The Labour Market Circumstances and Support Requirements of People Furthest From the Labour Market

A higher working age, health restrictions and low skills are the three key risk factors for longer-term labour market exclusion, as well as key determinants of the opportunity to return to employment. At the center of the study is the question of whether and, if so, which could shorten the duration of unemployment for those who are furthest from the labour market. Despite the commonality of a longer-term exclusion from the labour market, the group far from the labour market proves to be very heterogeneous. It includes individuals with mainly one barrier to integration, while others have multiple issues to tackle. For eight subgroups of unemployed people previously far from the labour market, the study shows the factors that helped them to return to work – based on administrative data as well as the views of those affected and AMS experts. In order to meet the different needs, a thorough clarification of problems and needs is required in addition to specific advisory and placement services of the AMS and various labour market policy instruments.