THE DURATION OF REGISTERED VACANCIES: AN EXPLORATORY EXERCISE
| Date | 01 February 1978 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9485.1978.tb01186.x |
| Author | P. B. Beaumont |
| Published date | 01 February 1978 |
Scottish
Journal
of
Political Economy,
Vol.
25,
No.
1,
February
1978
THE DURATION
OF
REGISTERED
VACANCIES: AN EXPLORATORY EXERCISE
P.
B.
BEAUMONT
University
of
Glmgow
I
INTRODUCTION
Our knowledge of the behaviour of registered vacancy statistics is, to say the
least, limited. Studies
of
the recruitment patterns of employers have revealed
that only a limited percentage of all vacancies is actually notified to employ-
ment exchanges, and that this percentage tends to vary according to skill
requirements and the level
of
demand in the particular area (Mackay
et
al.,
1971, pp. 352-6). But beyond this little is known about registered vacancy
statistics as a labour market indicator.
To improve our knowledge in this area
it
would seem essential to follow
the recent trend in unemployment research which has concentrated on the
interaction between the unemployment stock and its corresponding flows
over a given period of time. This approach is valuable in highlighting the
fact that any relationship between changes in the demand for labour and
changes in the stock
of
unemployment is derived from the more fundamental
flow and duration variables. This derived relationship led Cripps and
Tarling (1974) to argue that the effect of changes in the demand for labour
on the stock of unemployment is best examined via a detailed study of the
duration
of unemployment.
Similarly one would like to measure vacancy duration as
it
is the link
between the stock of vacancies and the flows of vacancies on and
off
the
register, and hence changes in duration will be an important determinant
of the way in which changes in the stock
of
unfilled vacancies reflect changes
in the pressure of labour demand. Holt and David (1966) in their seminal
paper on the interactions between stocks and flows in the labour market
certainly emphasized the key importance of vacancy, as well as unemployment,
duration. Some empirical justification for the importance
of
attempting to
measure vacancy duration is provided by the results of an estimating exercise
on national level data in Britain; in which Leicester (1973) revealed that
vacancy duration did change through time, and that these changes accounted
I
am grateful
to
Steve Engleman, John Fyfe, Laurie Hunter and Alan McGregor for
helpful comments on an earlier draft of this paper. The invaluable research assistance
of
Anne Carey and Maureen Robb is also gratefully acknowledged. The research on which the
paper is based was made possible by the funding of the Manpower Services Commission
and the active co-operation of the Employment Service Agency, but the views expressed
are mine rather than those of the Commission
or
Agency.
Received in final form:
31
October
1977.
75
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