Employers' experiences of employing workless people

As part of the wider programme of work on economic inclusion, several projects were identified by the economic inclusion data group as key areas for research. One project identified was to look at employers' experiences of employing people who have previously been out of work.

The research questions for this project were:

• How can employers engage with the long-​term workless?
• Are there areas of good practice in engaging those previously disengaged?
• Are there lessons to be learnt from less successful initiatives?

We undertook a literature review (PDF, 444kb), looking at regional examples where employers have engaged with workless people.

The review, published in June 2009, includes a number of case studies of employment programmes where employers are engaging with workless people and summarises the key features of these programmes.

Download literature review of employers' experiences of employing workless people (PDF, 444kb)

Key findings

For employment programmes to be successful they need to meet the needs of both the jobseekers and the employers. For the jobseekers it is about finding sustainable employment rather than short term work.

There are several common features of the programmes that meet the needs of employers. The key components of a model that works for employers are:

• Demand led: programmes should aim to meet the needs of employers rather than working solely within the supply side of the labour market.

• Partnership working: building strong links between all partners is crucial.
• No wage costs initially for the employer — this minimises the level of risk to the employer.

Literature review of employers' experiences of employing workless people (PDF, 444kb)