Unemployed Job Seekers Research Articles

Eliciting Time Preferences When Income and Consumption Vary: Theory, Validation, and Application to Job Search

We propose a simple method for eliciting individual time preferences without estimating utility functions even in settings where background consumption changes over time. It relies on eliciting preferences for receiving high stakes lottery tickets at different points in time. In a standard intertemporal choice model high rewards decouple lottery choices from variation in background consumption. We investigate robustness to other assumptions theoretically, and validate our elicitation method experimentally. We illustrate an application of our method with unemployed job seekers, which naturally have income/consumption variation. (JEL D12, D15, D91, G51, J22, J64)

Employment Services South Africa usage: Perspectives from jobseekers and employees

This paper examines the perspectives of the Department of Employment and Labour employees and jobseekers on the usage of the Employment Services South Africa (ESSA) system. The system's primary aim is to place unemployed South Africans in available job opportunities by facilitating information sharing between employers and jobseekers based on the jobseekers’ qualifications and experience. Data was collected from 34 respondents, including employees of the Department of Employment and Labour and jobseekers, through qualitative interviews. The findings revealed that many unemployed jobseekers did not effectively use the ESSA system. While the ESSA system is valued by the Department of Employment and Labour employees, its adoption, perceived usefulness, accuracy, and effectiveness among jobseekers are lacking. The system still struggles with low visibility, a lack of awareness, and trust among jobseekers, who often look elsewhere for effective recruitment.

The Working Jobless: Unemployment as Work

Being unemployed is, by definition, someone without a job, but is it somebody without work? This paper presents an empirical study of unemployed job seekers and the work they do in connection with upholding their everyday life, job search, technology use, and the necessary connections with the public unemployment office (job center). Within the country where the research is conducted, the activities of the unemployed involve balancing formal legal requirements and procedures (to secure unemployment benefits, etc.) with informal navigation of the rules and regulations, networks and activities directed towards employment. The activities are mediated by digital platforms, e.g. job search, accountability, documentation, and, as a consequence, job seekers largely have to depend on their technologies and experiences to manage these processes. We present a study of interviews with job seekers (n=10) with an average age of 60, and two Participatory Design workshops with a total of 15 participants. Our analysis shows that the unemployed carry out work towards fulfilling formal requirements posed by the unemployment office, as well as setting up their daily, computer-supported routines, and a significant amount of unrecognized hidden work navigating rules, status and informal networks.

Employer Screening and Optimal Unemployment Insurance

Abstract Field experiments show that employers are less likely to consider long-term unemployed job-seekers for interviews. We study the implications for optimal unemployment insurance (UI). Based on a structural model of job search and recruitment, estimated with German data, we analyse the optimal two-tier unemployment system. We find that screening makes the optimal initial benefit level four percentage points higher and the potential benefit duration seven months longer. Using an extended Baily-Chetty formula, we study the mechanisms through which screening affects the consumption smoothing gain and moral hazard cost of providing UI and highlight the role of the externality from endogenous firm behaviour.

The role of mental health-related healthcare use in employment and benefits use after unemployment

Abstract Background Mental health problems are common among unemployed job-seekers and they further hinder successful re-employment. Previous studies investigating the role of mental health problems on labour market participation after unemployment have largely focused on a single outcome. However, many have subsequent unemployment or receive different types of benefits. To understand these complex pathways a more comprehensive approach is needed. In this study, we examine how mental health-related healthcare use among the unemployed affects their employment and benefit use trajectories. Methods We use a 90% population sample of individuals who were residing in Finland at the end of 2010, who were 25-59 years old and unemployed between 2014-2016 (n = 596,323). We use multistate trajectory models to analyse their employment and benefits use development three years after the onset of unemployment. We will further use multinominal regression analysis to investigate how mental health-based healthcare use is associated with these trajectories and how this association varies between different sociodemographic groups. Results Around half of the unemployed job-seekers received some type of benefit after the onset of unemployment. Almost 25 % received sickness allowance (especially women), a little less social assistance (especially young and low educated), or unemployment benefits (especially men), and around 10 % received disability pension (especially among those with healthcare visits due to mental disorders). Next, we will conduct a trajectory analysis to get a more comprehensive picture of the employment and benefits trajectories. Conclusions Unemployment is followed by complex employment and benefits trajectories which further differ by sociodemographic groups and mental health-related healthcare use. Knowledge on the factors influencing these trajectories will help direct employment-promoting interventions towards different groups of unemployed. Key messages • Many unemployed job-seekers receive some type of social or sickness benefit after unemployment. • The employment and benefits trajectories after unemployment differ between those who had mental health-related healthcare use and those who did not, and further by sociodemographic factors.

You’ll never seek alone: The impact of active labour market policies on finding a job

Using the administrative records of the Spanish Public Employment Service for the period 2018–2019, we analysed the impact of participation in job search assistance and training programmes on the chances of unemployed jobseekers finding employment, as well as the quality of the job obtained. Propensity score matching techniques were used to evaluate the effectiveness of these programmes. We found that participation exerted a positive and significant differential effect on the probability of transition from unemployment to employment and on the probability of finding a job of intermediate quality compared to non-participation. This positive impact was largely due to the effect of training programmes, the magnitude of which persisted even as the period elapsed between participation and exit towards employment increased, whereas job search assistance was less effective over time. The positive influence of participation appeared to be more intense for specific socioeconomic groups.

Job Search Interventions for Long-Term Unemployed Job Seekers: Comparing Approaches to Effective Support

Drawing from the psychology of working and social resilience frameworks, this study introduces a novel intervention program to address the complex needs of long-term unemployed individuals. We examine the effectiveness of this novel intervention with a randomized, controlled field experiment where we test two versions of this program: one-on-one coaching and group coaching. Our findings show that long-term unemployed job seekers who received either form of coaching had higher reemployment rates and lower levels of self-blame than a control group that did not receive any support. Our in-depth interviews with group and one-on-one support receivers reveal that each type of support helped the long-term unemployed in distinct ways. Our findings suggest that a combination of group and one-on-one coaching to assist long-term unemployed individuals would help diminish the self-blame associated with unemployment and foster reemployment.

Empirical Monte Carlo evidence on estimation of timing-of-events models

This article builds on the Empirical Monte Carlo simulation approach to study the estimation of Timing-of-Events (ToE) models. We exploit rich Swedish data of unemployed job seekers with information on participation in a training program to simulate placebo treatment durations. We first use these simulations to examine which covariates are key confounders to be included in dynamic selection models for training participation. The joint inclusion of specific short-term employment history indicators (notably, the share of time spent in employment), together with baseline socio-economic characteristics, regional and inflow timing information, is important to deal with selection bias. Next, we omit subsets of explanatory variables and estimate ToE models with discrete distributions for the ensuing systematic unobserved heterogeneity. In many cases, the ToE approach provides accurate effect estimates, especially if time-varying variation in the unemployment rate of the local labor market is taken into account. However, assuming too many or too few support points for unobserved heterogeneity may lead to large biases. Information criteria, in particular those penalizing parameter abundance, are useful to select the number of support points. A comparison with other duration models shows that a Stratified Cox model performs well with abundant multiple spells but less well when multiple spells are uncommon. The standard Cox regression model performs poorly in all configurations as it is unable to account for unobserved heterogeneity.

Labour Market Tightness and Matching Efficiency in Different Labour Market Segments – Do Differences in Education Matter?

Abstract This paper analyses the existing educational structures of selected EU member countries and their alignment with the labour market (LM) needs. This study aims to identify potential structural mismatches between the skills taught in schools and universities and the skills and knowledge required in the workplace. To evaluate this educational mismatch, the paper explores the matching needs of employers and unemployed job seekers by using disaggregated national employment office data. The paper examines the selected group of EU countries (AT, HR, EE, SI, ES) from 2010 to 2022, using the Beveridge curves and estimating LM tightness and matching efficiency for different education groups. The results show that differences in education levels result in relatively small deviations from aggregate trends in the LM. Aggregate LM trends strongly impact all education groups in the labour market.

Risk Scores for Long-Term Unemployment and the Assignment to Job Search Counseling

This paper analyses how risk profiling is used to assign unemployed job seekers to job search counseling in Flanders, Belgium. We compare algorithmic selection to self-selection and selection by job search counselors. We discuss practical challenges for the implementation of risk profiling and highlight avenues for further research. We find that algorithmic assignment is used for only a small fraction of the sample and that job search counselors appear to have valuable private information on job seekers' reemployment prospects beyond what is captured by the algorithmic risk score.

Contextual and personal resources in unemployed job search: An intra‐individual perspective

AbstractDrawing from conservation of resources (COR) theory and the equifinality principle, we challenge the prominent “the‐more‐resources‐the‐better” understanding by examining both the additive and interactive effects of contextual (i.e., networking behaviors and social support) and personal (i.e., job search self‐efficacy) resources on job seeking. Specifically, based on COR theory's resource gain corollary, we propose that higher levels of each resource are positively related to job search intensity and the number of interviews obtained (an additive effect). However, based on the equifinality principle that various resources can contribute to the same goal, we propose that each type of resource can compensate for low levels of the other (an interactive effect). In a four‐wave study following 89 unemployed job seekers over 6 months, we find positive intra‐individual relationships between networking behaviors and job search self‐efficacy with job search intensity. We find that networking behaviors and job search self‐efficacy are also positively related to the number of job interviews obtained and indirectly related through job search intensity for networking behaviors. In line with our predictions, high levels of either networking behaviors or job search self‐efficacy compensate for low levels of the other resource when predicting job search intensity and the number of interviews obtained.

Which training leads to employment? The effectiveness of varying types of training programmes for unemployed jobseekers in Flanders

Which training leads to employment? The effectiveness of varying types of training programmes for unemployed jobseekers in Flanders

Occupational mismatch in the labour market of selected EU countries

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the occupational structures of selected EU member countries and assess their compatibility with the labour market demands, aiming to identify potential structural mismatches. The search evaluates the alignment between existing knowledge and skills in specific qualifications and those required by employers, utilizing disaggregated data from registered employment offices in Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, and Spain, spanning from 2010 to 2022.Methodology: Methodologically, the study uses Beveridge curves, labour market tightness, and matching efficiency estimates to measure the matching needs of employers and unemployed job seekers within various occupation groups. The analysis focuses on the impact of economic downturns and fluctuations in unemployment rates on different occupation groups, with a particular emphasis on more complex and better-paid occupations.Results: Results indicate that workers in higher-skilled occupations may experience a more resilient position within the aggregate labour market trends. However, the study reveals that deviations from these trends among occupation groups are relatively minor, underscoring the substantial influence of overall labour market conditions on all segments.Conclusion: The research finds that differences in occupation groups have a limited impact on the broader labour market trends. Regardless of occupation complexity, improvements and deteriorations in labour market conditions affect all groups uniformly. These findings suggest a nuanced interplay between occupational structures and aggregate labour market dynamics, emphasising the need for comprehensive policy considerations to address potential mismatches and promote overall labour market efficiency.

Changes in alcohol consumption according to the duration of unemployment: prospective findings from the French CONSTANCES cohort

ObjectivesTo prospectively examine the association between the duration of unemployment among job seekers and changes in alcohol use in a year.DesignA prospective study.SettingFrench population-based CONSTANCES cohort.ParticipantsWe selected 84 943 participants...

Lifetime classic psychedelic use is associated with greater psychological distress in unemployed job seekers

AbstractBackgroundDespite recent research linking lifetime classic psychedelic use to positive mental health outcomes, little work has explored the role played by classic psychedelics in healthy users' ability to cope with ordinary, yet stressful, life situations.AimsThis study begins to fill this gap by exploring whether lifetime classic psychedelic use is associated with attenuated or exacerbated psychological distress in unemployed job seekers.MethodsDrawing on openly-available data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2013–2019) on 208,136 adults in the United States, this study tests whether lifetime classic psychedelic use interacts with employment status to predict differences in respondents' psychological distress experienced in the last 30 days.ResultsAfter adjusting for sociodemographics, health factors, and other substance use, unemployed job seekers with lifetime classic psychedelic use are found to report greater psychological distress relative to unemployed job seekers without lifetime psychedelic use. No differences in psychological distress based on lifetime classic psychedelic use were found in employed individuals.ConclusionThis study suggests that lifetime classic psychedelic use (of indoleamines specifically) may exacerbate stressful phases of life and provides context to previous studies linking lifetime classic psychedelic use to predominantly positive mental health outcomes in healthy populations.Declaration of interest/fundingThis research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. Furthermore, the author declares that there is no conflict of interest.

Job Seekers' Burnout and Engagement: A Qualitative Study of Long-Term Unemployment in Italy.

Long-term unemployment has major consequences from an economic, physical and psychosocial perspective. Several authors have pointed out that the search for employment is in itself work, which can generate feelings of exhaustion of psychophysical energies, cynicism and disinvestment, as well as a sense of ineffectiveness to the point of complete disillusion. The construct of burnout can be used to describe this psychological process. This study evaluated the burnout and engagement dimensions in individuals searching for work for a long time, from a qualitative perspective. Fifty-six semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of long-term unemployed job seekers (Sardinia, Italy), based on Maslach's model of burnout (exhaustion, cynicism, effectiveness in job search). The answers to the semi-structured interviews were processed through T-Lab, a semi-automatic textual analysis software. Four thematic cores emerged: exhaustion vs. engagement, cynicism vs. trust, inefficacy vs. efficacy in job search and disillusion vs. hope. This result is consistent with the four-dimensional theoretical model of burnout, originally proposed by Edelwich and Brodsky, recently taken up by Santinello, and framed as the opposite of engagement, as shown in the JD-R model. This study highlights that burnout can describe the psychosocial experiences of long-term unemployed job seekers.

Job search in a difficult labour market: linking goal orientation to job search strategies and outcomes with the moderating role of self-control.

This study addresses how goal orientation relates to different job search strategies to increase the chance of finding employment and quality jobs. We integrate the goal orientation theory with self-control to examine how the orientation of goals (i.e., performance-prove goal orientation (PPGO), performance-avoid goal orientation (PAGO) and learning goal orientation (LGO)) are associated with job search strategies (i.e., Focused Job Search Strategy- FJSS, Exploratory Job Search Strategy-EJSS, and Haphazard Job Search Strategy-HJSS) and how self-control moderates the process. In a three-wave study (nT1= 859; nT2 = 720; nT3 = 418), the hypotheses were tested using unemployed job seekers in Ghana. The results from the structural equation model show that learning goal oriented job seekers were inclined to search more focused and exploratory but engaged in less haphazard search. While PPGO facilitated EJSS, job seekers with PAGO searched more haphazardly but their search behaviour was less focused and exploratory. In addition, EJSS contributed to attending more job interviews, but HJSS decreased the chance of obtaining job interviews. Also, the interviews attended were associated with job offered, which in turn led to obtaining employment. Both FJSS and EJSS were related to employment quality but HJSS decreased employment quality. Interestingly, individual differences in self-control were found to moderate the relation between goal orientation and job search strategy. The use of EJSS was found to be more beneficial in difficult labour markets.

The impact of periodic interviews on unemployment duration: Evidence from the 2017 Finnish reform

AbstractIn 2017, a Finnish policy reform intensified the Public Employment Services' practice of periodically interviewing unemployed jobseekers. This study used high‐quality administrative data to analyse the effect of interviews on unemployment duration. We used a difference‐in‐differences approach that exploited regional variations in treatment intensity. Our results show that a 10 percentage point increase in interview probability increased the monthly hazard rate of employment by 3.1 per cent, with the effect being strongest among jobseekers aged 25–34 and jobseekers with a low education level. Also, our results demonstrate a strong effect on participation in active labour market programmes.

Does the internet help the unemployed find jobs?

This study examines the effect of internet job search (IJS) on job-finding rates among unemployed job seekers during the rapid expansion of the internet from the mid-1990s to the early 2010s. To address endogenous selection into IJS, I use an instrumental variables (IV) strategy exploiting the rise of IJS within occupations over time, which varied across occupations depending on pre-internet exposure to computers at work. The analysis sample includes unemployed workers from the December 1998, August 2000, September 2001, October 2003, and July 2011 Current Population Survey (CPS) Computer and Internet Use Supplements and the September 1992 Basic Monthly CPS, longitudinally matched with their employment outcomes from the subsequent monthly CPS files. The IV estimates indicate that IJS increased the 15-month job-finding rate by 12.9 percentage points (25.1% relative to the mean). Results from placebo exercises and various specification checks support a causal interpretation of the estimated effects. Additionally, the effectiveness of IJS remained stable over time throughout the analysis period.

Burnout without a job: An explorative study on a sample of Italian unemployed jobseekers

Search for work is in itself a job and its outcomes are similar to those of job burnout: it can generate feelings of exhaustion, detachment from the commitment to research, and a sense of ineffectiveness. The aim of the present study is to investigate the construct of burnout within the category of long-term unemployed people engaged in job search activity. The study has a cross-sectional, descriptive, and exploratory nature. Two hundred eight Italian unemployed jobseekers compiled an adaptation of the OCS Burnout scale, by Maslach and Leiter. An Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was performed to investigate the psychometric features of the instrument. The relations between the instrument and age and months of job search variables were assessed through Spearman's Rho coefficient of co-graduation. Finally, a MANOVA was carried out. The questionnaire is able to intercept and describe the dimensions of respondents' burnout with respect to four dimensions: Exhaustion, Disengagement, Effectiveness in job search, Disillusion. Correlation analysis shows that the duration of the job search period has a positive relationship with Exhaustion, Disillusion, and Disengagement; a negative relationship with Effectiveness in job search. Finally, MANOVA shows that older unemployed people rate themselves less effective in job searching and more exhausted, compared to younger unemployed people. The psychosocial effects of job search on the unemployed are still little studied, and this research, through the construct of burnout, proposes a comprehensive and articulated key to its understanding.