The Palestinian Economy. Theoretical and Practical Challenges

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Makhool
owing to the inefficiencies of matching people and jobs. Rural-urban differences in
employment adequacy may simply reflect differences in demographic characteristics,
such as age, sex, and marital status. If the rural workforce includes a disproportionate
share of individuals in groups that typically experience high employment hardship, then
rural-urban differences may be entirely compositional in origin (McLaughlin and
Perman 1991).
In addition to the impact of individual characteristics “supply side” factors on
individual’s employment success, there is an increasing concern about “demand side”
issues that emphasize the quality and quantity of jobs available in rural-urban areas and
are likely to influence the degree of employment hardship among rural-urban dwellers
(Haynes et al. 2005).
Evidence showed that both labour supply and demand factors represent the structural
determinants of employment success. Increasing age diminishes the chances of a
downward move toward underemployment (Vera-Toscano 2002). In terms of family
variables, there are significant variations by marital status: married individuals are less
likely than non – married ones to get into underemployment, and more likely to get into
the not in the labour force status, (Vera-Toscano 2002; Haynes et al. 2005). While having
a preschool child, or having more children is associated with increased odds of not being
employed, rather than being part-time (Haynes et al. 2005). Also, the higher the education
level the less likely individuals are to make a transition into underemployment or out of
the labour force, (Leppel 1957; Vera-Toscano 2002; Omar 1999; Haynes et al. 2005).
Women are significantly more likely to move into underemployment or out of the labour
force than their male counterparts (Vera-Toscano 2002). Married women are more likely
to be employed part-time than single or divorced and separated women (Haynes et al.
2005). Young, poorly educated are more likely to suffer employment hardship (Hsueh
and Tienda 1994; Lichter 1989). Location is another factor to affect employment
hardship; it has been shown that rural areas are more likely to provide low paying, parttime,
seasonal and non-unionised jobs (McLaughlin and Perman 1991).