Job Centers Research Articles

Weitere Integrationshürden für Flüchtlinge mit Bleibeperspektive abbauen

Abstract The Federal Government has set in train important reforms to improve access to the labour market also for asylum seekers with a realistic perspective to stay and tolerated residents who are not the object of a work ban. Since ever more people are seeking protection in Germany against political persecution, war or expulsion, this is sensible and necessary. Not all, but many of them will stay in Germany for long periods or even forever. For those people, who have a realistic perspective to stay as recognized refugees or asylum seekers, it is in the own interest of the German society to integrate them rapidly and give them the possibility to earn their living. The reform package already set in place by the Federal Government within the last year will help to achieve this aim, but it is clear already, that there is further need for action. So that asylum seekers and tolerated residents can move successfully into the labour market, they must be supported and given targeted assistance, above all through corresponding measures for learning the language and integration. Especially early and comprehensive measures for the early identification of competencies, qualifications and work experience are needed to facilitate effective access especially to education, the dual vocational training system and employment. Furthermore, remaining legal obstacles regarding access to training and employment for asylum seekers and tolerated residents who are not the object of a work ban need to be further reduced. In addition, there is an urgent need to improve the cooperation of all public authorities involved in the asylum- and integration process as well as the capacity of the public employment service (employment agencies and job centers) to deal with the integration of refugees into the labour market.

The Second Generation of Jobs-Plus Programs: Implementation Lessons from San Antonio and the Bronx

The Jobs-Plus Public Housing Revitalization Initiative (1998-2003) was designed to raise and sustain the employment and earnings of residents of public housing developments. It had three parts: (1) employment services offered at on-site job centers, (2) changes in rent rules that provided financial incentives to work, and (3) community support for work through neighbor-to-neighbor conversations. The initiative was subject to a rigorous evaluation, which found that where implemented fully, Jobs-Plus boosted residents’ annual earnings by 16 percent, or $1,300 per year, an effect that endured seven years without abating. This report investigates how Jobs-Plus was replicated in more contemporary settings, analyzing the early implementation experiences of a community-based provider in the Bronx and the San Antonio Housing Authority in Texas, both funded by the Social Innovation Fund (SIF) of the Corporation for National and Community Service. Main Findings: Providers in the Bronx and in San Antonio were able to enroll substantial proportions of residents of very large housing developments. This represents a strong early indication of program “saturation,” or offers of services. At the same time, providers found that the three components of Jobs-Plus — and especially their integration and coordination with each other — were difficult to manage in practice. Both providers generally placed residents in low-wage work, and struggled to find ways of helping residents who were already employed. Rent-based financial incentives were very seldom used by Jobs-Plus members, for reasons largely out of the control of program implementers. In the original demonstration, housing authorities could develop a variety of rent incentives, because they had legal authority to do so. However, in the SIF version of Jobs-Plus, the only rent incentive available to the providers in both the Bronx and San Antonio was the Earned Income Disregard (EID). During early implementation, EID receipt was very low (at about 1 percent of residents in the Bronx and 3 percent in San Antonio), despite providers’ extensive efforts to promote its use. Jobs-Plus cost $672 per household per year in the Bronx and $503 in San Antonio. These costs would likely have increased had residents made greater use of the EID. In the SIF version of Jobs-Plus, neither the community-based organization nor the housing authority appeared to have a clear advantage in providing services. Instead, organizations’ ability to implement the program appeared to depend on their administrative flexibility, their front-line staff members’ ability to work as a team, their ability to tailor their strong workforce development experience to a variety of participants, their ability to conduct vigorous outreach and marketing, and the strength of their connection to property managers. The Jobs-Plus “Collaborative,” a support and accountability body made up of local city agencies involved in workforce services, income support, and other social services, emerged as an important entity promoting strong implementation in the Bronx.

Effectiveness of psychoeducation in reducing sickness absence and improving mental health in individuals at risk of having a mental disorder: a randomised controlled trial.

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of psychoeducation on return to work as an adjunct to standard case management in individuals on sick leave at risk of having a mental disorder. The participants could have different diagnoses but were all at risk of having a mental disorder.MethodsBetween 2012 and 2014, 430 participants on sick leave were randomly allocated to either an intervention or control group. The psychoeducation consisted of 2-h sessions once a week for 6 weeks. The sessions focused on stress and work life and was based on problem-solving techniques and coping strategies. The main outcome, the relative risk (RR) of a full return to work based on register data from the job centres, was determined during the first 3 and 6 months after participation in the psychoeducation programme. At baseline and at 3 and 6 months after the intervention, the participants received a questionnaire on psychological symptoms, mental health-related quality of life, and locus of control.ResultsDuring the first 6 months after inclusion, the two groups had almost the same RR of a full return to work (RR:0.97, 95 % CI: 0.78;1.21), but during the first 3 months, the individuals in the intervention group had a significantly higher risk of not having fully returned to work (RR:0.68, 95 % CI:0.47;0.98). The individuals in the intervention group who had participated in at least four of the six psychoeducational sessions returned to work considerably slower at both time points than did the control group. The intervention did not decrease the level of psychological symptoms or improve mental health-related quality of life; however, individuals in the intervention group improved their scores on internal locus of control at both 3 and 6 months.ConclusionOffering psychoeducation to individuals on sick leave at risk of having a mental disorder had no influence on the chance of a full return to work during the first 6 months; however, it did result in a higher relative risk of not returning to work after 3 months. Therefore, we do not recommend offering psychoeducation in this form to facilitate return to work.Trial registrationClinical Trial.gov NCT01637363. Registered 6 July 2012.

Socio-Professional Adaptation of the Military Personnel Transferred to the Reserve (Research Made in the Ulyanovsk Region, Russia)

The urgency of the researched problem is caused by the necessity to improve the mechanism of socio-professional adaptation of the military personnel transferred to the reserve. The article is directed on detection of the features of the social and psychological and professional status of former military personnel before the transition to civil professional activity. It deals with the definition of the general algorithm of work on socio-professional adaptation of this category of citizens. During the research there were used such main methods as content analysis, diagnostic and empirical methods, cluster analysis. The main results of the article consist of the definition of the psychological resources and qualities which promote the formation of an independent personality of the former military personnel in the course of socio-professional adaptation. The article represents the system of actions and the general algorithm of work on socio-professional adaptation of the military personnel transferred to the reserve. The materials of the article can be useful for the experts of military commissariats, the employees of job centers, the social workers, whose professional activity is connected with the military personnel transferred to the reserve.

Soliciting Job Centre Clients for a Cardiopreventive Health Examination Programme

Aim: There is limited knowledge about the reaching of socioeconomic disadvantaged groups for prevention measures. Results of proactive contacting are presented for a 2-step cardiopreventive health examination programme (CHP) in 2 job centres in Northern Germany. Methods: The duration of the programme extended over a period of 10 weeks. All clients aged between 40 and 65 years were included. Phase 1consisted of a self-administered computer-based assessment, and if medical staff were present, blood pressure measurement and/or blood samples were taken. Participants without a history of cardiovascular diseases, interventional/surgical blood vessel procedures, diabetes and a body-mass-index ≤35 kg/m2 were invited to a specialised examination centre (phase 2). Logistic regression analysis was used to test predictors for participation in both phases. Variables were age, gender and for phase 2 the distance between participants' residence addresses and the address of the examination centre, cardiovascular risk factors, subjective health and socio-demographics. Results: 344 of the 1 049 invited job centre clients participated in the assessment. Women were more likely to participate than men. A number of 253 participants were invited for blood pressure measurement and blood sample taking. Participation of 209 persons was positively associated with age. A number of 138 participated in phase 2. Participation decreased with increasing distance between the participant's residence address and the address of the examination centre. Smokers, persons with less than 10 years of schooling and those who did not report an elevated level of blood lipids were less likely to participate. Conclusion: Blood pressure measurements and taking of blood samples in job centres were found to be highly accepted. The burden on potential participants to reach preventive measures should be minimised.

DOES AGGLOMERATION MATTER EVERYWHERE?: NEW FIRM LOCATION DECISIONS IN RURAL AND URBAN MARKETS*

ABSTRACTWe test whether commonly used measures of agglomeration economies encourage new firm entry in both urban and rural markets. Using new firm location decisions in Iowa and North Carolina, we find that measured agglomeration economies increase the probability of new firm entry in both urban and rural areas. Firms are more likely to locate in markets with an existing cluster of firms in the same industry, with greater concentrations of upstream suppliers or downstream customers, and with a larger proportion of college‐educated workers in the local labor supply. Firms are less likely to enter markets with no incumbent firms in the sector or where production is concentrated in relatively few sectors. The same factors encourage both stand‐alone start‐ups and establishments built by multiplant firms. Commuting decisions exhibit the same pattern as new firm entry with workers commuting from low to high agglomeration markets. Because agglomeration economies are important for rural firm entry also, policies encouraging new firm entry should focus on relatively few job centers rather than encouraging new firm entry in every small town.

Public transit and labor market outcomes: Analysis of the connections in the French agglomeration of Bordeaux

This paper investigates the links between public transport and labor market outcomes in the French agglomeration of Bordeaux. Our objective is to analyze the effects and consequences of the construction of a tramway line in some neighborhoods and municipalities of the agglomeration. These localizations are confronted to isolation and concentration of unfavorable socio-economic characteristics. Among other things, this line has permitted to facilitate the access to the historical job center of Bordeaux for inhabitants concerned. We use difference-in-differences methods to compare labor market outcomes of inhabitants who benefit from this better access with others who do not, before and after the construction. Results show that if unemployment rate has globally decreased on the period observed, the decrease is more important for neighborhoods located close to tramway stations. More generally, it seems that the tramway project helped to reduce some socio-economic inequalities in the agglomeration of Bordeaux.

Opening the black box of metagovernance: The roles of central government in local multilevel networks – the case of the local job centers in Flanders

In this article, we use the concept of metagovernance to explore how local service delivery networks involving public and private partners are shaped and managed by different governments involved. We address the following questions: What is the governance mix in cases of centrally designed local networks, with different public authorities involved in the network and focused on coordinated service delivery? How does that governance mix match the concept of metagovernance as we know it? What does this complexity of relationships and governing styles tell us about the self-governing capacity of local service delivery networks? We bring in the case of the local job centers in Flanders to deal with these questions empirically. We demonstrate the governance instrument mix used by the metagovernors, how dominant one public actor actually is in the network, and the effect thereof on the network dynamics. We also conclude that we need to rethink the concept of metagovernance when analyzing local multilevel networks.

Psychoeducation: perspectives from individuals on sick leave who are at risk of having a mental disorder

The large number of people on sickness and disability benefits due to mental disorders in Denmark has increased the need for improved rehabilitative services to facilitate their return to work. The aim of the present study was to explore the use of psychoeducation in relation to the standard services of a Danish job centre for individuals on sick leave with regard to relevance, elements contributing to recovery, and improvements of psychoeducation as an intervention. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 individuals on sick leave who were at risk of having a mental disorder. The interviews were analysed using systematic text condensation inspired by Giorgi’s phenomenological analysis. The resulting core themes describing psychoeducation with respect to the standard services of the job centre included access and relevance of psychoeducation in relation to the job centre’s standard services, social support, self-care, and psychoeducation intervention. This study concludes that the informants consider psychoeducation a relevant offer to individuals on sick leave who are at risk of having a mental disorder. The relevance of the standard services of the job-centre services was considered to be low. Furthermore, psychoeducation reinforces peer support and inclusion of relatives as elements to aid recovery to a much larger extent than do the standard services of the job centre. In general, the results support the use of psychoeducation in a municipal job-centre setting as a targeted and beneficial offer to individuals on sick leave who are at risk of having a mental disorder.

Safe and Effective Use of Medicines for Ethnic Minorities - A Pharmacist- Delivered Counseling Program That Improves Adherence

Background: From studies, we know how ethnic minorities and people with reduced work ability often suffer from health problems, thus being socially disadvantaged. The municipal job centers are confronted with numerous problems related to medicine use and they lack relevant means of referral. Thus, there was a need to adapt a previously developed and validated medicine-based intervention “safe and effective use of medicines” to this vulnerable group of unemployed ethnic minority patients. Methods: The objective of this before-after study was to improve medicines adherence, health status and work ability of the target group through an individualized pharmacist delivered intervention with focus on safe and effective implementation of medical treatments. The target group was ethnic minorities of non-western origin affiliated with a job center. Results: At baseline, 35.7 % of the patients had a potential adherence behavior problem Powered by Editorial Manager® and ProduXion Manager® from Aries Systems Corporation (having an average adherence score of less than 5); at endpoint, this number had decreased to 27.3 %, meaning that 8.4 % no longer had potential adherence problems. Self-reported adherence was significantly improved on three out of four subscales (“Intentional, selfregulation” from 4.5 to 4.7, p=0.016); “Unintentional” from 3.9 to 4.2, p=0.009); “Intentional, effect-related” from 4.0 to 4.4, p=0.025; “General” 4.3 to 4.5, p=0.173.). On average, 47 % of the patients experienced improvements in concordance, due to the intervention. Conclusion: The counseling program “Safe and effective use of medicines” was successfully adapted to unemployed ethnic minority patients, and tested in a new collaboration between job centers and community pharmacies. The counseling program resulted in statistically significant improvements in self-reported adherence as well as improved concordance for approximately half of the patients. Improvements in adherence removes one barrier for returning to the work force that exists in the complex interaction between adherence, health status and work ability.

How to Fight Long-Term Unemployment: Lessons from Germany

The number of long-term unemployed in Germany has stagnated at around one million for several years. Despite excellent labour market conditions, the long-term unemployment rate is well above the OECD average. Therefore, the carrot and stick principle of Hartz reforms is in clear need of further development. The author proposes an overall concept for preventing and reducing long-term unemployment and long-term basic income receipt. An important element is an activation strategy for long-term unemployed and long-term basic income recipients that implies interim target setting and requires more and better trained case managers in the job centres.

Workforce Location and Equilibrium Unemployment in a Duocentric Economy with Matching Frictions

This article examines unemployment disparities and efficiency in a densely populated economy with two job centers and workers distributed between them. We introduce commuting costs and search-matching frictions to deal with the spatial mismatch between workers and firms. In a decentralized economy job-seekers do not internalize a composition externality they impose on all the unemployed. With symmetric job centers, a change in the distribution of the workforce can lead to asymmetric equilibrium outcomes. We calibrate the model for Los Angeles and Chicago Metropolitan Statistical Areas. Simulations suggest that changes in the workforce distribution have non-negligible effects on unemployment rates, wages, and net output, but cannot be the unique explanation of a substantial mismatch problem.

Urban Spatial Structure, Employment and Social Ties: European Versus American Cities

We develop a model where workers both choose their residential location (geographical space) and their social interactions (social space). In equilibrium, we show under which condition some individuals reside close to the job center while others live far away from it. Even though the two populations have the same characteristics and no group experiences any discrimination, we show that the majority group always has a lower unemployment rate than the minority group both when ethnic minorities reside close and far away from the city-center where jobs are located. This is because they have a larger and better-quality social network. This result is quite unique as it can explain the high unemployment rates of ethnic minorities both in European and American cities.

Labor Market Flexibility and Different Job-Matching Technologies Across Regions in India: An Analysis of State-Level Disaggregate Matching Functions

This paper examines the relationship between labor market flexibility and matching function efficiency in India. With state-level disaggregated data, the matching function in India is estimated to investigate differences in the matching function efficiency across regions of different labor market flexibility. In addition, matching parameters are estimated in the respective regions that categorized by the degree of labor market flexibility. It is the first original work that uses state-level data to estimate matching function in India. The data are drawn from Employment Exchange in India, the only public job centre in this country. The results show that there is no link between labor market flexibility and matching function efficiency. The evidence indicates that regions having inflexible labor markets reveal entirely vacancy-driven job matching process, which implies lack of labor demand. For these regions, it is recommended that policies to boost labor demand such as employment subsidies are appropriate to create more employment.

대학생들을 위한 취업지원관리시스템의 설계 및 구축안-사례 연구

오늘날 각 대학의 취업률은 대학 등급을 결정짓는 중요한 요소 중의 하나이다. 취업예비생은 원하는 취업정보를 얻기 위해서 온라인 또는 오프라인상의 취업지원 사이트들에서 원하는 취업정보들을 이용하고 있다. 웹기반 취업지원업체들과 각 대학교에서 제공해주는 많은 취업지원시스템들이 있지만, 이들은 취업지원관리 위주가 아닌 취업정보를 알리는 데에 더 중심을 두고 있다. 또한, MOU기업, 산업체 현장실습, 취업 멘토교수 등과 관련된 업무 프로세스를 지원해주는 기능과, 각 기업들이 원하는 학생들의 정보(이력서, 자기소개서 등)와 학생들이 원하는 기업들의 정보를 지속적으로 업데이트해주고 관리해주는 기능도 부족하다. 따라서 취업관련 초기 데이터(학생 및 기업정보)의 저장에서부터 취업관리까지 지원해주는 취업지원관리시스템이 요구된다. 본 논문에서는 기존의 취업지원시스템의 기능에 권한별 취업관리 기능을 고려하였고, 스마트 폰에서도 취업정보를 실시간으로 수신할 수 있으며, 학사정보시스템과 연계된 시스템의 설계 및 구축안을 제시하였다. Today, one of the important factors that determine the university rating is the employment rate. The jobseekers are using online or offline recruiting services in order to get the desired job information. There are lots of employment supporting systems as like web-based employment agencies and University's job centers, but they are focusing more on providing job information rather than on managing the employment support. In addition, those are insufficient to support business process associated with MOU companies, industry field training, mentoring processors, etc., and to continue to manage and to update the information (resume, personal statement, etc.) about the students which the companies want, and the information about the companies which jobseekers want. Therefore, it is required that the employment supporting system which not only storages the initial data (student and corporate information), but also assist the career placement. In this paper, we considered the specific employment rights management features of the existing employment support system, it could receive real-time job information in the smart phone, we presented the design and construction of the system linked to the Bachelor Information System.

Efficient Strategies for University Graduates Accessing their First Job. A Review of Insertion Reports

Social and labor insertion of university graduates has turned into an uncertain process due to the high youth unemployment rate. In this study, a systematic review has been performed on a variety of market integration studies from Spanish universities by analyzing how students access to their first job, with the purpose of integrating the findings. After analysing fifty insertion reports, eleven were selected as they included, among other criteria, information about paths to access to employment, which had been used by graduates. Results show that the most effective job search strategies are based on the use of personal and family-related network contacts, the use of Internet and self-promotion. These strategies are followed by other actions such as work practice and using job centers. Differences in the effective use of these strategies have been detected, according to reports. This data can be useful in orientation processes for final year students and recent graduates, as it can help to improve the quality of their job search.

DSM-IV-TR Axes-I and II mental disorders in a representative and referred sample of unemployed youths – Results from a psychiatric liaison service in a job centre

Increased levels of anxiety, depression and alcohol abuse are associated with unemployment. This study compares both DSM-IV-TR Axis-I and Axis-II mental disorders between a representative and a referred sample of unemployed youths aged 16.0 to 24.9. One hundred subjects were randomly recruited on the premises of the vocational services centre in the urban region of Essen, Germany (representative sample, RS). One hundred and sixty-five subjects constituting the 'clinical sample' (CS) were preselected and referred by case managers to the on-site psychiatric liaison service. Structured Clinical Interviews for DSM-IV (SCID-I and -II), measures of psychopathology and health service utilization were administered. Ninety-eight percent and 43% of CS and RS subjects fulfilled DSM-IV criteria for mental disorders. Mood-, anxiety- and substance-related disorders were the most common Axis-I disorders in both samples. Personality disorders were diagnosed significantly more frequently in the CS. Despite the more severe psychopathology in subjects with mental disorders from the CS compared to the RS, no differences were found for recent mental health service utilisation. Because the sample of unemployed youths referred by case managers was significantly more disturbed in psychiatric terms, such a pre-selection is deemed useful in conjunction with a psychiatric liaison service on the premise of a job centre.

La orientación laboral a desempleados inscritos en las oficinas de empleo del INEM

RESUMENEn este estudio se ofrece una descripción de los desempleados que pueden acudir a un Servicio de Orientación Laboral. Aunque existen estudios que abordan el fenómeno del desempleo, del mismo modo que hay multitud de programas de Orientación Laboral, no hemos encontrado trabajos de investigación que muestren la realidad de los demandantes inscritos en las Oficina de Empleo. En este estudio se describen los perfiles más característicos, sus condicionantes, necesidades o intereses profesionales. Atendiendo a estos factores en el Servicio de Orientación de una Oficina de Empleo de Murcia se ha realizado una clasificación, en ella aparecen tres grupos bien diferenciados: universitarios, no universitarios y perceptores de rentas para la inserción laboral. La propuesta de esta investigación es que, aprovechando la realidad descrita, se elaboren estrategias de apoyo relacionadas con la orientación para el empleo con actividades acopladas a las características de los colectivos señalados, atendiendo, también, a especificaciones como la edad, el género, la formación o la experiencia profesional.ABSTRACTThe following study describes a job orientation service to a kind of unemployed people. Although there are studies to the unemployed and job guidance service there is no counselling programmes that shows the truth of the unemployed registered in the job centre. So, an analysis on the features of those groups found in an agency of Murcia is described. Combining such data as age, gender, instruction, work experience there are the characteristics of three groups demanding employment: graduate students, undergraduates and salary recipients for reemployment have been defined. These data can help to create new programs.

La carte du chômage résiste à la crise

We study the effects of the crisis on unemployment duration at different spatial scales, that of the city of Lyon, the urban community and the urban area of the entire region. From the exhaustive files of job center, we assess the chances of leaving unemployment for each of these areas at the town level for two cohorts of job seekers (entries 2004 and 2009). We show that there is neither spatial fractures enlargement nor territorial convergence. The crisis has generally left intact the strong territorial inequalities in access to employment, leaving unchanged the need for territorial cohesion policy. JEL : C41, J64, R1

Skill Mismatch of Graduates in a Local Labour Market

In this paper we first review the (potential and actual) role of the Universities for the local economies in which they operate, especially considering the implications deriving from the degree of skill mismatch (over-education) in a local labour market. Then, in the second part of the paper, we realise an empirical investigation based on administrative information of an Italian University matched with the data of the job centres of the local (provincial) labour market in order to reconstruct the characteristics of the university-to-work transitions of graduates. Our results have important policy implications, since for local development it is crucial, among other things, to make the best use of all human resources and especially those with the highest educational level.