The Czech Republic has one of the lowest levels of unemployment in the EU. Despite that, there is still a relatively large group of people here, who have trouble entering the labour market. It is difficult for them to overcome varied barriers that prevent them from finding quality employment on their own. They require different types of support to overcome those barriers. Public administration can play a key role in aiding this process, and there are already a number of functioning examples of to prove this.
A Good Job in the Neighborhood project aims to support and develop ways of employing persons who face difficulties entering the labour market in their towns and neighborhoods. In order for employment in the municipality to be a truly good job, it has to allow people who are threatened by social exclusion to make a real life change. It is crucial to support the creation of employment opportunities directly by the local administrations, as well as supporting social services.
The project is made up of two consecutive parts. The first part is focused on research and analysis with the goal to map out (a) key barriers that prevent certain groups of people from gaining and retaining quality employment, (b) existing practices of job creation and support systems for employed individuals, which local administrations are directly involved in, and (c) inspirational examples from the sphere of employment from other countries.
The research will then be followed by the second part of the project, which entails direct involvement in the creation of job opportunities and systems of employment with the active engagement of local authorities, which will be carried out in six municipalities or micro-regions around the Czech Republic. Along with providing this support, we will also create analyses of the local situation, set up an evaluation system for the measures that will be introduced, support an exchange of experiences between towns and learning visits abroad with the goal of adapting successful practices to the Czech context.
Project outputs will include research and analytical papers, statistical analyses concerning the geographical distribution of unemployment, as well as methodological tools for local authorities and other relevant actors for the introduction of appropriate forms of public employment. These documents will contribute to efforts to improve the situation of the long-term unemployed, to develop communities and to make public spending more effective.
In order to publicize our finding, we will hold meetings of experts and other public events on the local and national level. There will also be a blog, where we will publish our outputs and results during the course of the project, as well as interesting examples of good practices and analyses on connected topics.