Influence of work-welfare cycling and labour market segmentation on employment histories of young long-term unemployed

McTier, A. and McGregor, A. (2018) Influence of work-welfare cycling and labour market segmentation on employment histories of young long-term unemployed. Work, Employment and Society, 32(1), pp. 20-37. (doi: 10.1177/0950017017697857)

Abstract

The onset of the ‘Great Recession’ from 2008 was associated with a significant increase in long-term unemployment among young people. Work–welfare cycling has been put forward as a contributory factor. Drawing on a large-scale survey of long-term unemployed young people, this article argues that segmented labour market theory provides a strong explanatory framework for understanding the nature of long-term unemployment among young people, with the literature on work–welfare cycling contributing to an understanding of one of the processes by which precarious employment impacts on employability and labour supply. A second key finding is the heterogeneous nature of the young long-term unemployed, which in turn requires policy responses more customized to the needs of the different groups.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: McGregor, Professor Alan and McTier, Mr Alexander
• Authors: McTier, A., and McGregor, A.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > Adam Smith Business School
• Journal Name: Work, Employment and Society
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• ISSN: 0950-0170
• ISSN (Online): 1469-8722
• Published Online: 03 May 2017
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2017 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Work, Employment and Society 32(1): 20-37
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy