Employment Policy and a Functioning Labour Market
The project responds to selected problems of the Czech labour market, which at the same time represent a challenge for employment policy and labour market regulation. These are the problems of adaptation to structural changes due to digitalization and automation (Industry 4.0), changes in the composition of the labour force due to demographic ageing, international migration, career preparation, changes in family life and lifestyle, deepening segmentation of the labour market and disadvantages of certain population groups in accessing it. The project will reflect on these changes in an international context and analyse the appropriateness and effectiveness of measures taken to address these issues.
The aim of the project will be to explore in depth selected key aspects of the need for and impact of employment policy interventions and other areas of public policy and labour market regulation on the effective functioning of the labour market in terms of flexible adaptation of supply and demand, high levels of employment and the elimination of structural problems and labour market failures. These will include in particular: (i) the dynamics of labour market demand due to the expected wave of modernisation in the context of digitisation and automation (Industry 4.0); (ii) flexibility of working patterns and new forms of work; (iii) barriers to labour market integration for specifically disadvantaged groups.
The project will focus, in a first phase, on identifying specifically relevant aspects of the issues under study (see above) and further elaborating them and analysing the data in depth. In doing so, the data sets already collected will be used. In the next phase, the project will focus on the evaluation of more recent data and further use of previously collected data, with the intention of identifying current and longer-term issues in labour market developments and employment policy and labour market regulation. Specifically, the following sub-tasks will be undertaken:
The changing labour market in the Czech Republic: challenges and opportunities for linking labour demand and labour supply: analysis of LFS data – an ad hoc module on “Job Skills” has been included in 2022 to provide data for this.
Digital inclusion issues and solutions for older people: Mapping of approaches and measures to support the development of digital competences of older people that are being implemented in practice in selected foreign countries.
Creation of a “database”/set of good practice examples representing new, innovative practices.
Vulnerable groups in the labour market and the role of the public works programme in their integration: A concentrated study of the benefits of the public works programme in terms of employment of vulnerable groups. Using data on programs implemented in 2019, a longer-term impact perspective. Research support for rethinking the role of the public works program within the ALMPs (including suggestions for the Integrative Jobs Tool).
Roma women in the labour market: child rearing and other barriers to economic activity. The study will be based on a thematic analysis of data from a sample survey of the Roma population conducted in 2021 within the framework of the Norway Grants project Creating quantitative data collection for assessing the situation of Roma in Czech society. The preparation of the study fulfils one of the tasks of this strategy.