Premium
Employers' attitudes towards long‐term unemployed people and the role of activation in S witzerland
Author(s) -
Bonoli Giuliano
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
international journal of social welfare
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1468-2397
pISSN - 1369-6866
DOI - 10.1111/ijsw.12086
Subject(s) - trustworthiness , term (time) , perception , business , obstacle , test (biology) , point (geometry) , labour economics , demographic economics , public relations , psychology , economics , social psychology , political science , law , paleontology , physics , geometry , mathematics , quantum mechanics , neuroscience , biology
Over the last few years, most OECD countries have extended their activation policy to new groups of non‐working people, including the long‐term unemployed ( LTU ). However, it is widely known that employers tend to regard LTU people as potentially problematic persons. This is likely to constitute a major obstacle for long‐term unemployed jobseekers. On the basis of a survey among employers in a S wiss canton (N = 722), this article aims to shed light on the perception employers have of the long‐term unemployed and whether this may matter for their recruitment practices. It also asks what, from the employer point of view, may facilitate access to employment for an LTU person. A key finding is that large companies have a worse image of the long‐term unemployed and are less likely to hire them. Furthermore, independent of company size, a test period or the recommendation of a trustworthy person is seen as the factors most likely to facilitate access to jobs for LTU people.