COMBATING PREJUDICE AGAINST THE UNEMPLOYED · Combating Prejudice Against the Unemployed Page 2 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed (INOU) would like

Combating Prejudice Against the Unemployed

COMBATING PREJUDICE AGAINST THE UNEMPLOYED

A Study of Long-Term Unemployed Peopleand Employers in Dundalk

This publication has received support from the European Social Fund under the Employment Initiative


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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed (INOU)would like to acknowledge certain people who throughoutthe course of this research were of considerable help:

Special thanks to the long-term unemployed men fromDundlak who took part in the research. Thanks also to theemployers who participated.

Particular gratitude is due to Gerry Gaughran and Sean Kellyof the Dundalk LES for their help, support and contributionsthroughout the project. Thanks are also due to Sean Roche ofFÁS, and John Mathews of the Dundalk Resource Centre forthe Unemployed.

Thanks to Anne Eustace for the guidance work carried outwith the participants and her advice.

Thanks to Carole Sullivan, the Project Manager for herguidance and support and also to Nicola Phelan, John Farrelland Mary Flavin for their contributions to the group sessionsin Dundalk.

Shirley Connellan, Researcher.


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LIST OF CONTENTS

PAGE

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY............................................................................................................................4

SECTION 1Research with Long-Term Unemployed People ......................................................................................11

SECTION 2Recruitment ............................................................................................................................................12

SECTION 3SelectionMethods ..................................................................................................................................18

SECTION 4Barriers to Employment ..........................................................................................................................22

SECTION 5The Use and Perceptions of Labour Market Services ..............................................................................24

SECTION 6Training, Education and Employment Options ........................................................................................27

SECTION 7The Media ..............................................................................................................................................30

SECTION 8Recommendations ..................................................................................................................................32

Epilogue ................................................................................................................................................33

Bibliography ..........................................................................................................................................34

Appendix 1 Area Profile of Dundalk ......................................................................................................35

Appendix 2 Tables..................................................................................................................................38

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. AIMS AND OBJECTIVESThe overall aim of this project is to break down prejudices or misconceptions concerning people who arelong-term unemployed in order to increase the proportion of job vacancies that are filled by them and toensure their retention in employment.

In order to fulfill this aim research was to be carried out with long-term unemployed people and employers.Two main objectives were devised for the research with long-term unemployed people:

• To identify and document any prejudice encountered by long-term unemployed people from employers.

• To identify and document the attitudes of employers towards long-term unemployed people.

2. RESEARCH WITH LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED PEOPLEThis action research project was conducted with four groups of long-term unemployed people, primarily menover the age of 35 years, regarding their experiences in job seeking and in dealing with state agencies.Dundalk1 was one of the areas chosen for the research as well as Ballyfermot, Blanchardstown, andCastlebar.

The research involved the following elements:1) Firstly structured interviews were carried out with approximately ten long-term unemployed men in each

of the areas. This research was carried out on a one to one basis. A questionnaire which was bothquantitative and qualitative was devised. This questionnaire was agreed by the consortium and waspiloted with unemployed people.

2) Secondly, the respondents were asked to take part in four two-hour group sessions in each area. Thediscussion element was built into the structure of these sessions. This enabled the men to interact witheach other and allowed us to explore how unemployment affects these men’s lives. The aim of thesesessions was to build up a picture of the types of issues and attitudes, which were of concern to the menin the area. One of the other objectives of the group sessions was to track their progression over theduration of the project. Work with the groups spanned a four – six month period.

The content of these discussion groups was based on four modules;

• The first module was designed to encourage debate and discussion among the unemployed menthemselves, about the realities facing unemployed people. Two videos were shown to the men topromote discussion. One was a FAS promotional video. The other was of a long term unemployed manfrom Ballymun made for Finnish TV in 1995 entitled ‘Unemployment in Ballymun’.

• The second module incorporated a guidance process which was delivered by the projects externalconsultant. This guidance module involved the use of an Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ).The main objective was to promote personal development and build confidence. The guidance processprovided participants with the opportunity to reflect on their current position in a confidential one-to-onesession with an occupational psychologist. Each participant was invited to complete an occupationalpersonality questionnaire (OPQ) and was offered a one-to-one feedback based around the results of thisquestionnaire. The purpose was to facilitate reflection and review tailored to the challenges and issuesfacing each individual and action planning for the future.

• The third module provided one to one feedback to the participants who answered the OPQ and alsoprovided information on the local services and schemes provided by state agencies.

• The final group session finalised key issues which had arisen in the discussion groups for the final report.It also served as an information provision session. Service providers from the area were invited to speakto the group. Participants also evaluated the sessions.

• A final questionnaire was sent to the men a few months after the last group session to assertain if progresshad been made in their job seeking/use of services.


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1 Please see Appendix 1 for Area Profile of Dundalk

2.1 RECRUITMENT AND PLANNINGIntensive planning on how to recruit long-term unemployed people was carried out with a view to contactingthe most marginalised long-term unemployed.

A profile of the long term unemployed respondent was built up. The target group for the project was focusedon the most marginalised long term unemployed people. For the structured interviews the main criteria forrecruitment was, primarily males over 35 who were out of work for a year or more. Meetings with the keyactors in the local areas were set up to help with the recruitment. It was planned to recruit through the LES,FAS, local Social Welfare Offices, Unemployed Centres and making contacts in the local communities.

Recruitment in the Dundalk area was the most successful of the four areas. Recruitment methods used wererecruitment through the Local Employment Service, the Dundalk Centre for the Unemployed, theMuirhevnamore Men’s group, leafleting at the Social Welfare Office and enlisting the help of one respondentto contact friends in a similar situation. The latter method was enlisting the help of one of the originalrespondents to recruit men in a similar position. Thirteen men were interviewed in Dundalk.

3. RESEARCH WITH EMPLOYERS

3.1 BackgroundWithin small enterprises in Ireland it is normally the owner/manager who is responsible for recruitment.These owner/managers, like most employers are currently experiencing significant change within the labourmarket, particularly when filling jobs that require low skilled or non skilled workers. The tightening of thelabour market has led to employers, especially owner/managers who recruit staff personally, reportingincreasing difficulty when filling vacancies. In the past when employers were filling a post, which requiredlow skills or no skills, there was a tendency to recruit people with skills and qualifications in excess of whatwas actually required; this is no longer possible. For these reasons the employer aspect of the research wasentitled “Making the most of our Human Resources”.

3.2 Research MethodologyThis research was targeted at ten owner / managers of small/medium sized enterprises. A questionnaire wasdeveloped which was both quantitative and qualitative. This questionnaire was posted out to approximatelyforty employers with the hope of getting ten replies. This was followed up with phone calls to each of theemployers. Ten employers responded to the questionnaire.

4. THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND THE FINDINGS A number of key research questions are listed below with summary findings. The body of the report containsadditional information on each of the findings.

4.1 WHAT IS THE EMPLOYMENT HISTORY OF LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE ?All of the men surveyed had two things in common they were all over 35 and also long-term unemployed.Nine of the men had been unemployed for three years or more. All of these men had worked beforebecoming unemployed. Nine out of the 13 men had held at least three jobs. The majority of these jobs werein the unskilled/semi-skilled occupational category.

The general picture built up for the majority of these men is that they came from very educationallydisadvantaged backgrounds. After leaving school early or having no education they went on to take upunskilled/ semi-skilled jobs. They then lost their jobs through no fault of their own but circumstances beyondtheir control, e.g. no more work available place of work closed down etc.

4.2 HOW DOES THEIR EXPERIENCE OF LONG PERIODS OF UNEMPLOYMENT EFFECT THEIRINTEREST IN JOB SEEKING?

“There are many stages to getting a job and the long-term unemployed find barriers at every one:people donít hear about the jobs on offer, if they do hear they are less likely to get an interviewbecause of where they live or how long they have been unemployed, and if they get considered theyare less likely to have the required skills.”

Mike Allen (1998:193) in “The Bitter Word”.


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During the first year of unemployment eleven out of the thirteen men sought work. After the first year andupon entering long-term unemployment ten of the men continued to look for work. In the last year (beforethe interviews were conducted) only five men continued to seek work.

The most frequent reasons identified for giving up looking for work at any stage were “given up hope ofgetting a job” “depression/ withdrawal” and a range of other individual reasons were cited by the men suchas “hearing nothing back”, “fear of rejection” and “not wanting to be hurt further”.

Job seeking itself requires a variety of skills. Preparing a Curriculum Vitae (CV) and a cover letter to suit aparticular job requires skills. Only three of the thirteen men had a current up to date CV. The factors whichprevented the other men from drawing up a CV included not knowing what a CV was and also literacydifficulties. Many long term unemployed people are found lacking in these essential skills necessary to reachthe interview stage and most importantly acquire the job. This lack of the necessary job-seeking skills is animportant finding to emerge from this research.

The men were asked to describe their ideal job in terms of wages, conditions, prospects, advantages anddisadvantages. It is interesting to note that the majority of men chose a job which was either the same or notentirely different to the job they had before becoming unemployed in terms of skill levels. None of the menchanged their career path entirely. The wages sought by the men varied from £150-£300 nett per week.However the mean wage sought by eleven of the men was £215 nett per week.

This information shows that the desired wages were well above the minimum wage i.e. £176 gross per week.The main advantage cited for taking up these jobs was the increased pay. Some men cited other factors suchas increased skills, enjoyable working conditions, prospects to start up own business, increased self-confidence and goals, security and not being on the dole. Ten out of the thirteen men could find nodisadvantages. This information tells us that all of these men show a willingness to work and a desired wagefor which they will work.

4.3 WHAT RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION METHODS HAVE AND ARE BEING USED BYOWNER/MANAGERS, PARTICULARLY FOR SEMI AND UNSKILLED POSITIONS?

Recruitment MethodsThe most common recruitment methods used by employers in this study were “person referred by someonein the company” and “person referred by someone employer knows”. This highlights the importance ofinternal and informal methods of recruitment i.e. word of mouth.

The least used methods were, placing advertisements in national newspapers and advertising in shop andoffice windows. In terms of the use of Labour Market Services for recruitment contacting the LocalEmployment Service and the local Social Welfare Office for help with recruitment were not methodsconsidered by the majority of owner/managers.

FAS, the Local Employment Service and the Local Social Welfare Office were rated as poor/not useful by themajority of owner/managers who had used them for recruitment purposes.

The main methods used by the long-term unemployed respondents to find out about jobs were, looking inthe local newspaper, word of mouth (mainly friends) and FAS.

These methods correspond with those employers use. However sending in CV’s on file is a method takenseriously by employers, which was not used by any of the long-term unemployed men.

Selection MethodsThe most frequently used selection methods among the employers were references followed by structuredinterviews, application forms and unstructured interviews.

In terms of effectiveness, references and structured interviews ranked highest. All of the employers had usedreferences as a method of selection and it was rated as excellent by half of them. Structured interviews, werealso used by a majority of owner/managers and were rated as excellent.


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The use of references as the main recruitment method demonstrates how long-term unemployed peoplecould be at a disadvantage. Most job applicants choose the most recent employers as their referees as theycan provide the most up to date information about the persons personal attributes and skills in their last placeof employment. Unfortunately for long-term unemployed people the gap in their employment historyindicates the difficulties/impossibilities of acquiring referees form past employers. However if theunemployed person has been taking part in voluntary/community work or other unpaid work theperson/organisation they are working for should be in a position to provide a reference.

Research has proven that the single most important way that employers discriminate is by automaticallyrejecting applications from the long-term unemployed before the interview stage is reached. In addition if theunemployed person does get an interview he/she is further burdened by the need to provide evidence ofrecent employment and references both of which they lack. Meager and Metcalf 1987 concluded that:

“The major barriers to employment faced by the long-term unemployed were those of automaticrejection or the burden of providing additional evidence of suitability”.2

4.4 WHAT ARE THE MAIN BARRIERS IDENTIFIED BY THESE LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE INFINDING WORK?

The data collected from the structured interviews showed the most frequently cited barriers to employmentare age, lack of educational qualifications address lack of experience, no work available and the low payoffered. These barriers appear to be the same as those found by Creedon and Ronayne in their 1993 study ofunemployed people in Tallaght.

In the group discussions the main barriers raised were the low wages being offered versus desired wages andthe loss of the medical card.

Low PayWhile the men agreed that there is work out there, all nine men felt that there is no financial incentive as thejobs are low payed. It was felt that the financial incentive was low when tax, rent and bills are taken out andsecondary benefits particularly the medical card are taken away.

Relative deprivationAll of these men felt that they were experiencing deprivation by living on social welfare payments incomparison to those benefiting from the booming economic climate. They felt that they were unable to givetheir families what they needed and were unable to provide their families with material goods which otherpeople take for granted.

Loss of the Medical Card The majority of the men said they would find the Medical Card very difficult to give up. Seven of the thirteenmen felt that they could not afford to lose this benefit and they would not take up a job offer if they did.

It is very clear from this research that the medical card is an essential benefit for unemployed people.However it is worrying that the fear of losing this type of benefit prevents people from taking up employmentbecause they would not be able to afford medical bills without this assistance. This displays dependency onthis secondary benefit and an unwillingness for some unemployed people to let go for fear of not being ableto pay medical bills.

4.5 WHAT ARE THE PERCEPTIONS AND EXPERIENCES OF LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED PEOPLEREGARDING EMPLOYERS?

77% of the men felt that employers do treat unemployed people differently. Many of respondents felt thatemployers considered them as lazy, lacking experience, as having never worked, not wanting to work andas perhaps even mentally ill. Five of the men gave accounts of having been badly treated by employers forreasons of martial status, prison record, age, lack of skills and address. Address and criminal record were


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2 Meager N and Metcalf H (1987) Recruitment of the Long-Term Unemployed, Institute of Manpower Studies: Brighton.

further discussed in the group sessions where it was felt that some employers discriminate against people onthese grounds. In terms of employers recruitment practices all of the men felt that life experiences and skillsare not taken into account.

4.6 WHAT ARE THE PERCEPTIONS OF EMPLOYERS TOWARD LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE?The main factors that have emerged from this study in regard to employers’ perceptions of long-termunemployed people and the reasons for not hiring long-term unemployed people can be summarised asfollows:

• Employers question the reasons why the person was long-term unemployed particularly in today’seconomic climate. They seem to infer that it must be the fault of the unemployed person.

• The length of unemployment leads to difficulty adjusting to work.

• It is felt that unemployed people are lacking in some of the key personal characteristics which employerslook for when selecting candidates i.e. reliability and flexibility.

• Long-term unemployed people are not seen to possess the qualifications needed to fill certain positions.

Manning (1999) conducted a recent UK study of the process by which employers in five relatively low wageBritish firms fill vacancies. This study found that in selecting workers for interview employers are likely toreject those not currently in employment or lacking relevant work experience.

However, it was found that when offering a job, employers rely more on their general impression ofcandidates. Therefore, at this stage personal habits are more important as are issues about the exact hoursthat the individual can work. This leads to the conclusion that unemployed job applicants have moredifficulties in getting an interview than those who are currently employed however, once interviewed theydo not appear to face any further difficulties in getting employment.3

It would appear from the research highlighted so far that “ability”, “adjusting to work” and “motivation” seemto be the key factors that employers seek. Many employers assume that long-term unemployed people lackability, have difficulty adjusting to work and are demotivated. This leads to rejection even before interviewingthem to find out if they would be suitable.

4.7 WHAT IS THE EXPERIENCE OF AND HOW ADEQUATELY DO UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE FEEL THEIRNEEDS ARE BEING MET BY THE VARIOUS STATE AGENCIES AND SCHEMES?

Labour Market ServicesThe greatest awareness and use of service providers was that of FAS. Only two men were aware of and hadused the services of the Local Employment Service. Two men had spoken to a job facilitator in the SocialWelfare Office but expressed disappointment with the outcomes. Two men had used the welfare rightsinformation service in the Centre for the Unemployed and found this service useful in providing information.The Area Based Partnership had the lowest levels of awareness with only one user who was pleased with theoutcome.

It is apparent from these findings that there was a serious lack of awareness, not alone of the range of servicesbut the types of services provided. The men rated the services from their experiences without a completeknowledge of how the service should work. For example, certain services attained high levels of satisfactionfor simply “suggesting things to do”.

From listening to the experiences of the men there appeared to be a lack of any real engagement or followup with the clients at an individual level. Only two long-term unemployed men had used the services of theLocal Employment Service which offers mediation and guidance services at an individual level.


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3 Manning A. (1999). Pretty Vacant: Recruitment in Low-Wage Labour Markets. Discussion Paper 418. Centre for Economic Performance, London.


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4.8 WHAT LEVEL OF AWARENESS AND EXPERIENCE DO OWNER/MANAGERS HAVE CONCERNINGTHE LOCAL LABOUR MARKET SERVICES?

Contact with local Labour Market ServicesThe majority of employers had been in contact with FÁS at some stage. Three employers had contacted thelocal Social Welfare Office. The Local Employment Service was contacted by only one employer. There wasa lack of awareness by the majority of employers of the Local Employment Service.

EFFECTIVENESS OF LOCAL LABOUR MARKET SERVICESThe effectiveness of FÁS and Social Welfare services was determined by employer ratings of four set criteria(detailed in the text).

FAS scored the highest ratings for expertise of staff and flexible approach, while awareness of employer needsand customer focused scored the lowest ratings. Some employers made negative comments concerning thelack of response to training queries, inability to provide suitable candidates. Only two employers rated theeffectiveness of the local Social Welfare Office. The results were mixed with one employer rating the service“good” in terms of flexible approach, expertise of staff and customer focused. The other employer rated theservice as “poor/not useful” on all four criteria.

4.9 WHAT LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE DO EMPLOYERS HAVE OF THE FINANCIALSUBSIDIES AVAILABLE TO EMPLOYERS OF THE LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED?

Awareness of Employer Subsidy SchemesThe PRSI Exemption Scheme and the Back to Work Allowance scored highest in terms of awareness. Jobstartand the Part-time Job Incentive Scheme also scored well on awareness. In terms of usage the PRSI ExemptionScheme was used by five employers, the Back to Work Allowance was used by four employers and Jobstartwas used by one employer. None of the employers surveyed had used the Part-time Job Incentive, JobsInitiative, Job Assist or Workplace.

Effectiveness of Employer Subsidy SchemesIn terms of effectiveness the PRSI Exemption Scheme received the highest rating. Three out of five employersstated that they would use this scheme again. The Back To Work Allowance received the second highestrating with two out of four employers stating that they would use it again. Jobstart was used by only oneemployer who gave it a good rating, and said he would use the scheme again.

4.10 WHAT ARE LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED PEOPLES AND EMPLOYERS PERCEPTIONS OF THEMEDIA’S PORTRAYAL OF UNEMPLOYMENT?

Long-term unemployed men perceptionsSeven of the long-term unemployed men felt that the media is not accurate in its reporting of unemploymentrelated issues.

Three main points which emerge from these finding:• The media needs to stop focusing on the negative side of unemployment.

• The media needs to analyse the causes, and effects of unemployment and highlight the resulting barrierswhich exist for long-term unemployed people in getting back to work.

• The media needs to be fairer.

Employer perceptions• Three out of five employers felt the media reflected a fair picture and informative picture.

• Seven out of eight employers said they were not influenced by the media’s portrayal of unemployment.Only one employer admitted to being somewhat influenced.

• Overall employers seem to be satisfied with the current portrayal of unemployed people in the media.

4.11 WHAT IMPROVEMENTS DO THESE LONG TERM UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE FEEL NEED TO BEMADE?

The responses indicate the need for interventions on a number of levels:

• The GovernmentMore resources are needed to get long-term unemployed people back into work.

• EmployersNeed to introduce policies for recruiting older workers.

Employers perceptions of the long-term unemployed need to be more positive.

Employers need to offer fair conditions and fair wages.

• Long-term Unemployed PeopleNeed good references

Need training and to be successful in that training.

• The PublicNeed to understand the reasons why people are long-term unemployed.Need to be more trusting of unemployed people.


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SECTION 1

RESEARCH WITH LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE

1. PROFILE OF THE LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED PEOPLEThis section presents the profile of the sample of long-term unemployed people who were interviewed forthe purposes of this research. The data supplied relates to the gender of the respondents, age, level ofeducation, length of unemployment, type of social welfare payment and employment history. Thirteen menfrom the Dundalk area were interviewed. Between nine to thirteen men took part in the group sessions.

1.1 GENDERAll 13 respondents were male.

1.2 AGEAll of the men were over 35. Seven of the men were between 35-44 and six were between 45-54.

1.3 LEVEL OF EDUCATIONSeven out of the thirteen men had primary level education only. Three men had no formal education. Threemen had completed the Leaving Cert (see table 1 in appendix 2). Although not asked directly, literacydifficulties were later identified in the group. None of the respondents had gone back to school or college.

Educational attainment declines with age for the population as a whole as older people did not benefit fromthe introduction of free secondary education. Only 21% of long-term unemployed people in Ireland hadcompleted the Leaving Certificate in 1996. In Ireland, in the past education was seen as less of a requirementfor labour market success when older people were starting their working lives.4

An OECD study (1997) showed that the level of literacy amongst the unemployed is considerably worse thanthose in work. The proportion of those with level one competence is twice as high amongst the unemployed5.It can be safely assumed that this must be worse for the long-term unemployed given their lower educationalattainment and the strong correlation of this factor with literacy.

1.4 LENGTH OF UNEMPLOYMENTFive out of 13 men were unemployed for 10 years or more. Nine of the men had been unemployed for threeyears or more (see table 2 in appendix 2).

Data from the NESF 1994 shows that the longer a person is unemployed, the greater the probability of thatperson remaining unemployed. For example, persons unemployed for under a year have a 30 per centchance of being unemployed a year later. Those who have been unemployed for over one but less than twoyears have a 61% chance of remaining unemployed one year later; and those who have been unemployedfor over two years have a 74 per cent chance of being unemployed one year later. This figure rises to over80 per cent for males aged 25-44 and to 90 per cent for males aged 45-546. (See table 3 in appendix 2).

When length of unemployment is correlated with education level it can be seen that the five men with thelowest levels of education i.e. none/primary were unemployed for the longest time i.e. between 6-10 plusyears.

Research has found that age, duration of unemployment and gender all have an influence on long termunemployment and display important features when looked at together.7


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4 WRC, (1995). Age, Unemployment and the Labour Market. Dublin WRC.5 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (1997). Literacy Skills for the Knowledge Society. Paris (OECD).6 This data comes from a special tabulation carried out by the CSO using information from the 2nd Quarter National Household Survey, (1998).7 ESF, (1998). ESF and the Long-Term Unemployed. Dublin: ESF.

The numbers of very long-term unemployed (more than three years) particularly males in Ireland is a chronicproblem. The Labour Force Survey (1996) shows that the proportion of those who are long-term unemployedincreases with age and this is particularly dramatic for males.

A Quarterly Household Survey Special Tabulation (QNHS) 1998 on persons classified by sex, age, gendershows that in the 2nd quarter of 1998, 50.2 per cent of unemployed men in the 35-44 age group wereunemployed for three years or more. The corresponding figure for females was 23 per cent. For unemployedmales in the 45-54 age group the numbers unemployed for three years or more increased to 57.1 per cent,as compared to 20.2 per cent for females.

It demonstrates that the number of males in both age cohorts (35-44) and (45-54) who are unemployed forover three years is more than double the figure for females. It is important to note that the measuring of femaleunemployment is quite complex due to the way statistics on unemployment are gathered. We are aware thatto some extent there is an undercounting of female unemployment. However the QNHS does indicate aparticular trend for long-term unemployed men, a particular type of unbroken labour market exclusion.

1.5 TYPE OF SOCIAL WELFARE PAYMENTThe majority of the respondents were in receipt of an unemployment payment. (See table 4 in appendix 2).

1.6 EMPLOYMENT HISTORYThe majority of the sample (50%) were working full-time before becoming unemployed. (See table 5 inappendix 2).

Nine of the respondents had at least 3 jobs before becoming unemployed. The majority of these former jobswere in the unskilled/ semi-skilled occupational category. When asked how their last job finished, the mostfrequent reasons mentioned were redundancy and that no more work was available. Other less frequentlymentioned reasons included the place of employment being closed down and not working there long enoughfor redundancy entitlement, finishing up a CE scheme, accident at work and other social problems.

2. LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE’S JOB-SEEKING ACTIVITIESThe men were asked if they sought work at three different stages: firstly, during the first year ofunemployment, secondly, after the first year and thirdly, in the past year. They were asked for each stage thenumber of jobs they applied for, the number of interviews they were called for and the number of interviewsthey attended. Twelve respondents answered this section, the results can be seen in table 8-8.3 in theappendix.

During the first year of unemployment, ten out of the twelve men applied for jobs. Seven of these were calledfor interviews. One man who applied for between 30 and 50 jobs was called for and attended over 25interviews in the first year. Overall seven men attended interviews in their first year of unemployment.

After being one year unemployed, five out of the twelve men continued to apply for jobs, three of these menwere called for and attended interviews during this period.

In the past year job-seeking activities declined as only five out of twelve men applied for jobs. Three of thesemen were called for and attended interviews.

2.1 REASONS FOR GIVING UP LOOKING FOR WORKThe men were asked what were the main reasons for giving up looking for work at any stage in theirjobseeking.

As can be seen from table 9 in appendix 2 the main reasons cited were: given up hope of getting a job, (thisfactor became very prominent in the discussion groups which followed), depression/withdrawal, familycommitments, sickness/health and age. Other reasons less frequently mentioned included: fear of rejection,gap between skills and jobs, didn’t want to be hurt further, not able to fit in, frustration at hearing nothingback from FAS/Social Welfare, annoyance at applying to box numbers and not knowing who the employeris and being disheartened as no more jobs were going.


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2.2 REASONS FOR CONTINUING TO LOOK FOR WORKThe men gave their reasons for continuing to look for work. Financial motivation was the main reasonidentified by nine of the respondents for continuing to look for work. The men explained that they needed tohave a better standard of living for their families. The inability to live on the dole particularly with childrenwas highlighted. Other reasons included embarrassment of being on the dole, the loss of dignity andboredom as a result of being unemployed for so long. It is for the above reasons that all of the men neededand wanted to get back to the workforce.

2.3 OFFERED EMPLOYMENT BUT REFUSED Nine of the men had been offered employment but refused it for particular reasons. These reasons included,little financial incentive (unemployment trap), loss of secondary benefits (mainly the medical card), the jobinvolved moving to another country, health reasons and weak work incentive. Two of the main barriers to re-entry into the labour market for long-term unemployed people are identified here: low pay and loss ofsecondary benefits.

2.4 JOB SEEKING SKILLS TRAININGOnly two men took part in a job-seeking skills training course. Both of these men rated this training asconsiderably useful. One man said:

“It gave me confidence as I had been in and out of the workforce and had lost touch with how tohandle interviews and what employers are looking for.”

2.5 CURRICULUM VITAEOut of the thirteen men only three had a current up to date CV. When asked what factors prevented the menfrom drawing up a CV, six men said they had never heard of a CV. Two men stated that they were never askedfor a CV. The inability to read and write was also mentioned by two men. A UK study conducted in 1987reported that lack of basic skills in literacy and numeracy are not a hindrance while people have a job, butpose a significant barrier for people when they are applying for work because they find it difficult to deal withletters and forms.8

When asked how useful they felt a CV would be in their search for work there were mixed opinions amongstthe men.

• Five men felt that having a CV was a useful tool in jobseeking as:

“It gives the employer a good profile of the person to see if they would make a suitable employee.”

The remaining eight men felt that a CV was not a useful tool for them in job-seeking.

Some of the responses given were:

“Not useful as I wouldn’t get a job because of my age.”

“It wouldn’t make much of a difference to me as the skills I acquired years ago are probably uselessnow.”

“Unemployed people might not have a lot of things to put in –it therefore highlights lack ofexperience.”

“As I am not familiar with it, it is not useful as I never needed one before.”

From these responses it is clear that most of the men saw a CV as somewhat of a disadvantage (for individualreasons ). While it might be seen as a useful tool for employers to gauge candidates past experience somemen stated that because their lack of experience and skills is highlighted this in itself creates a disadvantage.Some of the men mentioned the importance of personal characteristics and the fact that these cannot begauged by a CV.


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8 Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Unit (1987) Evidence from the National Development Study

For these men a CV serves to highlight what could be described as their own insecurities. The reasons givencorresponded with very low self esteem in their own ability to get jobs and there was a certain air of lost hopeamongst these men. These responses demonstrate the effects of long periods of unemployment.

These attitudes are understandable as most of the longer term unemployed men have outdated skills and lackrelevant experience. The difficulty of getting references could also be a problem in some cases.

2.6 INTERVIEWSThe men were asked about the last interview they attended and how they prepared for it. Five of the 13respondents answered this section (see table 11-13 in appendix 2). The following points emerged:

• Only two respondents were asked for a CV.

• One respondent found out about the organisation/company.

• One respondent practiced interview skills.

• Overall three of the respondents did some form of preparation before the interview.

• All five respondents were satisfied to some degree with their own performance.

• Four respondents were satisfied with the employers conduct of the interview, while one man was not.

• Only one man sought feedback after the interview this man rated the feedback as fully useful.

• Only one of the five respondents was offered the job.

These findings demonstate the need for training in job seeking skills for those who have been out of thelabour force for a long time. Many of these men did not need to attend a formal interview for the jobs theyhad before becoming unemployed. Lack of basic job seeking skills in todays economic climate withcompetition from those already in the labour force makes it more difficult for long-term unemployed peopleto succeed at the interview stage.

2.7 THE BLACK ECONOMYFive respondents out of thirteen stated that they had at some point worked in the black economy. Howeverthis activity was used to supplement welfare income and carried out on a sporadic basis.

In the group session, all nine men felt that unemployed people were better off on the dole and working inthe black economy because they could earn money which could supplement their dole.

Comments were made as follows:

“People have no choice but to work in the black economy. You have to subsidise yourself. Becauseof this you are seen as a criminal. Politicians are not being done for fraud.”

“If you got the chance to do it you would”.

2.8 IDEAL JOBSThe following table illustrates the responses given when the men were asked to describe their “ideal job” interms of pay, conditions, prospects, advantages and disadvantages. (See table 14 in appendix 2.)

Some important findings emerged:

• All of these men displayed a willingness to get back to work. All of them had an idea of the type of jobthey would like.

• The majority of these men chose jobs with skill levels not too dissimilar to their work before becomingunemployed.


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• The most important factor emerging was that in order for the majority of these men to work at these jobsthey wanted decent pay. One man would not mention a figure as he felt that anything better than the dolewould suffice. Another man said he would not be satisfied with less than he earned previously (£450 grossper week). The eleven remaining respondents quoted nett weekly figures which ranged from £150 -£300.The mean wage chosen was £215 nett per week. Therefor the majority of these men chose wages abovethe minimum wage (£170 gross per week.)

• When asked to list the advantages of taking the described job, eight men out of the thirteen cited theincreased pay.

• Ten men could find no disadvantages to taking up this ideal job. Three men cited the long hours.


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SECTION 2

RECRUITMENT

1. EMPLOYERSThis section will examine the type of recruitment and selection methods used by the ten employers who tookpart in the employer research in Dundalk.

1.1 BRIEF PROFILE OF THE COMPANIESAll twelve employers were involved in the recruitment and selection process. The occupational positions andthe type of business of the sample can be found in tables 15-20 in appendix 2. A total of 331 persons wereemployed between the ten companies. Of these 62% were full-time employees and 38% were part timeemployees. A greater proportion of males were employed (67%) as compared to females who accounted for33% of the workforce.

New Recruits 1998Eight of the ten companies recruited semi/unskilled staff in 1998. (See table 21 in appendix 2). Half of thenew recruits were men employed into full-time positions. Only one woman was recruited into full-timeemployment.

Some of these employers used more than one recruitment method to fill these vacancies:

• Five employers advertised in the local newspaper.

• Two employers recruited through referrals.

• One employer recruited someone who had been on a FAS scheme.

• One employer recruited through FAS.

• One employer advertised in local shops.

1.2 RECRUITMENT OF PREVIOUSLY UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE IN 1998In this study seven companies surveyed reported that no long-term unemployed people had applied forpositions in 1998. Three companies received applications from long-term unemployed people however onlyone company recruited from among this pool of recruits.

• In the first company, no interviews were given to the long-term unemployed people who applied. Theemployer concerned stated:

“I have had two very bad experiences and am unwilling to take a chance.”

• In the second company, interviews were given to the long-term unemployed people who applied, but nolong-term unemployed people were employed.

• In the third company, four long-term unemployed men were interviewed and all four were subsequentlyemployed.

The first example shows one employers unwillingness to give unemployed people a chance, and the resultof negative categorisation of all long-term unemployed people. The second example showed that while theemployer interviewed all of the long-term unemployed people who applied, none were employed.

1.3 RECRUITMENT METHODSEmployers were asked to indicate the recruitment methods that they generally use for filling vacancies. (Seetable 22 in appendix 2).

Two of the most common methods used were “person referred by someone in the company” and “personreferred by someone employer knows”. This highlights the importance of internal and informal methods ofrecruitment i.e. word of mouth.


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Other common recruitment methods used were FAS, CV’s on file and advertisements in local newspapers.Recruitment agencies were use by half of the companies indicating that this method plays an important partin recruitment. Unsolicited applications were also used by half of the companies surveyed. Thisdemonstrates the merits of calling in person to companies and also sending in CV’s on speck.

The least used methods were recruiting through the Local Employment Service, placing advertisements innational newspapers, advertising in shop and office windows and contacting the local Social Welfare Office.

1.4 RATINGS OF RECRUITMENT METHODSThe employers were asked to rate the effectiveness of the recruitment methods they used on a rating scale of“not useful” through to “excellent”. (See table 23 in appendix 2).

In terms of the effectiveness of the above recruitment methods, those rated as “excellent” by employers were:

• Person referred by someone employer knows (rated excellent by 2 employers)

• Person referred by someone in the company

• CV’s on file

• Local newspaper

Interestingly the only methods rated as “not useful” were the following state services:

• FAS, rated “poor” by 5 employers and “not useful” by one employer

• Local Employment Service, rated “not useful” by one employer

• Local Social Welfare Office rated as “not useful” by one employer.

2 THE LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED

2.1 METHODS USED TO FIND OUT ABOUT JOBSThe long-term unemployed men were asked to indicate the methods which they use to find out about jobs.(See table 24 in appendix 2).

The men identified four methods which they used to find out about jobs. The two most popular were localnewspapers and word of mouth (two of the methods rated as excellent by employers). Other methodsincluded finding out about jobs through FAS, and through the LES. Interestingly, none of the men looked inthe national newspapers, contacted recruitment agencies, or called in person to companies.


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SECTION 3

SELECTION METHODS

THE EMPLOYERSThe employers were asked to indicate which selection methods they used and also to rate their effectivenessagainst the same criteria as used for recruitment methods. (See table 25 in appendix 2). The most frequentlyused selection methods among the employers were references followed by structured interviews, applicationforms and unstructured interviews.

In terms of effectiveness, references and structured interviews were rated as “excellent” by five employers.All of the employers had used references as a method of selection and it was rated as excellent by half ofthem. Nine employers used structured interviews, which were rated as excellent by over half of them.Application forms and unstructured interviews were also used by a large number of employers in the sample.Both of these methods received good ratings. Only three employers used ability tests and personality tests.Personality tests got a higher rating than ability tests.

The most commonly used and most effective selection methods according to these employers was references.This selection method can put long-term unemployed people at a major disadvantage as they have been outof work for so long and the difficulties even impossibilities of obtaining references.

1.1 TRAINING IN RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION

• Three out of ten employers had received training in recruitment and selection.

• The remaining seven employers had never received any training in recruitment and selection.

This demonstrates the lack of training on the part of some employers in recruitment and selection methods.

Six employers used materials (guides or guidelines) to assist in recruiting staff.

• The materials cited were:

• IBEC/SFA Guides and Manuals (used by 2 employers)

• In-house material (used by 3 employers)

Use of a ranking system (used by 1 employer)

1.2 CHARACTERISTICS EMPLOYERS CONSIDER IMPORTANT WHEN SELECTING STAFF.In order to find out how important/unimportant certain characteristics are to employers for filling semi-skilled/unskilled vacancies, a list of 25 characteristics was devised. They were asked to rate eachcharacteristic as, “essential” “desirable” and “not important” when selecting job applicants to fill these typesof vacancies. (See table 26-28 in appendix 2).

“Essential” CharacteristicsThe most essential characteristics chosen in this rating were flexibility, reliability, health, personal hygieneand references. The importance attributed to these personal characteristics concurs with other employerresearch conducted in this area, indicating the importance of personal attributes in selecting new employees.

1.3 MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS FOR FILLING SEMI-SKILLED/UNSKILLED VACANCIESThe employers were then asked to state the most important characteristics they themselves consider in theselection process for semi/skilled unskilled vacancies.

These were analysed in terms of frequency rather than a rating scale. Nine employers answered this section.(See table 29 in appendix 2).

The most commonly mentioned factors were having the right attitude, ability, skills and experience.

In terms of “having the right attitude” one employer stated:

“I believe that success is 80% dependent on the person’s character/attitude and 20% on job ability.”


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2. LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE’S PERCEPTIONS OF THE CHARACTERISTICS THATEMPLOYERS FEEL ARE IMPORTANT.

The long-term unemployed people were asked their perceptions of the characteristics employers seek whenselecting candidates to fill vacancies. (See table 31 in appendix 2).

The most frequently mentioned characteristics were “honesty”, “personality”, “experience”, “skills” and“reliability”. The employers considered the latter four characteristics as important when recruiting forsemi/unskilled vacancies.

2.1 CHARACTERISTICS THAT LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED RESPONDENTS BELIEVE THEY POSSESSThe men were asked to list the characteristics which they believed that they possessed. (See table 32 inappendix 2). The answers respond to the frequency mentioned rather than a rating scale.

The most frequently mentioned characteristics were “honesty”, “personality”, “reliability”, “ability to workon own initiative” and “experience”. This indicates that these long-term unemployed men felt that they hadgot the personal characteristics which employers require.The least frequently mentioned characteristicsincluded “specific skills”, “educational qualifications”, “youth” and “punctuality”.

Lack of recent employment experience on the part of long-term unemployed applicants might hinder abilitiesto demonstrate these personal traits to potential employers. Hence the need for equipping long-termunemployed people with these non-skill related characteristics.

2.2 LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED RESPONDENTS PERCEPTIONS OF HOW EMPLOYERS TREAT THEMThe men were asked if they felt that employers treat long term unemployed people differently to others.

Ten out of thirteen men felt that employers treat long-term unemployed people differently. The reasons givenwere:

“At a distance yes but if they were presented with those people without knowing their circumstancesthey might have a different view”.

“Yes they don’t give long-term unemployed people a chance. Employers do discriminate they thinkall LTU are lazy they donít think the person could get a job.”

“If you are unemployed for three years or more employers could think you are mentally ill.”

“Some employers think that someone who is working is better than someone who is unemployed.”

“Yes, because if you are unemployed for too long they will pick someone with more experience.”

“Yes, employers get the perceptions from the media that LTU don’t want to work.”

“Yes, they think you’re a complete dosser. They think you never worked in your life.”

“Yes, once they know you’ve been unemployed it’s goodbye.”

“Yes, employers do give them a low wage.”

Two men felt that employers did not treat long-term unemployed people differently and one man was unsure.

3. LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED: ACTUAL EXPERIENCE WITH EMPLOYERSThere were mixed reactions by long-term unemployed men to this question. Both positive and negativeexperiences were recorded however the negative outweighed the positive.

3.1 NEGATIVE EXPERIENCESSix men gave examples of bad experiences:

“Employers treat you very badly; you write away to them and they haven’t got the courtesy to writeback.”

“From my experience employers treat being married as a big obstacle to hiring someone.”

“One employer said he didn’t hire people who had been in prison.”

“I have always been treated courtiously except for one employer because of my age. He told me thatI was too old. If I had not been told it wouldn’t have mattered but it has made me less confident inlooking for work as a result.”

“If you have no skills they treat you like dirt. This has hampered me looking for work as I am wellknown around the area.”

“Not very good treated badly at times.”

Five men were pleased enough with their experiences of employers.

The mens experiences and perceptions of employers was discussed further in the group sessions.

3.2 ADDRESSThere was a strong consensus among the group that where you live is a very important determining factor inthe eyes of the employer. It was stressed that some addresses and also surnames from particular areas areassociated with criminal records, drugs etc. One man stated:

“If you come from the wrong side of town it gives you a stigma, and employers will not give you ajob.”

“Employers will not give people a job if they’re from the wrong area. That’s prejudice!”

“Where you live matters when you are trying to get a job in Dundalk.”

As shown earlier, the issue of addresses was weighted differently among employers. Four of the employersrated address as unimportant, while four others rated it as desirable and one as essential.

3.3 CRIMINAL RECORDThe group agreed that a criminal record presents a barrier to finding work. It was stated that a criminal recordprevents you from getting a job. There is a lack of trust on the part of employers and an unwillingness to givethe person a chance. One man spoke about his situation, he said that he is always upfront with employersby telling them that he is an ex-prisoner and once they hear this that he is not offered employment. Friendsof his in similar situations chose not to tell perspective employers and were subsequently employed. This manconcluded:

“Any employer once they see that you have a criminal record they have no trust in you.”

3.4 RECRUITMENT PRACTICESAll nine men in the group sessions believed that it is impossible to get a job if you don’t have a CV orqualifications and if you don’t have qualifications you won’t get an interview. It was also felt that employerswon’t let you train on the job instead they want someone who has been trained beforehand. All of the groupagreed with the following statement.

“Your life experience and skills are not taken into account. You learn more about life on the streetsthan you do in school.”

4. EMPLOYERS PERCEPTIONS OF THE LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYEDEmployers were asked their perceptions of recruiting a long term unemployed person. Only two of theemployers appeared to have a positive attitude in this regard:

“I find that employees who were previously unemployed have a real determination to succeed intheir work.”

“If the person fitted the position we would have no problem hiring them.”

The following responses were quite negative:

“In the present circumstances where it is very difficult to get and keep “good people” it is somewhatnatural to question why “good people” are long-term unemployed.”

“Perhaps the person needs to adjust to the working environment after a long period of time beingunemployed.”


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“From past experience we have found that long-term unemployed people are not very reliable andflexible because they have been out of work for so long.”

“Hiring of long-term unemployed people needs considerably more indebt recruitment processinggenerally”.

“We look for qualifications.”

One point that has emerged here is the lack of understanding and the questioning on the part of employersas to why long-term unemployed people are unemployed. Also the belief that long-term unemployed peoplelack many essential personnal characteristics as a result of the length of unemployment.

4.1 LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE VERSUS SHORT-TERM UNEMPLOYED PEOPLEEmployers were asked if they would make a distinction between short-term unemployed people and long-term unemployed people in terms of selecting candidates for employment. This question was answered byseven employers.

The majority of employers said that they would not make a distinction between a long-term unemployedperson and a short-term unemployed person.

One man stated:

“I think it depends entirely on the individual and the reasons for being unemployed.”

However two of the ten employers, indicated they would have a preference for a short-term unemployedperson. The following reasons were given:

“Long-term unemployed people have difficulty adjusting to a normal days work.”

“One is concentrating on finding the reasons (the baggage) which has people who are otherwiseemployable on a long-term unemployed list. This is perhaps unfair but understandable surely.”

Employers were asked to rate according to “high”, “medium” or “low” long-term unemployed peoplereturning to work in terms of skill levels, reliability, ability adjusting to work, motivation and level of wagesdemanded. Seven respondents answered this question. (See table 30 in appendix 2).

The majority of employers rated the long term unemployed as “medium” in terms of all five criteria: skilllevels, reliability, ability adjusting to work, motivation and level of wages demanded.

Two employers rated long-term unemployed people as “high” in terms of “reliability”.

Two employers rated long-term unemployed people as “high” in terms of the level of wages they demandand two employers rate them “ow” in this respect.

However three employers rated them as ”low” in terms of ability adjusting to work and three employers ratedthem “low” in terms of “motivation”.


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SECTION 4

BARRIERS IDENTIFIED BY LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE IN OBTAININGEMPLOYMENT.

The men were asked to list the main barriers for them in obtaining work. (See table 33 in appendix 22).

The main barriers to obtaining employment were identified as, age, education, address, lack of experience,no work available, low pay offered and marital status. Other less frequently mentioned reasons included:discrimination on the part of employers, secondary benefits, (medical card, higher rent), health, lack of skills,prison record and the impact of unemployment on the person.

From a comparison with research carried out in 1991 it can be seen that the barriers that long-termunemployed people have to face do not appear to have changed significantly. Research by the Creedon andRonayne; 1991 highlighted the main barriers which long-term unemployed people perceived in getting backinto work as:10

• Age

• No jobs

• Lack of educational qualifications

• Low pay offered

• Lack of experience

• Address

The difficulties of getting back to work were further explored in the group sessions.

While there was a general consensus that all of these men wanted to get back to work, many barriers wereoutlined that need to be removed to enable them to do so. The main issues of concern were the low wagesbeing offered, the types of jobs being offered and the conditions, and the difficulties of getting a job afterbeing unemployed for a long period of time.

1. LOW PAYWhile the men agreed that there is work out there, all nine men felt that there is no financial incentive as thejobs are low payed. There was an overall consensus by the men that full time jobs are not paying enoughand because of this you are better off on the dole. Comments were made as follows:

The main points which emerged in relation to pay were low wages being offered for example:

“One of the Take Aways is paying £2.00 an hour, and you have to work until 5 in the morning”.

“Little financial incentive when tax, rent and bills are taken out and secondary benefits particularythe medical card are taken away.”

“If you earn £200 nett- that translates to £140 a week after rent etc, you need adequate money to liveon. We need respect.”

“Fear of losing that job and being in debt with for example a mortgage.”

“There are little advantages of going back to work if you have to pay tax and you lose your medicalcard. If you bought a house and then lost the job you couldn’t afford the mortgage.”

The men felt that the main reason why employers are not filling vacancies is because of the low wages theyare offering.

10 WRC (1991) Life on the Dole, Dublin: Tallaght Centre for the Unemployed.


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2. MINIMUM WAGEThe group were asked their opinions of the minimum wage set at £4.40 per hour the majority of the men saidthey would not work for that. Reactions were as follows:

“It’s ridiculous after tax and bills are taken out of that.”

“I wouldn’t get out of bed for that!”

“I wouldn’t work for £4.40 an hour. Inflation is not frozen at the same time. “

One man said that he could see problems as many employers may not be able to offer £4.40.

When asked for a rate that the group would work for the desired wage was £9.00 an hour. However thereservation or minimum acceptable wage was chosen by the group was £5.50/£6.00 an hour. The desirednett weekly wage that was chosen by the majority of men for their ideal job was £215 per week which iswell above the minimum wage at £170 gross per week.

3. LOSS OF THE MEDICAL CARD The unemployed men were asked how important a consideration secondary benefits are when being offeredemployment. The majority of the men said they would find the Medical Card very difficult to give up. Forthree of the men loosing the medical card was not very important/relevant. However the overwhelmingresponse was that people could not afford to lose it due to recurrent illnesses and having children. Three menmentioned conditions where losing the medical card wouldn’t matter:

“If the pay was right.”“If I had my own business.” “f I could keep it for three years.”

Seven of the thirteen men felt that they could not afford to lose this benefit and they would not take up a joboffer if this was the case. This topic was brought up as an important issue at the group sessions. Having togive up the medical card as a result of getting a job was a serious problem for most of the men who attendedthe group discussions particularly those with children. One man commented:

“Your medical card is taken away after you get a job, if you get a job you can’t afford to loose it.”

When asked what the feeling was about the ability to retain the medical card for three years after getting ajob it was felt that this was no solution. The question was raised:

“What happens after that? Medical care is just too expensive when you have young children.”“An adequate wage rise is needed to compensate after the loss of the medical card”.

It is very clear from this research that the medical card is an essential benefit for unemployed people.However it is worrying that the fear of losing this type of benefit prevents people from taking up employmentbecause they would not be able to afford medical bills without this assistance. The unemployment trap comesinto play here, one possible solution might be if all medical, pharmaceutical and dental expenses were madetax deductible for everyone.

4. RELATIVE DEPRIVATIONAll of these men felt that they were experiencing deprivation in comparison to those benefiting from thebooming economic climate. Those with children felt under pressure to provide their certain items forexample trainers which cost £40 as a result of pressure from other kids. One man said that one would needNeed £280 nett per week when you have a family. One man stated;

“The Celtic Tiger is not reaching the poor and is only benefiting the rich. Unemployed people feelleft behind with no self-esteem. I can’t give my family what they need.”


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SECTION 5

THE USE AND PERCEPTIONS OF LABOUR MARKET SERVICES

INTRODUCTION

The data in this section refers to both long-term unemployed men and employers awareness and experiencesof labour market services.

The long-term unemployed men were asked to rate the services in terms of its usefulness to them. For this arating scale was used from “not at all useful” through to excellent. (See table 34 in appendix 2).

Employers were also invited to rate the effectiveness of these services against the following criteria: (see tables36 and 37 in appendix 2).

• Flexible Approach i.e. how flexible do they believe the service is in their approach to the employer?

• Awareness of employer’s needs i.e. how aware do employers believe that the staff are of their recruitmentneeds in business?

• Expertise of staff i.e. how good do employers believe that staff are in doing their job?

• Customer focused i.e. how focused do employers believe that the service is on the needs of their busi-ness?

2 CONTACT WITH LABOUR MARKET SERVICES

2.1 LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYEDFAS was the main labour market service that the long-term unemployed men were in contact with. Seven outof thirteen men indicated contact at some stage. Only two men were in contact with the social welfare office,the local employment service, the centre for the unemployed and only one was in contact with the areabased partnership.

2.2 EMPLOYERS FAS was the main labour market service that employers had contact with. Seven out of ten employers werein contact with them at some stage. Three employers had some contact with the local Social Welfare Office.However, only one employer had contact with the Local Employment Service. One employer had contactwith Cert. The reason for the low level of contact with is because Cert deals with recruitment for the tourismindustry and only one of companies surveyed had this recruitment need.

3 FAS

3.1 LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYEDSeven of the thirteen men had at some stage used the services of FAS. FAS received a high rating in terms ofit’s usefulness by six men. One man found FAS not at all useful.

Reasons given for the ratings of FAS:

• Three men found FAS very helpful in “suggesting things to do”.

• One man said that the pay was too low to live on for the job they discussed with him.

• One man was sent on a CE Scheme which, he said “I found it very useful as not many employers wouldoffer someone over 35 a job”.

• One man stated “When talking to FAS there’s no consideration about the distances you might have totravel to get a job”.

In the first group session the men were shown a promotional video for FAS entitled What FAS Can Do ForYou. This video clip portrayed five people of varying characteristics looking in a FAS window, wonderingwhat FAS could do for them. The people consisted of a young girl who wanted to do an apprenticeship, anunemployed young man, an employer, a married woman who hadn’t worked in years and a young womanjust out of college.

There was a general consensus among the group that the people portrayed could not be identified withmainly because 1) they appeared to be middle class (very well dressed and educated). The group felt thatthese were the type of people that FAS wants to deal with rather than them. 2) The video did not relate to“real people”. 3) More women were represented than men and 4) it appeared to be more geared towardsyounger peoples needs.

An important point emerges regarding the production of promotional materials. These materials need to betargeted towards the unemployed and the socially excluded. There needs to be a clear representation ofthose with whom the service is targeted toward.

3.2 EMPLOYERS

• Seven out of ten employers had some level of contact with FAS. • Of this seven, five employers were looking for a person to fill a vacancy at the time of contact. • Four of these employers initiated the contact with FAS. • FAS contacted three employers, as they were investigating the companies recruitment needs and also

putting someone in contact for a job with them.• Four employers received information/a general discussion. • Other reasons for contact included discussion of training requirements, apprenticeships and looking for a

training grant.

There follows a summary of employers’ ratings of FAS against the set criteria.

Expertise of FAS staff and flexible approach received the highest ratings while awareness of employer needsand customer focus received the lowest ratings.

Four employers provided quite negative reasons for their ratings of FAS. “FAS have not been able to provide a suitable candidate for us for 8 years.”“I contacted FAS a number of times about training. They are not interested in helping us.”“FAS are hopeless”“We tried them and found them of no use. They are a total waste of time.”

4 SOCIAL WELFARE OFFICE

4.1 LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYEDApart from collecting payments, signing on or being called for interviews only two out of 13 respondents hadsought information or advice at the social welfare office about getting a job. The service received a very poorrating by both men. The reasons given were:

“There was a lack of any real help or follow up.”“There was a lack of consideration given for the distances one might have to travel to get to work.”

In the group sessions which followed, dissatisfaction was expressed with the staff in the Social Welfare Office.

• These men were very critical of the suspicious nature and attitude of those working in the Social WelfareOffice toward unemployed people. One man commented:

“They won’t let you sign if you are early or late. If you can’t sign on they think you’re working.”

• The men with literacy difficulties expressed frustration at not knowing when to sign on etc and also to findout about services.

“People go down to Social Welfare and can’t read – how do you know when to sign on next if youcan’t read.”

• The men were annoyed at not being informed about the Local Employment Service and other local labourmarket service providers.

These men felt that as the Social Welfare Office is the one service provider that all unemployed people havesome level of contact with they should play more of a role in awareness and information campaigns:

“You go to the dole office and sign there that’s it. Social Welfare are not giving out information onthe Local Employment Service.”“They need to improve the system, they could put flyers through the door or give them out when yousign on.”


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Three main points emerge from these findings:

• There was a lot of dissatisfaction expressed with the service as it presently runs.• There was a lack of awareness of the information/ job facilitation services.• The men felt that the Social Welfare Office could play a greater role in creating awareness of the services

in the area. The reason given for this was that the local social welfare office represents a common pointof contact for all unemployed people in the area.

4.2 EMPLOYERS

• Three employers contacted the local Social Welfare Office looking for a person to fill a vacancy. • Two of those employers had a general discussion/received information.

Both employers rated the effectiveness of the local Social Welfare Office against the set criteria. Oneemployer rated the Social Welfare Office as “good” in terms of flexible approach, expertise of staff andcustomer focused. However, the other employer rated the expertise of staff as “poor”. He gave the lowestrating for flexible approach, awareness of employers needs and customer focused and commented:

“They were not very interested in our needs.”

5. LOCAL EMPLOYMENT SERVICE (LES)

5.1 LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYEDOut of thirteen men only two had used the services of the Local Employment Service. One of the men foundthe service considerably useful and one respondent did not find it useful.

Reasons provided for the rating of the LES were:“I was sent on a CE scheme which did a great service for me.”

One man was not satisfied with the service because he stated: “I had to keep going back.”

The main reason for other men not using this service was lack of awareness of the existence of the service.None of the men who attended the group session had used the services of the LES. In order to inform the menof the LES a mediator from the Dundalk LES took part in two group sessions with the men.

5.2 EMPLOYERS The Local Employment Service was contacted by only one employer who was looking for a generaldiscussion/information. It can only be presumed that the low level of contact on the employer’s side is dueto lack of awareness of this service as one employer stated “I never heard of them”. No effectiveness ratingswere given for this service.

6. CENTRES FOR THE UNEMPLOYEDTwo men had used the services of the local Centre of the Unemployed. Both of these men availed of thewelfare rights information service. The service received a good rating by both men. Reasons given for ratingof Centre of the Unemployed were:

“Advice was given to help you get off the dole.”“The centre was very good for accessing information.”

In order to increase the participants awareness of this service the Welfare Rights Co-ordinator of the DundalkCentre for the Unemployed attended the group session and informed the men of the services available.

7. AREA BASED PARTNERSHIPOnly one respondent had used the services of the Dundalk Partnership. This service received a very goodrating in terms of usefulness by him.

Reason given for rating of the Partnership:

“The service they offer makes you feel at home.”


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SECTION 6

TRAINING COURSES, EDUCATION PROGRAMMES AND EMPLOYMENT OPTIONS

1. UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE’S AWARENESS OF TRAINING COURSES AND SOURCE OF AWARENESS

The unemployed men were asked about their awareness of training, education and employment options.

As can be seen in table 38 of appendix 2 the greatest awareness of training courses was Community TrainingWorkshop followed by Enterprise Training and the Travellers Training Centre. The lowest levels of awarenesswere of Specific Skills Training, which has been found to be one of the most progressive training options.Overall the highest source of awareness for these training courses came from word of mouth which referredto family and friends.

• From the group sessions it was generally felt among the men that FAS training courses are mainly gearedtowards younger people or early school leavers. It was felt that these courses are not geared toward theolder long-term unemployed man. There was general agreement with one man’s statement:

“There’s nothing for older men. It’s a total waste of time.”

• The quality of training, education and work options was called into question. It was generally felt amongthe group that progression paths from these options were pretty minimal.

• One man who had been on a FAS computer-training programme was very displeased with how the coursewas run. He commented:

“Not a lot of people get work from FAS courses - out of 20 people on the course only three got a jobafterwards.”

• Another man who had spent time in prison wished he had availed of training when in prison.

• Many of the men stated that they would not feel comfortable with retraining in a career such as computerswhich varied greatly from their original training. Comments made included:

“I wouldn’t switch careers to retrain on computers, for example, from a bricklayer.”

“I couldn’t learn computers; that’s for younger people.”

“Education and retraining is not going to benefit the long-term unemployed man. There’s no incentiveto work. We need a rise in the dole. That’s realistic.”

Recommendations were made by the men on how training could be improved:

• Quality training programmes which would give the person marketable skills ensuring a decent standard ofliving.

• Paid a training allowance for the duration of the training.

• Job guarantee when you have finished the training.

2. AWARENESS OF EDUCATION PROGRAMMESAs can be seen in table 39 in appendix 2 the greatest level of awareness of education options were of thirdlevel education option and part-time evening education followed by adult literacy and VTOS. It is a concernto note that of the total sample from the four areas, the Dundalk sample showed the greatest literacydifficulties but also had the lowest levels of awareness. Again the greatest awareness of the options came fromword of mouth.

As already mentioned low education levels resulting in literacy difficulties existed among the group. At leastthree of the men who spoke of their literacy difficulties had no idea that literacy training existed. One manstated:

“I can’t read or write properly and I’ve never been offered training to read and write.”


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The National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA) is very concerned at the low levels of unemployed peopleattending literacy courses. According to a recent study conducted by NALA, Access and Participation in AdultLiteracy Schemes (1998) it was found that only 16.4% of those attending literacy schemes are long-termunemployed people. The research findings suggest that literacy tuition should be positively promoted as aservice, which can be of benefit to those seeking paid employment or further education and training.11

3. AWARENESS OF EMPLOYMENT OPTIONSAs can be seen from table 40 in appendix 2 the greatest source of awareness of Employment Programmeswas of Back To Work Allowance. Five respondents had heard about them from the local Social Welfare Officeand five men had heard from word of mouth. Community Employment and Jobstart had high levels ofawareness followed by FIS and the Area Allowance Enterprise. There was no awareness of Job Assist amongstthe Dundalk group. Again, overall the greatest source of awareness for these options was word of mouth. AWelfare Rights worker in the INOU took part in one of the group sessions and provided information on thefinancial benefit of some of the back to work options available to long-term unemployed people.

3.1 THE BACK TO WORK ALLOWANCE• Some of the men wanted to know more about Back To Work Allowance.

• Some men felt that employers are using this scheme as a subsidy.

“Employers are using BTWA as a subsidy because if someone is entitled to it means that the employerpays you less than he would have. Big firms are able to get away with it”

3.2 COMMUNITY EMPLOYMENTThere were differing opinions about Community Employment.

Adequacy of Payment

One man who had a child and was in receipt of the One Parent Family Payment felt that the payment wasadequate.

“Being on CE takes a bit of the pressure off. The money I earned roughly £180 a week was perfectlyadequate. Anything I earned over that from part-time work was a bonus.”

Another man with a wife and three children earning around £170 felt that this payment was totallyinadequate.

One man suggested that if you give people £60 plus the dole on CE schemes, it would generated a greatertake up. He commented that…”people were better off on a scheme 15 years ago.”

The group generally felt that the financial incentive to take up CE was not good. It was felt that the £17 extrawas not enough of an incentive. There was no awareness amongst the group of the training allowance foreach participant.

3.2.1 PROGRESSIONIt was felt by the majority of the men that CE schemes offer little progression routes and were not recognisedby many employers.

None of those in the group who had worked on a CE scheme had any opportunity to take up training. Thegroup stressed that quality CE schemes are needed. One man stated that:

“The quality of schemes is bad.”

“Your only taken off the dole and your put back on it again a year later. That happened to me and Iwas on the three-year option.”

“CE schemes are looked down upon. They are only there to get people off the dole.”

“If you were kept on for three years you might gain good experience. However for most people theschemes only last one year.”

“Why do you need references to get onto a CE scheme to cut grass?”

11 Bailey, I. and Coleman, U., (1998) Access and Participation in Adult Literacy Schemes, Dublin: NALA

3.3 EMPLOYER INCENTIVE SCHEMES

• There was consensus among the group that employer incentive training schemes are not as beneficial forthe long term unemployed person as they are for the employer.

The employer’s schemes benefit the employers not the worker.

• It was also felt that it is quite difficult to get a place on these schemes.

One man spoke of the difficulties of getting on these schemes:

“In order to go on one of these schemes first you have to get an employer to take you on and for thatyou need a CV. Itís just impossible!”

• It was also felt that there was no guarantee of the employer keeping a person on after the period on thescheme.

“After six or eight months the employer can lay a person off.”

3.4 EMPLOYER’S PERCEPTIONS OF SUBSIDY SCHEMESIn order to learn these employersí opinions and experiences of employment subsidies, employers were askedabout their awareness and use of the main employment subsidy schemes. Employers were also invited to ratethe effectiveness of the schemes they had used. This section details the findings. (See table 40 in appendix2).

• The PRSI Exemption scheme commanded the highest level of awareness followed by the Back To WorkAllowance, (seven employers indicated awareness of each of these schemes). In terms of awarenessJobstart and the Part-time Jobs Incentive followed these.

• The PRSI Exemption Scheme received the highest rating. Three out of five employers who had used thescheme said that they would use it again.

• The Back to Work Allowance received the second highest rating. Two out of four employers who had usedthe scheme said that they would use it again. One employer gave his reason for using the scheme again:

“It’s a good scheme because the employee retains their benefits and it encourages them to return towork.”

However one employer who had used the scheme was not very impressed:

“It is very difficult to get the incentive. I have no confidence in it.”

• Four employers were aware of Jobstart. One employer who had used Jobstart said he would use it again.This employer commented:

“It’s a good scheme it encourages employee to return to work and benefits both employee andemployer.”

• The schemes with the lowest levels of awareness amongst the ten employers were the Part-time JobIncentive Scheme, the Jobs Initiative, Workplace and Job Assist. None of the employers had used any ofthese schemes.

• One employer had no awareness of any of the employment subsidy schemes listed.

Past experience of schemes had instilled little confidence on the part of one employer who stated:

“On the one occasion when we employed a person who had been unemployed for more than 12months we got no assistance because he had signed off the dole for 2 weeks. I have little confidencein these schemes. We have been seeking extra staff for 3 years with limited success. All applicantshave been working elsewhere.”


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SECTION 7

THE MEDIA

1. LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED MENS PERCEPTION OF THE MEDIAThe men were asked questions regarding the media’s coverage of unemployment and long-term unemployedpeople. Firstly respondents were asked their whether they felt that the media’s portrayal of unemploymentand long-term unemployed people was fair, accurate or informative. Secondly, they were asked if theybelieved that the public were influenced by this coverage. Thirdly they were asked if they felt a change wasneeded in the reporting of unemployment related issues. (See table 41 in appendix 2).

Half of the men felt that the media was fair and the other half felt that it was not. The question of the mediabeing informative in relation to unemployment was also half and half. The majority of the respondents (seven)felt that the media was not accurate in it’s coverage of unemployment. Two respondents said that some wasand some was not and three respondents felt that it was accurate.

The majority of the men felt that the public are influenced by the media’s portrayal of long-term unemployedpeople and unemployment. Responses focused on the usual stereotypes and labels and the ideas being putacross to the general public. It was also mentioned that people who have no experience of unemploymentthemselves only know about it from the mass media whose coverage sometimes is extremely unjust andunfair.

The men perceived that:

The media focuses to much on the negative side.

“They get the idea that the long-term unemployed are useless all they want to do is scrounge. Themedia is always focusing on the negative side.”

“I have never seen long term unemployed people portrayed in a good light.”

In terms of the public it was felt that:

The public do not take long-term unemployed people seriously.

“The public think that people on the dole want to stay like that. They think they are bleeding thesystem. People on the dole don’t have the security that people in work have.”

The public don’t want to know the long-term unemployed.

“Most of the public don’t want to know people who have been out of work”.

“People who are not unemployed don’t care until it happens to them.”

Suggestions for changeThe following suggestions were made by the men for changes in the coverage of unemployment by themedia.

“The media needs to tell the public that the work isn’t there for long-term unemployed people. If itwas there with fair conditions and wages they would work.”

“They need to focus on the positive side.”

“There should be more about the jobs that are going.”

“Unemployed people should be reporting on how it is.”

“Before they write in the paper they should get their facts right. They paint everybody with the samebrush and don’t take into account that people can’t get jobs”.

However one man had lost hope:

“How can it improve it’s going to get worse the floodgates are only opening.”

Two people felt that media coverage of unemployment needs to be fairer.


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2. EMPLOYERS PERCEPTIONS OF THE MEDIAThis section attempts to detail the respondent’s views of the media’s portrayal of long-term unemployedpeople. In order to do this employers were asked if they felt the media’s was “fair”, “informative”, or“accurate”. They were also asked if they felt influenced by this portrayal and to detail changes if they thoughtthey were necessary. The findings are laid out below: (see table 42 in appendix 2).

• Three out of five employers felt that the media’s portrayal of unemployment and long-term unemployedpeople was fair; two employers felt it was not a fair portrayal.

• Three out of five employers felt that the media’s portrayal of unemployment and long-term unemployedpeople was informative; two employers felt that this coverage was not informative.

• Two out of four employers felt that the media’s portrayal of unemployment and long-term unemployedpeople was accurate and two employers felt it did not present an accurate picture

• Seven out of eight employers said they were not influenced by what they see/read in the media. Two ofthese employers stated that… ”each candidate is judged on their own merits”.

• One employer said they were somewhat influenced.

• One employer stated:

“I am influenced by the fact that no unemployed people have applied to any job adverts we haveplaced in the last three years.”

• One employer felt that a change in coverage was not necessary.

• Three employers felt that a change was necessary. One employer stated:

“It needs to be more realistic”.


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SECTION 8

RECOMMENDATIONS

A number of recommendations were identified in order for long-term unemployed people’s prospects toimprove. These recommendations have been drawn from the findings of the research.

1. OUTREACH, PUBLICITY AND NETWORKINGThe research has clearly indicated an underuse of labour market services amongst the unemployed andemployers in Dundalk. The main reason for this is lack of awareness.

Renewed efforts must be made to ensure that all unemployed people living in Dundalk are aware of and haveinformation about the local labour market services (FAS, Social Welfare, LES and Unemployed Centres).Employers must also be made more aware of the benefits of recruiting long-term unemployed people andprovided with information about the various schemes available. Outreach, publicity and networking needsto be targeted more effectively at both long-term unemployed people and employers in Dundalk.

2 EDUCATION AND TRAININGOlder long-term unemployed people require particular types of support when taking up training, these musttake their skills and capability levels into account. The research indicates that many training courses presentlyon offer are unattractive to older long-term unemployed people. Effective induction and post programmesupport procedures need to be incorporated in the design of education and training programmes for thoseexcluded from the labour market. The design and delivery of “bridging courses” for FAS mainstream trainingis also crucial. Awareness of literacy programmes must also be improved.

3. HEALTH CARE FOR CHILDRENFear of loss of a medical card has long been recognised as a major barrier for many of the long-termunemployed participants particularly with children in taking up work. This stems from a fear of the high costof medical care. A response to this issue would be to provide a new benefit which would provide medicalcover for the children of all insured workers – Children’s Health Benefit.

4. JOB OFFER GUARANTEEMany of the long-term unemployed men interviewed have been so marginalised from the labour market thatit is very difficult for them to re-enter employment. A commitment must be made to provide specific highquality training and a guaranteed job offer to all persons unemployed for over five years.

5. EMPLOYERSHuman resource managers or those directly responsible for recruitment need to become a target group forthe production of resource materials. This would ensure that employers are aware of their responsibilities asemployers and are encouraged to use best practice when recruiting so as to avoid any form of discrimination.

6. THE MEDIAThe research highlighted the fact that the majority of the men felt that the media was not accurate in itsreporting of unemployment. A more in-depth analysis of the causes of long-term unemployment by the mediawould serve to explain why so many long-term unemployed people are unable to get jobs. This would alsoprovide a clearer and more accurate picture to the public. An attempt should be made to portray morepositive/success stories instead of concentrating on the negative, thus bringing about a fairer coverage.


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EPILOGUE

PARTICIPANT OUTCOMES

The first initial contact with the long-term unemployed participants was at the structured interview stage. Itwas observed that the majority of the men had very low levels of confidence. However during the course ofthe group sessions there was a marked improvement in confidence levels of all of the participants who tookpart. This was observed as the men displayed greater openess to bring up the factors of most importance tothem. An evaluation was carried out by the men at the end of the sessions. The main factors identified by themen were:

• It brought to light the real issues of everyday living on the dole.

• Not being afraid to speak openly about lack of education.

• Speaking about issues as you see them.

• Realisation that with the proper supports these men will be able to work again.

• More confidence.

• The ability to speak their mind.

• Learning about the various labour market programmes and services available to them.

• The opportunity to talk to other unemployed men about their own experiences. Many of the men said thatthey were encouraged that they were not in isolation as other people shared their views.

From working with these men throughout the course of the project certain personal characteristics wereobserved in relation to their participation. These are listed as follows:

• Punctuality

• Reliability

• Interest and Motivation

• Honesty and Openess

• Willingness to work

• Increased Confidence

• Personality

FINAL QUESTIONNAIREA few months after the group sessions ended a final questionnaire was sent out to the men to determine ifany progress had been made in their job-seeking. Eight out of the nine men returned the questionnaire. Sevenof the eight men remained unemployed. One man was employed and availing of the Back to WorkAllowance scheme. Three of the men had sought information since from FAS and two men had soughtinformation from the local social welfare office.


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BIBLIOGRAPHYAdult Literacy and Basic Skills Unit (1987) Evidence from the National and Development Study, UK.

Allen, M (1998); The Bitter Word, Poolbeg Press Ltd., Dublin.

CSO (1996) Census 1996 Volume 1, Stationary Office , Dublin.

CSO (1996) Census 1996 Volume 7, Stationary Office , Dublin.

CSO (1996) Small Area Population Statistics (Dundalk), CSO, Dublin.

Dundalk Employment Partnership, (1996) Area Action Plan Towards 2000, Dundalk Employment Partnership.

ESF, (1998); ESF and the Long-term Unemployed, ESF, Dublin.

NESF, (1994); Ending Long-term Unemployment, NESF, Dublin.

OECD, (1997); Literacy Skills for the Knowledge Society, OECD, Paris.

WRC, (1991); Life on the Dole, Tallaght Centre for the Unemployed, Dublin.

WRC, (1995); Age, Unemployment and the Labour Market, WRC, Dublin.

APPENDIX 1: AREA PROFILE OF DUNDALK

POPULATION

The population of Dundalk in 1996 was 25,762 a decline of 0.3% compared to 1991.

OCCUPATIONAL PROFILEIn the Dundalk urban area 26% of the population are classified as non-manual, compared to 17% in Irelandas a whole, (1996 Census).

EMPLOYMENT Manufacturing is still the most important industrial sector in Dundalk. In 1996 this sector employed 23% ofthose at work as compared to 15% in Ireland as a whole. Clerical, Managing and Government workersprovide 15% of all jobs in Dundalk and Sales and Commerce provides 13.5%. Building and Construction5.9% compared to 7.1% nationally. The smallest sector was farming, fishery and forestry, compared to 9.1%nationally, (Small Area Population Statistics, SAPS).

UNEMPLOYMENTThe Department of Social Community and Family Affairs provided figures for November 1998 showing thenumber of people who gave an address as Dundalk when signing on at the local office. The figures can beseen in the following tables. It must be bore in mind that this does not necessarily mean that they signed on.

Numbers Unemployed (Nov 1998)


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Unemployment Assistance 2410

Unemployment Benefit 1157

Credits 221

Total Unemployed 3788

64% of the total unemployed figure were claiming Unemployment Assistance.

Gender Breakdown

Male 2334

Female 1454

Total 3788

62% of claimants were male as opposed to 38% females.

Age Analysis (males)

UNDER 25 25-30 30-35 35 & OVER TOTAL

392 367 258 1317 2334

56% of male claimants were aged 35 and over.

Age Analysis (females)


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UNDER 25 25-30 30-35 35 & OVER TOTAL

277 232 230 715 1454

49% of female claimants were aged 35 and over.

Duration of Claim

UNDER 15 MTHS 15 MTHS – 3 YRS 3 YRS & OVER TOTAL

2093 835 860 3788

55% of claimants were claiming an unemployment payment for under 15 months.

DURATION OF UNEMPLOYMENTAccording to SAPs data 46% of unemployed males were unemployed for three years or more.

LOCAL SURVEYA survey in 1994 “A View Within Muirhevnamor, A Local Study” found that Muirhevnamor had anunemployment rate of 73%, that 70% of adults had left school by the age of 15 and that only 5.5% had thirdlevel education. Of these unemployed, a staggering 58% had been unemployed for over five year, 9% hadbeen unemployed for four to five years and 20% had been unemployed for between one and four years.Therefore, 87% of those unemployed were long-term unemployed.

LEVEL OF EDUCATION OF UNEMPLOYED MALESAccording to the SAPs statistics based on 1996 census data the majority 43% of unemployed males hadprimary education only followed by 32% lower secondary education. The majority of males finished theireducation under 15 years of age.

FAS The Dundalk area is served by the FAS Employment Service Office situated in Park Street in the town centre.Three Placement Officers are employed in this office. This office provides the job seeker with the facility toaccess information on the education/training options available and also provides co-ordination for theCommunity Employment Programme. In 1999 there were 10,000 people on the Dundalk FAS database. Ofthis number 3,000 were on the live register and 2,800 were 1999 registrants. Up to the beginning ofDecember 1999, 1,882 vacancies had been dealt with that year. Cross border vacancies are also dealt withas vacancies are exchanged with the T&EA.

The main training options for those who are long-term unemployed are provided through the CE Programmeon which a total of 788 places are currently available in Dundalk. In the Dundalk urban area 450 CE placesand 70 Jobs Initiative places are currently available.

The FAS Training Centre in Dundalk is based on the Coes Road. A wide range of training courses are providedin the centre and in companies throughout Dundalk. At present there are 98 people taking part in SpecificSkills Training 70% of which came from the Live Register. Regarding the Specific Skills Foundation Coursecurrently there are 20 people taking part 70% of which came from the Live Register. 112 people are takingpart in the apprenticeship programme 10% of which came from the live register. 88 people are taking part inthe traineeship programme 70% of which were on the live register. A Placement Officer is based in the FASTraining Centre. At present preparatory training is being carried out for Xerox and MCIR.

SOCIAL WELFARE OFFICEThe Department of Social Community and Family Affairs (DSCFA) acts as a first contact point for allunemployed people and provides welfare support, information and community development support. JobFacilitators are employed in the Employment Support Unit to help inform and assist people to useemployment options and move back to work.

The Job Facilitator is based in the local office in Barrack Street on a weekly basis. The regional office for theNorthEast is also based in Wilton House in Dundalk. There is an information office in this regional officeserved by an information officer.

DUNDALK LOCAL EMPLOYMENT SERVICE (LES)Dundalk Employment Partnership in conjunction with FAS established a fully integrated Local EmploymentService to meet the needs of the long-term unemployed and other disadvantaged groups within the Dundalkurban area. The initiative is a combination of public, private and voluntary/community sector partnership.

The Dundalk LES provides:

• A local access point for information and guidance on employment

• A career planning and work placement service

• A professional employment service for employers

Dundalk LES consists of a network of outreach centres at the following community based locations, Cox’sDemesne, Muirhevnamor and the Resource Centre for the Unemployed.

DUNDALK PARTNERSHIPThe Partnership was established in 1991. It objectives are:

• To improve the skills of long-term unemployed people. Increase their self confidence and involvement inthe local community and enhance their employment prospects.

• To create additional employment through the promotion of entrepreneurship

• To increase confidence and investment through the promotion of projects and initiatives at a local level

DUNDALK RESOURCE CENTRE FOR THE UNEMPLOYEDThe centre provides a free and confidential service on all social welfare enquiries through an in houseinformation service and an outreach service. The centre provides an efficient clerical service in typing,photocopying, etc. The centre also offers a creche service. Various VEC funded classes are run by the centreas well as classes for the centres women’s group. Two cross border projects are being run one on the use ofthe Internet and the other on laptop training.


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APPENDIX 2: TABLES

PROFILE OF THE LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED MEN FROM DUNDALK

Table 1: Level of Education

LEVEL OF EDUCATION BY AGE

AGE NO FORMAL EDUCATION PRIMARY LEAVING CERTIFICATE

35-44 1 5 1

45-54 2 2 2*

Total N = 13 3 7 3

Table 2: Length of Unemployment

LENGTH OF UNEMPLOYMENT BY AGE

AGE 1-2 YEARS 3-5 YEARS 6-9YEARS 10 YEARS PLUS

35-44 2 1 1 3

45-54 2 2 2

Total N = 13 4 3 1 5

Table 3: Length of Unemployment by Education

LENGTH OF UNEMPLOYMENT BY EDUCATION T = 13

LENGTH OF UNEMPLOYMENT NONE PRIMARY LEAVING CERT

1-2 years 2 2*

3-5 years 2 1

6-9 years 1

10 years + 3 2

Total 3 7 3

Table 4: Type of Social Welfare Payment

UNEMPLOYMENT UNEMPLOYMENT ONE PARENT DISABILITYASSISTANCE BENEFIT FAMILY PAYMENT ALLOWANCE

9 2 1 1

Table 5: Employment History

WORKING FULL TIME WORKING PART-TIME SELF EMPLOYED

7 5 1


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The following tables are a further breakdown of this data.

Table 8.1: During the First Year of Unemployment

NUMBER OF JOBS COUNT NUMBER OF COUNT NUMBER OF COUNTAPPLIED FOR T=12 INTERVIEWS T=12 INTERVIEWS T=12

CALLED FOR ATTENDED

Between 1-5 3 Between 1-5 5 Between 1-5 5




50 Plus 0 50 Plus 0 50 Plus 0

Total 10 Total 7 Total 10

Table 6: Number of Jobs before current period of unemployment

NUMBER OF JOBS BEFORE THE CURRENT PERIOD OF UNEMPLOYMENT T = 13

1 JOB 2 JOBS BETWEEN 3-5 JOBS BETWEEN 6-10 JOBS MORE THAN 10 JOBS

2 2 3 5 1

Table 7: Main Occupation of the men before becoming unemployed

OCCUPATION COUNT

Building Labourer 2

Farm Labourer 2

Unskilled Factory Worker 4

Carpentry Apprentice 1

Shop Assistant 1

Bin Man 1

Chauffer 1

Painter 1

Total 13

RESPONDENTS’ JOB SEEKING ACTIVITIES

Table 8: Respondents Job Seeking Activities

EXTENT TO WHICH RESPONDENTS SOUGHT WORK; COUNT N = 13

JOB SEEKING DURING 1ST YEAR AFTER 1 YEAR PAST YEAR

Yes 10 5 5

No 1 7 7


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In the past year 5 men applied for jobs 3 of these men were called for and attended interviews.

Table 9: Reasons for giving up looking for workThe men were asked the main reasons for giving up looking for work at any stage in their jobseeking.

Table 8.2: After being One Year Unemployed

Table 8.3: In the Past Year


CALLED FOR ATTENDED








CALLED FOR ATTENDED







REASONS COUNT

1. Given up hope of getting ajob 5

2. Depression/Withdrawal 4

3. Family Commitments 4

4. Sickness/health 3

5. Age 3

6. Other 3

7. Fear of rejection 2

8. Gap between skills and jobs 2

9. Didn’t want to be hurt further 1

10. Not able to fit in 1


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Table 10: Methods used to find out about jobs.

JOB TITLE ASKED FOR FOUND OUT PRACTICED USED OTHERA CV YES/NO ABOUT THE INTERVIEW SOURCES

ORG/CO. SKILLS YES/NO OF INFO.YES/NO

Exports Clerk Yes No Yes FAS

Furniture Assembly Yes No No No

CE Scheme Caretaker No No No No

Building Work No No No No

Cleaning No Yes No No

LEVEL OF SATISFACTION WITH OWN PERFORMANCE AT THE INTERVIEW

JOB TITLE NOT AT ALL SOMEWHAT CONSIDERABLY FULLY

Exports Clerk ✔

Furniture Assembly ✔

CE Scheme Caretaker ✔

Building Work ✔

Cleaning ✔

JOB TITLE SATISFACTIONWITH EMPLOYERS CONDUCT AT INTERVIEW

Exports Clerk Yes

Furniture Assembly No

CE Scheme Caretaker Yes

Building Work Yes

Cleaning Yes

METHODS COUNT

1. Local newspapers 9

2. Word of mouth 8

3. FAS 5

4. LES 1

5. National newspapers 0

6. Recruitment agencies 0

7. Calling in person to companies 0

8. Other 0

Table 11: InterviewsThe men were asked about the last interview they attended and how they prepared for it. Five out of the 13men answered this section.

Table 12: Levels of Satisfaction with Interview Performance

Table 13: Satisfaction with Employers Performance at Interview


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Table 14: Ideal Jobs

RESPONDENT TYPE OF JOB PAY CONDITIONS PROSPECTS ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

Respondent 1 Outdoor £150 Working Good Increase skills NoneGardening nett per outdoors and pay

week

Respondent 2 Outdoor Anything Working Good More money NoneGardening better with other than dole

than the peopledole

Respondent 3 Building £200 Outdoor Experience- Pay, like NoneLabourer nett per work lead onto outdoor

week further work work

Respondent 4 Building £300 Working Good More money, . None if I gotLabourer nett per in a better standard That money I

week team of living need it for my young kids

Respondent 5 Painter £200 Indoors/ I would be If I could start Nonenett per Outdoors Self working for up my own week employment myself business

Respondent 6 Painter £300 Indoors Not too Regular Long workingnett per worried income hours- awayweek about future from home

Respondent 7 Painter £130 Indoors Lead me on I love Nonenett per to better paintingweek things

Respondent 8 Chauffering £250 Nice Good Would be Long working(Private nett facilities advantageous hours- awaySector) per week from home

Respondent 9 Cleaning £220 Not fussy Set me up Self confidence Nonenett for future goalper week

Respondent 10 Carpentry £200 Indoor Good Security Nonenett per workweek

Respondent 11 Factory £160 Treated There could The NoneWork nett per well be good money

week prospects

Respondent 12 Exports Clerk Same as Same The money Early morning(previous before, conditions and working shift work- job) £450 as before conditions but extra pay

gross perweek

Respondent 13 Security £250 Night After 1-2 Not on dole NoneGuard nett per shifts years good wouldn’t need

week prospects literacy


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PROFILE OF THE COMPANIES

Table 15 : Position of Respondent within the Company

COMPANY POSITION COUNT T =10

Managing Director 5

Marketing Manager 1

Store Manager 1

Production Manager 1

Financial Controller 1

Administrator 1

Table 16 : Business Sector of Respondents

BUSINESS SECTOR COUNT T =10

Engineering 1

Importation and Distribution of Equipment to retail, catering and fast food trades. 1

Retail, Distribution & Import of ceramic tiles and accessories 1

Insurance 1

Refuse Contractors 1

Business Training 1

Construction Glazing 1

Software for Telecom Industry 1

Paper Products Manufacturing 1

Retail Business 1

Table 3 shows the size of these companies in terms of the workforce employed.

Two of the businesses surveyed employed only 6 people, whilst the largest business (retail) surveyedemployed (105 people).

Table 17: Numbers Employed in the Ten Companies

NOS. EMPLOYED IN ENTERPRISE COUNT T = 10

Between 1-9 2

Between 10 -19 2

Between 20-49 4

More than 50 2

Total 10

Table 18: Type of Employment by Gender

NOS. MALE MALE FEMALE FEMALE TOTAL EMPLOYED FULL-TIME PART-TIME FULL-TIME PART-TIME EMPLOYED

COUNT 150 71 52 58 331

% 45% 21% 16% 18% 100%


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Table 19: Occupational Category of Males

OCCUPATIONAL CATEGORY COUNT T = 9 COUNT %

Managerial/Professional/Technical 43 30%

Skilled Manual 41 29%

Non-Manual 14 10%

Semi/Unskilled Manual 45 31%

Total 143 100

Table 20 Occupational Category of females

OCCUPATIONAL CATEGORY COUNT T =10 COUNT %

Managerial/Professional/Technical 16 21%

Skilled Manual 5 6%

Non-Manual 54 69%

Semi/Unskilled Manual 3 4%

Total 78 100%

Table 21: Recruitment of semi/unskilled Staff, 1998

GENDER BREAKDOWN COUNT T = 8

Male Full-time 14

Female Full-time 1

Male Part-time 5

Female Part-time 7

Total 27

Table 22: Recruitment Methods

RECRUITMENT METHOD COUNT T = 10

Person referred by someone in the company 8

FAS 8

Person referred by someone employer knows 7

CV’s on file 7

Local Newspapers 7

Employment / Recruitment Agencies 5

Unsolicited applications 5

Local Employment Service 2

National Newspapers 1

Window Advertisements 1

Local Social Welfare Office 1

Centre for the Unemployed 0

RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION METHODS


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Table 23: Ratings of Recruitment MethodsThe respondents were asked to rate the effectiveness of the recruitment methods they used on a rating scaleof “not useful” through to “excellent”.

RECRUITMENT METHOD EFFECTIVENESS OF METHOD T = 10

EXCELLENT GOOD AVERAGE POOR NOT USEFUL

Person referred by someone in 1 3 3 1the company

FAS 1 1 5 1

Person referred by someone 2 2 2 1employer knows

CV’s on file 1 2 3 1

Local Newspapers 1 3 3

Employment / Recruitment Agencies 1

Unsolicited applications 1 4

Local Employment Service 1 1

National Newspapers

Window Advertisements 1

Department of Social Welfare 1

Centre for the Unemployed

Table 25: Employers Use and Effectiveness of Selection MethodsThe employers were asked to indicate which selection methods they used and also to rate their effectivenessagainst the same criteria as used for recruitment methods.

SELECTION METHOD USED EXCELLENT GOOD AVERAGE POOR NOTMETHOD USEFULT = 10

References 10 5 3 2

Structured Interviews 9 5 3 1

Application Forms 9 1 4 3 1

Unstructured Interviews 8 1 2 3 2

Ability Tests 3 1 2

Personality Tests 3 3

METHODS COUNT

1. Local newspapers 9

2. Word of mouth 8

3. FAS 5

4. LES 1

5. National newspapers 0

6. Recruitment agencies 0

7. Calling in person to companies 0

8. Other 0

Table 24 Long-Term Unemployed People’s Ways of Finding out about Jobs


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Table 27: “Desirable” Characteristics

“DESIRABLE” NUMBER OF CHARACTERISTICS EMPLOYERS T = 10

General work experience 7

Distance from employment 6

Educational qualifications 5

Communication skills 5

Personal recommendation 5

Literacy 4

Skills Training 4

Table 28: Characteristics Rated as “Not Important”

UNIMPORTANT NUMBER OFCHARACTERISTICS EMPLOYERS T = 10

Presence of relative/friend 6

Gender 5

Address 4

Experience 4

“ESSENTIAL” NUMBER OF CHARACTERISTICS EMPLOYERS T = 10

Flexibility 5Reliability 5Health 5Personal Hygiene 5References 5Literacy 4Skills Training 4

* The numbers represent the frequency of selection.

Table 26: “Essential” Characteristics

CHARACTERISTICS SOUGHT BY EMPLOYERS WHEN SELECTING JOB APPLICANTSFOR SEMI/INSKILLED VACANCIES


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MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS FOR FILLING SEMI-SKILLED/UNSKILLED VACANCIES

The employers were asked to state the most important characteristics they themselves consider in theselection process for semi/skilled unskilled vacancies. These were analysed in terms of frequency rather thana rating scale. Nine employers answered this section.

Table 29: Most Important factors

CRITERIA HIGH MEDIUM LOW

1. Level of Skills 1 5 1

2. Reliability 2 4 1

3. Ability adjusting to work 4 3

4. Motivation 4 3

5. Level of wages demanded 2 3 2

CHARACTERISTIC COUNT T= 13 CHARACTERISTIC COUNT T = 13

Honesty 7 Own Initiative 2

Personality 4 Speed 2

Experience 4 Dependability 1

Skills 4 Hardworking 1

Reliability 3 Competence 1

Punctuality 2 Youth 1

Health 2 CV 1

Table 30: Employers Ratings of Long-term Unemployed People returning to Work

LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE’S PERCEPTIONS OF EMPLOYERS

The respondents were asked their perceptions of the characteristics employers selecting candidates to fillvacancies.

Table 31: Perceptions of Characteristics Employers Seek

FACTORS COUNT T = 9

Having the right attitude 9

Ability 9

Skills 4

Experience 4

Flexibility 2

Employment record 2

Personality 2

Communication Skills 1

Enthusiasm for the job 1

Reliability 1

Willingness to work 1

Plusses and minuses of the past 1


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CHARACTERISTICS COUNT CHARACTERISTICS COUNT

Honesty 10 Motivation 4

Personality 10 Appearance 4

Reliability 10 Specific Skills 3

Ability to work on own initiative 10 Educational Qualifications 3

Experience 8 Youth 3

Competence 5 Punctuality 1

Flexibility 5

MAIN BARRIERS TO OBTAINING WORK COUNT

Age 6

Lack of Educational Qualifications 6

Address 4

Lack of Experience 3

No work available 3

Low pay offered 3

Marital Status 2

Table 32: Characteristics that Long-Term Unemployed people believe that they possess

The men were asked to list the characteristics which they believed that they possessed.

Table 33: Barriers Identified by Long-term Unemployed people in Obtaining Employment.

BARRIERS IDENTIFIED BY LONG-TERM UENMPLOYEDMEN IN OBTAINING EMPLOYMENT


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Table 36: Summary of employer ratings of FAS against set criteria

CRITERIA EXCELLENT GOOD AVERAGE POOR NOT USEFUL

Flexible approach 2 2 2 1

Awareness of employers needs 1 2 1 3

Expertise of Staff 2 3 1 1

Customer focused 1 2 1 3

CRITERIA EXCELLENT GOOD AVERAGE POOR NOT USEFUL

Flexible approach 1 1

Awareness of employers needs 1

Expertise of Staff 1 1

Customer focused 1 1

Table 37: Summary of employer ratings of Social Welfare Office against set criteria

LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED MENS USE AND PERCEPTIONS OF LABOUR MARKETSERVICES

Table 34 Useful of Labour Market Services

EXTENT TO WHICH LABOUR MARKET SERVICES ARE USEFUL ; COUNT T= 13

NOT AT ALL SOMEWHAT CONSIDERABLY FULLY

FAS 1 3 3

Local Social Welfare Office 2

Local Employment Service 1 1

Centre for the Unemployed 1 1

Local Partnership 1

EMPLOYERS LEVEL OF CONTACT WITH LOCAL LABOUR MARKET SERVICES

Table 35: Level of Contact

LABOUR IN CONTACT MARKET SERVICE T = 10

1. FAS 7

2. Social Welfare 3

3. LES 1

4. CERT 1

LABOUR MARKET SERVICES


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Table 38: Effectiveness of Employer Subsidy Schemes

TRAINING PROGRAMME NO. AWARE N =13

Community Training Workshop 6

Enterprise Training 5

Travellers Training Centre 5

Cert 3

Job Training Scheme 3

Re-integration Training 3

Bord Iascaigh Mhara 2

Teagasc 2

Specific Skills Training 1

LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED MENS AWARENESS OF TRAINING COURSES,EMPLOYMENT OPTIONS AND EDUCATION PROGRAMMES

EDUCATION PROGRAMMES NO. AWARE

VTOS 2

Back to Education Option 5

Part-time/Evening education 5

Adult Literacy Schemes 4

Table 39: Awareness of Training Courses and Source of Awareness

EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMMES NO. AWARE N = 13

BTWA 10

CE 9

Jobstart 7

FIS 5

Area Allowance Enterprise 5

Workplace 3

Jobs Initiative 3

Job Assist 0

Table 41: Long term Unemployed Mens Perception of the Media

IS THE MEDIA… FAIR ACCURATE INFORMATIVE

Yes 6 3 6

No 6 7 6

Some is some is not 2

Total 12 12 12

Table 40: Awareness of Employment Options

LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED AND EMPLOYERPERCEPTIONS OF THE MEDIA


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IS THE MEDIA… FAIR ACCURATE INFORMATIVE

Yes 3 2 3

No 2 2 2

Some is some is not

Total 5 4 5

Table 42: Employers Perception of the Media

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COMBATING PREJUDICE AGAINST THE UNEMPLOYED · Combating Prejudice Against the Unemployed Page 2 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed (INOU) would like