EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - WorkFirst suitable for wider application

WorkFirst suitable for wider application

Introduction

The WorkFirst method is also suitable for work with unemployed people who are far removed from the job market. This is one of the conclusions of the research report: ‘WorkFirst en Arbeidsmarktperspectief’ by the Council for Work and Income (Raad voor Werk en Inkomen, or RWI). The RWI is, in this respect, critical of local councils who offer simple activities under the flag of WorkFirst which do not facilitate a permanent return to the job market.

Proposition

The research maps out which variations of WorkFirst are used in practice and under which conditions WorkFirst can be used as an instrument for improving the chances in the job market of people on social security.

The main focal questions for research are:

What are the practical variations in approach when using WorkFirst?
To what degree do local councils intend to use WorkFirst to improve the job prospects of their clients?
What are the results of WorkFirst, specifically concerning improvement of the job prospects of those seeking work?
Under what conditions do the job prospects of those seeking work improve as a result of WorkFirst?
Under what conditions is there no improvement or even a worsening of the job prospects of those seeking work as a result of WorkFirst?

Description

WorkFirst is a method that was first developed in America for reintegrating the unemployed into the job market. It centres on a combination of compulsory work activities and the improvement of knowledge and skills. This involves not only specific professional knowledge and learning social and employee's competencies, but also a raft of job application skills. The idea behind WorkFirst is that an unemployed person will gravitate quickly towards the job market if he or she is set to work immediately. Another attribute of WorkFirst is that a failure to perform a task can be met with sanctions such as a cut in social security. The WorkFirst method has a number of different manifestations.

The research focuses on the degree in which a participant's job prospects improve as a result of WorkFirst. A qualitative research method was preferred. The approach involved a short consultation of existing sources, six case studies and an Internet questionnaire for (ex)participants in WorkFirst projects. The research was performed in three phases:

The first research phase involved a brief study of the literature;
During the second phase extensive (preferably face-to-face) interviews were held in six municipalities, with a broad cross-section of the people involved. Depending on the specific local situation, interviews were held with city project leaders and client managers, as well as the managers, consultants, foremen and/or trainers employed by the local organisation carrying out the work (Reintegration offices and/or Protective Work Centres) and finally a number of participants and employers. In addition, relevant documents (policy notes, work instructions, contracts, etc.) from each council were studied;
The third phase consisted of workshops. Here, the main conclusions were appraised in the light of experiences in other municipalities.

Conclusions

A number of striking conclusions:

The RWI research shows that 70 percent of the unemployed people questioned asserted that the WorkFirst method had heightened their desire to go to work.
60 per cent state that their self-confidence has improved and that they have learned how to search for work themselves.
In spite of the compulsory nature of the work and the possibilities of sanctions should they not cooperate satisfactorily, 80 percent of those questioned mostly or always enjoyed attending the activities. More than half declared the compulsory activities to be 'fun'.
Almost all municipalities consider WorkFirst an effective means of returning recently redundant and high-potential unemployed people back to work.
It is also evident that there have been good results with the long-term unemployed using the WorkFirst method. Owing to the scheme. many unemployed people have made significant steps on the road to regular work.

Publication date

21/02/2008

Researcher

S. Bunt, M. Grootscholte, D.R. Kemper and C. van der Werf

Article info
ISBN: 9789087660208

Links

Click here to visit the website of the Raad voor Werk en Inkomen

Click here to read the publication "Work First en Arbeidsmarktperspectief" (PDF, NL, 592 kB)

Click here to read the recommendations of the Work First research to city councils (PDF, NL, 140 kB)

Document type

research

Themes

Urban Policy > Economy knowledge & employment > Urban economy

Keywords

Employment