Abstract
Using Work Training in Norway as a case, this article provides insight into motivation and structural factors that impact employer engagement with active labour market policies (ALMP) targeting young people. Drawing on mixed-methods data, we find a substantial proportion of Norwegian employers engage in Work Training. Both social responsibility and the economic interests of the company influence employers’ motivation for committing to Work Training. The findings reveal that the structural factors of business size and sector are crucial determinants of employer behaviour when it comes to hiring Work Training candidates. Although improved outreach activities by local job centres may be important, the article argues that efforts towards opening up sectors closed by sector-specific regulations on hiring, and increased awareness of structural constraints, are similarly important.
Highlights
Active labour market policies (ALMPs) were introduced in the Global North in the mid1990s to improve the employability of job seekers, and subsequently much research on employment has focused on the supply side of the employment equation (Bell and Blanchflower, 2011)
Our findings indicate that structural constraints impact employer engagement, in terms of both training and hiring
We have examined why some employers provide Work Training and what characterises employers who engage in ALMPs and who subsequently hire participating candidates
Summary
Active labour market policies (ALMPs) were introduced in the Global North in the mid1990s to improve the employability of job seekers, and subsequently much research on employment has focused on the supply side of the employment equation (Bell and Blanchflower, 2011). In line with van Berkel et al.’s (2017) programme for future research on employer engagement, we investigate employer motivation and behaviour by focusing on Work Training, drawing on evidence from a multi-method Norwegian study. First, we explore employers’ reasons and justifications for engaging with ALMPs by offering work training programmes for young candidates (van Berkel et al, 2017). We investigate employer behaviour through observations of offered work training and subsequent hiring of work training candidates.
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