South Africa, like international countries, has been experiencing an increase in the levels of poverty over the years. Poverty affects vulnerable groups of society more intensely and these groups include children, the old, disabled people and women, especially those who are single parents. This dissertation studies the role social grants have on the level of poverty in households of Sharpeville. This study focuses on two areas namely the theoretical background of poverty and social grants; and what the impact is of income from social grants. The South African government provides its citizens with eight different social grants to help those in need and/or vulnerable. From these social grants only six are investigated for the purpose of this study. These grants include the old age grant, child dependency grant, foster care grant, child support grant, disability grant and the war veteran grant. Poverty is defined as the inability to attain a minimal material standard of living by the World Bank. The different indicators used in this study to profile poor households in Sharpeville include the Household Subsistence Level (HSL) as the poverty line, the poverty gap ratio, the headcount index and the dependency ratio. This dissertation shows that poverty within the township has increased over the five years. And to do this the results from the data survey conducted in 2009 are compared to the results from Sekatane‘s 2004 data. The poverty gap ratio and the headcount index for the township in 2009 were estimated at 0.86 and 0.654 respectively. In the year 2004 the headcount index was estimated at 0.431 indicating a 22.3 percent increase in the number of people living in poverty. This means that an estimated 5 477 households in Sharpeville, in 2009, were regarded to be poor When government grants are excluded from the household‘s income within the township both the poverty gap ratio and the headcount index decrease to 0.93 and 0.705 respectively. This means that when government grants are excluded from households‘ income within Sharpeville, the depth of poverty within household‘s increases. The income from government grants might be regarded as minimal, however it assists in moving households further from the poverty line. This study recommends that activities within the informal sector should be encouraged as this will increase employment opportunities for those unemployed in the township. As the vast majority of the unemployed people have skills from trading/retail sector; employment creation should be focused in this sector. Lastly, the income threshold used in the means test equation to check affordability of social grant applicant should be decreased as people meeting the current criteria are already living in dire poverty. / Thesis (M.Com. (Economics))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2011

[Truncated abstract] The Asian Financial Crisis was a wake-up call to the South Korean economy that a change to its economic structure was needed. Prior to the Crisis, South Korea enjoyed healthy economic growth and low unemployment. With the onset of the Crisis, Korea experienced severe recession. Unemployment levels soared and turnover in the labour market became commonplace. The Korean government enacted a series of policies and succeeded in combating unemployment in the short-term. To the present time, unemployment levels have been lowered, albeit with job instability and insecurity. A more effective longer-term solution is needed to increase the resilience of this NIE. The role of inter-sector labour mobility as a policy tool to combat unemployment using the relevant determinants of mobility has not been explored in Korea (Asia), although it has been debated at length in the West since the 1980s. Part of the reason for this lies in the lack of longitudinal data to facilitate appropriate research. Recently, such data have been made available by the Korean Labour Institute (KLI). This thesis extends research into the labour mobility-unemployment relationship to South Korea. The priority is to establish whether a mobility-unemployment relationship exists in Korea, and to obtain a thorough understanding of the factors affecting sectoral mobility in this country in order to facilitate the crafting of potential tools for addressing the unemployment problem. The thesis is organised into two parts. ... The main finding is that whilst the monetary variables and worker/industry characteristics impact male and female mobility differently, sectoral unemployment and sectoral shock affect male and female mobility similarly. The thesis is summarised and some policy measures provided in the sypnosis. It is argued that the 'new' mobility-unemployment phenomenon appears to have emerged in Korea after the Crisis, whereas it had been a feature of Western economies in much earlier time periods. Traditional monetary and fiscal policies are inadequate when it comes to combating unemployment in the presence of this mobility-unemployment phenomenon. A combination of macro-policies, given the relevance of the ADH, and micro-policies, given the validity of the SSH, is required. The multi-dimensional nature of mobility implies that the micro policies to control or reduce mobility rates using the relevant variables (to alleviate unemployment) should cover measures related to monetary wages, labour market groups and sector performance. The sypnosis notes a dearth of Asian studies on sectoral mobility, possibly due to the lack of longitudinal data. The collection of quality longitudinal data for other Asian countries, so that research along the lines conducted in the thesis could be undertaken for other NIEs, was seen as being of vital importance. With such data, the standard of research on Asian economies can be at par with that of the Western countries, and the apparently considerable potential benefits of microeconomic policies via sectoral mobility for Asia could be realised.

This is an ethnographic description and investigation of life on a Scottish council estate. It is based on five unemployed one-parent life histories focusing on their experiences, knowledge and emotions in and around a local community centre. The study's expressed focal point is the Gentleman Robber community centre, within the hardtown community in the city of Dundee. The study touches on locally important representations and key issues such as: work, morality, boredom, kinship, spatiality and violence. At the tables in the community centre, the local narrative montage often focused on the enjoyment of violence or the negative marginal stigmatism faced, while, for example, collecting one's social benefits or attending the local doctor. It reflected a dichotomy of Us/Them relations linked to a local fragmentation of identity and issues of deservingness. I found that in a daily emphasis of their own exclusion the Hardtowners often voiced a feeling and embodiment of opposition through local story telling. It is a fragmented and stressful everyday life, with individual skill and network connections deciding individual status in the community. Links and networks last for as long as they are deemed useful and flexibility in trading, cooperation, networking and violence is one of the local guiding lights for success. The ethnographic narrative is described though a fragmented, contextually faithful discourse, with cinematic influences. This imparts a slice of daily experientialism found in the fragmented and stressful lives of the individuals born into and living on benefit in a Western European welfare society.

Abstract Unemployed are known to be in poorer health and to use less health care services compared to those employed. However, evidence on the work ability of the unemployed remains scarce. The methods of assessing work ability are very divergent, not least because a shared understanding on the concept of work ability is lacking. Furthermore, the aspect of marginalization gives rise to further challenges when assessing work ability among the unemployed. This study explored the work ability of long-term unemployed, their needs for medical care and rehabilitation as well as the methods of assessing work ability. The aims were to find out to which amount and how the work ability was restricted among the unemployed and to clarify the needs for medical care and rehabilitation among them. Additionally, differences between the methods for assessing the disease-oriented and multidimensional work ability, as well as the need for rehabilitation were analysed. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used in this multi-method research in three different studies. The multidimensional work ability assessments were conducted among long term unemployed individuals in three Labour Force Service Centres (Oulu, Raahe region and Kainuu) and in one municipality (Paltamo). Furthermore, an illustrated case study was conducted to compare the materials and background theories of disease-oriented and multidimensional work ability assessment methods. The work ability was significantly decreased for a great proportion of long term unemployed, mostly because of mental disorders. In one municipality, 27% of the long term unemployed were found disabled for open labour market, in addition 20% of them were considered to need medical care and rehabilitation to enable return to work. By using multidimensional work ability assessment method, restrictions in work ability as well as the needs for rehabilitation appeared to get identified more accurately than by using the disease-oriented method. The latter had missed potential rehabilitation avenues and had led to under-rehabilitation, misrehabilitation and over-rehabilitation. The results indicate that the practices of assessing work ability should be based on biopsychosocial and not only on biomedical approach of health and therefore existing information from the multidisciplinary network concerning the clients’ functioning should be routinely collected and used. The health care services as well as the work ability assessment procedures should be tailored to meet the special needs of the long term unemployed to support their work ability and potential of returning to work. / Tiivistelmä Työttömien terveydentila on heikompi ja he käyttävät vähemmän terveyspalveluja kuin muu samanikäinen väestö. Sen sijaan työttömien työkyvystä ei ole olemassa kattavaa tutkimustietoa. Toisaalta työkyvyn arvioinnin menetelmät ovat epäyhtenäiset, koska työkyvyn käsitteestäkään ei ole yhtenäistä ymmärrystä. Syrjäytymiseen liittyvät ilmiöt aiheuttavat työttömien työkyvyn arviointiin omat erityishaasteensa. Tämän tutkimuksen kohteena olivat pitkäaikaistyöttömien työkyky, sairauksien hoitoon ja kuntoutukseen liittyvät tarpeet sekä työkyvyn arvioinnin menetelmät. Tavoitteena oli selvittää, kuinka suurella osalla ja millä tavoin pitkäaikaistyöttömien työkyky on heikentynyt sekä minkälaista hoidon ja kuntoutuksen tarvetta heillä on. Lisäksi selvitettiin sairauslähtöisen ja monialaisen työkyvyn ja kuntoutustarpeen arvioinnin eroja. Monimenetelmätutkimuksen kolmessa osatutkimuksessa käytettiin sekä laadullisia että määrällisiä menetelmiä. Aineistoina olivat kolmen työvoiman palvelukeskuksen (Oulu, Raahen seutukunta ja Kainuu) ja yhden kunnan (Paltamo) alueella asuville vaikeasti työllistyville henkilöille monialaisesti toteutetut työkyvyn arvioinnit. Lisäksi aineistona analysoitiin sairauslähtöisessä ja monialaisessa työkyvyn arvioinnissa käytettävät tietoaineistot ja tulokset yhdellä esimerkkiasiakkaalla havainnollistaen. Suurella osalla pitkäaikaistyöttömistä työkyky oli merkittävästi heikentynyt, sairausluokista eniten mielenterveyden häiriöiden takia. Yhden kunnan kaikista pitkäaikaistyöttömistä todettiin avoimille työmarkkinoille työkyvyttömiksi 27 % ja näiden lisäksi 20 %:lla todettiin työkykyä kohentavan hoidon ja kuntoutuksen tarvetta. Monialaisen arviointimallin avulla tunnistettiin työkyvyn heikkeneminen ja kuntoutustarve osuvammin kuin perinteisellä sairauslähtöisellä toimintatavalla, joka hukkaa kuntoutuksen potentiaalia ja johtaa alikuntoutukseen, väärinkuntoutukseen tai ylikuntoutukseen. Tulosten perusteella työkyvyn arvioinnin käytännöt tulisi perustaa biopsykososiaaliseen eikä vain biomedikaaliseen terveyskäsitykseen ja niissä tulisi nykyistä enemmän hyödyntää monialaisessa verkostossa olevaa informaatiota tutkittavan toimintakyvystä. Työkyvyn tukemiseksi työttömien terveyspalvelut sekä työkyvyn ja kuntoutustarpeen arvioinnit tulisi aiempaa enemmän suunnitella ja kohdentaa pitkäaikaistyöttömien erityistarpeet huomioiden.

This thesis constitutes a sociological analysis of the establishment and operation of the Department of National Defence Relief Camp Scheme in British Columbia. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, unemployment reached unsurpassed levels, when the dependent Canadian economy could not export its primary resources. Faced with a fiscal crisis, the Canadian state was unable to support the dramatically increased number of destitute. The position of B.C. was particularly serious due to its economic dependence upon the export of raw resources. Thousands of single unemployed men who had been employed in resource industries, and for whom no adequate relief provisions were available, congregated on the west coast and became increasingly militant in their demands for 'work and wages'. The radicalization of this group was perceived as a threat that was beyond the capacity of usual state social control mechanisms. As a result, the Canadian state was obliged to undertake exceptional, repressive measures to contain these unemployed. This was accomplished through the Department of National Defence Relief Camp Scheme. Despite this extended state action, the dissident unemployed were not adequately suppressed, and the B.C. camps were characterized by a high level of militancy. The violent Regina Riot of July 1, 1935 served to break the momentum of the radical, single unemployed relief camp inmates. In 1936 the DND relief camp scheme was dismantled, and the single unemployed were dispersed. The DND relief camp scheme is examined in light of theories of the capitalist state and its role in society. It is concluded that the fiscal crisis of the 1930s rendered the Canadian state unable to mediate between the demands of the unemployed and the requirements of capital. The ensuing social crisis necessitated exceptional state coercion -- the Department of National Defence Relief Camp Scheme. / Arts, Faculty of / Anthropology, Department of / Graduate

The purpose of this project was to develop a career workshop curriculum for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints - Welfare Services in the Inland Empire Area. The major steps involved in job search will be covered including: goal setting, networking, resumes and cover letters, interviewing, salary negotiations, and follow-up.

TechnillionJobs is a solution consists of a digital web application, mobile App and a start-up. The solution is intended for helping unemployed Iraqi graduates & students at the final stages of their university studies network with employers locally and internationally. TechnillionJobs can give a bigger opportunity to easier find jobs/build a professional career, and therefore can be a contributing solution in reducing unemployment among graduates in Iraq. The purpose of the project is mainly to investigate and identify the reasons behind unemployment amongst Iraqi graduates as well as present a solution to reduce this problem and its negative effects. Also, to explore potential target groups, their needs and requirements for the product. The primary target groups were categorized as unemployed Iraqi graduates who can provide their knowledge and skills online, innovative companies who put a huge emphasis on their R&D department and educational companies that provide online courses & lesson plans. Primarily, the project group wanted to develop a concept that would respond to the problem statement by “only” launching a web application which in later development phases expanded to even a mobile App and start-up to provide real time services and offer On-demand Contracts (Explained in The Final Product section of this report) as well. In order to do a solid research in the problem area and come up with possible solutions and perform analysis, different scientific frameworks, methodologies and project tools such as Design Thinking, Agile methodology, Gantt-chart, Surveys and mini-risk calculation were used to make sure that the project execution follows a scientific structure. An overall timeline from the start of the project to the end is presented as well. The group has carried out this project in an iterative way where the user has always been in focus during a long dynamic development process. The opportunities for further development are many and, in the future, the product will be a more complete tool for connecting graduates with employers. Future business plans and goals are clarified in the Discussion section of this report. / TechnillionJobs är en lösning som består av en digital webbapplikation, mobil App och ett start-up. Lösningen hjälper arbetslösa irakiska akademiker och studenter i slutskedet av sina universitets-/högskolestudier knyta kontakter med arbetsgivare lokalt och internationellt. Detta kan ge en större möjlighet till att enklare hitta jobb/ bygga en yrkeskarriär, och kan därför vara en bidragande lösning för att minska arbetslösheten bland akademiker i Irak.  Syftet med projektet är främst att undersöka och identifiera orsakerna bakom arbetslöshet bland irakiska akademiker samt att presentera en lösning för att minska detta problem och dess negativa effekter. Också, att utforska potentiella målgrupper, deras behov och krav på produkten. De primära målgrupperna kategoriserades som arbetslösa irakiska akademiker som kan förse med sina kunskaper och färdigheter online, innovativa företag som lägger stor vikt på sina FoU-avdelningar och utbildningsföretag som tillhandahåller onlinekurser och lektionsplaner. Projektgruppen ville främst utveckla ett koncept som skulle svara på problemformuleringen genom att "endast" bygga en webbapplikation som i senare utvecklingsfaser utvidgades till även en mobil App och ett start-up för att tillhandahålla tjänster i realtid och erbjuda On-demand kontrakt (förklaras under rubriken The Final Product i denna rapport).  För att göra en gedigen forskning inom problemområdet och komma på möjliga lösningar och utföra analyser, användes olika vetenskapliga metoder och projektverktyg som Design Thinking, Agil produktutveckling, Gantt-schema, enkäter och mini-risk-beräkning för att se till att projekt genomförandet följer en vetenskaplig struktur. En övergripande tidslinje från projektets början till slutet presenteras också. Gruppen har genomfört detta projekt på ett iterativt sätt där användaren alltid har varit i fokus under en lång dynamisk utvecklingsprocess. Möjligheterna för vidareutveckling är många och i framtiden tänkas produkten att bli ett mer komplett verktyg för att länka akademiker med arbetsgivare. Framtida affärsplaner och mål klargörs i Discussion avsnittet i denna rapport.

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of unemployment on the mental well-being of the South African working age population. The implication of exploring this relationship is to indicate the importance of good mental health among persons who are not employed. The present study also aimed atinvestigating the role that government can play in mitigating the impact of unemployment on mental health. This part of the research assessed the effectiveness of government’s social security system. The current study employs a mixed research design whereby both quantitative and qualitative methods of data analysis are used. The relationship between unemployment, mental well-being and government intervention is investigated using a cohort group in which the mental health of persons not employed, aged between 15 and 64 years, are followed over the period, 2004 to 2008. The results are presented using two types of data. First, secondary data from Statistics South Africa’s General Household Survey (GHS) were used to measure the impact of unemployment on mental health and to ascertain the impact of government social assistance on affected individuals’ mental well-being. Secondly, in order to explore individual perceptions around government intervention, the research employed a qualitative phenomenological design. This involved conducting semi-structured personal interviews with four unemployed women residing in Gauteng. The results showed that incidences of self-reported mental health illnesses were most likely to be found among individuals who were not employed as compared to those that were employed. This finding proved to be consistent using both descriptive and multivariate statistics which included predictive models. In terms of government intervention, positive mental well-being was shown to be positively related to access of social welfare services (in the form of social grants). This finding was true for all the years of reporting (i.e., 2004 to 2008). In conclusion, although unemployment was found to have a negative impact of mental well-being, government intervention was shown to positively mitigate this impact, thereby giving hope to an otherwise hopeless situation. Unemployment and its impact on mental well-beingalso proved to be a complex subject, requiring multidisciplinary intervening strategies to solving it. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

Depuis un certain nombre d’années, se manifeste tout spécialement en Europe l’influence de la thématique de l’activation des dépenses sociales dites « passives ». Ce discours politique imprègne les systèmes nationaux et se diffuse sur le plan normatif, conduisant à de nouvelles articulations entre logiques de protection sociale classique (indemnisation ou aide sociale) et d’emploi (droit du travail). Ces politiques actives s’appuient sur les fondements traditionnels du modèle social-démocrate nordique et du modèle anglo-saxon. L’Union européenne a fait sienne la dynamique d’activation et lui a accordé une place centrale dans sa stratégie pour l’emploi et dans la Méthode Ouverte de Coordination en matière de protection sociale. Cette stratégie a produit un impact sur les systèmes nationaux. Cet impact a pu être mesuré aussi bien sur les systèmes béveridgiens que sur les systèmes bismarckiens, laissant apparaître une multiplicité des visages de l’activation selon les Etats-membres, mais selon une référence plus marquée soit à une approche libérale soit à une approche dite « universaliste » ou « prospective », d’amélioration des trajectoires professionnelles. Les transformations récentes des dispositifs français (indemnitaires ou assistantiels), basées sur une logique de conditionnalité des prestations, ont conduit à des bouleversements au sein de la protection sociale qui invitent à questionner les logiques juridiques sous-jacentes de ces mutations et à proposer une analyse critique de la portée d’un tel renouvellement du contrat social. / The influence of the theme of activating "passive" social expenditure has been evidenced over the last few years and especially in Europe. This political discourse has filtered into the national systems and has spread to legislation, leading to new links between the logic of classic social protection (compensatory technique or social assistance claimants) and employment (employment law). These active policies are based on traditional socio-democratic nordic models and the anglo-american model. The European Union has adopted the activation concept and given it central place in its employment strategy and through the Open Method of Coordination for social protection. This strategy has had an impact on the national systems. This impact may be measured in Beveridgian systems as well as in Bismarckian systems, that shows the different aspects of activation depending on the Member States but with a more distinct difference depending on a more liberal or universalist approach. The recent transformations in the French system (unemployment insurance benefits or social assistance schemes) based on the conditionality of social protection, have led to significant changes to social protection which raises the issue of the underlying legal logic of these changes and a critical analysis of the extent of such a renewal of the social contract.

Die Dissertation beschäftigt sich mit dem Thema "Hilfe zur Arbeit" nach dem BSHG. Grundsätzlich zielen alle mit Hilfe zur Arbeit im Zusammenhang stehenden Paragraphen des BSHG auf (Re-)Integration der Hilfeempfänger in den ersten Arbeitsmarkt und die Aktivierung der Selbsthilfekräfte. Unter Berücksichtigung der Zumutbarkeitskriterien geht die Bundesregierung von knapp einer Million benötigter Arbeitsplätzen aus, um alle in Frage kommenden Empfänger von laufender Hilfe zum Lebensunterhalt in den Arbeitsmarkt zu integrieren. Die Schaffung und Akquise dieser Arbeitsplätze sind Aufgaben der Kommunen. Die vorliegende Studie spiegelt wieder, wie die Städte Dresden, Leipzig und Chemnitz die Paragraphen 18 bis 20 und 25 des BSHG bis zum Jahr 2000 in ihre Praxis umsetzten und welche Schlüsse sich daraus für das Gelingen einer beschäftigungsorientierten kommunalen Sozialpolitik unter lokalen Bedingungen ableiten lassen. Im von mir untersuchten Zeitraum führten alle drei Städte Maßnahmen der "Hilfe zur Arbeit" durch. Jede der Kommunen entwickelte eigene Konzepte zur Umsetzung der gesetzlichen Vorgaben. Zusammenfassend stelle ich fest, dass die Chancen auf einen Arbeitsplatz im Bereich des ersten Arbeitsmarktes, neben der direkten Einstellung mit Hilfe von Lohnkostenzuschüssen, im Anschluss an Maßnahmen mit Arbeitsvertrag am größten sind. Voraussetzung ist allerdings, dass der Hilfeempfänger ein Jahr sozialversicherungspflichtig beschäftigt war. Ich komme also mit Hilfe meiner Studie zu dem Ergebnis, dass "Hilfe zur Arbeit" nach dem BSHG für die Sozialhilfeempfänger lediglich eine äußerst geringe Chance darstellt, einen Arbeitsplatz auf dem ersten Arbeitsmarkt zu bekommen. Keinesfalls handelt es sich hierbei um eine wirkliche Chance und gleich recht nicht um ein Instrument, welches in der Lage ist Massenarbeitslosigkeit zu bekämpfen. Die Mehrzahl der Hilfeempfänger findet auf diesem Weg keine Arbeit auf dem ersten Arbeitsmarkt.