Integration of the unemployed aged 50+ into the labour market: the appropriateness and effectiveness of active employment policy instruments
The project will apply a sophisticated methodology for the evaluation of the effectiveness of active employment policy instruments for the inclusion in the open labour market (socially useful workplaces, selected and standard retraining) of a specific group of older (50+) unemployed persons in comparison to a control group. Moreover, qualitative data will be obtained for the implementation of active employment policy instruments and for working with this target group, which will assist in terms of the interpretation of the results.
The project will take into account previous findings that revealed the considerable heterogeneity of the impacts of active employment policy instruments depending on the target groups and subgroups, as well as the characteristics of the instruments employed. The target group of older workers finds it particularly difficult to reintegrate into the labour market in the event of unemployment, especially when age is combined with other barriers such as a loss of self-confidence and motivation in the event of long-term unemployment. We predict that the effects of active employment policy instruments can be significantly strengthened via the adoption of an individualised advisory approach with respect to working with this group and through the selection of the appropriate instruments and their combination. In the case of more disadvantaged subgroups, this approach to the application of active employment policy instruments has significant positive potential.
The project will attempt to place the overall findings in the broader context of the changing position of this group in the labour market and will include the comparison of foreign experience of the reintegration of older workers into the labour market.
Individual Okpráce (OKwork) data on the unemployed from 2019–2020 (and previous years where relevant) will be used for the quantitative processing, whereas data related to the implementation of active employment policy measures for the reintegration of the target group of older unemployed people will be used for qualitative processing purposes: needs, suitability, targeting, quality and effectiveness of the instruments and implementation problems. Furthermore, the project will take into account examples of good practice in the adaptation of the target group and experience with the target group in the context of labour market trends both in the Czech Republic and abroad.