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Public Employment Services and Employers: How Important Are Networks with Firms?

Author

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  • Behncke, Stefanie

    (Swiss National Bank)

  • Frölich, Markus

    (University of Mannheim)

  • Lechner, Michael

    (University of St. Gallen)

Abstract

This paper examines whether contacts between caseworkers in public employment offices and employers impact on the reemployment chances of the unemployed they counsel. This analysis is made possible through a large administrative dataset on unemployed combined with an extensive survey of caseworkers' characteristics and their strategies. This data was created for evaluating public employment services in Switzerland. We use econometric techniques from the treatment evaluation literature to identify causal effects of a more intense employer focus of the caseworkers. The estimation results indicate that caseworkers who maintain direct contacts to firms achieve higher reintegration rates.

Suggested Citation

  • Behncke, Stefanie & Frölich, Markus & Lechner, Michael, 2007. "Public Employment Services and Employers: How Important Are Networks with Firms?," IZA Discussion Papers 3005, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp3005
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    6. Conny Wunsch & Michael Lechner, 2008. "What Did All the Money Do? On the General Ineffectiveness of Recent West German Labour Market Programmes," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 61(1), pages 134-174, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Wifo, 2017. "WIFO-Monatsberichte, Heft 6/2017," WIFO Monatsberichte (monthly reports), WIFO, vol. 90(6), June.
    2. Pierre Koning, 2009. "The effectiveness of Public Employment Service workers in the Netherlands," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 37(2), pages 393-409, October.
    3. Jonas Maibom & Michael Rosholm & Michael Svarer, 2017. "Experimental Evidence on the Effects of Early Meetings and Activation," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 119(3), pages 541-570, July.
    4. Rainer Eppel & Helmut Mahringer & Petra Sauer, 2017. "Österreich 2025 – Arbeitslosigkeit und die Rolle der aktiven Arbeitsmarktpolitik," WIFO Monatsberichte (monthly reports), WIFO, vol. 90(6), pages 493-505, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    new public management; public employment services; employer focus;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J68 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Public Policy

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    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

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