INTRODUCTION TO THEME CHAPTERS AND LIST OF BARRIERS IDENTIFIED
The following chapters describe the barriers to employment that our participants identified. The goal is to present as thorough a story as possible about each barrier and allow the voices of our participants to be heard in the most meaningful way. Each chapter has been written so that it can be read in isolation from the other chapters; hence our use of the phrase, “theme chapter”, and each chapter consists of a few sections, however not all sections appear in all chapters.
1. Introduction – outlining what is meant by the identified barrier. The meaning was developed from how the participants described the barrier and how it affected their search for employment.
2. Barrier Description – This section, which comprises the bulk of the chapter, details how participants experienced the barrier.
3. Response from Employers[1], Employment Service Staff, and government staff – After speaking to participants and categorizing the barriers that they identified we discussed these findings with a) employers, b) employment services staff, and c) staff in relevant government departments and agencies. All three groups are not quoted in all chapters as all three groups did not have input on all barriers.
4. Recommendations – Participants, employers, employment services staff and government staff all provided some level of input into how a barrier could be dealt with. We have grouped the recommendations at the end of each chapter
List of barriers identified in the nine theme chapters:
Chapter 1 Employment Recruitment
1.1 Identifying what jobs are available
1.1.1 Difficulty with job advertisements
1.1.2 Credentialism: Participants with years of experience in jobs were excluded from them due to increasing demand for specific credentials, and the need for specific credentials was unclear
1.2 Submitting resumes
1.2.1 Not knowing how to deal with problems in their work histories, such as extensive gaps in their work life
1.2.2 “Dumbing Down”: Accepting that it could be helpful to remove qualifications from one's resume.
1.2.3 The inordinate amount of time it takes to redesign a resume for each job application, with little or no success.
1.3 Being interviewed.
1.3.1 A sense of disconnection between the skills it took to do a good interview, and the skills that are needed to produce well for an employer.
1.3.2 Interview structures that are intimidating: unexpected requests at interviews.
1.3.3 Finding out that the position went to someone known to the employer.
1.3.4 No alternative ways of demonstrating skills to the employer.
1.4 Finding out whether or not you’ve got the job: “The Void”. Participants found themselves in a ‘void’ when it came to finding out what happened after they sent in their application. Participants rarely were informed of whether their application had been received, or if interviewed, that they had been the successful candidate or not.
Chapter 2 Employment Services
2.1 Self-directed job search approach does not work for participants.
2.1.1 Low Literacy: did not know how to use the internet
2.2.2 Additional help needed after initial services delivered
2.2 Service Delivery too standard.
2.2.1 Specialized knowledge to serve people with challenges and/or disabilities not available
2.2.2 Specialized knowledge to serve people with multiple challenges and/or disabilities not available
2.2.3 A ‘next level’ of service needed: knowledgeable workers with individualized specializations
2.2.4 Knowledge of, and access to, employers willing to hire people with challenges and disabilities
2.3 Lack of clarity of services available: referral protocol unclear among Employment Services agencies
2.4 Insensitive interactions
Chapter 3 Job Properties
3.1 Work Tasks
3.1.1 Job Carving. Many participants could not do all of the duties of the job they wished to have: all could do at least some part, if not most.
3.1.2 Need for acclimatization to work hours.
3.2 Social and Operational Barriers
3.2.1 Stress in the Workplace
3.2.2 Time lost from work
3.2.3 Relationships at Work
3.2.4 Communication and clarity of Job Expectations
3.2.5 Job insecurity
3.2.6 Need for structure
Chapter 4 Government policies and procedures
4.1 Income Assistance
4.1.1 Poverty.
4.1.2 Lack of easy access to program information.
4.1.3 Disincentives to work while on Income Assistance
4.1.4 Support to obtain employment is given only to those who are identified as ‘employable’
4.1.5 Policies change often.
4.1.6 Seasonal harvesting income incentive is inaccessible.
As well as policy barriers, there were attitudinal barriers experienced by participants:
4.1.7 A sense of loss of control when one becomes a recipient
4.1.8 Recipients of Income Assistance are dealt with strictly individually
4.2 Employment Supports
4.2.1 Rigid and/or inconsistent administration of policies.
4.2.2 Program policies are complex and often difficult to understand.
4.2.3 Unsuccessful attempts at work can result in recipients becoming ‘disentitled’ to apply for income assistance for up to six weeks.
4.2.4 All program costs not covered.
4.3 Medical Support
4.3.1 Funding support for medication rather than less invasive and more health promoting treatments such as physiotherapy and massage.
4.3.2 Funding support for only some medications, or portions of the cost of some medications.
4.4 Wage subsidy programs
4.4.1 The purposes of wage subsidy programs are unclear. The difference between wage subsidy programs and work experience programs is unclear.
Chapter 5 Social Networks/Social Isolation
The barriers were related to either the job finding and application process or a lack of support in the participants’ lives.
5.1 Social Networks
5.1.1 Communication challenges
5.1.2 Need for networks
5.2 Social Isolation.
5.2.1 Help with trouble shooting day-to-day issues and major life events
5.2.2 The problems with a small community
Chapter 6 Functional Barriers
6.1 Transportation
6.1.1 Cost
6.1.2 Access
6.1.3 Scheduling
6.2 Appearance
6.3 Computer access and computer literacy
Chapter 7 Alternatives to Employment
Ultimately all of our participants wanted regular employment; however; the path available to them did not allow it. While Alternatives to Employment are not in and of themselves barriers, the fact that options outside of regular employment were more feasible for participants represents a barrier to employment generally.
This theme also refers to a weighing up process in deciding whether or not to be involved in the regular labor force.
7.1 Direct:
7.1.1 Entrepreneurship
7.1.2 Informal Economy
S7.1.3 Stipends and Honoraria
7.2 Indirect:
7.2.1 Volunteering
Chapter 8 Stigma[2]
8.1 Health issues
8.1.1 Mental illness
8.1.2 Physical Disabilities
8.2 Social Conditions
8.2.1 Age (participants who felt they were not hired because they were too old)
8.2.2 Dependence on Government Income Assistance
8.2.3 Being unemployed
Chapter 9 Personal Barriers
9.1 Contributing factors. Factors that appeared to contribute to participants changing from healthy and resilient job seekers into discouraged job seekers.
9.1.1 Multiple challenges and/or disabilities
9.1.2 Multiple concurrent or consecutive negative events
9.1.3 Unsuccessful attempts to return to work.
9.1.4 Retraining/more education without employment
9.1.5 Medication adjustments/side effects.
9.2 Impact of decreased resiliency.
9.2.1 Psychological
9.2.2 Personal Presentation. How lack of resiliency can lead to job seekers not being able to present themselves well.
[1]A full description of employers, perspectives is supplied in the chapter entitled Speaking with Employers which follows the theme chapters
[2] The word stigma is challenging to understand. There are two types of stigma:
- Internal stigma – self-hatred, shame, blame – people feel they are being judged by others, so they isolate themselves, e.g., people living with HIV/AIDS may practice “self-stigma” by isolating themselves from their families and communities.
The Pathways to Work Research Project is funded under the Canada-Nova Scotia Labour Market Agreement. 