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Do Financial Incentives for Training and Caseworker Meetings Enhance Re-Employment?

Author

Listed:
  • Kyyrä, Tomi

    (VATT, Helsinki)

  • Verho, Jouko Kullervo

    (VATT, Helsinki)

Abstract

In 2005, displaced workers in Finland with at least three years of work history were given the option to enroll in a Re-employment Program. Participants met with a caseworker at the beginning of their unemployment and drafted an employment plan. In return, they became eligible for higher benefits for four weeks, as well as for the duration of individually targeted training programs specified in their plan. The program aimed to provide early counseling, encourage participation in labor market training, and improve matches between training programs and job seekers. Using a difference-in-differences approach, we show that the program increased caseworker meetings and participation in training programs but had no effect on unemployment duration in the short run or employment in the longer run. The effect on training participation was particularly strong for men, older workers and low-skilled workers, yet unemployment and employment effects were equally disappointing across all subgroups.

Suggested Citation

  • Kyyrä, Tomi & Verho, Jouko Kullervo, 2025. "Do Financial Incentives for Training and Caseworker Meetings Enhance Re-Employment?," IZA Discussion Papers 17881, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
  • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17881
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    active labor market policy; re-employment; caseworkers; unemployment benefits; labor market training;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C21 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Cross-Sectional Models; Spatial Models; Treatment Effect Models
    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search
    • J68 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Public Policy

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