EFFECTIVE JOB REINSERTION: SUPPORTING THE LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED
A CASE FROM THE NORTH: SAN FRANCISCO, UNITED STATES
Municipalities can help reduce one of the root causes
of poverty and social exclusion by actively supporting citizens who
are suffering from long-term unemployment and who find it increasingly
difficult to reinsert themselves in the labour market. There is much
to learn from the experience of San Francisco (California, USA) that
has designed an effective package of measures that combine training,
lifting daily life obstacles to training and job search, subsidising
work experience, and passing legislation to bring the private sector
on board.
A six-pronged approach to job reinsertion:
Long-term unemployed individuals are disadvantaged in their search
for jobs. Having been out of touch with the world of labour, their
skills may have become outdated or forgotten, their behaviour may
be too far away from the business culture, and potential employers
may beware of people who have been for too long without a work experience.
Furthermore, despite the difficulties of “making ends meet”,
unemployed people who have been living for a long time on government
welfare assistance may find the shift to work life too difficult or
scary – all the more so if taking steps to look for a job adds
seemingly insurmountable problems such as child care or transportation.
The measures taken by the municipality take these obstacles into account.
The programme set in place offers a variety of activities and services
according to the needs and interests of individual participants. Every
participant must commit a total of 32 hours per week during up to
two consecutive years. The central aim is that of gradually leading
the unemployed from reliance on cash assistance to competitive unsubsidised
employment.
1) Training activities:
Training programmes are established on the basis of the specific
needs and interests of each participant. The aim is to provide participants
with a specific marketable skill that will facilitate labour market
reinsertion. For many participants, however, the lack of basic literacy
and numerical skills represents one of the greatest obstacles for
finding employment. Participants with low educational background and
poor language skills, therefore receive Adult Basic Education during
the first months, followed by gradually by training in a specific
craft. The skills offered by the programme range from manual activities
such as carpentry and construction work to medical training for nurse
assistants and general office/clerical training for secretaries. In
some cases, training is conducted in the form of on-the-job training
through which the participant combines training with work experience
For the provision of training courses the City of San Francisco has
linked up with community-based organisations and non-profit advocacy
groups. Organisations are paid on the basis of performance-based contracts,
meaning that they receive the money when participants have reached
a given level of success. This provides a further incentive for community
organisations to provide training that will be rewarded with real
opportunities in the labour market.
2) Work Experience
Work experience and subsidised employment are ways of enhancing existing
job skills by obtaining practical experience in the participant’s
field of specialisation. Private and public sector enterprises as
well as community-based organisations provide the work experience.
The programme provides the funds, either by continuing to give cash
assistance or, if the job is partly paid by the employer, by complementing
the salary. Government funding for unpaid work continues up to a maximum
of 12 months, at which point the participant is expected to engage
in a thorough job search. Work experience is an important stage of
transition towards unsubsidised employment. For the long-term unemployed
it is of great importance to be able to show employers that they have
experience as well as the capacity to commit themselves to work.
3) Counselling and social services
One of the most important discoveries of the programme was that obstacles
to finding a job are more complex than simply the lack of appropriate
job skills. Drug abuse, alcoholism and domestic violence are some
of the most common problems that impeded the participants reinsertion
into the labour market. The programme thus concentrated much of its
efforts on providing free counselling to participants through their
Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Domestic Violence Services. Counselling
services are free of charge and are offered 24 hours a day.
4) Other services
For single mothers (who constitute the vast majority of participants)
there are a number of work-related expenses that provide a further
obstacle to employment. In order to help participants during the training
period and job search, the following services were offered:
Free child care: provided for children under the
age of 12. The participant is free to choose what kind of child care
he/she prefers ranging from child care centres to relatives and friends.
Transportation: paid travel to and from training
activities, work experiences and child care centres.
Work or training related costs: covered books, tools,
special clothing and other items that might be needed as part of the
activities.
Allowance: access to an individual account with a
$400 allowance to pay for expenses related to getting a job.
5) Interaction with the private sector:
In order to bring the private sector on board to cooperate in the
programme, a local ordinance compels all businesses involved in economic
transactions with the city council to interview long-term unemployed
individuals who are listed in the city rosters and other low-income
residents before hiring from the general population. This is an important
step because long-term unemployed individuals are often discarded
and discriminated against by employers without even being interviewed.
6) Job retention services.
The assistance to participants continues even after they find jobs.
The intention is to provide support and advice during the first two
years of the participants’ new professional life so that they
can move more successfully toward more challenging employment and
higher wages. Free counselling services and child-care are also available
to participants for 2 years after they stop receiving cash aid.
The participants:
The families recruited for the programme are those who were previously
benefiting from cash assistance. The criteria for identifying participants
are the following:
- Single-parent households (most often lacking the male
parent)
- Severe lack of income
Six thousand families in San Francisco were identified as eligible for
the training scheme in accordance to these two criteria. For eligible
families, participation was compulsory in order to end cash assistance
and begin a process of active re-insertion into the labour market.
Budget and funding:
Funding stems from three sources: the federal government, the state
and the city. For San Francisco, implementing the programme has implied
an increase in short-term expenditure on social welfare. The programme’s
goal, however, is that of making participants become self-sufficient
in the long-term and therefore aims at reducing future expenditure.
Results:
During the first 18 months, over 5000 Employment Plans were signed
and approximately 50 community organisations were involved. The programme
is relatively new and it is still early to have conclusive results.
However, there are some indicators that the programme is having an
important effect and is leading down the right path. Roughly 30% of
the people who were previously receiving cash assistance are now working
independently. Further, the programme has brought to light the fact
that a large number of participants have serious problems of drug/alcohol
abuse, domestic violence or mental health. The programme has given
them the possibility to enter free counselling as well as prospects
for future employment.
The measures introduced by San Francisco are a comprehensive
attempt to facilitate labour market reinsertion for the long-term
unemployed, encouraging them to actively participate in society and
raise themselves from dependence on cash assistance. The programme
has recognised the different obstacles encountered by the unemployed
and has provided a multi-faceted service to promote social integration.
We thank Ms. Janet Diamond from the Department of Human Services
of the city of San Francisco for providing us with information on
this project.
For more information,
please contact:
Ms. Janet Diamond,
City of San Francisco, Department of Human Services
170 Otis Street
San Francisco, CA 94013, USA
phone: +1 415 557 5073, fax: +1 415 557 5478
Email: diamond@ci.sf.ca.us
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