Long-term Unemployed Individuals Research Articles

Self-Perceived Interpersonal Problems Among Long-Term Unemployed Individuals, and Vocational Rehabilitation Programs (In)ability to Change Them.

Self-perceived interpersonal problems can challenge one's access to the work market, making it harder to attain and keep a job while adding to the distress of being outside of the labor market. In this study, we compared the self-perceived interpersonal problems among long-term unemployed individuals taking part in vocational rehabilitation programs (VRPs) (N = 220) with those of the general population. In addition, we examined whether their self-perceived interpersonal problems changed while taking part in the VRPs. We found that participants report significantly higher levels of self-perceived interpersonal problems as measured by the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP), especially with regard to feeling cold/distanced, socially inhibited, vindictive/self-centered, and non-assertive. The participants did not report a significant decrease in self-perceived interpersonal problems after being part of VRPs for one year. These results are relevant as they may inform interventions targeted this population aimed at increasing employability and/or individual well-being. Importantly, the findings may be viewed as a reflection of both social and individual processes. Long-term unemployed individuals' tendency to feel insufficiently engaged may reflect difficulty with keeping up with a job market in constant change.

Transitions from Long-Term Unemployment to Employment

As labour market research has shown, social networks heavily impact the likelihood of gaining employment. In Germany, factors such as low qualifications, illness, age over 50, immigrant background, language deficits, and care obligations, particularly when combined, hinder job transitions and induce long-term unemployment. Nevertheless, some long-term unemployed individuals can secure jobs and forgo social benefits, seemingly against all odds. To investigate the transition-to-work process and its relationship with information, network compositions, and individual agency, we conducted a qualitative survey supplemented by problem-centred biographical interviews, employing software-based network tools. The results revealed that adopting a process-oriented approach was crucial for understanding the utilization of networks to address long-term unemployment. To encourage future network approaches in investigating labour market transitions, three key aspects appear valuable. First, the development of individual agency within stable living conditions, the contribution of alteri within the network, and information transfer for labour market orientation, including factors contributing to translating information, motivation, and orientation into employment activities. This three-step analysis moves beyond traditional approaches examining factors such as network density and the frequency of interactions or simply distinguishing strong from weak ties, by emphasising relational diachronic perspectives and respecting individual life course trajectories.

Self-perceived and calculated health literacy score in long-term unemployed people

Abstract Introduction Recent studies show that low levels of health literacy are widespread in Germany, especially among socioeconomically disadvantaged groups such as long-term unemployed individuals. At the same time, it is unclear to what extent commonly used health literacy tools are tailored to the needs and literacy skills of socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. Therefore, we examined to what extent self-perceived and calculated health literacy scores of long-term unemployed people in Germany correlate. Methods We conducted 171 semi-structured interviews between November 2022 and February 2023 with long-term unemployed people in 11 occupational reintegration settings in Bremen, Germany. Health literacy was measured by the HLS-EU-Q16 (self-report health literacy score) and the Newest Vital Sign (calculated health literacy score). Descriptive and correlation analyses were performed with R. Results According to HLS-EU-Q16, 37% of the 171 participants (male=112, female=59) had sufficient health literacy, according to NVS only 29%. An inadequate health literacy score was shown by 19% according to HLS-EU-Q16, and by 48% according to NVS. The applied tools did not show a statistically significant correlation (r = 0.105, p = 0.17). Conclusions Self-reported health literacy data (e.g., measured by the HLS-EU-Q16) could underestimate deficits in health literacy and may be insufficient as a sole assessment tool to determine health literacy among low-literate populations as long-term unemployed people. Key messages • Various tools exist to measure health literacy. Not all measures might be suitable for all population groups. Literate skills should be considered while applying different health literacy measures. • More health literacy data on low-literate populations is needed in the literature. Health literacy tools applied in these population groups should be short and easy to understand.

Machine Learning Ensemble Modelling for Predicting Unemployment Duration

Predictions of the unemployment duration of the economically active population play a crucial assisting role for policymakers and employment agencies in the well-organised allocation of resources (tied to solving problems of the unemployed, whether on the labour supply or demand side) and providing targeted support to jobseekers in their job search. This study aimed to develop an ensemble model that can serve as a reliable tool for predicting unemployment duration among jobseekers in Slovakia. The ensemble model was developed using real data from the database of jobseekers (those registered as unemployed and actively searching for a job through the Local Labour Office, Social Affairs, and Family) using the stacking method, incorporating predictions from three individual models: CART, CHAID, and discriminant analysis. The final meta-model was created using logistic regression and indicates an overall accuracy of the prediction of unemployment duration of almost 78%. This model demonstrated high accuracy and precision in identifying jobseekers at risk of long-term unemployment exceeding 12 months. The presented model, working with real data of a robust nature, represents an operational tool that can be used to check the functionality of the current labour market policy and to solve the problem of long-term unemployed individuals in Slovakia, as well as in the creation of future government measures aimed at solving the problem of unemployment. The measures from the state are financed from budget funds, and by applying the appropriate model, it is possible to arrive at the rationalization of the financing of these measures, or to specifically determine the means intended to solve the problem of long-term unemployment in Slovakia (this, together with the regional disproportion of unemployment, is considered one of the most prominent problems in the labour market in Slovakia). The model also has the potential to be adapted in other economies, taking into account country-specific conditions and variables, which is possible due to the data-mining approach used.

Re-hiring Long-term Unemployed Individuals: The Role of Boundary Work Among Managers

Re-hiring Long-term Unemployed Individuals: The Role of Boundary Work Among Managers

Assessing Socioeconomic Inequality in Self-Rated Health in Four ex-Yugoslav Countries

There has been a growing academic interest in explaining the well-established association between socioeconomic status and health. Among the various proposed mechanisms and pathways, social capital has been recognised as a potentially important antecedent of socioeconomic inequalities in health. However, these interrelationships remain relatively unexplored within the countries of former Yugoslavia. Therefore, this article aims to fill the gap in the literature by exploring the role of individual-level social capital in the relationship between socioeconomic status and self-rated health in four ex-Yugoslav countries. The present study is based on the data from the ninth round of the European Social Survey (2018). The author analysed the data of participants aged 25 and over from Croatia (N = 1534), Montenegro (N = 1002), Serbia (N = 1720) and Slovenia (N = 1149). In order to test the target associations, sequential multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed. The results show that occupational social class and several social capital indicators are associated with self-rated health, although independently of each other. Across all countries, unskilled and skilled manual workers and long-term unemployed individuals were more likely to report poor health compared to non-manual workers, with the exception of Montenegrin skilled manual workers and the long-term unemployed participants from Slovenia. Moreover, despite some cross-country differences in the relationship between individual levels of social capital and self-rated health, social participation was associated with self-rated health across all countries. These findings highlight the importance of encouraging social participation within these countries, which can lead to health benefits through behavioural and psychosocial mechanisms.

EDITORIAL INTRODUCTION

If you are an employee or employer, occupational health physician, or a physician concerned with the work–life balance of your patient, this fourth issue on work–life balance and burnout is for you. It culminates in practical guidance captured in the Tokyo Declaration on Work–Life balance together with five articles that clarifies the golden reach of person-centered medicine (PCM) in occupational health of both a clinician and a patient.
 How this golden reach extends much further than patient-centered medicine is captured in the first article. An employed person, whether patient or practitioner, works within an interpersonal context in which all role players including the employer should actively contribute in nurturing an employee’s well-being and work–life balance. The second article engages with the reach of PCM in reporting on the personality features needed to cope with (or avert) unemployment as is evident in a comparison between 245 long-term unemployed individuals and a control group of 1,948. The third article articulates how the golden reach of PCM is informed by the empirical relationship between work engagement and burnout. The fourth article considers the work–life balance among Japan’s physicians in the context of ongoing work style reform. The fifth article underscores that a person-centered work environment is crucial in addressing the challenges of burnout among physicians and medical students.

PERSONALITY PROFILES IN A SWEDISH LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED SAMPLE

Background: Long-term unemployment is associated with psychiatric problems, higher risk of suicide, low levels of well-being, and high levels of burnout. In this context, among other factors such as sociodemographic status and IQ, specific personality traits are important for individuals’ chances to finding a job, getting hired, and retaining that job, as well as for coping with the mental health risks related to long-term unemployment. Thus, in order to use person-centered methods to promote public health and sustainable employment during the current and future challenges of the 21st century, an important research area is the mapping and understanding of personality profiles of individuals who are unemployed. 
 Objectives: We mapped the personality traits and profiles in a sample of Swedish long-term unemployed (i.e., ≥ 6 months without work) in relation to a control group from the Swedish general population.
 Method: 245 long-term unemployed individuals (136 men and 157 women, range 18 to 60 years; M = 25.7; SD = 9.6) were recruited at the beginning of different well-being and employment projects in Blekinge, Sweden. The participants reported gender, age, and other basic demographics, as well as their personality using the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). We calculated the T-scores and percentiles for the personality traits using the Swedish normative data (N = 1,948) and clustered participants in different temperament (high/low novelty seeking: N/n, high/low harm avoidance: H/h, high/low reward dependence: R/r) and character profiles (high/low self-directedness: S/s, high/low cooperativeness: C/c, high/low self-transcendence: T/t).
 Results: Compared to the general population, the long-term unemployed were extremely higher in harm avoidance (> 1.5 standard deviation), moderately lower in persistence (> 0.5 standard deviation), extremely lower in self-directedness (> 2 standard deviations), and moderately lower in novelty seeking (> 0.5 standard deviation). That is, consistent with past research, our study shows that the personality of long-term unemployed is denoted by being pessimistic, fearful, easily fatigable, underachieving, blaming, helpless, and unfulfilled (i.e., high harm avoidance, low persistence, and low self-directedness), but also by being reserved and rigid (i.e., low novelty seeking). Furthermore, within the unemployed population, as much as 71.60% reported a methodical (nHr) or cautious profile (nHR), and as much as 64.00% reported an apathetic (sct) or a disorganized profile (scT). Moreover, the profile analyses allowed us to show that, within this unemployed population and in relation to each individual’s own profile, about 91.70% were high in harm avoidance, 98.60% were low in self-directedness, 64.00% were low in cooperativeness, and 44.40% low in self-transcendence.
 Conclusions: These results indicate a high predictive value by the TCI, especially regarding the specific basic health-related traits or abilities (i.e., self-directedness, cooperativeness, and self-transcendence) needed to cope with the risks related to unemployment. Specifically, long-term unemployed populations have temperament profiles that present difficulties for them to adapt to the circumstances of unemployment, but also finding, getting, and retaining a job and character profiles that diminish their possibilities to self-regulate the emotions derived from their temperament through self-directed choices that improve their health and all aspects of their lives. Hence, evidence-based interventions targeting stress reduction and the development of health-related traits or abilities (i.e., self-directedness, cooperativeness, and self-transcendence) are urgently needed.

Leipzig - Individual Placement and Support for people with mental illnesses (LIPSY): study protocol of a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundIndividuals receiving means-tested benefits are at a higher risk of being diagnosed with a psychiatric illness compared to those who are employed, and the rate of those working in the first labor market is low. The intervention (Individual Placement and Support, IPS) aims at maintaining or regaining working ability and at facilitating reintegration into the (first) labor market following a “first place, then train”-approach. The objective of the study is to conduct the first RCT in Germany that addresses a broad group of long-term unemployed individuals with severe mental illnesses that receive means-tested benefits, and to test the effectiveness of the IPS intervention.MethodsIn this randomized controlled trial, about 120 eligible participants aged between 18 years and local retirement age will be randomly allocated to an intervention group (IG) or to an active control group (CG) using a parallel arm design. The IG will receive IPS + high quality treatment as usual (TAU), the active CG will receive TAU + a booklet on integration measures. A block-randomization algorithm with a targeted assignment ratio of 1:1 for participants in IG and active CG will be used, stratified by sex and three age groups. Assessments will take place before the intervention at baseline (t0), and 6 (t1), 12 (t2), and 18 (t3) months later. Primary outcome will be the proportion of participants having worked at least 1 day in competitive employment since baseline, as assessed at t3. Secondary outcomes will be related to employment/ vocation and mental health. In addition, there will be a process evaluation. Treatment effects on outcomes will be tested using appropriate panel-data regression models, and acceptability, uptake and adherence will be evaluated using descriptive statistics and appropriate inference testing.DiscussionThe results of this trial are expected to generate a better understanding of the efficiency, feasibility, acceptance, and relevance of the IPS intervention in a German setting. They could be a first step towards the implementation of the method and towards improving the situation of long-term unemployed individuals with severe mental health problems.Trial registrationGerman Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00023245), registered on 22.02.2021.

Hiring long-term unemployed individuals: the managers’ perspective

The current sanitary crisis has seen unemployment rates rise around the world and will have an impact in long-term unemployment. This paper studies the reasons why managers are reluctant or willing to recruit long-term unemployed individuals, and how managers can foster their re-employment. The results of interviews carried out with 40 managers from different companies allow us to identify the hiring barriers that managers face at the company level, to identify and categorize manager’s motives to hire long-term unemployed individuals, and to present a number of practices that have been deemed successful for hiring long-term unemployed individuals. It reveals that these barriers, motives, and best-practices revolve around three main categories: identity, work-related tasks, and relations.

The European Social Fund Supports the Reintegration of the Long-term Unemployed Individuals Aged 50+ Into the Labor Market - A Comparison of the Federal States in Austria

Abstract This paper shows the importance of European Social Fund’s (ESF) countermeasures for reintegrating long-term unemployed persons aged 50+ in Austria since their number has increased in recent years. Four research questions are defined, which deal with the theoretical background, the ESF’s contribution, the possible causes of long-term unemployment, and their reflection in a country comparison figures. For the qualitative methodology, we conducted expert interviews and case study analysis. Concerning the quantitative method, we evaluated raw data from the AMS Public Employment Service, Austria, and Statistics, Austria. A correlation was established based on the content-related evaluation of the theoretical approaches, the expert analysis, and the presentation of statistics. It is necessary to identify the causes in time and take appropriate measures to prevent them from combating long-term unemployment among this target group.

STAR Duodecim eHealth Tool to Recognize Chronic Disease Risk Factors and Change Unhealthy Lifestyle Choices Among the Long-Term Unemployed: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Validation Study.

BackgroundLifestyle choices and socioeconomic status have a significant impact on the expected onset of diseases, age of death, and risk factors concerning long-term illnesses and morbidity. STAR is an online health examination tool, which gives users a report that includes an evaluation of their life expectancy and an estimated risk for developing common long-term illnesses based on questions about health, characteristics, lifestyle, and quality of life.ObjectiveThe goals of this study are to (1) review the capacity of STAR to recognize morbidity risks in comparison to a traditional nurse-led health examination and patient-reported health challenges; (2) evaluate the user experience and usability of STAR; and (3) assess the potential impact of STAR on the health confidence and motivation of patients to make healthier lifestyle choices.MethodsThis mixed methods validation study will consist of a quantitative part (questionnaires) and a qualitative part (phone interviews and open-ended questions from the questionnaires). The participants will include 100 long-term unemployed individuals attending a health check for the unemployed. The participants will be recruited from three Finnish public health centers in Espoo, Hämeenlinna, and Tampere. At the health centers, the participants will use STAR and attend a nurse’s health check. Surveys with multiple-choice and open-ended questions will be collected from the participants, the nurse, and a study assistant. The questionnaires include questions about the participant’s background and health challenges from the patient and nurse points of view, as well as questions about how well the health challenges matched the STAR report. The questionnaires also gather data about user experience, health confidence, and usability of STAR. A study assistant will fill out an observer’s form containing questions about use time and possible problems encountered while using STAR. A sample of the unemployed participants will be interviewed by telephone subsequently. For the quantitative data, descriptive statistics and a reliability analysis will be performed, and mean sum scores will be computed for the study variables. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data will be performed.ResultsThis study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Expert Responsibility Area of Tampere University Hospital in June 2020 (ETL Code R20067). Data collection will begin in June 2021 and will take approximately 3-6 months.ConclusionsOnline health examinations can improve the effectiveness of primary prevention in health care by supporting efficient evidence-based morbidity risk estimation and motivating patients to change unhealthy behaviors. A multimethod approach is used to allow for assessment of the tool’s usefulness from the points of view of both professionals and patients. This study will further provide a rich understanding of how the tool can be used as part of routine health checks, and how and why the tool may or may not motivate users for making healthier lifestyle choices.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)PRR1-10.2196/27668

Unemployment and learning: the depoliticisation and taboos of work(lessness)

This article analyses how the learning – understood as an aspect of individuals’ life-historical experiential processes – of long-term vulnerable unemployed individuals in a Danish context is affected by the neoliberal organisation of the employment system and back-to-work policies and practices. In doing so, a psychosocietal approach to the study of adults’ learning – in which learning processes are explored from the standpoint of the subject – is applied: an approach that is analytically sensitive to the dialectic interconnectedness of subjective and objective conditions of learning during unemployment, that is, of embodied and life-historical experience, conscious as well as unconscious, and the cultural and sociopolitical embeddedness of work(lessness). In seeking to understand the ambiguities related to learning during long-term unemployment, the article argues for the usefulness of applying a broader concept of adults’ learning in addition to a recognition of negative experience. Through the life history of Richard, the article demonstrates how the neoliberal organisation of back-to-work practices – emphasising the standardisation of methods, the maximisation of efficiency, self-reliance, social discipline, externally determined learning goals and the self-transparent subject – conditions the learning processes of vulnerable unemployed individuals in ways that lead to blockages of experience, differentiated forms of self-alienation and defensive, self-preserving psychodynamics: hence, constituting challenges to learning, solidarity and self-realisation while acting as a catalyst for a reproducing subjective embodiment of societal processes relating to the depoliticisation of work.

Social Rehabilitation Through a Community-Based Rehabilitation Lens: Empowerment, Participation and Inclusion of the Elderly Long-Term Unemployed in the Re-employment Process

This research examined social rehabilitation in the context of the components of community-based rehabilitation (CBR) through the experiences of elderly long-term unemployed in the re-employment process in Finland. Two questions were posed: ‘What kinds of experiences do the elderly long-term unemployed have of social rehabilitation?’ and ‘What can the key components of CBR—empowerment, participation and inclusion—offer for the re-employment process?’ We analysed social rehabilitation through the experiences of 15 elderly long-term unemployed individuals who had been employed in the intermediate labour market, and results showed they had experienced social rehabilitation in diametrically opposed ways, both positive and negative. The positive experiences included hopefulness, partnership, and re-employment, while a negative outlook, being left alone in the workplace community, and exclusion from the labour market were found amongst the negative experiences. Based on the results, we built a practical model of social rehabilitation, which we called the EPI model.

Do job creation schemes improve the social integration and well-being of the long-term unemployed?

In this paper, we analyze the effects of a German job creation scheme (JCS) on the social integration and well-being of long-term unemployed individuals. Using linked survey and administrative data for participants and a group of matched non-participants, we find significant positive effects of being employed within this program. Participants with health impairments or an above-average duration of welfare dependence benefit more. The effects decline over the course of the program, which is explained by an increase in both the share of participants who leave the program, and of control individuals who find a job. The results suggest that JCSs should target those with the lowest employment prospects.

Motivated, resistant, unfortunate and blameworthy – Positions constructed for Finnish long-term unemployed individuals through the employability discourse

ABSTRACT In this study I examined the positions Finnish frontline workers constructed for their long-term unemployed clients through the employability discourse. The data consisted of 34 telephone interviews with rehabilitation counsellors working as part of a multi-sectoral team aiming to enhance the employability of unemployed jobseekers who face multiple barriers to attaining a job. In my analysis I identified four main positions: motivated, resistant, unfortunate and blameworthy. Within all of these positions, the responsibility related to employability enhancement was scrutinized. My analysis revealed that frontline workers position themselves as responsible or not responsible for enhancing their long-term unemployed clients’ employability depending on how employability or lack of it is constructed and a long-term unemployed individual positioned.

Pathways to Employment

Background This project’s aims are twofold (1) to uncover and define the underlying theories of change guiding competing active labor market programs (ALMP) in Sweden, and (2) to assess the relative effectiveness of these competing programs in a theory-based non-randomized controlled trial. The purpose is to assess the extent to which competing ALMPs are effective in moving long-term unemployed individuals (i.e. unemployed for 6 months or more) closer to the labor-market. Methods/Design This project will engage ALMP program administrators and service providers in semi-structured interviews. The transcribed interview material will be used as a basis for program theory reconstruction. All specified program theories will be presented back to program stakeholders for validation. ALMP program effectiveness will be assessed quasi-experimentally with pre- (T1) and posttest (T2) collection of self-reported data. Additionally, official register data from the Longitudinal integrated database for health insurance and labor market studies (LISA) will be collected for all participants. In addition, a matched sample will be collected from LISA to be used as a non-treated control group on final policy outcomes (e.g., employment, salary/wage). This study also assesses program implementation and economic outcomes of the included ALMPs. Discussion Long-term unemployment has profound impact of the health and wellbeing of individuals, families, and communities. In addition, the effects of long-term unemployment have been found to impact subgroups differently. Today we have scant knowledge on the mechanisms that are influential in moving individuals from long-term unemployment closer to the labor market. This study is designed to answer six research questions using a variety of methods (mixed-methods) and outcome measures (self-report, official register). In addition, this study leverages official register data to construct an untreated control group. This study will assess the extent to which an emerging theory of becoming job ready holds under experimental scrutiny.

How Are Unemployed Individuals with Obesity Affected by an Economic Crisis?

Objective: The purpose of this study was to measure the extent to which the advent of an economic crisis affects the magnitude of the impact of unemployment on obesity prevalence (IUOP). Methods: Using data corresponding to a boom period and a bust period of the Spanish economy, we calculated the IUOP in the Spanish population aged 16–65 years using propensity score matching, and using the difference-in-differences approach, analyzed to what extent the advent of an economic crisis affected the magnitude of such an IUOP. Results: The results point to significant differences in the body mass index (BMI) values of Spanish unemployed individuals depending on the phase of the economic cycle. Compared to a period of economic boom, a bust period increases the (log) BMI values of unemployed people by 0.22% and the (log) BMI of long-term unemployed people by a further 0.011%. Conclusions: The design of health policies for the treatment and prevention of adult obesity should be tailored to the phase of the economic cycle and focus especially on the long-term unemployed individuals.

Does Emotional Intelligence Matter in Tough Times? A Moderated Mediation Model for Explaining Health and Suicide Risk amongst Short- and Long-Term Unemployed Adults.

This study contributes to knowledge on psychosomatic research by examining a moderated mediation model in which emotional intelligence (EI) is related to mental health, physical health and suicide risk through perceived stress, in samples of short-term (n = 364) and long-term (n = 594) unemployed individuals. The moderating effect of emotional intelligence on the relationships between perceived stress and mental and physical health and suicide risk was tested. The results showed that emotional intelligence was positively associated with mental and physical health and negatively associated with perceived stress and suicide risk. The proposed model only predicted mental health and suicide risk in the long-term unemployed sample. This suggests that emotional intelligence may act as a buffer against the negative impact of unemployment-related stress on mental health and suicide risk when unemployment is prolonged. Therefore, interventions targeting both the promotion of mental health and the prevention of suicide risk via the promotion of emotional abilities may consider length of unemployment.

Efficacy of a peer-led group program for unemployed people with mental health problems: Pilot randomized controlled trial.

People with long-term unemployment and mental health problems often find it difficult to take active steps toward help-seeking and job search and to navigate the complex system of available services. Likewise, job center staff would welcome interventions to improve the reintegration of long-term unemployed individuals with mental health problems into the labor market. To examine the efficacy of a peer-led group program that supports unemployed people with mental health problems in terms of help-seeking, job search and recovery. Based on participatory research, a four-session group program was designed and evaluated in a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 42 participants, randomized to the program ( n = 23) or treatment as usual ( n = 19). Outcomes were assessed at baseline (T0), 3 weeks (T1), 6 weeks (T2) and 6 months later (T3). There were no significant intervention effects on primary outcomes (job search self-efficacy and help-seeking). But compared to the control group, intervention participants showed significant improvements in depressive symptoms ( p = .02) and recovery ( p = .04) at T2 with medium effect sizes. There were trend-level positive program effects on self-stigma, hopelessness and secrecy. This pilot RCT provides initial evidence for the efficacy of a peer-led group program to improve symptoms and recovery among unemployed participants with mental health problems.