1 / 12

Introduction

Facilitating transitions for vulnerable job seekers who face barriers: the role of alternative staffing organizations in the U.S. Françoise Carré , Brandynn Holgate, and Helen Levine Center for Social Policy McCormack Graduate School University of Massachusetts Boston, USA.

cameo
Download Presentation

Introduction

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Facilitating transitions for vulnerable job seekers who face barriers: the role of alternative staffing organizations in the U.S.Françoise Carré, Brandynn Holgate, and Helen LevineCenter for Social PolicyMcCormack Graduate SchoolUniversity of Massachusetts Boston, USA Presentation atFlexWork Research Centre International ConferenceLeuven, 27th and 28th October 2011

  2. Introduction Alternative staffing organizations (ASOs) Form of labor market intermediary operating in the bottom of the labor market Community-based organizations and non profits Serving vulnerable job seekers Questions: Why do vulnerable job seekers need job brokering? What service does an ASO provide them? Center for Social Policy

  3. Structural changes in the labor market Post-war through 1980’s: Internal labor markets vs. “secondary” labor markets (Piore, 1970, Liebow, 1967) Since 1990: Increase in formal screening and market-mediation for entry-level jobs (Abraham, 1990, Benner, et al., 2007) Center for Social Policy

  4. Vulnerable job seekers and job search Formalized application processes Intermediaries: temporary staffing, day labor operators, labor brokers, service subcontractors (Carré and Joshi 2000, Benner et al 2007) Interpersonal networks? Community? Weak? Workforce intermediaries (Harrisson and Weiss 1998, Giloth 2003) Center for Social Policy

  5. ASOs in the U.S. Center for Social Policy

  6. Our work 2002-03 survey of 29 alternative staffing organizations nationwide and case studies of a subsample of eight (Carré et al 2003) 2005-08 in-depth monitoring and evaluation of 4 ASOs (Carré et al 2009) staff; job assignments; customer businesses 2008-11 in-depth monitoring and evaluation of 4 ASOs (Carré et al 2011) worker outcomes; customer businesses Center for Social Policy

  7. How is alternative staffing different from conventional staffing in the U.S.? ASOs address barriers that vulnerable job seekers face ASOs seek to address difficulties with the hiring and screening process Personal contact with staff is the primary difference Center for Social Policy

  8. Incidence (%) of barriers to employment for job seekers (4 ASOs) – 2010-11 Center for Social Policy

  9. Job opportunities through the ASOs Majority of ASOs assignments are in clerical, building services, production and general labor positions Work patterns with ASO vary across workers (total hours) Job assignments offer low wages on average Center for Social Policy

  10. How customer businesses assess ASO services Understand customer business priorities “They understand our environment, [we are] not just going to a placement agency.” Quality of candidate screening “[ASO] screens people better, I don’t just get a warm body.” Support services for workers “Their support structure is their safety net…We can’t provide it.” Center for Social Policy

  11. Workers’ expectations and perspective on job search “[The ASO]referred me to the [customer business] where I’m working now. Then after three months, I got taken on full time. I don’t know how I would have gotten started otherwise…. I couldn’t get in anywhere with no experience.” “[Supervisors] might have anywhere between 400 to 800 applications for one administrative job, six to 12 people being picked…to interview…[and] to know that there’s such a big pool and you’re the one [that’s interviewed].” Center for Social Policy

  12. Conclusion Insights for other countries Challenges Future research Center for Social Policy

More Related