Abstract

The project analyses the extent and the structure of long-term nonemployment in international comparison within Europe. Long-term nonemployment refers to working-age persons who are either unemployed or inactive and have been out of employment for more than two years. The focus is on identifying the problematic "core" of long-term nonemployment. These are mainly the (long-term) unemployed, inactive persons because of sickness or disability, early-retired persons, and recipients of other social transfers (e.g. social assistence). There is a certain degree of substitutability between these different forms of nonemployment, depending on the institutional and policy framework in a country. The project analyses the interaction between the institutional framework and the extent and the composition of long-term nonemployment, using the variation both between and within the countries, and tries to identify "best practice" examples for successful integration into employment.