Moving forward, waiting or standing still? Service users’ experiences from a Norwegian labour activation programme

Abstract

ABSTRACT Labour activation policy relies on a notion of temporal homogeneity, with the assumption that the service user, once enrolled in a labour activation programme, moves forward on a linear and progressive trajectory into the labour market. However, for many, labour activation is experienced as a discontinuous and interrupted trajectory, through which one occasionally moves forward, but which also contains periods of immobility and standstill. The literature has illuminated the complex nature of labour activation trajectories, including transitions over time. We introduce a focus on how servicer users in a Norwegian labour activation programme construct understandings of time itself, as ‘waiting’ or ‘moving forward’, in connection with their labour activation experiences. Applying a rhythm analysis that attends to biography and change over time, we explore how service users’ life course rhythms meet with and diverge from the institutionally defined labour activation rhythms, and how dissonance may shape the way that users understand their labour activation experiences. The study is based on fieldwork in The Norwegian labour and welfare services (NAV). Our findings point to how participants experience the time spent in labour activation differently and how seemingly similar experiences and activities may mean ‘waiting’ for some and ‘moving forward’ for others.