The objective of this dissertation is to offer two sorts of policy proposals. One is that customers can be classified into four groups in accordance with the combination of customer's will and capacity to get a job while the other shows that public em...
The objective of this dissertation is to offer two sorts of policy proposals. One is that customers can be classified into four groups in accordance with the combination of customer's will and capacity to get a job while the other shows that public employment services are focused on the below mentioned two groups(Group 2 & Group 3). The four groups are specified with self-reliant customers(Group 1), capacity support customers(Group 2), will support customers(Group 3), and employment handicapped customers(Group 4). The Group 1 is composed of the customers whose will and capacity are both high, therefore, they can get a job for themselves with only job information from the public employment service centers. The employability of Group 2 or 3 can be enhanced in case that the public employment services are intensively provided. The top reason is that their will is high but capacity is low or their will is low but capacity is contrary. The employability of group 4 can't be easily enhanced as their will and capacity are both low. These proposals may contribute to enhance the effectiveness of public employment services.
Four methods are used for this dissertation. One is a review of precedent studies. Second way is a review of both domestics and foreign cases on public employment service reforms. Advanced countries such as Germany, Sweden, U.K., U.S.A. are reviewed. Moreover, the analysis for Korean unemployment policies from 1998 to 2007 is used. These 10 years are meaningful periods in consideration that Korean government had produced and implemented unemployment policies in proper ways for this period. Third way is a nation-wide survey which aims at finding a way to classify customers visiting to the public employment service centers and finding groups to receive concentrated public employment services. For this survey, 700 questionnaires are distributed to customers while 500 are for counsellors serving for the customers in the public employment service centers. Fourth way is case studies which are made through in-depth interviews with 9 customers who are selected in light of their unemployment duration ranging from 2 to 36 months.
The results of the policy analysis on the public employment service both in Korea and in advanced countries are mentioned below.
In the process of analyzing unemployment policies in Korea, two facts have been found. One is a trial to develop a profiling system for the unemployed, which had been designed to decrease or prevent the number of the long-term unemployed. Consequently, the trial created a model. The model relies on individual characteristics which may bring about the risk of long-term unemployment. The model produced the classification of 17 typed-customers. However, the model had been implemented for only three years and disappeared due to the absence of the differentiated program for each type of customer and the duplication of classification. The other is an individually tailored employment service system which has been operating since 2006. Recognizing this system has yet to be practically established, a supplementary guideline by the Ministry of Labor has been produced since December 2007. There are 4 customer groups in this system. One of the main contents of the guideline for this system is that services should be focused on the Group A and B in order to substantially link individual action plan with employment service. In spite of this supplementary guideline, it is still difficult and confusing for the counsellors to classify customers into 4 Groups. One of the reasons may be the complexity of the four criteria to classify customers. The criteria contains job vacancy and capacity, technique, will to get a job. Furthermore, differentiated programs for each type of customers have yet to be harmonized substantially.
Even in some advanced countries, statistical models which are established on the basis of individual characteristics of the unemployed are not proven to predict the risk of long-term unemployment. Some countries stress the importance of counsellors' judgement based on experiences. This shows that it is better to utilize the third way, the combination of statistical model and counsellors' judgement based on experiences. In Germany, with the consideration of the psychological situation of customers, they are classified into 4 groups in accordance with the level of necessity in challenge and support. In case of Sweden, without the consideration of psychological situation of customers, there are 3 types of customers classified by the way of access to the employment service. In U.K., there are 4 groups of customers classified by life cycle and type of danger, and various service programs are given to each customer group. In U.S.A., customers are divided into 2 types in accordance with the risk to fall in long-term unemployment.
Considering these results from the analysis of public employment service in Korea and other advanced countries, 6 assignments and questionnaires are set. Nation-wide survey has been implemented to gather the opinions of the unemployed who enrolled at public employment service centers to get a job and counsellors who serve on the unemployed. The results of the survey may be summarized in a few points. The first one is that 42 items of psychological situation are divided into 6 categories by the factor analysis. Second one is that 8 variables out of 12 independent variables representing the individual characteristics of the unemployed are related to 6 categories, but remaining 4 variables are not related. 8 variables mentioned above are duration of period, sex, age, marital status, burden of family support, total family income, job-seeking frequency, failure of re-employment and 4 variables which are not related to 6 categories of psychological situation are educational background, family size, previous job type, barrier to re-employment. The third one is that only 2 variables, sex and age, out of 12 variables are related to will to get a job. The fourth one is that reform in the way of customer classification is necessary and an appropriate criteria for it is customers' will and capacity to get a job. The fifth one is that it is desirable to support 'capacity support customer' and 'will support customer' in order to raise the effectiveness of public employment service.
There are limits of this dissertation. The most salient one is a lack of tests on effectiveness of the differentiated programs for each group of customers. This kind of experiment needs to be performed in the future. The second limit points out the absence of the study on the development of various programs for each group of customers. The third limit is related with case study. In stead of longitudinal survey, 9 interviewees were selected from only 3 areas and an interview with each person was made just one time.
Finally, as a conclusion, in order to enhance the effectiveness of public employment service, it is highly recommended that customers should be classified in accordance with their individual characteristics, customers' will and capacity to get a job. At the same time, it is highly recommended that public employment services should be focused on capacity support customers and will support customers.