Job Centers Research Articles

Structuring Evaluation Partnerships: Exploring Contrasts in Researcher–Practitioner Roles and Responsibilities When Implementing Randomized Experiments in Real-World Settings

Despite the increase in federal tiered evidence initiatives that require the use of rigorous evaluation designs, such as randomized experiments, there has been limited guidance in the evaluation literature on practical strategies to implement such studies successfully. This paper provides lessons learned in executing experiments in applied settings, such as schools, juvenile justice agencies, mental health clinics, reproductive health clinics, and job centers. To promote successful study implementation, evaluators must understand study roles, select suitable partners, and employ appropriate partnership models. In this article, we describe partner types and study roles, concretely illustrate how partnerships might be structured, discuss specific strategies to assess implementation partner capacity and maintain partner engagement, and consider how an evaluator can leverage the skills and resources of study partners to improve participant recruitment, enrollment, and retention. While the lessons are drawn from our experiences conducting 10 experimental studies, some may also apply to non-experimental evaluations.

Job search, transition to employment and discouragement among older unemployed welfare recipients in Germany

AbstractThis paper quantifies the importance of active job search for the probability of re‐employment, estimates the share of older job seekers that become discouraged and explore factors that may lead to discouragement. We use the sample of older unemployed welfare benefit recipients in Germany covered by the Panel Study “Labour Market and Social Security” (PASS). We find that employment transition rates are low for older job seekers: only around 11% found a job within a year. Participation in job search is an important but not a decisive factor for the transition to employment, other variables such education levels and health status are as important for the probability to transit to employment. Furthermore, more than 29.4% of individuals that did not find employment gave up the job search. We argue that a large share of these group of unemployed could be classified as discouraged. The job centre caseworkers' strategies specifically aimed at helping older job seekers to develop a new perspective in the labour market are likely to increase their probability of continuing to search for work.

Impacts of two-scale urban form and their combined effects on commute modes in U.S. metropolitan areas

This study explores the relationship between urban form at the metropolitan and neighborhood scales and the percentages of four individual modes to commute. It then looks at the combined effects of urban forms at the metropolitan scale in metropolitan areas in the continental United States using multi-level regression models with interactive terms between urban forms. This study contains the percentages for four commute modes: percentage of the vehicle (VT), public transit (PT), biking (BI), and walking (WK). As urban form factors, this study contains urban fragments, population density, job-resident balance (JRB), the percentage of green areas at the metropolitan scale, and distance to the nearest job center at the neighborhood scale. The results show that at the neighborhood scale, a farther distance from individual neighborhoods to the nearest job center is associated with higher VT, and lower PT, BI, and WK. At the metropolitan scale, urban form factors have a more significant association with the percentage of individual modes to commute in large MSAs compared with small MSAs in terms of population. Most urban form factors at the metropolitan scale are not independently associated with the use of commute modes, but their interactions are associated with the percentage of individual modes to commute. Particularly, the level of urban fragments and the percentage of green areas may transform the impact of high population density and JRB on the percentage of the individual modes to commute except for WK. This study provides planners and policymakers with important guidelines to establish combined urban form plans rather than single urban form oriented plans to reduce vehicle travel.

An Analysis on the Differences in Recognition of the Training Market Purification through Fraud Prevention Education of Technical and Vocational Education and Training

이 연구의 목적은 직업훈련 부정 예방교육을 통하여 훈련시장이 얼마나 정화되었는지 행정당국인 지방관서와 훈련을 실시하는 기관의 인식 수준과 차이를 분석하는 데 있다. 이를 위해 훈련시장 정화 인식에 관한 측정도구를 개발하고, 지방관서와 훈련기관 담당자의 유효 응답자료(각 70명, 227명)를 수집하여, 기술통계와 t-검정을 이용하여 분석하였다. 이 연구의 주요 결과는 첫째, 예방교육을 통한 전체적인 훈련시장 정화 인식도는 4.38로 매우 높았다. 하위요인별로 예방활동 실천(4.46), 부정훈련 이해도 및 경각심(4.41), 부정훈련 예방(4.36), 부정행위 감소(4.27) 순으로 모두 높았다. 둘째, 이해 관계자에 따라서 훈련기관을 관리하고 지도감독하는 고용센터는 예방교육을 통한 훈련시장 정화 인식도를 4.13(3.87~4.13)으로 응답한 반면, 고용센터의 행정관리를 받고 있는 훈련기관은 4.50(4.39~4.61)으로 훨씬 더 높게 인식하였다. 이는 부정훈련에 대한 지도감독 및 예방교육 등을 실시하는 행정주체인지, 그로부터 행정관리를 받고 있는 관리대상인지에 따라서 각 역할과 처한 입장에 따라서 훈련시장 정화 인식도의 수준 차이를 확인할 수 있을 것이다. 셋째, 훈련기관의 변화에 대한 질적 응답자료를 분석한 결과, 훈련시장 정화 인식도 구성요인과 동일하게 4가지 범주화와 고의적인 부정훈련 등 추가적인 범주화가 이루어졌다. 4가지 구성요인 중 3가지(부정훈련 이해도 및 경각심, 예방활동 실천, 부정훈련 예방)는 지방관서와 훈련기관의 동일한 관점을 확인할 수 있었으나, 나머지 1개 요인(부정훈련 감소)과 고의적인 부정훈련 등은 훈련기관의 기타의견 자료가 없어 고용센터의 응답자료 만으로 범주화가 이루어졌다. 이는 지방관서와 훈련기관이 인식하는 훈련시장 정화에 대해 3가지 요인은 동일한 관점으로 인식하고, 나머지 1개 요인과 추가적인 범주화 사항은 다르게 인식한다는 의미가 아니라, 각 기관의 역할과 입장에 따라서 훈련시장 정화의 범위와 정도를 다르게 설정하여 인식함에서 오는 차이로 해석할 수 있을 것이다.The purpose of this study is to analyze how much the training market has been purified through fraud prevention education of technical and vocational education and training and to analyze the level of perception and differences between local governments and training institutions. To this end, a measurement tool for recognition of the purification of the training market was developed, and effective response data (respectively 70 people and 227 people) from local authorities and training institutions were collected, and was analyzed using descriptive statistics and t-test. The main results of this study were as follows. First, the overall recognition of purifying the training market through preventive education was very high at 4.38. By sub-factor, prevention activity practice (4.46), understanding and awareness of fraud training (4.41), prevention of fraud training (4.36), and decrease in fraud behavior (4.27) were all high in order. Second, the job center, which manages and supervises training institutions according to stakeholders, responded with 4.13 (3.87～4.13), while the training institutions under the administrative management of the job center answered 4.50 ( 4.39～4.61) was perceived much higher. Depending on whether it is an administrative subject that conducts supervision and prevention education for fraud training, and whether it is a management subject receiving administrative management from him, it will be possible to confirm the difference in the level of recognition of purification in the training market according to each role and position. Third, as a result of analyzing qualitative response data to changes in training institutions, the recognition of the training market purification was categorized in the same way as the constituent factors, and additional categorization such as deliberate fraud training was conducted. Three of the four components (understanding of unjust training and awareness of awareness, practice of preventive activities, prevention of unfair training) were able to confirm the same perspectives of local authorities and training institutions, but the remaining one factor (reducing fraud training) and deliberate fraud training were categorized only by the response data from the local authorities because there was no other opinion data from the training institutions. This does not mean that the three factors are perceived from the same perspective and the other one and the additional categorization are differently perceived by the local authorities and training institutions. It can be interpreted as the difference from recognition by setting the range and degree of training market purification differently according to the role and position of each institution.

Occupational therapists’ competencies utilised in Danish job centres

Background Twenty-nine out of 94 Danish job centres employ occupational therapists (OTs) and numbers are increasing. Occupational therapy (OT) vocational rehabilitations are diverse, and a more specific description of OT practice within this field is lacking. Aims To explore how OTs employed at Danish job centres describe their own competencies and what they perceive that their colleagues from other professions request from them. Material and Methods Firstly, working diaries were obtained from 16 OTs working in job centres and analysed using content analysis. Secondly, semi-structured interviews were performed and analysed using systematic text condensation. Results The 16 OTs described four areas of competencies to their profession’s practice within job centres; client-centeredness; a holistic approach; work ability assessments and ergonomics and adaptation. The OTs perceived that their colleagues requested their work ability assessment skills and their competencies as health professionals. Conclusion The OTs had a client-centered and holistic focus on the citizens’ whole life situation and used their health professional education and knowledge of ergonomics and adaptation to strengthen their work ability assessments. Significance The OTs perceived that they had competencies that supplemented the competencies of the interdisciplinary team. The results therefore support the inclusion of OTs within job centres.

A Study on the Effects of Public Service Operation on Organizational Performance: A Study on the Operation of the University Job Center

A Study on the Effects of Public Service Operation on Organizational Performance: A Study on the Operation of the University Job Center

Ambiguous Encounters: Revisiting Foucault and Goffman at an Activation Programme for Asylum-seekers

Abstract This qualitative study combined the approaches of Foucault and Goffman to investigate the consequences of a “roll-out” neoliberal “activation” programme on Denmark’s reception of asylum-seekers. The analysis found that the activation programme is an ambiguous technology of power intended to shape asylum-seekers into productive citizens by simultaneously disciplining them and improving their health and well-being, while using their labour to reduce costs. The strategic interactions in the job centre reflected the ambiguities created by these oft-incongruent aims, and activation caused conflicts as it amplified activities experienced as meaningless and humiliating. I argue that these consequences stem from the ambiguity, uncertainty, and trouble produced at the intersection of competing projects of rule in a “sensitive space”, and that the individualisation of responsibility for their own marginalisation, simultaneously serve to exclude asylum-seekers and to confine them to categories that license continued institutional discipline. Thereby, the intervention feeds cyclical process of failed integration and ill-fated interventions. Indeed, by individualising the responsibility for integration, such interventions depoliticise the marginalisation of citizens of immigrant decent and legitimise efforts to reduce immigration by fuelling problematisations of immigrants as expensive, deviant, and less employable.

“We have two different agendas”: the views of general practitioners, social workers and hospital staff on interprofessional coordination for patients with chronic widespread pain

ABSTRACT Patients with chronic widespread pain (CWP) are often unfit for work and go through lengthy treatment. In Denmark, this includes contacts with the job center in their municipality, their general practitioner (GP) and one or more hospital units. Little is known about how coordination around patients with CWP functions and is perceived by professionals. Therefore, our aim is to explore how GPs, social workers from municipality job centers and hospital staff experience interprofessional coordination for patients with CWP. Interviews with 7 GPs, 12 social workers, and 10 hospital staff were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The participants experienced challenges with coordination, primarily in the relations between social workers and GPs. There was an over-reliance on written communication in situations where the actors had divergent agendas, opposing professional roles and conflicting approaches to time. GPs tended to lengthen the time spans for treating patients, while social workers tried to shorten them so that patients could get back to work. Applying the theory of relational coordination (RC), the findings correspond to a low level of RC, indicating a need for shared accountability, and strengthened interpersonal communication between professionals. Abbreviations: CWP: Chronic widespread pain; GPs: General practitioners; RC: Relational coordination; IPA: Interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Participation in labour market programmes: A positive or negative signal of employability?

Active labour market policies (ALMPs) are widely diffused measures aiming to re-integrate jobseekers into the labour market. Despite their crucial role in acting as gatekeepers to employment, the literature scarcely considers the employer’s perspective of these measures. We analysed whether and how employers consider ALMP participation in the hiring process as a signal that helps explain the labour market outcomes of jobseekers. We developed a theoretical argument regarding how employers interpret ALMP participation and identify assumed agency, that is, whether employers believe that the agency for initiating ALMP participation lies with the jobseeker (voluntary participation) or the job centre (mandatory participation), as a crucial factor determining whether their evaluation of ALMPs is positive or negative. To examine our expectations, we conducted qualitative interviews with employers hiring for low-skilled occupations in Switzerland and Sweden, representing two countries with comprehensive ALMP systems. As expected, the interpretation of ALMP programmes differs depending on the assumed agency. Employers who believe that participation is voluntary interpret participation as a signal of motivation; however, employers who believe that participation is mandatory interpret participation as a signal of lower productivity, which reduces the chances of a successful labour market access.

Health related quality of life associated with extreme obesity in adolescents \u2013 results from the baseline evaluation of the YES-study

BackgroundObesity can significantly reduce health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and may lead to numerous health problems even in youths. This study aimed to investigate whether HRQoL varies among youths with obesity depending on grade of obesity and other factors.MethodsFor the Youths with Extreme obesity Study (YES) (2012–2014), a prospective multicenter cohort study, a baseline sample of 431 obese and extremely obese adolescents and young adults (age 14 to 24 years, BMI ≥30 kg/m2) was recruited at four German university medical centers and one job center. Obesity grade groups (OGG) were defined according to BMI (OGG I: 30–34.9 kg/m2, OGG II: 35–39.9 kg/m2, OGG III (extreme obesity): ≥40 kg/m2). HRQoL was measured with the Euroqol-5D-3 L (EQ-5D-3 L), DISABKIDS chronic generic (DCGM-31) and the KINDLR obesity module. Differences between OGGs were assessed with logistic and linear regression models, adjusting for age, sex, and study center in the base model. In a second regression analysis, we included other characteristics to identify possible determinants of HRQoL.ResultsThree hundred fifty-two adolescents (mean age: 16.6 (±2.4), mean BMI: 39.1 (±7.5) kg/ m2) with available HRQoL data were analysed. HRQoL of youths in all OGGs was markedly lower than reference values of non-obese adolescents. Adjusting for age and sex, HRQoL of youths in OGG III significantly impaired compared to OGG I. Youths in OGG III were 2.15 times more likely to report problems with mobility in the EQ-5D-3 L than youths in OGG I. A mean difference of 9.7 and 6.6 points between OGG III and I were found for DCGM-31 and KINDL respectively and 5.1 points between OGG II and I for DCGM-31. Including further variables into the regression models, showed that HRQoL measured by DCGM-31 was significantly different between OGGs. Otherwise, female sex and having more than 4 h of daily screen time were also associated with lower HRQoL measured by DCGM-31 and KINDL.ConclusionHRQoL of adolescents with obesity is reduced, but HRQoL of adolescents with extreme obesity is particularly affected. Larger and longitudinal studies are necessary to understand the relation of extreme obesity and HRQoL, and the impact of other lifestyle or socioeconomic factors.Trial RegistrationClinicaltrials.gov NCT01625325; German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS) DRKS00004172.

Quali sfide per la formazione di fronte alle nuove storie professionali

This paper argues some aspects related to the continuity/discontinuity of the la-bour market trajectories with a view on the employment trends characterised by a raising number of temporary and short-term contracts and by a progressive frag-mentation of career paths. To substantiate such considerations the study has tak-en into account the users involved in the survey Users Profile and PES consumers satisfaction carried out by ANPAL in 2017. It is about 40.000 people aged over 30 more representative than those who subscribed or renewed the Declaration of Immediate Readiness to work at the Job Centres in 2016. Data from the Statistical Information System of Mandatory Communications have been attached to this population. Specifically, it has been verified the presence or absence of Communi-cations related to the activation of a job engagement in the period 2012-2017. These analyses on the whole have allowed to trace the main characteristics of em-ployment and transitions from an employment and non-employment state also inside different professional groups. The aim has been to disclose the variety of issues that training has to face combining personal growth expectations and re-gime objectives to fight exclusion and impoverishment of individuals and territo-ries.

Drug prevention in Lower Saxony: stakeholders perspectives on performance and potential

Addiction is associated with health-related and social risks. The interministerial harmonized Lower Saxon concept on drug prevention was most recently revised in 2008 and is predominantly implemented by drug counselling services, drug prevention specialists, the police, self-help groups, corporate addiction prevention, child welfare, and local prevention committees. The study aimed at providing the necessary information for an intended enhancement of the Lower Saxon concept on drug prevention. Descriptive analysis of the ratings of asample of 459 stakeholders involved in preventive activities who completed an online questionnaire on the current performance of Lower Saxon drug prevention. Moderate levels of success have been rated in terms of the achievement of selected preventive goals as well as certain quality standards. An additional need for drug prevention was described for several target groups, including children living in families with adrug-addicted family member, youth aged between 13 and 17, refugees, children with poor educational background, people suffering from mental illness, trainees and university students, as well as the unemployed. In comparison to other institutions, German employment offices, job centers, and churches were nominated to alesser extent as being responsible for executing drug prevention. Participants saw great potential in amore consistent implementation of current regulations on advertisement, access, and consumption as well as for additional situation-based-prevention. In addition, stakeholders felt restricted in their preventive work due to financial constraints and alack of recourse in terms of evaluation and documentation. Disregarding their various institutional backgrounds participants had acommon agreement when evaluating the questions. Differences led back to their deferring public service obligations.

Exploratory and Confirmatory Validation of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10) in a Sample of Individuals Registered in Job Centers

Bonanno defined resilience as the individual's capacity to cope with traumatic events, namely, the ability to maintain the levels of physical and psychological functioning relatively stable. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of 10-item Connor-Davidson resilience scale. The Connor-Davidson resilience scale short version has good psychometric qualities (Cronbach α - 0.85) when compared with the long version (Cronbach α - 0.89). We obtained a convenience sample of individuals registered in job centers which was randomly divided into two subsamples (sample 1 = 5127 and sample 2 = 5114). We applied the principal component analysis in sub-sample n1. With subsample n2 a confirmatory factorial analysis was performed using the maximum likelihood method. We used the multigroup analysis to compare the factorial model between genders and professional situation. We performed a convergent and discriminant analysis through Pearson's correlation analysis. The principal component analysis extracted one factor with an explained variance of 53.97%. The confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the unidimensionality of the scale. The invariance between genders and professional situation was confirmed. The Connor-Davidson resilience scale correlated positively with the SF-36 scale and negatively with the GHQ-12 scale. The exploratory and confirmatory analysis revealed one dimension, and good psychometric properties, which is similar to the original 10-item scale. To our knowledge, this is the first validation study of this scale among the Portuguese population (Portugal). Its results are highly satisfactory, and its use is recommended among the Portuguese population.

Assessment of Recruitment Records using Machine Learning

In the era of the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0), the applications of Information Technology (IT) have been widely used in various aspects of life. As the result, analyzing and predicting the result for the application of candidates as well as employers are also growing significantly. Jobseekers and employers want to have accurate information and prediction results in order to have suitable job proposals for themselves and candidates. This research is conducted based on using Machine Learning to meet the requirements of jobseekers and employers in the recruitment evaluation process. We propose to use 4 machine learning methods – Support Vector Machine (SVM), Decision Tree (DT), Random Forest (RF) and Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) to predict job applications. The data set is collected from the Job Center of Binh Duong province. On the basis of the best results method, we build a job application review and visualize the results.

Public employment services under decentralization: Evidence from a natural experiment

This paper studies whether the decentralization of public employment services (PES) increases job placements among the unemployed. Decentralizing PES has been a widely applied reform used by governments aiming to enhance their efficacy. However, economic theory is ambiguous about its effects, and empirical evidence has been scarce. Using a difference-in-differences design, we exploit unique within-country variation in decentralization provided by the partial devolution of German job centers in 2012. We find that decentralization reduces job placements by approximately 10%. Decentralized providers expand the use of public job creation schemes which diminish job seekers' reemployment prospects but shift costs to higher levels of government.

Career Counseling Process Quality Promotes Reemployment

One-on-one career counseling has been established as the most effective type of career intervention. Prior research results have suggested that process quality determines counseling success. In this multilevel study, career counseling process quality is validated as a predictor of job seekers’ reemployment at three Swiss job centers. Supervisors’ evaluations of the process quality of mandatory counseling sessions predicted faster reemployment of the 444 counseled job seekers by 18.9 working days on average. This effect equals yearly savings of 418 million Swiss Francs CHF (US$ 422 million) in Swiss unemployment benefits. While in many countries, the counseling of the unemployed is predominantly an administrative process, the findings should encourage investments in process quality of career counseling to promote reemployment. Furthermore, the study calls for further research on the underlying factors of career counseling process quality and the respective career counselor behaviors.

대학의 해외취업지원 프로그램에 대한 이해관계자간의 인식 차이: 대학일자리센터를 중심으로

대학의 해외취업지원 프로그램에 대한 이해관계자간의 인식 차이: 대학일자리센터를 중심으로

Instrumental and Methodologicalaspects of the segmentation of Regional Labour Markets Using Qualification characteristics

Purpose: the main purpose of this article is to improve forecast-oriented management of the segmentation of regional labour markets for the professions that are in greatest demand in the main groups of the All-Russian Classifier of Occupations. The following tasks should be addressed towards this goal: 1) to group Subjects of the Russian Federation and identify, on forecast basis, the influence factors behind the dynamics of the vacanciesposted; 2) todevelopatoolkitandprioritisetheinfluencefactorsestablishedandtheirinter-relationshiplevel; 3) to preparegroupingsof the regions with the maximum number of vacancies posted in the All-Russian Database of Vacancies for the most needed professions, specialities, and occupations as per the ОК010-2014 All-Russian Classifier of Occupations using the results of two waves of longitudinal investigation; 4) to justify the methodology and toolkit for calculating the integral ratings of Subjects of the Russian Federation; 5) to find out, on an expert basis, the level of high technology employers’ interaction with job centres; and 6) to summarise the instrumental and methodologicalaspects developed and the proposed measures for qualification-based management of the segmentation of regional labour markets.Methods: this article is based on the introduction of elements of a forecast-oriented approach to employment support using the results of regular monitoring efforts by the Russian Ministry of Labour in this area.Results: the article shows that the increase in the number of the vacancies posted by employers in the “Work in Russia” All-Russian Database of Vacancies results from their active engagement with job centres, raises the level of the realisation of businesses’ needs for skilled and professional employees and relieves tensions in regional labour markets. Support of employment is closely related to labour productivity growth, particularly in high technology sectors.Conclusions and Relevance: the materials discussed in the article present elements of forecast-oriented management of job centres aimed at regional labour markets’ segments for the professions and skilled levels required by them. The studies presented develop labour market economics with a view to better regulation of demand for and supply of employees with the required qualifications in the light of the current challenges, including the digitalisation of the economy. The practical use of the results of this article will help update the practice of management of the employment authorities at the federal, inter-regional and regional levels in the light of the results of the “Labour Productivity and Support of Employment” national project that is being implemented.

The Effect of Career Counselor Behavior on Reemployment

When looking at career interventions, one-on-one career counseling is one of the most effective and firmly established types of intervention. Furthermore, career counseling process quality has been validated as a predictor of job seekers’ reemployment. To elucidate the underlying components of a high-quality counseling process, the effects of counselor behavior in mandatory counseling sessions at three Swiss job centers are investigated. Based on a transfer of psychotherapeutic effectiveness research into the domain of career counseling, three behavior categories are proposed as components of a high-quality counseling process: providing structured guidance during the counseling process, providing personalized support, and activating job seekers’ resources. Scientific observers rated these counselor behavior categories in 32 counseling sessions. The ratings of “providing structured guidance” predicted job seekers’ reemployment speed at a correlation of .58. The measured effect equals yearly savings of 831 million Swiss Francs CHF (US$839) in Swiss unemployment benefits. The correlations with the other two behavior category ratings were in the same direction but nonsignificant.

Predicting the spatiotemporal legality of on-street parking using open data and machine learning

ABSTRACTSearching for a parking spot in metropolitan areas is a great challenge, especially in highly populated areas such as downtown districts and job centres. On-street parking is often a cost-effective choice compared to parking facilities such as garages and parking lots. However, limited space and complex parking regulation rules make the search process of on-street legal parking very difficult. To this end, we propose a data-driven framework for understanding and predicting the spatiotemporal legality of on-street parking using the NYC parking tickets open data, points of interest (POI) data and human mobility data. Four popular types of spatial analysis units (i.e. point, street, census tract, and grid) are used to examine the effects of spatial scale in machine learning predictive models. The results show that random forest works the best with the minimum root-mean-square-error (RMSE) for predicting ticket counts and with the highest accuracy scores for spatiotemporal legality classification across all four spatial analysis scales. Moreover, several prominent categories of places such as those with retail stores, health-care services, accommodation and food services are positively associated with the number of parking violation tickets.