Socio-economic inequalities in the context of labour market segmentation theory

Abstract

This paper describes theories that attempt to explain the existence of economic inequalities among social groups in the labour market in the context of the doctrine of market segmentation. The determinants of these inequalities are also presented. The paper focuses on the following issues: statistical segmentation, the concept of the internal and external market, the concept of the dual labour market, the theory of dual economy, the peripherality theory, the theory of discrimination on the labour market and the concept of labour market as an arena. The determinants of inequalities resulting from these theories are as follows: labour market segmentation according to the features specific to various social groups or according to the characteristics of the labour market, the rules for the selection of employees, employers’ interests regarding the training of employees, insufficient support of trade unions, socialisation, assigning to each social group actual or apparent qualities or social roles, bad habits gained by secondary workers, employment discontinuity, low professional identity, dissipation, attitudes and values inimical to stability and continuity.