1. Design Charles & Ray Eames - Hang it all © Vitra Young, jobless and hard to reach: Evidence from nine pilots in the Youth Work Plan in Flanders Presentation by Greet Van Dooren & Liesbeth Van Parys, Conference Foundation P&V Brussels, 7 March 2013

2. Overview presentation 1.Problem statement 2.Theoretical framework 3.Research questions 4.Flemish pilots 5.Research strategy 6.Who are the hard to reach? 7.Why are they hard to reach? 8.What could be a more successful approach? 9.Conclusions

3. Problem statement: hard to reach young NEET Limits of activation for NEET: 1.Stay out of reach of PES 2.Withdraw early from PES UK: 500 000 NEET in 1997 Netherlands: ¾ NEET in 2007 Belgium: 18% NEE in 2007

4. Theoretical framework Organisational level Individual level Source: own depiction Burgess Van Oorschot, Hernanz

5. Research questions 1.Who are the hard to reach? 2.Why are they hard to reach? 3.What could be a more successful approach? Case study Flanders

6. Pilots in Flanders 2007 Youth work plan = comprehensive approach But “in the big cities (…) a relatively big group of unemployed youth are not reached with this approach: they do not respond to communication or withdraw early” (YWP, 2007) 2008 pilots by VDAB ‘Experimenten non-respons’ Goal: develop new methods

7. Pilots in Flanders: 270 participants Antwerp: 2 – non-profitGent: 2 – non-profit Genk: 1 – non-profit Leuven: 1 – non profit partners Hasselt: 1 – non-profit Kortrijk: 1 - city Source: Wegwijs op de arbeidsmarkt (VDAB Studiedienst) – Youth unemployment, mean of year 2011

8. Research strategy Interviews: –PES staff members, –Coaches –participants Intervision with coaches Document analysis Administrative data PES Survey among coaches: –Characteristics participants –Progress of participants –Method, approach

9. Who are the hard to reach? Source:VDAB Studiedienst and own computations

10. Who are the hard to reach? Survey pilot coaches: –Lack of experience on the LM –¾ could not search & apply for a job independently –80% non-work related obstacles => Vulnerable position on the LM & more vulnerable than the overall population

11. Why are they hard to reach? Non-compliance: Costs: perceived sanctions Benefits: opportunity costs

12. Why are they hard to reach? Non-take-up: Combination of individual and organisational factors: –To some extent ignorance of rights to service –Perceive a need To work - trigger events To untailored support –Lack of a stable situation –Information, pecuniary & psychological (stigma) costs

13. What could be a more successful approach? Lessons learned from the pilots: –Outreach strategy –Holistic approach: integrated guidance + pivotal casemanager –Open, participatory approach –Alternative monitoring & sanction regime Limits? ‘hard core(?) hard to reach’

14. Conclusions 1.Hard to reach NEET are vulnerable 2.Both young unemployed & the PES are hard to reach 3.Activation based on non-compliance theory only is not sufficient 4.Recipe for success: outreach strategies & integrated guidance => Not only the PES should take up responsability, structural cooperation between policy domains at policy and organisational level is required

15. CONTACT Greet.vandooren@kuleuven.be Liesbeth.vanparys@kuleuven.be