Employability: From Theory to Practice

In the struggle against unemployment and marginalization, employability has become the one major tool to counteract this phenomenon. Those who have no chances to develop or enhance their employability will fail in the competitive labor market of the new economic order. While the notion of employability is not exactly new, the weight now being placed upon it is new: to equip job seekers for the far-reaching changes currently taking place in the economy and the world of work. What is at stake? Is employability an instrument for the regulation of the labor market, distinguishing between the employable and the unemployable? Or is it a set of measures to facilitate the insertion or reinsertion of workers into the workforce? Is employability in the future the defining policy framework for labor market policies? What are the consequences of such a development for policy makers? Employability: From Theory to Practice addresses these questions. Its internationally renowned authors provide a valuable contribution to the conceptual and operational content of the notion of employability. The form and content of measures of employability vary by state, but represent a general trend. Part 1 deals with the concepts and instruments of employability. Part 2 evaluates measures implemented in a number of countries to improve employability of job-seekers. The countries involved are the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, New Zealand, Poland, and Slovakia. Part 3 showcases a practical approach with Canada, which in 1996-97 moved from an unemployment to an employment insurance. This volume shows both the possibilities and limitations of measures to promote employability. It helps clarify complex policy questions which will contribute to a better understanding of the concept for policy makers and administrators. It will help policy makers, professionals, and scholars assess current trends in the workplace.