Labour Market Exclusion Research Articles

Unemployment and Well-Being of Europeans Across the Life Cycle: The Role of Countries’ Macroeconomic Situation

Unemployment impairs individuals’ well-being and health and there is some empirical evidence showing that macroeconomic conditions can moderate these effects. This paper goes a step further and investigates differences in how macroeconomic indicators of European countries’ economic situation relate to individual subjective health and well-being, and also moderate the relationship between individual labour market exclusion and these outcomes across age groups: young individuals (aged 15–29), prime working age adults (aged 30–49, base category) and pre-retirement age adults (aged 50–64). We used two different macroeconomic indicators to define macroeconomic situation: country-level unemployment rate and gross domestic product (GDP). Both indicators were disaggregated into long-term economic trend and business cycle shocks using Hodrick–Prescott filtering to allow distinguishing between expected and unexpected change in macroeconomic circumstances. We used the European Social Survey individual-level data from 35 European countries for 2002–2014. Multi-level analysis with three levels were run for men and women separately. Results revealed differences in how individual-level unemployment related to well-being depending on the age group, with pre-retirement age group adults’ health and well-being suffering the most. Also, macroeconomic indicators were found to moderate the relationship between individual-level unemployment and subjective health and well-being with some noticeable differences between age groups, and with GDP trend having the most sizeable influence.

NEET YOUTHS – TRAINING AND INCLUSION ON LABOR MARKET

The NEET concept, an acronym for “Not in Education, Employment or Training” is used as of 2010 within the European Union for describing a category of youths with ages between 16 and 24 years, who are not professionally employed, nor pursuing any educational or vocational training program. Also as of 2010, on the political agenda of the European Union were included in the discussion the issues related to this category regarding the labor market addressing this, diminishing unemployment, and finding solutions so that as many as possible NEET young Europeans might be effectively employed. Romania’s goals must be updated with the purpose of integrating the situation of the young Romanian NEET, the gender perspective, and their needs of employment on the labor market in the future planning. In this context, the paper presents statistics and national strategic documents, ways of monitoring and analyzing the prevalence of labor market vulnerability, as well as the quantification of issues that are met and/or are created by the young NEETs, because labor market exclusion most often than not results in financial difficulties and their extended dependence on family, which might slow down the process of personal development.

What happens to refugee-origin entrepreneurs? Combining mixed embeddedness and strategy perspectives in a longitudinal study

ABSTRACT Whilst it is acknowledged that refugees are more likely to select into self-employment due to discrimination and labour market exclusion, we know little about how their ventures perform over time. To address this gap, we draw upon qualitative longitudinal evidence gathered in 2010 and 2018 in the UK to explore the outcomes of their ventures and what strategies they have put in place. We argue that the trajectories of refugee-owned businesses are explained by their structural position and the strategies, resources, and business support networks, highlighting that refugee entrepreneurs re-work their condition in a manner that is much more proactive and resilient than suggested by extant portrayals of refugee entrepreneurship. Our analysis sheds new light on the dynamics of refugee business development and encourages a more nuanced theoretical approach to evaluate these enterprises as vehicles for integration against the backdrop of neoliberal Britain.

“Just take it off, where’s the problem?” How online commenters draw on neoliberal rationality to justify labour market discrimination against women wearing headscarves

ABSTRACT In this article we demonstrate how online commenters apply neoliberal rationality to defend the labour market exclusion of Muslim women wearing headscarves. Applying a thematic analysis, we identify the arguments of a debate in an online forum that discussed job market difficulties of Muslim women wearing headscarves. These arguments did not acknowledge the existence of discrimination but blamed the women for not adapting to the labour market. They supported an unregulated freedom for employers in their hiring-choices and argued that the employment of women wearing headscarves was harmful to firms’ profits, e.g. because these women would scare away customers, or because they were deemed less productive. Thus, online commenters prioritized employer’s interests over democratic values such as religious freedom. We use the concept of neoliberal rationality by Wendy Brown to explain our findings and to show how neoliberal values are used to rationalize the mistreatment of a marginalized group.

Accessibility and efficiency of mental health services, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

ProblemMental ill health in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has been a major driver of labour market exclusion through sickness absence, reduced productivity and job loss.ApproachA government-supported programme for improving access to psychological therapies was launched in 2008 and expanded across England in 2010. The aim was to provide evidence-based treatments for people with common mental disorders through three principal strategies: (i) routine session-by-session outcome monitoring; (ii) integration with the wider care system; and (iii) delivery of psychological therapies as part of a stepped-care approach.Local settingAccess to effective psychological therapies was previously low in the United Kingdom. In 2010, only about 35% of people with moderately severe mental disorders were in specialist or non-specialist treatment.Relevant changesThe accessibility of quality mental health services has increased, as has the efficiency of the country’s mental health system. The numbers of people entering treatment have increased steadily from 0.43 million in 2012–2013 to 1.09 million in 2018–2019. The recovery rate of patients in treatment increased from 42.8% to 52.1% during 2012–2018. The number of people moved off sick pay and benefits rose from 3683 to 18 039 over the same period.Lessons learntA clinical guideline on psychological therapies is a prerequisite for increasing the accessibility and efficiency of mental health services. An integrated approach allows mental health services to have better reach. Routine collection of patient-level outcome data plays an important role in the value and function of the mental health care system.

Shifting roles of Employers: At the Intersection of Employment and Social Work: A case study from Norway

Active labour market policies (ALMPs) are often seen as a panacea for dealing with labour market exclusion, especially when it comes to young people with mental health issues. Such policies demand considerable involvement from employers, placing more responsibility in their hands. Yet, there remains a notable knowledge gap concerning the actual role that employers play in processes of inclusion in the labour market. In this article, we provide knowledge about what employers do in order to include young people with mental health issues into the workforce, what roles they play in these processes, and what motivations underlie their endeavours. We argue that, due to organizational changes to occupational rehabilitation in Norway, employers must increasingly occupy a vacancy left open by social workers. While this situation has demanded further responsibility from employers, they are quite often insufficiently educated or trained to deal with such issues.We address what consequences this could have for young people with mental health issues striving to enter the labour market.

Is It Possible to Tackle Youth Needs with Agricultural and Rural Development Policies?

Rural youth are influenced by a wide range of uncertainties regarding their personal and professional development. Rural youth and in particular rural NEETs (Not in Employment, Education or Training) are especially vulnerable and face higher risks of labour market, social and economic exclusion. This paper aims to analyse the determinants of the dynamics of rural NEETs in three post-transitional countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Serbia) compared to the EU-28 average and to Ireland as an example of an established EU member state with over 50% of its population living in rural areas that can act as a benchmark for effective policy implementation to address challenges of marginalized youth, during the 2009–2019 period. The dynamics of rural NEET status and the efficiency/adaptability of regional development policies are revealed through analysis of macro and socioeconomic factors as well as specific employment-related indicators disaggregated by gender and degree of urbanisation. The comparative analysis indicates deficiencies in regional development policies among post-transitional countries and the potential to adapt modern European practices and policies for improving the rural NEETs’ position.

Disability and work in a health and economic crisis: Mitigating the risk of long‐term labour market exclusion for Australians with disability through policy coordination

AbstractLabour markets around the world are experiencing extraordinary disruption during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The gap in the employment rate between Australians with and without disability is likely to widen, given the entrenched disadvantage of people with disability in the job market. For many, it will compound existing health and economic vulnerabilities. This scenario is troubling from both a human rights and an economic perspective. In this paper, we examine the interface of two policy instruments intended to improve the prospects of people with disability finding and keeping employment in Australia – Disability Employment Services and the National Disability Insurance Scheme – in the lead up to and in the early stages of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Findings from three studies conducted between 2018 and 2020 reveal these instruments are not mutually reinforcing. With a 10‐year National Disability Employment Strategy (NDES) in development under federal government oversight, we argue that more concerted and targeted effort from these services and broader public policies and programs is needed to ensure Australians with disability are not sidelined in the labour market in the wake of the pandemic.

Migrant Counterspaces: Challenging Labour Market Exclusion through Collective Action

Recent debates in migration studies and labour geographies emphasise the need to acknowledge migrants’ agency and their ability to challenge regulatory migration regimes and precarious working relations. Contributing to this literature, this article examines the activities of a migrant-run organisation in Switzerland in its collective response to labour market barriers mobilised by the state, employers, and society at large. Building on ethnographic and participatory methods, our findings reveal that the organisation’s strategies focus strongly on the individual level and thus risk losing sight of broader power relations. Yet, our analysis also shows that the strategies employed can be transformative on the personal scale, creating a meaningful counterspace to dominant experiences of social and economic exclusion. In conclusion, we contend that an analysis of migratory movements needs to take into account the social and relational dimensions of agency as well as the differentiated effects of collective action.

Anonymity or Distance? Job Search and Labour Market Exclusion in a Growing African City

AbstractWe show that helping young job seekers signal their skills to employers generates large and persistent improvements in their labour market outcomes. We do this by comparing an intervention that improves the ability to signal skills (the “job application workshop”) to a transport subsidy treatment designed to reduce the cost of job search. In the short run, both interventions have large positive effects on the probability of finding a formal job. The workshop also increases the probability of having a stable job with an open-ended contract. Four years later, the workshop significantly increases earnings, job satisfaction, and employment duration, but the effects of the transport subsidy have dissipated. Gains are concentrated on individuals who generally have worse labour market outcomes. Overall, our findings highlight that young people possess valuable skills that are unobservable to employers. Making these skills observable generates earnings gains that are far greater than the cost of the intervention.

Social Resilience in the Labour Market: Learning from Young Adults with Visual Impairments in Oslo and Delhi

Globally, young adults with visual impairments (YAVI) encounter multiple employment barriers. However, many circumscribe the risk of labour market exclusion and secure gainful employment. This article surfaces protective factors that enable some qualified YAVI from Oslo and Delhi to participate in the labour market. It answers what similar individual and structural protective factors enable YAVI to overcome employment barriers in Oslo and Delhi. The article is theoretically couched in the three dimensions of social resilience linked to the individual’s coping, adaptive and transformative capacities, which are mediated by formal institutions, that is, disability organizations and public employment agencies. This comparative article is based on a qualitative case study wherein 29 YAVI were interviewed. It sparks a much-needed cross-national dialogue within youth studies and disability research to view YAVI as resourceful agents and not passive actors.

Household Economic Exclusion among Danish Children: Evaluating Independent and Joint Risks of Income Poverty and Parental Labor Market Exclusion

Low household income and social exclusion increase children’s risk for unsuccessful transitions to adulthood. Yet we know little about children’s cumulative risk of experiencing poverty and parental labor market exclusion during childhood and to what extent these circumstances co-occur. We estimate annual separate and joint cumulative period risks for experiencing living in a household with income below the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development poverty line (poverty) and a low-work intensity household (labor market exclusion) for children in Denmark from 2003 to 2018. Both indicators identify similar children, with the largest overlap between the joint indicator of both poverty and labor market exclusion (economic exclusion) and the income poverty indicator. Furthermore, considering estimates produced from poverty and labor market exclusion measures, as well as from a combined measure, helps us demonstrate the role of business cycle volatility in each: procyclical with respect to poverty and countercyclical with respect labor market exclusion.

Mental Health Problems at a Critical Juncture: Exit from Social Assistance among Young Finns

AbstractReducing social assistance dependency is high on the political agenda; labour market and social exclusion of youth, in particular, has been considered worrisome. With these policy objectives and societal considerations in mind we set to study the association between health problems, with a specific focus on mental health, and the duration of social assistance receipt among young adults in Finland. Our analyses are based on rich register data encompassing the total population in the metropolitan area of Finland from 2005 to 2016. We follow a cohort of new social assistance recipients (n=36,728) aged 18–34 for a maximum of 60 months using Cox proportional hazard model. The results show a strong association between mental health problems and duration of social assistance receipt. The association was the strongest among those aged 18–24. Some differences in the strength of the association were found for different psychiatric diagnoses. On the other hand, somatic diagnoses were only weakly associated with duration of social assistance receipt. Mental health problems appear to be an important obstacle for exiting social assistance and this should be taken into account when governments aim to decrease welfare dependency and reform the last-resort financial aid.

Are low-skilled young people increasingly useless, and are men the losers among them?

ABSTRACT Claims that low-skilled young people, and especially the men among them, are being excluded from the labour market have been influential over recent decades, contributing to an increasing concern over the issue of early school leaving. In this study, we use high-quality administrative data and sequence analysis to investigate the school-to-work trajectories of three birth cohorts of early school leavers in Norway between the ages of 16 and 26. Our observation period (from 1994 to 2015) covers several structural transformations of the Norwegian economy, such as increased migration, labour market polarisation and automatisation, widely held to have worsened the prospects of low-skilled young people. In accordance with expectations, we find some signs of increased labour market exclusion among early school leavers, relating to changes in welfare policy. However, the majority still follow trajectories characterised by employment and/or further education. Contrary to discourses on low-skilled men as losers, but in accordance with previous research, we find that male early school leavers consistently predominate in trajectories leading to middle and high incomes. Even in the comparatively gender equal country of Norway, the gender-segregated labour market consistently appears to be providing low-skilled men with more economically rewarding life course trajectories.

Accumulated unhealthy behaviors and psychosocial problems in adolescence are associated with labor market exclusion in early adulthood \u2013 a northern Finland birth cohort 1986 study

BackgroundThe relevance of health-related behaviors to exclusion from the labor market in early adulthood remains poorly studied in relation to the magnitude of the problem. We explored whether adolescents’ accumulated unhealthy behaviors and psychosocial problems are associated with later labor market exclusion, and whether multisite musculoskeletal pain (MMSP) impacts these relations.MethodsWe gathered questionnaire data on unhealthy behaviors and psychosocial problems and MMSP among adolescents aged 15 to 16 belonging to the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986. The findings were combined with registry data on unemployment, employment and permanent work disability during a five-year follow-up between the ages of 25 and 29 (n = 6692). In the statistical modeling we used education, family leave and socioeconomic status of childhood family as potential confounders, as well as latent class and logistic regression analyses.ResultsThe Externalizing behavior cluster associated with over one year of unemployment (RR 1.64, CI 1.25–2.14) and permanent work disability (OR 2.49, CI 1.07–5.78) in the follow-up among the men. The Sedentary cluster also associated with over one year (RR 1.41, CI 1.13–1.75) and under one year of unemployment (RR 1.25, CI 1.02–1.52) and no employment days (RR 1.93, CI 1.26–2.95) among the men. Obese male participants were at risk of over one year of unemployment (RR 1.50, CI 1.08–2.09) and no employment days (RR 1.93, CI 1.07–3.50). Among the women, the Multiple risk behavior cluster related significantly to over one year of unemployment (RR 1.77, CI 1.37–2.28). MMSP had no influence on the associations.ConclusionsUnhealthy behavior patterns and psychosocial problems in adolescence have long-term consequences for exclusion from the labor market in early adulthood, especially among men. Simultaneously supporting psychological well-being and healthy behaviors in adolescence may reduce labor market inclusion difficulties in the early phase of working life.

Young people's labour market patterns and later mental health: A sequence analysis exploring the role of region of origin for young people's labour market trajectories and mental health.

•Experiencing early employment disadvantage could lead to long-term labour market instability and labour market exclusion.•Migrants showed more turbulent transitions between labour market states than natives.•Belonging to a turbulent labour market trajectory is association with poor mental ill health in mid-life.

Learning in late career stages in Europe – gendered effects of retirement policies

AbstractInstitutional contexts shape learning participation throughout the course of life. Combining micro-data on adult education from 26 European countries with country-level indicators on retirement systems in multi-level logistic regression models, the focus is on analysis of participation in non-formal learning among people aged 50–64 and its interactions with retirement policies. The analysis makes use of the largest sample of European countries used so far for exploring the issue. For the first time, gender differences in retirement policies are considered. The results imply that for all women and highly educated men, participation in non-formal training is higher when retirement age in the country is set at 65 years or higher. However, men with less education do not profit from a higher retirement age because their training participation remains unaffected by retirement policies. In the current analysis, training participation in older age groups remains unaffected by the generosity of pensions. The results outline gender differences in learning participation in older age groups. Also, after the age of 50, men with a low education are at particular risk of labour market exclusion and unemployment because the retirement age in European countries keeps rising and technological advancements make additional demands on workers’ skills.

Changes in the geographical distribution of youth poverty and social exclusion in EU member countries between 2008 and 2017

Abstract With respect to the fulfillment of the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy, the threat of poverty and social exclusion has not been sufficiently reduced in the European Union (EU) over the past decade, and large regional disparities persist. Young people are the most affected by the problems of income poverty, material deprivation and labour market exclusion, which are the three dimensions of poverty and social exclusion. In this article, we focus on comparing the EU countries in terms of the three listed dimensions, while revealing similarities and differences in the incidence and severity of these social phenomena among youth. In addition to measuring dimensions by the currently used AROPE (at risk of poverty or social exclusion) rate, we also use a larger spectrum of relevant indicators for a more comprehensive analysis. While the AROPE aggregate indicator uses the same methodology for the population of young people as for the whole population, our approach includes indicators that are specific to young people. We assume that all dimensions affect each other, so we apply multidimensional statistical methods such as principal components and cluster analysis to analyse them. These methods have revealed that some dimensions affect poverty and social exclusion to a greater extent and others to a lesser extent than might appear to be the case, based on AROPE’s partial rates. Moreover, we present quantified integral indicators that together with the results of the multivariate methods, provide a rather complex picture concerning the geographical distribution of poverty and social exclusion, as well as their dimensions in the EU, for the population of persons aged 18–24 years in 2008 and 2017.

Reproduction of marginality: The labour market position of unemployed foreign citizens during economic recession in Iceland

Abstract Following the economic crash in 2008, many migrants in Iceland lost their jobs and experienced deteriorating working conditions. In 2011, four years after the onset of the recession, the unemployment rates among the foreign population remained significantly higher than among Icelanders. In this article, we discuss experiences of unemployed migrants concerning their changed position on the labour market in order to highlight the different mechanisms of labour market exclusion. On the basis of research among registered unemployed foreign citizens, we analyse the main reasons for their difficulties in finding new employment. The main obstacles as reported by survey respondents and focus groups participants were limited knowledge of Icelandic, increased reluctance among Icelandic employers to hire foreigners and insufficient social networking with the native population.

Criminal Justice Involvement and Employment Outcomes Among Women

This article investigates the potentially cumulative effects of being arrested, convicted, and incarcerated on labor market outcomes among women, as well as whether decreased employment levels are due to labor market exclusion or detachment. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, I find that arrested women have reduced levels of employment, due to both labor market exclusion (unemployment) and labor market detachment (not in the labor force). Once the effect of being arrested is taken into account, women who are convicted or incarcerated do not face any additional negative employment consequences. These results demonstrate that policymakers must look beyond incarceration to reduce the impact of criminal justice involvement on women.