Unemployment and employment

Vassiliev A, Ferro Luzzi G, Fluckiger Y, Ramirez J (2006) Unemployment and Employment Offices Efficiency What can be done Socio-economic Planning Sciences 40 3169—... 

Table 19 also shows the changing nature of Danish policies towards unemployment and employment. Leave schemes were first introduced and then gradually... 

The dominant idea in the 1990s was to continuously strengthen the qualifications and the availability of the unemployed (and employed) to meet the changing demands for labom, and measures could be said to serve two different sets of objectives and target groups ... 

In the U.S., over 16 million people purchase their basic health coverage on their own. These purchasers include individuals who are self-employed, unemployed, and nof eligible for a public health insurance program. They also include persons who are not eligible for their employer s coverage or their employer does not offer health insurance. 

This policy shift can build upon new or already existing, but dormant provisions in unemployment and social assistance schemes and related objectives. Activation tips the balance in favour of a more active and inclusive rather than passive and exclusive approach. Hence, activation means stronger intervention in spells of unemployment or inactivity periods and fewer acceptances of long-term benefit dependency and associated public expenditure. Traditional social policies are seen as part of the problem, less as a solution. In particular, transfer payments are perceived as having detrimental side-effects on individual employability and the overall performance of the labour market (Van Berkel and Homemann Moller 2002). 

Although this resulted in rising non-wage labour costs which in turn hampered employment creation. Despite the fact that rather critical evaluation studies on active labour market policies and employment disincentives in benefit systems, a more fundamental overhaul of active and passive labour market policies was virtually a non-issue in the German political economy until the early years of the current decade. Reforms in this area would have questioned the implicit social treatment of unemployment and implied a more prominent role of low-wage employment as a tool of labour market re-entry for the long-term unemployed as well as a more general flexibilisation of the labour market. 

The claim to unemployment benefit under 118(1) SGB III arises in the event of unemployment and further vocational training. Workers entitled to unemployment benefit must be unemployed and registered with the employment office and must have fulfilled the qualifying period. 

Hence, activation featured high in the long and conflictual process of reforming unemployment insurance in 2001, when PARE - plan d aide an retour a I emploi, (back-to-work support plan) was introduced. In October 2000, employers organisations and only three of the five French representative trade unions agreed on the reform. But it was eventually only implemented from July 2001, after more than a year of conflict among unions and between unions and employers associations and the government. 

Rather, it provides a new type of labour contract and is aimed at combating unemployment and achieving permanent employment. 

The UWV is the benefit agency responsible for the shaping of tenders and contracts to get unemployed and disabled from benefit to work. Since 2001 the UWV has gained experience in tendering, thus overcoming its teething troubles. The key payable outcome for providers is retention in unsubsidised employment for at least 6 months. Providers are either paid on a no cure, less pay or a no cure, no pay basis. In practice, employment fees comprise 20% of total fees in the former case and 50% in the latter, the remainder being payments for service inputs. Contracts were first for 12 months only, but later extended to 24 months (Sol 2003 ... 

Traditionally, the AKs cooperate closely with the trade unions however, there is also an AK for the self-employed. Membership must not be made to depend on the applicant s affiliation with a trade union, but the latter may require its members to join the corresponding AK. Among other criteria, membership is possible from the age of 18-63, and is preconditioned on a gainful activity in the sector represented by the AK as well as on residence in Denmark. Standard contribution amounts do not exist depending on the insurant s age and employment status (e g. recipient of early [partial] retirement benefit - efterlori), the annual amount ranges from 4.8 to 7 times the daily unemployment benefit (dagpenge) to be claimed by the insurant upon occurrence of the risk. 

The foremost duty of the unemployed is to be available for job placement on the general employment market (radighed) and to make a personal effort at finding work. If suitable employment is found, it must be taken up on the next day. A job is deemed suitable if in terms of working hours and employment conditions it can be regarded as usual within the scope of the insured s previous employment. If the contact arranged between a jobseeker and an employer does not lead to a new employment relationship, this must be reported to the AK, which will then review the insurant s subjective readiness to work. If necessary, a job plan is drawn up. 

At the end of the 1970s, unemployment and in particular youth unemployment was high and stable compared to levels before the oil crisis started in 1973. Many persons suffered long-term unemployment and were about to exhaust their maximum benefit period of two and a half years and thus lose rights to unemployment insurance. Therefore, in 1978 the Social Democratic-Liberal Coalition Government fostered an employment plan that intended to reduce youth unemployment and prevent unemployed from losing benefits. 

Unemployed social assistance recipients are required to attend the Futurehouse 48 h after their social assistance application has been approved. The Futurehouse collaborates with the local Employment Service and the local Social Insurance Offices. It also has contact with schools and employers in the local area. In addition to job search, participants can be involved in internal job-training activities, such... 

---