At the outset of the Pathways to Work Research Project we had initial consultations with employment service staff to familiarize ourselves with local labor market issues. It was suggested by a number of people that issues such as transportation, access to computers and other items like work clothes and equipment were major barriers to employment. These issues were in fact identified as barriers for participants. However, they were not the primary barriers for participants as we had assumed. Factors like social networks / social isolation, the way employers selected employees, and inflexibility in job properties were more daunting for our participants. However, transportation and other issues did compound the problem of job seeking for many participants.

In this chapter we outline the barriers that were functional items or services, i.e., those things that have a practical application and are tangible, that participants identified as precluding them from finding or maintaining employment.

The major functional barriers were:

5.1 Transportation

5.1.1 Cost

5.1.2 Access

5.1.3  Scheduling

5.2 Appearance

5.3 Computer access and computer literacy

Summary of participants’ functional barriers:

6.1 Transportation
52% of participants identified transportation as a barrier to employment

6.1.1 Cost
 The cost of running a private vehicle was mentioned as a barrier by all 42% who had access to one
 Several people on fixed incomes found public transit fares prohibitive

6.1.2 Access
 68% of participants lived in areas served by public transit, half of these identified transportation as a barrier
 42% of participants had access to a private vehicle

6.1.3 Scheduling
 Reliance on others for transportation (family, friends) was seen as a major barrier to successful job searching
 Of those participants who indicated a need for special accommodations from employers 28% indicated that work hours needed to be based on public transit hours of operation
 Nearly all participants reliant on public transit indicated that it would be difficult to maintain a job using the bus as transit headways[1] can vary and scheduling does not allow for evening and weekend shift work

6.2 Appearance

 Several participants felt that their lack of work appropriate clothing biased employers against them

6.3 Computer access and computer literacy
32% of participants were unable to use a computer well enough to look for work

 26% did not have access to a computer in their place of residence
 12% indicated a limitation in the amount of time they were able to use a computer

The majority (54%) of our participants were reliant on government income supports (CPP Disability or ESIA). Only one out of this 54% was considered to have an attachment to Employment Insurance. The remaining (46%) depended on family members or informal earnings to support themselves. Given these two points we assumed that a significant number of our participants did not have much in the way of discretionary income. Having very little money meant that most participants were restricted in how, where and when they could look for work due to reliance on others for transportation, access to computers, and other needs.

In general our participants felt embarrassed or ashamed of being reliant on either the government or their family for support. While all participants were appreciative of the fact that these supports assisted them in living, most connected these supports with having lost control of their lives.

Emma: I almost missed my appointment with you, even though it had been set weeks ago. (My son and I usually get gas for my truck the first of the month, after I receive my monthly check from the government) but we hadn’t. This morning I phoned my son (to get me here because I didn’t have gas in my truck) and he said he had to go to work and he knew what I had to do....he said “I know it's the fifth of the month, and I know we haven't been to the bank, and I know we haven't put the gas in your truck. I know we haven't done these things. I know that.” and I said “What, does that make my day any less important?” He said “No mother it certainly doesn't mean your day is any less important. It just means I have to go to work. Not that your life is not important you need to be where you need to be at 9” And my son works 12 hour shifts. I feel so badly asking him for these things.

Transportation was the most frequently cited functional problem and given the rural nature of Kings County this is not surprising, however the complexity of the situation for some was unanticipated. Transportation barriers were frequently cited in our 23 in-depth interviews and typically came in one of three different forms, barriers related to costs, barriers related to access, and barriers related to scheduling.

The same barriers were mentioned in the questionnaires filled out by all 31 participants. In our questionnaire we asked participants that identified transportation as a barrier to employment to specify the nature of the barrier. The responses to this question expressed four main concerns: a) the reliance on others for transportation which caused stress in their lives and limited their ability to plan ahead, b) the reliance on public transit was equally problematic as buses either did not run at a time or in the areas participants needed to go, or they felt the bus could not meet their needs due to unreliable arrival and departure times, c) walking was their only affordable option – that they could not afford the cost of transportation.

6.1.1 COST

The cost of transportation for many was prohibitive. The cost of paying for transportation (gas, taxi or bus fare) either as the primary mode or as part of a multimodal trip made looking for work difficult. If the cost of travel was going to take a significant portion of their earnings then for some it did not make sense to work. Some needed to take jobs that were close to their homes to make it financially worthwhile:

ROB: If you are making minimum wage and you have to drive to Greenwood (approximately 50 km from where he lived) for a job, it’s just not worth it.

Sally who has a background in social services training and a visual impairment spoke passionately about the conundrum she was in regarding transportation and the jobs she was encouraged to apply for by employment services staff.

Sally: They are telling me I can’t do child welfare, or income assistance - because I don't drive, but they're sending me out for these other jobs that I have to drive for and they are like, ‘You can take a taxi?” Who is going to pay for it? When I get all my income from pay – you’ll take it all off, and take me off income assistance for four months. I only get $150 for transportation. I’ll be losing money by going to work if I’m not supported.

In Sally’s case she was in fact quite limited in her options as the Nova Scotia Department of Community Services’ Employment Support and Income Assistance program will only provide a maximum of $150 a month to clients for transportation. Sally needed more than $150 a month to get to a job and back: she lives in an area where she needs a taxi or shuttle. After a short period of time working Sally felt she would be able to take over financial responsibility for her transportation, but without the initial support she was stuck being unable to meet the travel requirements for the jobs she was trained for and being encouraged to take. In Sally’s case an inability to have the initial cost of her transportation for a job hindered her from moving towards self-sufficiency.

Participants who had access to a vehicle and were reliant on income supports also felt the burden of transportation costs. Lynne has married someone who supported her financially, but had been on social assistance at one point.

Lynne: Oh ok but now I do have access to a car but back then... I couldn’t really afford a car on social assistance.

Emma explains the dilemma of having access to a private vehicle, but her low income and isolation prevent her from using it.

Emma: I needed to go to the bank, because I don't have any money to put gas in my truck and therefore I can't get to the bank.

The rule of allowing a maximum of $150 for transportation can be severely limiting. Kings County and the majority of Nova Scotia are rural. In areas like the Halifax Regional Municipality $150 could provide significant freedom to an individual on Income Assistance as there is an expansive and coordinated public transit system.

Halifax’s transit system allows for individuals to access work options throughout the region with certainty. This is not the case for Kings County. Kings County has the incredible asset of simply having a public transportation system, which the majority of Nova Scotia municipalities do not. While not meeting the needs of all residents, the system is highly valued.

6.1.2 ACCESS

Many participants expressed concern over their access to bus service, even though the majority of people who participated in the Pathways Project lived in areas served by public transit. Those who expressed concern regarding access to transit were in two main groups a) those that lived in areas off the bus route and were unable to access the system and b) those that were on the route but had destinations outside of the normal bus route.

For some participants transportation access was not a direct barrier to employment but a barrier to accessing the services they needed to be able to work such as, food banks. For many getting the resources they needed could be a real struggle, reducing their resilience and energy to job search. This was especially true for those with mobility issues: over one-third of our participants. Those who had limited finances and flexibility in how and when the travelled had to expend a lot of time and energy getting around: in some cases a single errand could take up the entire day.

• Some participants mentioned that the only barrier they faced to engaging in seasonal labor was the lack of transportation to the job site[2].
• Access to other resources such as employment services or support groups was difficult. For some these services were their only means to search for employment, 26% of our participants did not have access to a home computer
• Access to more basic services such as food banks was a problem for most participants.

6.1.3 Scheduling

Even instances where cost or access was not the main issue, scheduling was problematic for many. Lynne sums up this problem fairly well.

Lynne: Transportation, so that might take I don’t know, how much or how many hours of thought and and, well ok, I can get transportation to there and on three days of the week and rely on something else for the other two and then its not just not like A to B its A to 1 to 2 to 3 to 4 to B.

The inability to rely on one primary form of transportation such as transit or walking year round is exceptionally problematic. When faced with the additional problem of linking up with other services or a multi-modal trip, a schedule can be easily disrupted. In cases where informal arrangements are made with family or friends the problem is further complicated by being subject to the sudden changes in other people’s lives. Emma expresses this problem as a situation ready for disaster:

Emma: I think that being either mentally challenged or brain injured people, our life becomes so hard to schedule…. And then when you have to rely on other people to do things for you - that throws another bomb into it that could explode at any time because there is all the unforeseen things.

Others saw reliance on the transit system as equally unreliable and felt this was a sentiment that employers held as well. A few participants were told that they were turned down for jobs due to their reliance on the transit system. Josh experienced this problem when applying for a minimum wage job at a fast food restaurant.

Josh: I told them I would be using the bus to get to work...they said I wouldn’t be reliable and I didn’t get the job.

The fact that employers recognize that the local transit system does not meet their needs for having employees show up regularly and on time significantly restricts the ability of those looking to re-enter the work force to get even entry level jobs.

The Kings County public transit:

Does not travel to where many entry level jobs are: The transit system does not coincide with supporting the most opportunity for those who are the most reliant on its services. Kings County has as its economic base the agricultural industry – which offers a large number of low skilled jobs - the location of these jobs are for the most part off of Highway 1 and the transit route. This situation applies to a number of other jobs that may be appropriate for low skilled, entry level workers such as call centers in the region.

Does not function to allow shift workers to use the system: The transit schedule does not operate during the hours that could accommodate various types of shift work. Not having the network or scheduling required to have access to a number of employment opportunities places a financial burden on those seeking work to either a) own and run a private car, or b) pay another person to transport them to and from work.

The inability to rely on modes other than private vehicles for transportation places an undue burden on those seeking work, in particular those who cannot afford the cost of purchasing and maintaining a car. For those with low incomes the cost of mileage and wear and tear on the car eats up a large portion of their earnings which leaves them with less money for other necessities such as food.

Several participants commented on their lack of proper clothing or appearance as being a barrier. Many felt that their inability to present themselves properly to employers was a problem and acted as a barrier to employment. Terry felt that because of his appearance he was already excluded from consideration.

Terry: Because I’m obese, can’t dress as well as other people – job interview type of dress is difficult to get, especially as I can’t afford much.

Jennifer was a special case:

Jennifer: And with my sensory modulation dysfunction I wear the softest oldest clothes that I can. I try to wear tidy clothes; I do try to be tidy. I'm doing something wrong I just can't figure out what it is.

While in an ideal world appearance would not be a deciding factor in the hiring process, in Kings County and elsewhere it still is. Employment Services staff and employers spoke about the need for job seekers to present themselves well at interviews, to be able to look like a “valuable employee”. In many cases this is not an overly large barrier, but for those who have limited finances it can be very daunting. In some cases making the decision to purchase appropriate clothing may mean that the individual will have to cut back on other expenses, most typically, food.

An assumption we had made at the outset of the project was that many people would not know how to use word processing or internet search applications to look for and apply for work. Nearly one third (32%) of those we interviewed said that they were not able to use a computer well enough to search and apply for jobs. Indicating for this portion of our participants a self-directed type of search using web based job banks and job searches would not be effective without additional training and / or support.

We asked those who indicated they could not use a computer well enough to search and apply for work whether they knew where to get help in learning how to use a computer for job search. Of these 50% knew where to go to get help with computer literacy and help with using the computer as a job search tool. The majority indicating that the libraries in their area served this function.

One participant in particular identified her computer literacy levels as a barrier to employment and actively sought out courses to get the training she felt she needed. However, she was frustrated by the time it was taking the course provider to get it organized.

Emma: They (local employment service provider) were supposed to do a computer course all summer and they haven't done it yet. Are they going to do it? We are three weeks away from September! In September, I'll be in another program by then. Are they going to do it? I'm going to ask again today.

Staff we spoke to expressed concern primarily about the issue of transportation. It was generally accepted that the current public transit model does not meet the needs of most job seekers in Kings County.

Employment Support staff informed us that in cases where clients lived in areas off of the public transit system staff would attempt to develop a contract with friends or neighbours of the client to provide transportation. While this worked in some cases, it was noted that this required some effort on the part of the client, and for those who were socially isolated this would be a major barrier. Additionally trips would be dependent on the lives of people other than the client, which removed a lot of flexibility in how, when and where they were able to access resources and look for work.

Several Employment Support workers stated that they respected the client’s right to live where they chose, but highlighted for them the consequence that they might not find work. Some workers suggested to clients that if they wanted to find a job their best option was to move to a location that offered more opportunity, such as Kentville. The clients had to make a choice between staying in a community where they were known and moving to a new location with the assumption that this would increase opportunities for employment. Some participants were reluctant to move in order to have better job prospects.

Other staff verified participants concerns over appearance.

ES Staff: Who wants to hire someone for food service who has bad teeth? When you look at employers - we are most often comfortable with those who are like us. What about someone who has excellent skills but has a lot of tattoos? Those things still factor in somewhere along the line in who gets the job.

There were few suggestions regarding how to address the majority of functional barriers that participants identified.

An overarching recommendation would be to increase awareness and the quality of information about emergency supports that address the functional barriers presented in this chapter, e.g., locations of C@P sites and hours of operation.

6.1 Transportation

 Research alternative community-based options

 Use school buses for increased access to and from areas off of the County’s Highway #1

 Develop a regional ride share database and advertise it in public locations

6.2 Computer access and Computer literacy

 Continue or potentially increase funding to C@P sites, libraries, and other public computer access sites throughout the County to increase job search programs

6.3 Appearance

 Continue current practice of allowing the donation of clothing directly to the Department of Community Services and other employment support services.

 Develop a clothing and other work related items bank that is open to the public