Transitions of Older Workers from Unemployment and the Role of Active Labour Market Policy
The project addresses the realities and possibilities of supporting the employability and employment of older job seekers. In the Czech Republic, in an international comparison, these job seekers are often excluded from the labour market.
The aim of the project is to provide findings on the situation of older job seekers, on various factors that influence this situation, and on the support mechanisms that they can use (family, civic, institutional). The project will provide a proposal for interventions that will support the success of returns/remaining on the labour market and the quality of life. The project combines a view of job seekers in the broader perspective of their situation on the labour market, the situation during unemployment (especially the micro-perspective of the life situation) and the role of policies in addressing the situation of this group. Special emphasis is placed on the role of employment policies, their use and effectiveness.
The project applies mixed research methods, both quantitative and qualitative: in particular, analysis of IS Employment data, interviews and focus groups with the target group and employees of the Employment Office of the Czech Republic (analysis in QDA Miner, WordStat). Furthermore, the project plans an impact evaluation of the main ALMP tools and selected projects based on counterfactual design, considering the heterogeneity of the target group and individual, programmatic and contextual factors of program effectiveness.
The project outputs will include a series of publications, including impact-factor journal articles, a series of policy briefs, and a comprehensive report for the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSA). For the Ministry, the project will be relevant for the Employment Policy Strategy up to 2030 and for measures supporting the employment of older people (particularly by the Labour Office of the Czech Republic), as well as for the action plans of the Strategic Framework for Ageing up to 2030.