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Tackling mental ill-health of the working-age population is becoming a key issue for labour market and social policies in OECD countries. OECD governments increasingly recognise that policy has a major role to play in keeping people with mental ill-health in employment or bringing those outside of the labour market back to it, and in preventing mental illness. This report on Norway is the fourth in a series of reports looking at how the broader education, health, social and labour market policy challenges identified in ‘Sick on the job?: myths and realities about mental health and work’ (OECD, 2012) are being tackled in a number of OECD countries. It concludes that Norway faces a unique situation whereby a generous welfare system stimulates large-scale labour market exclusion and significant socioeconomic inequalities of people with a mental disorder, and hindering better outcomes of its employment and vocational rehabilitation programs.

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Middle aged and older workers constitute a growing segment of the US labor force. These workers face considerable challenges in the wake of the Great Recession, which have important consequences for the sustainability of social safety net programs and the US economy as a whole. Despite the policy implications of significant unemployment among middle aged and older workers, little is known about specific factors impacting labor market outcomes for this age group, including the role of adult education and training (AET) and literacy and numeracy skills. This study used data from the 2014 Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) National Supplement to examine relationships among educational attainment, participation in AET, skill proficiencies, health, and economic outcomes for US adults ages 45-74 who are unemployed or not in the labor force.

Overall, employed adults ages 45-65 participate in lifelong learning activities significantly more than the unemployed and out of the labor force groups. On average, the unemployed and out of the labor force groups had significantly lower literacy skills than the employed group among those ages 45-65. There was a positive relationship between literacy skills and self-rated health in both the 45-65 and 66-74 age groups. Findings are discussed in view of labor, education and public health policies in order to enhance the well-being of middle-aged and older adults in the US.

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Transitioning successfully from education into employment is a challenge for all young people, but is heightened for young people living with a long term health condition. Experiencing a spell of youth unemployment means that a young person is at greater risk of future unemployment, reduced earnings, and reduced psychological wellbeing; excluding young people with chronic conditions from the labour market can have a significant and long lasting effect on their lives. This report takes a look at the obstacles faced by young people with long-term, chronic or fluctuating conditions as they seek to make the transition from education and employment, and then to develop and thrive in the workplace.

The authors argue that the effects of the physical and psychological symptoms of chronic conditions, combined with stigmatic societal attitudes, create significant barriers to young people with chronic conditions successfully entering the workforce. By supporting young people with chronic conditions from school onwards to understand and manage their condition in the context of work, by educating others about chronic conditions, and by creating accommodating, appropriate work environments, positive work outcomes can be achieved. The findings are divided into three main sections: (1) young people's experiences of preparing for and seeking employment, including their time in education; (2) how living with a chronic condition affects young people once they have entered the workforce; and (3) the specific barriers and enablers to employment for young people with chronic conditions.

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This review examines whether interventions for people with disabilities in [low- and middle-income countries] LMICs result in improved livelihood outcomes, including acquisition of skills for the workplace, access to the job market, employment in formal and informal sectors, income and earnings from work, access to financial services such as grants and loans, and access to social protection programmes. This review includes studies that evaluate the effects of interventions on livelihood outcomes for people with disabilities in LMICs. The authors found nine interventions which used eligible study designs. Countries represented are Bangladesh, India, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Brazil, China and Vietnam. All included studies have some important methodological weaknesses.

All included studies reported positive impacts on livelihoods outcomes. However, due to variation between studies, we did not conduct as analysis of effects across studies. As such, it is hard to draw firm conclusions about what works, for whom and how. Most studies focused on improving access to the workplace. For example, people without disabilities were involved in programmes to improve their social attitudes to working with people with disabilities. People with certain disabilities were provided with wheelchairs. And some people with disabilities were placed in supported employment. Studies examined the effects of vocational training programmes, a 'motivation to work' programme, community-based rehabilitation and social skills training. All of these approaches showed positive impacts on livelihood outcomes, including finding employment and gaining social skills for work.

The included studies all reported that their programmes improved outcomes related to the livelihoods of people with disabilities, including acquisition of skills for the workplace, access to the job market, employment in formal and informal sectors, and access to the formal and informal social protection measures. Future research should evaluate these approaches with more rigorous study designs. This would develop a firmer evidence base, which would also inform the delivery of interventions at scale.

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Orientation: Employability development is needed to alleviate poverty in South Africa. This study sought to examine employability development, with specific reference to soft employability skills within a low-income community in Gauteng province of South Africa. Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the labour market intervention offered by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in Gauteng added value to learners with specific reference to soft skills (behavioural and psychosocial) needed to become employable. Motivation for the study: Soft employability skills are essential because they are highly demanded by employers today. It is not clear whether the learners from an NGO have obtained soft employability skills (behavioural and psychosocial) during the skills training intervention. Research approach/design and method: A qualitative constructivist approach was utilised. Using purposive sampling, 33 learners from an NGO participated in email interviews. The email interviews were analysed by using four steps prescribed by grounded theory researchers.

Main findings: The study results highlight two themes that represent soft employability skills, namely, soft employability behavioural skills and soft employability psychosocial skills. Practical/managerial implications: The study provides government and NGOs with an understanding of soft employability skills valued by unemployed low-income workers. Contribution/value-add: This research contributes to literature by expanding the knowledge of soft employability behavioural skills and soft employability psychosocial skills. Forgiveness seems to be a new soft employability psychosocial skill, as it was not found in the theories and frameworks used in this article.

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Many social enterprises aim to transition disadvantaged people into mainstream employment; they are engaged in commercial activity underpinned by a social mission. They provide training in life and work skills to develop capability, defined as ability to achieve. They are spaces apparently available not only to develop socially and economically useful capability, but also to promote social inclusion and well-being. This article develops understanding of how social enterprises perform their dual role by drawing on two theoretical frameworks. Situated learning theory is used to explore the work-based learning aspect of social enterprises, whereas spaces of well-being theory is used to explore the social aspect of their missions, where capability is one aspect of well-being. Qualitative data of participants' experiences in two Australian social enterprises are used to develop a model which depicts capability development through situated learning in multiple communities of practices within a space of well-being created by the social enterprise. Opportunities provided by communities of practice and features of spaces of well-being can facilitate participants' capability realisation and transfer.

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There is now significant interest in how essential skills – those highly transferable skills required for practically any job – can contribute to social mobility, productivity and prepare the workforce for automation. Essential skills are distinct from basic skills (literacy, numeracy and digital skills) and technical skills (specific to a particular sector or role, sometimes drawing off a particular body of knowledge). At the same time, there is growing momentum for taking a robust and consistent approach to measuring and building these skills. Despite valuable pieces of isolated research [see report in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 144.280], the authors note that to date there has been no clear picture of the levels of these skills across the UK and how they impact life outcomes. The purpose of this research is to take the first step in filling that gap by providing a view of essential skill levels in the UK and how they relate to important outcomes like wellbeing, employment and income. By repeating this research annually, the goal is to build a baseline for essential skill levels as well as a nuanced picture of the factors both impacting and impacted by them.

This paper sets out to answer the following questions: What is the relationship between essential skills and life outcomes such as employment and wellbeing? To what extent do the UK public believe essential skills are important for their lives? How are essential skills and the opportunities to build them distributed across our society? What is the relationship between opportunities to build skills, skill levels and other outcomes? The research is the first of its kind to use the Skills Builder Universal Framework for Essential Skills.

This research shows that essential skills are correlated with life outcomes, from increased wellbeing and higher earnings to lower probability of being out of work or education. However, essential skills - and the opportunities to build them - are not distributed equitably in the UK. It is therefore no surprise that the UK public both highly values these skills and wants more opportunities to build them. Despite this, opportunities to build essential skills are limited. As well as a 'skills gap', this paper shows there is in effect a 'skills trap'. Disadvantage and a lack of early opportunity to build essential skills leads to a lack of value placed on them, limited future opportunities, lower skill score, lower income and lower life satisfaction. The paper further validates findings from decades of work on the ground that high-quality opportunities to build essential skills improve individuals' skill levels. To both bridge the gap and escape the trap, the UK needs to scale the volume of high quality opportunities to build essential skills in education, through impact interventions and in employment.

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The contributions in this book address the impact of the current changes in the labour market on individual work life trajectories in health and wellbeing. It offers examples of interventions aimed to find innovative ways of sustainable work careers for today's workers. Areas examined include the school to work transition, job insecurity, job loss and re-employment and retirement. The interventions described offer strategies for implementing support in employment contracts, increasing preparedness of individual employees with public education programs or developing work arrangements and support systems in work organisations.

Edited excerpt from publisher's website.

The chapters are as follows: Changing life trajectories, employment challenges and worker health in global perspective / Richard H. Price (pages 3-16); Informal employment and vulnerability in less developed markets / Simo Mannila (pages 17-33); The economy of sustainable careers during the work life course: a case from Finland / Guy Ahonen (pages 35-48); School engagement and burnout among students: preparing for work life / Katariina Salmela-Aro and Jukka Vuori (pages 51-64); Practice makes perfect?: antecedents and consequences of an adaptive school-to-work transition / Jos Akkermans, Mikko Nykanen, and Jukka Vuori (pages 65-86); Socialization into organizations and balancing work and family / Bettina S. Wiese and Michaela Knecht (pages 87-105); Job insecurity, health and well-being / Hans De Witte, Tinne Vander Elst, and Nele De Cuyper (pages 109-128); Principles for effective coping in work-related uncertain situations / Kate Sweeny and Arezou Ghane (pages 129-143); Flexicurity, job insecurity, and well-being in European labor markets / Tomas Berglund (pages 145-167); Promoting reemployment and mental health among the unemployed / Amiram D. Vinokur and Richard H. Price (pages 171-186); The fragility of employability: a dynamic perspective and examples from the Netherlands / Jos Sanders, Luc Dorenbosch, and Roland Blonk (pages 187-214); Poor health as cause and consequence of prolonged unemployment: mechanisms, interventions, and policy recommendations / Alex Burdorf and Merel Schuring (pages 215-227); Enhancing career management preparedness and mental health / Jukka Vuori and Salla Toppinen-Tanner (pages 231-247); Promoting older workers' job retention and health by working hour patterns / Mikko Harma (pages 249-268); Prolonged working years: consequences and directions for interventions / Gwenith G. Fisher, Lindsay H. Ryan, and Amanda Sonnega (pages 269-288); Conclusions for policy, practice and research / Jukka Vuori, Roland Blonk, and Richard H. Price (pages 291-300); Erratum / Guy Ahonen (page E1). Show less

Refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) often struggle to integrate the labor market. Even where they have the unrestricted right to work their labor market outcomes lack behind those of other groups, at least in the short- to medium-term. This literature review brings together two strands of research to inform the design of successful job interventions in this context: the evidence on how forced displacement impacts those forcibly displaced in their economic lives and the existing knowledge on jobs interventions for refugees and IDPs. The specific challenges that those forcibly displaced face on the labor market are linked to the loss of assets and separation from family members; the lack of skills required on the host labor market; the impacts of forced displacement on their physical and mental health and their economic behavior (in terms of prospects and aspirations, risk-aversion and time horizon); their legal situation; a lack of social networks and discrimination as well as a high likelihood of excess supply on the labor market at destination. Rigorous quasi-experimental or experimental evidence on jobs interventions for this target group is scarce and mainly focused on high-income countries. A review of the existing literature points to the importance of conducting thorough assessments of the demand and supply side of the labor market, including the legal situation of those forcibly displaced and their perceptions and aspirations, before designing intervention.

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In Australia many young people are completing their secondary education through Flexible Learning Programs (FLPs). These programs are provided for students who have been marginalised from mainstream education due to a variety of reasons. Currently, there is a distinct gap in the literature in terms of the extent to which theory-based career development interventions are currently being used within the flexible learning sector in Australia. This research explores the impact of participation in a FLP on students' career goals, career adaptability competencies, and post-school transitions. It further explores the impact of flexible learning experiences on students' social and emotional wellbeing and self-efficacy.

A qualitative approach was chosen for this research and an interpretive constructionist paradigm was utilised. The research was underpinned by the overarching Systems Theory Framework of Career Development, and informed by Career Construction Theory, to gain an understanding of students' career adaptability resources. The Psychology of Working Theory was also utilised to explore how contextual factors such as marginalisation influence the career development of the youth attending a FLP in regional Queensland, Australia. Interviews were conducted with 27 participants, consisting of current Year 10 (4), Year 11 (4), Year 12 (5), and past Year 12 (3) students, along with a range of teaching staff (11), including the Principal, Head of Department, Guidance Officer, Industry Liaison Officer, class Teachers (3), Teacher Aides, Social Worker and Office Manager. Field observations were also carried out on subject classes, pastoral care group sessions, mentoring sessions and general activities. The data from interviews and observations were thematically analysed with key themes identified to answer the research questions.

The thematic analysis identified three key themes. Firstly, supportive relationships emerged as a substantial, positive influence on students' social and emotional wellbeing. Secondly, preparation for work appeared to be an important factor in improving student self-efficacy. Finally, the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) was identified as having an important impact on students' career outcomes with both positive and negative implications. For example, there was a specific focus on students successfully completing the Queensland Certificate of Education, gaining work experience, and completing TAFE or [vocational education and training] VET qualifications. This was deemed important by essentially all teaching staff. However, while there were career development gains for some students, these were typically short-term. The majority of students generally lacked the career development resources to translate those qualifications into career goals or successful graduate outcomes in the longer term. Furthermore, outcomes in terms of enhanced student wellbeing and self-efficacy were generally restricted to the short-term due to various contextual barriers that most likely contributed to their initial enrolment in the FLP.

A number of recommendations are provided to enhance the delivery of career education in a FLP and to ensure the students are gaining the necessary career development competencies required for successful post-school transitioning. These recommendations include embedding career development activities across the curriculum; widening access to career counselling appointments; developing career development interventions that build self-reflective and goal-setting opportunities for students; widening exposure to occupations through the use of excursions and activities; and, embedding a whole of school strategy that combines career development and wellbeing as equally important aspects of pedagogy. This thesis adds to theoretical knowledge and makes a unique contribution to the career development literature by applying career development theory to the specific context of young people who are marginalised and attending FLPs. The findings will inform the development of career development interventions to be utilised specifically in FLPs, which can be further evaluated through applied research. Further, this research has the potential to make a valuable contribution to the Australian Government's agenda of developing contemporary approaches and strategies to enhance career development and student outcomes in schools.

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