Activation Policies for the Poor in OIC Member States
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health problems. These lighter requirements have enabled policy makers in some countries to
negotiate the political opposition that is likely to be experienced when extending activation
requirements to more vulnerable groups.
Studies of the influences of public employment office characteristics and counsellor strategies on the
reintegration of jobseekers have found positive correlations of job-finding probabilities with:
 Good staff relations to employers, particularly in terms of knowledge of employer needs, careful
use of direct referrals, rapid reaction to vacancies, and careful pre-selection
 The extent of co-operation with private placement agencies
 ‘Tough’ rather than more co-operative attitudes of case workers to their clients
 The use of ‘work-first’ strategies, i.e. priority of placement over training measures
 The organisational separation of counselling and sanctions
Studies on success factors responsible for rapid and sustained jobseeker integration have identified
four key success factors:
1 Early activation when jobseekers register, with a rapid start of the reintegration process and
strong guidance by competent case workers
2 Personal contacts with employers by all job counsellors
3 Recruitment of motivated and highly trained personnel
4 Good staff/client ratios
1.3.2 Impacts of activation
Despite the varying nature of activation strategies, the evidence suggests that, overall, if well
designed, activation strategies have the potential to have the following positive effects:
 Increase the labour supply of economic active people
 Improve the employability of the workforce through maintaining their connection with the
labour market and increasing skill levels
 Reduce the flow of unemployed people into long-term unemployment
 Increase the extent of job search within the economy leading to better job matches
 Reduce the fiscal cost of welfare benefits
Several studies have assessed the delivery of activation strategies through analysing the design,
sequencing and intensity of administrative interventions by the PES during a period of
unemployment.7 When well designed and implemented, such interventions have been found to
increase the rate at which jobseekers enter employment or otherwise cease claiming benefits.
Well-designed interventions often are associated with ‘work first’ approaches and typically include
an emphasis on a speedy return to work for the unemployed from the very first contact, with the
agreement of an individual action or ‘back to work’ plan. This should be followed by regular
7 For an overview of these studies and references, see: ‘Activation and employment support policies in OECD countries. An overview
of current approaches.’ Herwig Immervoll and Stefano Scarpetta, IZA Journal of Labor Policy, 2012