Barriers To Employment For Vulnerable Groups In The Nordic Countries

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/temanord2023-513/ This report is the second report in a research project examining how to increase labour market participation among vulnerable groups in the Nordic countries. In this report we develop a framework over employment barriers that vulnerable groups face in the nordic countries, based on an extensive targeted literature review. The purpose of the framework is twofold. First, we hope it can be a tool for practitioners to identify and address the broad range of barriers to employment that vulnerable groups potentially face. Second, the framework will be useful in future phases of this project, when we will operationalise and measure the prevalence of the barriers among vulnerable groups in the Nordic countries and analyse relevant and promising policies to help individuals with certain set of barriers.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/temanord2023-538/ This report is the third in a research project examining how to increase labour market participation among vulnerable groups in the Nordic countries. The purpose of this report is partly to deepen our understanding of the prevalence of employment barriers among vulnerable groups and partly to group these individuals according to the employment barriers they face. In the report we show that: 1. Individuals with no or weak labour market attachment typically face a complex set of employment barriers. 2. It is possible to group the vulnerable individuals in the Nordic countries into 8 distinct data-driven target groups that share similar employment barriers. 3. Traditional demographic target groups (i.e., young people, seniors, etc.) share common barriers, which challenge their distinct categorisation. These empirical findings demonstrate that future employment policies may derive greater benefits by focusing on the specific employment barriers faced by individuals rather than relying on broad demographic categories as a shorthand for the unique challenges experienced by individuals.

This report examines changes over time among young adults who have experienced particular difficulties in achieving and retaining paid work in the ordinary labour market: youth with family background from non-Nordic countries and youth with disabilities in the Nordic countries. The report identifies processes and mechanisms enabling or preventing the labour market prospects of the two youth groups. The report focuses on policy measures aiming at tackling demand-side barriers to employment for the two youth groups. While available data have not made it possible to determine robust evidence of an effect (positive or negative) of the social regulation policies for the employment of vulnerable youth groups in statistical terms, the report identifies processes and mechanisms through which social regulation policies make a difference.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/temanord2023-501/ This research report is part of a project examining how to increase labour force participation among vulnerable groups (young people, seniors, immigrants, and disabled people) in the Nordic countries. The purpose of this report is to provide a description of the vulnerable groups in the Nordic labour markets and analyse differences in labour force participation among these groups. We find that no country outshines all the others regarding labour force participation for these vulnerable groups. This highlights the fact that cross-country learning and collaboration can be fruitful in the future. In the forthcoming phases of this project, we will identify relevant barriers that lead to labour market exclusion and develop a method to group people, according to these barriers. The aim is to formulate policy recommendations to improve the labour market attachment among vulnerable groups.

Including youth in the labour market is a major challenge facing many European countries. This book examines the transitions from education to employment with a focus on Nordic youth in the broader European context. The book combines insights from the social sciences and law by linking the challenges facing young people in general and the more specific barriers facing the more vulnerable groups of young people. Youth, Diversity and Employment provides original insights on the interdependencies or interaction between redistributive and regulatory social policies.

This report presents the results of a study of effective employment initiatives for refugees and reunited refugee family members who are psychologically vulnerable, have symptoms of trauma or are traumatised. The study consists of a literature study and an exploratory investigation of existing practices for the target group in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. The study shows that the knowledge base about effective employment initiatives for the target group is currently limited. Nevertheless, several best practices are identified that have a good probability of showing positive employment outcomes for the target group. The report presents the existing knowledge base in the litterature, detailed description of best practices and it identifies key prerequisites in creating effective employment initiatives for the target group.

The unemployment among young people is considerably higher than the overall unemployment in the Nordic region. A growing group of young people in the Nordic countries are at a great risk of permanent exclusion with regard to working life and society, perhaps for much of their adult lives. Unemployment among young people is a permanent structural problem, but it has increased as a result of the global economic crisis. The Nordic Council of Ministers has asked the Nordic Centre for Welfare and Social Issues to analyse, how one in the Nordic region most effectively can contribute to increased inclusion of vulnerable people in the labour market. The report Young people on the edge (summary) - Labour market inclusion of vulnerable youth is a result of this work.