In order to tackle the large-scale collective redundancies that have occurred in the industrial district of North-East Estonia and the higher than average unemployment rate in the region, Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund has targeted additional labour market measures in the region. While the selection of measures is wider, this research focuses on two of them: financial support to participate in formal training and financial support targeted to employers to create new jobs.
The aim of the research is to analyse the experience of the people and employers, who have made use of the measure – their situation before and after the measure.
Three main questions lie at the core of the research:
- What kind of effect have the measures had on their users either in labour market or acquiring education?
- What are the main obstacles for the measures to be successful, including in creating new jobs, updating people’s education or supporting retraining?
- What is necessary to ensure the success of these measures?
These questions are analysed from the perspective of the users, focusing on their experience and feedback.
The research is based on qualitative data – interviews with people, who have taken up formal training or who have been employed through the measures; employers, who have created new jobs with the support and schools, who have enrolled students with the measure. The results of this research complement the quantitative analysis by Unemployment Insurance Fund on the use and results of the measures.
The research is conducted by Praxis and Center for Applied Anthropology of Estonia.