Local Responses to Longterm Unemployment: Delivering Access to Employment in Edinburgh

2003 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin Lindsay ◽  
Garry Sturgeon
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Local Policy ◽  
Unemployed People ◽  
Local Responses ◽  
Policy Responses ◽  
Client Group ◽  
The City ◽  
Depth Interviews

This paper examines locally developed policy responses to long-term unemployment in the city of Edinburgh: a labour market characterised by relatively lowunemployment and generally high levels of demand. Drawing upon in-depth interviews with 115 long-term unemployed people residing in the city, the paper first analyses the complex combination of barriers to work faced by members of this client group. Two recent labour market initiatives, developed by the local authority in partnership with other public and third sector agencies and (in one case) major employers, are then discussed. It is suggested that this locally focused, partnership-based approach may provide a useful model for local policy responses to long-term unemployment, particularly in buoyant labour markets.

Per Achterbahn zum Sozialen Arbeitsmarkt. Zur Vorgeschichte des „Teilhabechancengesetzes“

2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (12) ◽  
pp. 797-824
Author(s):  
Matthias Knuth
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Social Participation ◽  
Public Interest ◽  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Job Creation ◽  
Unemployed People ◽  
The Public ◽  
Labour Market Participation ◽  
New Instrument

Zusammenfassung Mit Beginn des Jahres 2019 wurde in Deutschland ein neues Instrument der arbeitsmarktpolitisch geförderten Beschäftigung für Langzeitarbeitslose eingeführt. Die „Teilhabe am Arbeitsmarkt“ steht in der Tradition eines 2008 eingeleiteten Paradigmenwechsels: Statt die Förderung auf Arbeiten zu beschränken, die „zusätzlich“ und „wettbewerbsneutral“ sind und im „öffentlichen Interesse“ liegen, kann der Lohnkostenzuschuss von jedem Arbeitgeber und für jede Art von Tätigkeiten in Anspruch genommen werden. Dieser Paradigmenwechsel, von dem man sich bessere Chancen des Übergangs in ungeförderte Beschäftigung verspricht, war lange umstritten und wurde von Vielen nicht verstanden. Es ist deshalb erstaunlich, dass er durch die Irrungen und Wirrungen zweier Instrumentenreformen erhalten blieb. Der Beitrag folgt diesem Prozess und zeichnet die Entwicklung der Positionen verschiedener Akteure nach. Abstract: Roller Coasting Towards a “Socially Inclusive Labour Market”. On the Background of Recent Legislation for the “Creation of New Opportunities for Long-Term Unemployed People on the Labour Market in General and on the Socially Inclusive Labour Market” As of 2019, Germany introduced a new instrument of direct job creation for long-term unemployed people. Called “Social participation through labour market participation”, the new instrument preserves the tradition of a paradigm shift initiated in 2008: Instead of restricting direct job creation to activities that are “additional”, “in the public interest” and “neutral in terms of effect on competition”, the wage subsidy can be used by any employer for any kind of activity. This is expected to provide better chances of transition into unsubsidized employment. This paradigm shift has for long remained contested or not properly understood by many. It is therefore astonishing that it survived the trials and tribulations of two rounds of instrument reform. The article tracks this process and delineates how the standpoints of various actors evolved.

scholarly journals Emotional Compliance and Emotion as Resistance: Shame and Anger among the Long-Term Unemployed

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 794-811 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Peterie ◽  
Gaby Ramia ◽  
Greg Marston ◽  
Roger Patulny
Keyword(s):  
Welfare Recipients ◽  
Policy Tools ◽  
Sociology Of Emotions ◽  
Unemployed People ◽  
Everyday Resistance ◽  
The Unemployed ◽  
Emotional Resistance ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Important Form

Contemporary governments employ a range of policy tools to ‘activate’ the unemployed to look for work. Framing unemployment as a consequence of personal shortcoming, these policies incentivise the unemployed to become ‘productive’ members of society. While Foucault’s governmentality framework has been used to foreground the operation of power within these policies, ‘job-seeker’ resistance has received less attention. In particular, forms of emotional resistance have rarely been studied. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 80 unemployed welfare recipients in Australia, this article shows that many unemployed people internalise activation’s discourses of personal failure, experiencing shame and worthlessness as a result. It also reveals, however, that a significant minority reject this framing and the ‘feeling rules’ it implies, expressing not shame but anger regarding their circumstances. Bringing together insights from resistance studies and the sociology of emotions, this article argues that ‘job-seeker’ anger should be recognised as an important form of ‘everyday resistance’.

scholarly journals Social Isolation as Stigma-Management: Explaining Long-Term Unemployed People’s ‘Failure’ to Network

Sociology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (6) ◽  
pp. 1043-1060 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Peterie ◽  
Gaby Ramia ◽  
Greg Marston ◽  
Roger Patulny
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Stigma ◽  
Individual Responsibility ◽  
Paid Work ◽  
Job Seekers ◽  
Unemployed People ◽  
Knowledge And Attitude ◽  
The Unemployed ◽  
Depth Interviews

Social networks play an important role in helping people find employment, yet extant studies have argued that unemployed ‘job-seekers’ rarely engage in ‘networking’ behaviours. Previous explanations of this inactivity have typically focused on individual factors such as personality, knowledge and attitude, or suggested that isolation occurs because individuals lose access to the latent benefits of employment. Social stigma has been obscured in these debates, even as they have perpetuated stereotypes regarding individual responsibility for unemployment and the inherent value of paid work. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 80 unemployed Australians, this article argues that stigma-related shame is an important factor in networking decisions. First, it demonstrates that stigma is ubiquitous in the lives of the unemployed. Second, it identifies withdrawal from social networks and disassociation from ‘the unemployed’ as two key strategies that unemployed people use to manage stigma-related shame, and shows how these strategies reduce networking activities.

The limitations of activation policies: unemployment at the end of working life

2011 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 977-1002 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTINA WUEBBEKE
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Market Integration ◽  
Unemployment Benefit ◽  
Unemployed People ◽  
Gainful Employment ◽  
Employment Agency ◽  
Job Opportunities ◽  
The One

ABSTRACTIn several European countries, older unemployed people, after reaching a certain age, are entitled to unemployment benefit payments without having to seek new employment. The coexistence of this exemption clause and of reforms aimed at containing early retirement in the respective countries reflects a conflict of political aims – on the one hand, between an efficient labour-market policy at a time of high unemployment, and on the other hand, the goal of the comprehensive activation and labour-market integration of older workers as a response to demographic change. This paper deals with the reasons for the transfer of older long-term unemployed people on to ‘facilitated benefits’ for labour-market withdrawal in Germany. The empirical analysis shows that low or no propensity to work was rarely the motive for leaving the labour market; in particular, those anticipating a low retirement income actually wanted to be re-employed. The vast majority gave three reasons for the decision to retire: an inability to cope with requirements of available jobs; a lack of job opportunities; and an absence of proper support from the public employment agency. Thus the withdrawal of older long-term unemployed people into pre-retirement cannot be attributed to a utility-maximising decision in favour of leisure and against gainful employment, but is the primary result of the scarce re-employment prospects.

Long-term unemployed in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 17-34
Author(s):  
Ewa Flaszyńska
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Public Employment ◽  
Ability To Work ◽  
Employment Services ◽  
Unemployed People ◽  
The Public ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Unemployed

The COVID-19 pandemic has not significantly affected the increase in unemployment, including the change in the structure of long-term unemployment. Long-term unemployment increases with some delay after the recession. This article analyses the changes in the situation of long-term unemployed people in Poland before and during the COVID-2019 pandemic, presents actions taken at that time by employment and social services, and presents recommendations for the future, considering information collected from employees of poviat labour offices. In Poland, the reasons for the persistence of a relatively high level of long-term unemployment in general may include the following factors: registration in labour offices of people who, mainly for health reasons, are not ready to participate in processes of restoring the ability to work, a limited amount of funds allocated to activation of the unemployed activities and, finally, the lack of mechanisms rewarding the public employment services (PES) for bringing the long-term unemployed back to the labour market.

scholarly journals Transnational gentrification, tourism and the formation of ‘foreign only’ enclaves in Barcelona

Urban Studies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (15) ◽  
pp. 3025-3043 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agustin Cocola-Gant ◽  
Antonio Lopez-Gay
Keyword(s):  
Global Scale ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Transnational Mobility ◽  
Advanced Economies ◽  
Transnational Migrants ◽  
Neighbourhood Change ◽  
The City ◽  
Depth Interviews

In a context of global-scale inequalities and increased middle-class transnational mobility, this paper explores how the arrival of Western European and North American migrants in Barcelona drives a process of gentrification that coexists and overlaps with the development of tourism in the city. Research has focused increasingly on the role of visitors and Airbnb in driving gentrification. However, our aim is to add another layer to the complexity of neighbourhood change in tourist cities by considering the role of migrants from advanced economies as gentrifiers in these neighbourhoods. We combined socio-demographic analysis with in-depth interviews and, from this, we found that: (1) lifestyle opportunities, rather than work, explain why transnational migrants are attracted to Barcelona, resulting in privileged consumers of housing that then displace long-term residents; (2) migrants have become spatially concentrated in tourist enclaves and interact predominantly with other transnational mobile populations; (3) the result is that centrally located neighbourhoods are appropriated by foreigners – both visitors and migrants – who are better positioned in the unequal division of labour, causing locals to feel increasingly excluded from the place. We illustrate that tourism and transnational gentrification spatially coexist and, accordingly, we provide an analysis that integrates both processes to understand how neighbourhood change occurs in areas impacted by tourism. By doing so, the paper offers a fresh reading of how gentrification takes place in a Southern European destination and, furthermore, it provides new insights into the conceptualisation of tourism and lifestyle migration as drivers of gentrification.

scholarly journals Street-Level Practice, Personalisation and Co-Production in Employability: Insights from Local Services with Lone Parents

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 647-658 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin Lindsay ◽  
Sarah Pearson ◽  
Elaine Batty ◽  
Anne Marie Cullen ◽  
Will Eadson
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Job Search ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Unemployed People ◽  
Lone Parents ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Depth Interviews

Policymakers in the UK have promised to deliver personalised employability services for vulnerable jobseekers. However, unemployed people often describe their engagement with state-funded services as defined by: the offer of low cost, standardised job search services; and pressure to accept any job, irrespective of quality or appropriateness. This article argues that more progressive, co-produced alternatives are possible. We draw on an evaluation of local, third sector-led services targeting lone parents (LPs) in five local government areas in Scotland. Our research involved more than 100 in-depth interviews with both service providers and LPs. We find that partnership-oriented co-governance mechanisms facilitated collaborative approaches to the management of services and processes of co-production. LPs expressed positive views of the personalised services that were co-produced. We conclude that a commitment to collaboration and co-production may be more effective in promoting personalised services that are responsive to the needs of vulnerable groups.

Government Policies and Employers' Attitudes Towards Long-term Unemployed People in Northern Ireland

1998 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 447-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
MAURA SHEEHAN ◽  
MIKE TOMLINSON
Keyword(s):  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Government Policies ◽  
Supply Side ◽  
Labour Demand ◽  
Employment Policy ◽  
Unemployed People ◽  
Limited Impact ◽  
Fair Employment

The article discusses government policies towards unemployed people in the context of the development of ‘fair employment’ policy in Northern Ireland. It presents results from a survey of long-term unemployed people in West Belfast which challenge the direction and content of existing training and employment schemes, and their capacity to address inequalities in unemployment between Catholics and Protestants. The article argues that current supply side labour market policies are having limited impact in Northern Ireland and goes on to explore policies to influence labour demand. On the basis of interviews with employers, a number of policies are advocated, including giving priority to recruitment of long-term unemployed people in areas of high unemployment by means of making grant aid conditional.

Equal Rights and Equal Duties? Activating Labour Market Policy and the Participation of Long-term Unemployed People with Disabilities after the Reform of the German Welfare State

2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANGELA RAUCH ◽  
JOHANNA DORNETTE
Keyword(s):  
Welfare State ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Market Integration ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Equal Rights ◽  
Complex Situation ◽  
Unemployed People ◽  
Labour Market Integration ◽  
Social Code

AbstractThe recent German welfare state reform with the introduction of Social Code II has created a complex situation for the labour market integration of long-term unemployed people with disabilities. A range of social laws with differing underlying principles is now applicable. In this article, we examine the effects that the implementation of this social code has on long-term unemployed people with disabilities. We show that their integration patterns changed. This is due to the building of new institutions responsible for labour market integration, followed by a temporary destabilisation of work routines at the operational level. Additionally, more persistent consequences occur because the inconsistencies of the relevant laws are creating an area of conflict, which is increasing the risk of marginalising people with disabilities in terms of labour market integration.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Employment Programme on Young Unemployed People

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-69
Author(s):  
Laura Južnik Rotar
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Youth Unemployment ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Active Labour Market Policy ◽  
Unemployed People ◽  
Active Labour

Youth unemployment is of paramount concern for the European Union. Young people are facing potentially slow and difficult transitions into stable jobs. What optimally supports young people on the labour market poses a challenging question for economic policy makers. Active labour market policies can be beneficial to young unemployed people. The aim of active labour market policy is to improve employability of the unemployed. The consequences of an overly generous welfare state can be a reduction in motivation to work. The effectiveness of employment programmes is therefore a crucial step in the process. This paper aims to estimate the treatment effect of subsidized employment programmes on young Dutch unemployed people using difference in differences propensity score matching. We test whether the effects of subsidized employment programmes for young Dutch unemployed people are positive and strong in both the short and long term on the probability of re-employment and on the probability of participation in the regular educational system in comparison with the outcome produced in the event that an individual would continue seeking employment as an unemployed person. The probability of re-employment in short-term circumstances is positive, but small. Whereas with long-term examples (two years after the programme start) the probability is negative. Alternatively, the probability of participation in regular educational systems is positive in the short-term as well as in the long-term, but evidently decreases in the long-term. Welfare reforms undertaken in the Netherlands are directed towards enhancing efficiency. The role of social partners in social security administrations is reduced and the reforms are intended to promote reintegration of people who are out of work. There is a general agreement that the Netherlands is going in the right direction by giving priority to work and study over benefits, as it has become evident that generous social benefits make employment policies inefficient.

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