Job clubs are increasing in the U.S. Jobs clubs are to help the unemployed with emotional and professional support while looking for jobs. There are about 10,000 job clubs in the country. These clubs used to be run by older people who had a decade of professional experience but now it seems like people in their 20s are making their own clubs. Job clubs have been specific for underemployed workers which is a big concern for post-college people.
http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/real-money-with-alivelshi/Real-Money-Blog/2014/2/27/jobs-clubs-for-millennials.html
http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/real-money-with-alivelshi/Real-Money-Blog/2014/2/27/jobs-clubs-for-millennials.html
4 comments:
Is this practically what Sweden does with helping the unemployed look for a job through matching and a case worker? It seems like the government should be supporting these institutions to decrease unemployment.
If these "job clubs" are similar to how Sweden keeps their unemployment low, then yes, the government should try to assist these programs because they would be very useful. However, it seems that there are those that are opening which may or may not have the benefit of a knowledgeable "case worker" to assist in building skills or looking for openings to apply for. And a proliferation of them may ultimately end up not being useful, if people who do want help can't find useful, productive, and well established job clubs. But perhaps, as you suggest, if the government supported these institutions, it would be a very viable option to lowering unemployment by finding qualified individuals to head them.
I think job clubs teach job seekers three important lessons that everyone must learn before getting a job: networking, accepting rejection and leaving your egos behind. Job clubs are a great idea, but the question is how effective they are. There is no data about this, and there might be no data because there is no resource, either labor or capital. I agree that the government should be involved. The great things about the those clubs are job seekers who may have different backgrounds can share their experiences to each other, and they all receive both career and emotional supports.
I also think job clubs teach important lessons to job seekers, however with the lack of data that we currently have regarding the results of job clubs it is hard to gauge how beneficial they actually are in decreasing the unemployment rate. If job clubs demonstrate to be beneficial in the future I would still hesitate to put government funding into job clubs. It seems to me that job clubs are an excellent support system for job seekers, however I do not see evidence of any technical aid given to job seekers such as a government funded organization to help lower the unemployment rate, like those in Sweden. With no technical aid, job clubs should be highly encouraged but not government funded.
Post a Comment