Key findings and its purpose in the body of knowledge

Various study findings

Various study findings are presented in the article on underemployment and wellbeing in the United Kingdom before and after the great collapses. First, a bigger percentage of workers in 2012 than in 2006 reported feeling dissatisfied with their capacity to apply their abilities and initiative (Ala-Mursula et al. 2006, p. 610). A decreased rate of employees’ expectations about an increase in the rate of unemployment is reflected or demonstrated by the exhibited changes in the research on working hours in the workers’ positions as well as the experience and skills in each employee. The finding is helpful in indicating the level of unemployment in the country as well as the driving factors of unemployment in the United Kingdom.

Age and job satisfaction

Secondly, the older workers are much more enthusiastic and contented with their job levels as compared to younger people. The situation gets better to the old people as they approach retirement age (Anderson and Winefield, 2011, p. 170). The finding indicates that well-being in most cases increases at middle age. The research is significant to the body of knowledge as it offers the relationship between underemployment and the welfare of workers.

Comparison between public and private sector workers

Thirdly, the public sector workers are less satisfied and passionate about the workers in private sectors. However, the main difference appears mainly with contentment models estimated for numerous years (Costa et al. 2014, p. 1130). The overall finding indicates that job satisfaction is much low in the private sector. Nevertheless, it falls as job insecurity increases. The finding helps the body of knowledge to understand the level of job satisfaction among the population employed.

Gender differences in job satisfaction

Finally, women are more enthusiastic in their line of duty about men. That is to indicate that the well-being of men changed on a greater notch in 2006 to 2012 as compared to that of women.

Assessment of the method applied

The research utilized the skills and employment survey to derive the above findings. The study included people between the ages of 20-65 years who are in the employment program in the country. The survey assists in gathering information concerning the kind of work that people do the aspects of their working life as well as the different kind of skills that each employee upholds (Crebert et al. 2014, p. 150). The survey method implemented in this research is also essential in conducting research on job expectations, employment conditions as well as training. The skills and employment survey was inclusive of variables that enabled the researcher to examine underemployment based on hours of paid employment. The research method also brings about as a sense of investigation underemployment about underutilization of workers’ abilities, experience, and skills. Moreover, the survey method adopted hypothesis testing through the structural equation modeling (Dooley et al. 2010, 430). Some of the concepts such as well-being were measured indirectly through observed variables, which reflect the perceptions and underlying feelings of employees. The article uses the skills and employment survey to measure two dimensions of well-being, contentment-anxiety, and enthusiasm-depression. The dimensions were probed or measured by asking workers the rate at which their job has gained them experience in the field of expertise. The indicators of the research were derived from theories and various methods in the survey (Felstead et al. 2013, p. 130). The structural equation model used in combination with the skills and employment survey has multiple advantages to the research program. The model ensures that ones the model undergoes an estimation process, the model can be extended to control in regression framework in a linear structure. Moreover, the model also chooses major variables and creates different methods of scales.

Identification of research’s practical implication

The research raises various kinds of practical consequences due to the facilitation process of the research. First, the government of the United Kingdom has a quantity of jobs in the country. Furthermore, both the rate of employment and unemployment are aggregated and exist for different groups of workers (Friedland and Price, 2013, p. 40). Due to the implementation of the research in the United Kingdom, the government together with the European Union emphasizes the need for improvements in the economic improvements of the country and the nation as a whole. Most of the workers came to the realization that most of the skills that they possess are not in any way related to their jobs. It is an indication of a weaker relationship between qualifications and experiences (Konrad et al. 2013, p. 370). It is evident that the skills of the employees are underutilized, hence imposing a negative implication in the growth of the country’s productivity level. The action weakens the United Kingdom economy. It is evident that the supply of skills and knowledge is of importance in any nation to realize a level of development growth that they deserve. The research also has a practical implication in adding the existing evidence, which shows the damage of consequences related to long hours as well as heavy workloads for the well-being. Overemployment has a detrimental effect on the welfare of employees as compared to underemployment (Spurgeon et al. 2007, p. 370). The United Kingdom has now come to the realization of increasing economic levels and foundations of the country. Different reports of parliamentary party groups of well-being economics highlight the adverse effects of excessive work duration on the welfare of the nation. The results are a practical implication of the research done on the relationship of welfare and underemployment.

Assessment of strengths and weaknesses

The research done in the United Kingdom relates the well-being of the employees with the rate of underemployment exhibits various strengths and weaknesses at the same time. The primary strengths are that the method used to evaluate the research data was simple and easily understood (Vivarelli, 2014, p. 130). The research included a range of employees who are the main players in the research. The findings of the investigation well explain the research aim. The main conclusions of the research are elaborated well to research the targeted audience. In so doing, the United Kingdom has applied the results of findings on their economy to improve their economic status. The research is a source of growth and development in the country (Winefield 2012, 145). Furthermore, despite the various strengths, the research has also exhibited many weaknesses. The employment rate in the research does not offer or reveal anything concerning the quality of jobs. Moreover, the research does not disclose if the employment rate provides workers with a means of achieving an acceptable standard of living. The post-2010 increase in the rate of employment in the United Kingdom is related to an increase in involuntary part-time work and has adverse consequences for the workers (Wooden et al. 2009, p. 150). Despite the findings having various results about skills and experience, there is less information based on the manner of resolving the problems associated with employability. The country does not have a plan to help their citizens from the tragedy affecting them.

References

Ala-Mursula, L., Vahtera, J., Kouvonen, A., Väänänen, A., Linna, A., Pentti, J. and Kivimäki, M., 2006. Long hours in paid and domestic work and subsequent sickness absence: does control over daily schedules matter? Occupational and environmental medicine, 63(9), pp. 608-616.

Anderson, S. and Winefield, A.H., 2011. The impact of underemployment on psychological health, physical health, and work attitudes. In Underemployment (pp. 165-185). Springer New York.

Costa, G., Sartori, S. and Åkerstedt, T., 2006. Influence of flexibility and variability of working hours on health and well‐being. Chronobiology International, 23(6), pp. 1125-1137.

Crebert, G., Bates, M., Bell, B., Patrick, C.J. and Crinoline, V., 2014. Developing generic skills at university, during work placement and in employment: graduates’ perceptions. Higher Education Research & Development, 23(2), pp. 147-165.

Dooley, D., Prause, J. and Ham-Rowbottom, K.A., 2010. Underemployment and depression: longitudinal relationships. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, pp. 421-436.

Felstead, A., Gallie, D., Green, F. and Inanc, H., 2013. Skills at work in Britain: First findings from the expertise and employment survey 2012.

Friedland, D.S. and Price, R.H., 2013. Underemployment: Consequences for the Health and Well‐Being of Workers. American journal of community psychology, 32(1-2), pp.33-45.

Konrad, A.M., Moore, M.E., Ng, E.S., Doherty, A.J. and Breward, K., 2013. Temporary Work, Underemployment and Workplace Accommodations: Relationship to Well‐being for Workers with Disabilities. British Journal of Management, 24(3), pp. 367-382.

Spurgeon, A., Harrington, J.M., and Cooper, C.L., 2007. Health and safety problems associated with long working hours: a review of the current position. Occupational and environmental medicine, 54(6), pp. 367-375.

Vivarelli, M., 2014. Innovation, employment, and skills in advanced and developing countries: A survey of the economic literature. Journal of Economic Issues, 48(1), pp. 123-154.

Winefield, A.H., 2012. Unemployment, underemployment, occupational stress and psychological well-being. Australian Journal of Management, 27(1 supply), pp. 137-148.

Wooden, M., Warren, D. and Drago, R., 2009. Working time mismatch and subjective well‐being. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 47(1), pp. 147-179.