What Hinders the Transition from Benefits Recipiency to Labor Market in the Korean Social Assistance Program? : In the case of working-age recipients

Abstract

This study is to identify the factors deterring or precipitating the exit from welfare recipiency to labor market in the Korean social assistance program. The results from the empirical analyses of the Korea Welfare Panel Study(KOWEPS) show that the duration dependency is not due to increasing welfare dependency with duration, but to the fact that longer stayers have many vulnerable conditions to escape from poverty. Particularly, the main factors determining the transition from recipiency to labor market are not individual or household characteristics such as human or social capital. Those having adolescents of secondary education in their households or participating in some effective labor market program such as job placement service tend to have significant effects on the exit rates from recipiency. That means that the institution-related factors such as the education and health supports combined with benefits and the effective labor market programs are important in the translation from recipiency to labor market of working-age recipients in the Korean social assistance scheme.