Policy puzzles with Roma employment in Europe: Case study of Slovakia

Transcription

1 Policy puzzles with Roma employment in Europe: Case study of Slovakia Lucia Mytna Kurekova Slovak Governance Institute NEUJOBS Validation Event Bonn, April 10 th 2014 The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/ ) under grant agreement n

2 Overview Employment situation of Roma dire and worsening over time Relative to other CEE countries, Roma in Slovakia face the worst labor market outcomes, in spite of being educated the most (UNDP regional survey, share with secondary education) Key reasons: lack of adequate skills; weak-demand for labor, especially for low-skilled workforce; stigmatization of lowskilled workers; discrimination Labor market policies (LMPs) can remedy the problem: How are LMPs designed and implemented with respect to Roma and vulnerable groups? 2

3 Approach Overview of institutional design Historical evolution Roma targeting Key stakeholders Strategic documents frameworks Impact of international institutions What works and what does not? Field work To understand perceptions, usage and interactions of the stakeholders - providers, recipients and intermediaries implementing or benefiting from the existing LMP framework 3

4 Institutional and policy framework I Mainstream labor market policies (Act no. 5/2004 on Employment Services) Disadvantaged jobseekers are targeted by a range of standard ALMPs Ethnicity is not a criterion of disadvantage Long-term unemployment is, it covers many Roma Horizontal Priority Marginalized Roma Communities (MRC) To be funded by EU structural funds Strategic tool: Local Strategies of Comprehensive Approach holistic, cross-cutting key areas: employment, education, housing infrastructure Institutions: Ministry of Labor, Family and Social Affairs, Social Inclusion Unit Central Labor Office Office of Plenipotentiary for Roma Communities 4

5 ALMP financing and funding Spending on ALMPs is very low, especially relative to unemployment levels (in 2010, 0.23%/GDP which compares to 0.54%/GDP EU27 average) Structure of the spending skewed ( ) Very little spent on training measures (5% versus 40% OECD average) Business start-up incentives (almost 50% of resources compared to 5% OECD average) Between 2010 and 2011, a fall of nearly 50% in the number of supported clients (251,000 to 129,000) A shift towards more expensive measures of which Roma and vulnerable groups are not the key recipients 5 Key measures in effect targeting Roma and low-skilled: Activation works and Anti-flood measures (ALMPs) Direct Roma employment: teachers assistants, field social workers, health assistants

6 Field work research How are mainstream employment policies and Roma inclusion targeted initiatives implemented on the ground? Interviews and focus groups (4 focus groups) Stakeholders Mayors, municipalities Labor Office Staff Field social workers ALMP Roma participants Local employers in different sectors Local vocational school Case: Southern district in central Slovakia (Banskobystricky Region) Town and two villages within the district 6

7 Case selection criteria Localities with above-average share of Roma, but not the most deprived, with mixed economic basis (industry and agriculture) Average situation to be able to describe general conditions, interactions and implementation practices Range of policy instruments applied Active civic basis Unemployment rate (%) Slovakia Banskobystrický region P 7

8 8 Description of localities (based on Atlas of Roma communities 2004 and field data)

9 Areas investigated Activation Works/Small Municipal Works and other employment creation measures Entrepreneurship and start-up incentives Local Strategies for Comprehensive Approach Municipal enterprises Opportunities for education and training Labor office assistance Illegality and social benefits Employers perceptions Discrimination 9

10 10 Selected findings

11 Roma employment experiences and options Roma employed in the past tradition of glass-making industry, agriculture, forestry, municipal enterprises In the pre-crisis period nearly all Roma in focus groups had spells of employment, some regular, others short and interrupted Migration abroad very frequent, illegal or semi-legal employment ( work agreement contracts ) Very limited reliance on labor office Roma turn to private agencies, often face maltreatment (lower pay, poorer working conditions) Currently opportunities provided by ALMP framework represent a sole employment option for most Roma 11

12 Policy implementation practices I Activation Works/Small Municipal Works Available to social assistance recipients as an opportunity to increase monthly income by 63,07 Widely spread among Roma Organized and carried out in the municipality of residence Highly controversial: social policy tool, but also crowding out of low-skilled employment, free workforce, mundane activities Preferences among Roma clearly towards public employment scheme which are based on formal employment with benefits accruing from it (minimum wage, social security contributions, etc.) anti-flood measures, publicly beneficial works 12

13 A hundred of people have income that is indispensable for them. Two hundred could be possible, but it wouldn t be effective, and the motivational effect would diminish... This institute helps me to help these people. (Mayor, V2) Well they could also employ me, as I work for them 4 days a week, 4 hours daily. (Focus group, V2) At least the city has been cleaned, also the snow will be removed. Roma have the chance to demonstrate that, yes, they want, they try. (Manager, retail sector) 13

14 14 Policy implementation practices II Education and training opportunities Limited, not well-matched to labor market needs Enrolling in second-chance full-time education lead to a loss of social benefits Elements of short-termism among Roma youth school drop-outs in economic boom as work opportunities existed Roma with secondary education face barriers to employment too disincentives Highly motivated Roma females enrolled in secondary and tertiary education in order to qualify for positions of field social workers, teachers assistance, etc. Entrepreneurship and start-up Roma discouraged by labor office staff, but also lack finance and selfconfidence to pursue own business

15 With regards to job search there wasn t any help. Once they offered me a course of a basket-maker, so I had to take it, otherwise they would have cancelled me from the registry of jobseekers. It had no meaning. I would have needed to set up a business, but it was not feasible to sell these products. (Focus group, V1) I realized that without education I cannot find a job. ( ) Sometimes you just aren t in the mood for that, I have 5 children, I am divorced and often I am really not in the mood to get back to the school. As I have worries and sorrows at home. But like this as we have the chance to talk [referring to the Roma women NGO gatherings], we really share all our problems, thus one has really a bigger strength and willingness to start from the beginning. (Female focus group, C1) 15

16 Policy implementation practices III Labor Offices Failing to provide targeted assistance Experiences of jobseekers neutral, very formal Staff does not work with clients actively job offers available on a notice board or a table No Roma was invited to participate in labor office organized recruitment process Administrative obstacles to further education and training secondary education required for most training/education courses Some evidence of institutional discrimination (LOs, municipalities) Field social workers supplement tasks of labor office staff assist in preps of CVs, job search, communications, soft skills training, legal advices as well as advocacy and mediation 16

17 It has no meaning to go there, they only give you a stamp, and so what? And if you don t go one day, they cancel you from the registry. (Focus group, V1) These people are often not respected. Therefore we go with them, and then they take them completely differently. Be it the labour office, be it the court. (Assistant of the field social worker, C1) 17

18 Summary Existing institutional and policy framework fails to target the vulnerable Multiple examples of local innovations in policy implementation Beyond existing framework lack of genuine intention and/or capacity for a more systematic integration of Roma, even in the case when material conditions were favorable Funds available for Roma-related projects were seen in an opportunistic manner incentives work There are tools and measures which work define, evaluate and provide systematic funding and political support 18