Abstract
In Spain, the issue of unemployment or precarious employment worsen with globalization, leading to an expansion of the so-called working poor in the labour market. According to previous literature, the economic poverty that is characteristic of this group may accompany poverty competency. In particular, the working poor resort to informal and poorly developed job-search strategies. This study addresses the job search methods used by people at risk of poverty and social exclusion. It provides evidence on the subject and serves as a basis for the adaptation of socio-labour intermediation programmes to this group. The hypothesis of this study is that people at high risk will predominantly use informal strategies that require a low level of job-search skills. A survey-based correlational study is conducted using a questionnaire completed by 279 people participating in socio-labour intermediation programmes developed by the Action against Hunger Foundation (AaHF) in Spain. Information on poverty indicators and on job-search strategies is collected. Data are analysed through cluster analysis, which distinguish two groups of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion (high risk and low risk), followed by a comparison of means (t-test) with a subsequent calculation of effect size using Cohen's d. Results show statistically significant differences with a medium effect size (between 0.45 and 0.50) for the typology of job-search strategies used, confirming the initial hypothesis. These results offer relevant information that should be considered when developing programmes aimed at improving social and labour issues for people at risk of poverty and social exclusion.
Highlights
Spain’s employment data [1] reflect a reality marked by high unemployment and precarious, temporary and seasonal employment
Participants are selected if they has taken part in socio-labour intermediation programmes developed by the Action against Hunger Foundation (AaHF) in various Spanish autonomous communities (Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia, Extremadura, Galicia, Madrid, Murcia and Navarra)
Partitioning the sample into two classes resulted in two groups constituted by 71.3% and 28.7% of the participants, who are differentiated by their situation in relation to the different risk indicators of poverty and social exclusion
Summary
Spain’s employment data [1] reflect a reality marked by high unemployment and precarious, temporary and seasonal employment. Poverty of competencies highlights the importance of education in escaping social exclusion [33] This type of poverty marginalizes individuals by affecting their opportunities for life-long learning, hindering their access to quality employment and limiting their participation in the agency of power and decision-making. Non-profit entities develop training and social-labour intermediation programmes aimed at the most defenceless people in the labour market These programmes seek to foster positive attitudes towards work and improve the skills of participants in the search for employment by teaching strategies that enhance the likelihood of insertion or reemployment [40,48], taking into account the fact that “people living in poverty tend to have inadequate job search skills” Such information should be of particular help to those who desire to develop the skills and strategies of job seekers by providing training tailored to their needs
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