In this analysis, a series of tests are conducted to examine how choice of planetary boundary layer physics and other factors affect the model skill in comparison to observations. The results show that near-surface variables are highly sensitive to model setup, highlighting the need for careful testing prior to use. The second research topic explores large-scale teleconnections associated with the documented increase in summer precipitation across the USNE over the past two decades. It is shown that the precipitation surplus occurs in likely teleconnection with increased frequency of high pressure blocking over Greenland. As the current generation of climate models do not correctly depict seasonal patterns or trends in precipitation for the USNE, identifying the association between Greenland blocking and recent precipitation changes across the USNE is crucial for understanding the shortcomings for climate projections for the region. The third research topic is an analysis of the frequency and intensity of mid-autumn wind storms in New England. Fall season storms can have dominant cold-season characteristics, while also being fueled by warm-season moisture sources or the result of an extratropical transition. While the results show an increase in storm total precipitation, there are no significant trends in overall wind storm frequency or intensity with respect to central pressure or surface wind speeds. Nevertheless, storm severity is only one factor that contributes to damage from high wind events. As a whole, this dissertation provides insights to how precipitation and storms are changing across the USNE, while highlighting some of the challenges of weather and climate prediction at regional scales

Winter Snowpack Evolution and Precipitation Patterns Related to Cyclone Activity in the Western United States

The water supply in the western United States is in large part derived from runoff originating from mountain snowpacks. Temperature and precipitation control snowpack growth, both which are sensitive to climate change. This study uses daily snow telemetry (SNOTEL) observations and reanalysis-based cyclone center locations and pressures to correlate snowpack changes with cyclone activity. The results indicate that while a quarter of the stations used in this study indicate significant shifts toward lower peak snow water equivalent (SWE) amounts, the snowpack conditions differ between regions. Stations in the Utah region experience earlier peak SWE dates, shorter accumulation seasons, and fewer total snowcover days, indicating delayed snowpack initiation and multiple melt events. Other regions, such as the Middle and Southern Rockies, do not show changes toward less continuous snowcover, yet have lower peak SWE amounts. Unlike previous studies, only 5% of the stations indicate significant shifts toward shorter melt seasons. The direct effects of increasing temperatures does impact the type of precipitation events and the initiation of snowpack accumulation However, the indirect effects related to the timing and amount of precipitation events, in connection to the frequency and intensity of winter storms, are also critical. Variations in cyclone activity, occurring at the beginning of the snow season or closer to the date of peak SWE, correspond to significant correlations of decreasing monthly precipitation totals. The likely scenario is that peak SWE amounts will decrease in the future due to increased temperatures, though altered precipitation patterns may enhance or offset SWE amount losses. Advisor: Mark R. Anderso

Volunteering in organisations by people in the Second Half of Life during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Volunteering is an important form of social participation, and significant for social integration into society. However, not all population groups have engaged in volunteering in equal proportions, even before the COVID-19 pandemic. This chapter examines how access to volunteering changed for individual population groups in the second half of life during the Covid-19 pandemic, and whether the pandemic contributed to an increase in inequality in volunteering

Freiwilliges Engagement für hilfe- und pflegebedürftige Menschen im Gesundheitsbereich

Gut eine halbe Million Menschen in Deutschland engagieren sich freiwillig für hilfe- und pflegebedürftige Personen im Gesundheitsbereich. Diese Engagierten bringen sich mit einem hohen durchschnittlichen Zeitaufwand ein und sind überproportional häufig Frauen. Mit ihrem Engagement unterstützen sie Angehörige und Bekannte, die Pflege im privaten Kontext leisten, sowie professionelle Pflegekräfte. Die Rahmenbedingungen für das freiwillige Engagement in der Pflege scheinen allerdings schlechter zu sein als für das Engagement in sonstigen Bereichen, dies zeigen die Daten des Deutschen Freiwilligensurveys (FWS). Die Möglichkeiten zur Mitsprache in den Organisationen und Einrichtungen werden von Engagierten in der Pflege weniger gut bewertet als von Engagierten in anderen Bereichen. Zugleich sehen sie häufiger Verbesserungsbedarfe bezüglich der Förderung und Unterstützung ihres Engagements: - An die Organisationen gerichtet ist der Wunsch nach einer besseren fachlichen Unterstützung und besseren Weiterbildungsmöglichkeiten besonders häufig. Auch die Anerkennung durch hauptamtliche Kräfte wird von ihnen öfter gewünscht als von anderen Engagierten. - Von Staat und Gesellschaft wünschen sie sich besonders häufig bessere Information und Beratung zum freiwilligen Engagement. Ein wichtiger Punkt ist für die in der Pflege Engagierten außerdem die bessere Vereinbarkeit ihrer freiwilligen Tätigkeit mit dem Beruf. Die Befunde geben wichtige Hinweise, bei welchen Aspekten die Engagierten selbst Handlungsbedarfe sehen und wo die Rahmenbedingungen somit verbessert werden können. Dies ist insbesondere vor dem Hintergrund der Bedeutung dieses Engagements in alternden Gesellschaften wichtig. Die hier vorgestellten Befunde basieren auf den Daten des Freiwilligensurveys 2014. Somit können sie keine Auskunft über die Situation geben, mit der sich freiwillig Engagierte in den Zeiten während und nach der Corona-Pandemie des Jahres 2020 konfrontiert sehen. Zu vermuten ist allerdings, dass sich die Bedingungen für das freiwillige Engagement für hilfe- und pflegebedürftige Menschen durch die Pandemie sowie durch die Maßnahmen zu deren Eindämmung tendenziell eher verschlechtert haben. Der Deutsche Freiwilligensurvey (FWS) ist eine repräsentative Befragung zum freiwilligen Engagement in Deutschland, die sich an Personen ab 14 Jahren richtet. Der Survey wird vom Deutschen Zentrum für Altersfragen (DZA) durchgeführt und durch das Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend (BMFSFJ) gefördert. Die fünfte Welle des Freiwilligensurveys wurde im Jahr 2019 erhoben; Anfang 2021 sollen erste Ergebnisse dazu veröffentlicht werden

Perceived threat of climate change in the second half of life

Key messages: Over one in four people in the second half of life (28%) perceived a high threat from the climate crisis in 2023. Climate change is perceived as a significantly greater threat than Covid-19. There are no age differences regarding the perceived threat posed by the climate crisis. Women felt more threatened by the climate crisis than men. However, there were no differences between income and education groups. People with good self-rated health had a lower perception of threat from the climate crisis. People who have children but no grandchildren perceived a greater threat from the climate crisis than those with grandchildren

Volunteering and social exclusion in the second half of life: do volunteers feel less socially excluded?

Key messages: In 2023, one in five people in the second half of life were involved in voluntary work in an organisation. At 11.5 per cent, significantly fewer people in the 76 and older age group were involved in voluntary work than in the 43 to 75 age groups (19.7% to 23.4%). In the second half of life, women are significantly less likely to volunteer than men. In 2023, 16.0 per cent of women aged 43 and over were involved in voluntary work, compared to 23.7 per cent of men. People at risk of poverty volunteer particularly rarely. Only 8.7 per cent of people aged 43 and over with an income below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold were involved in volunteering in 2023, which is significantly less than people with a medium (20.6%) or high income (26.6%). People with health restrictions are less likely to volunteer than people without health restrictions. In 2023, 15.7 per cent of people who stated that they had health restrictions carried out voluntary work, while 22.5 per cent of people without health restrictions did so. People who volunteer feel less socially excluded than those who do not volunteer. With a mean value of 1.54 (on a scale of 1 to 4), the feeling of exclusion was less pronounced overall among people in the second half of life who volunteer than among people who do not volunteer (a mean value of 1.68). Differences in the perception of exclusion according to volunteer participation are particularly evident among older people. The average perception of exclusion was lower among volunteers of retirement age than among non-volunteers. In the age groups up to retirement age, the extent of perceived exclusion did not differ significantly between volunteers and non-volunteers. Women in particular feel less socially excluded when they volunteer. The average feeling of exclusion was less pronounced among women who volunteered than among women who did not volunteer. Among men, the mean exclusion values did not differ significantly between those who volunteered and those who did not

Effects of the Covid-19 Crisis on the work situations of people in middle and older working age

This chapter examines the extent to which employed people in their mid-40s and older were affected by various changes to their work situation in the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. Of particular interest is whether older workers aged 55 and over were affected to the same extent as middle-aged workers, and whether there were gender differences