Unemployed and Their Caseworkers: Should They Be Friends or Foes?

IZA Discussion Paper No. 3149

University of St.Gallen, Department of Economics, Discussion Paper No. 2007-45

51 Pages Posted: 28 Nov 2007

See all articles by Stefanie Behncke

Stefanie Behncke

IZA Institute of Labor Economics; Swiss National Bank

Markus Frölich

Universität Mannheim, Chair of Econometrics

Michael Lechner

University of St. Gallen - Swiss Institute for Empirical Economic Research

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: November 2007

Abstract

In many countries, caseworkers in a public employment office have the dual roles of counselling and monitoring unemployed persons. These roles often conflict with each other leading to important caseworker heterogeneity: Some consider providing services to their clients and satisfying their demands as their primary task. Others may however pursue their strategies even against the will of the unemployed person. They may assign job assignments and labour market programmes without consent of the unemployed person. Based on a very detailed linked jobseeker-caseworker dataset, we investigate the effects of caseworkers' cooperativeness on the employment probabilities of their clients. Modified statistical matching methods reveal that caseworkers who place less emphasis on a cooperative and harmonic relationship with their clients increase their employment chances in the short and medium term.

Keywords: public employment services, unemployment, statistical matching methods

JEL Classification: J68, C31

Suggested Citation

Behncke, Stefanie and Frölich, Markus and Lechner, Michael, Unemployed and Their Caseworkers: Should They Be Friends or Foes? (November 2007). IZA Discussion Paper No. 3149, University of St.Gallen, Department of Economics, Discussion Paper No. 2007-45, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1033353 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1033353

Stefanie Behncke

IZA Institute of Labor Economics ( email )

Bonn, D-53072

Swiss National Bank ( email )

Financial Stability
Bundesplatz 1
Bern, 3003
Switzerland

Markus Frölich

Universität Mannheim, Chair of Econometrics ( email )

L7, 3-5
68131 Mannheim
D-Mannheim, 68131
Germany

HOME PAGE: http://froelich.vwl.uni-mannheim.de

Michael Lechner (Contact Author)

University of St. Gallen - Swiss Institute for Empirical Economic Research ( email )

Varnbuelstrasse 14
St. Gallen, 9000
Switzerland
+41 71 224 2320 (Phone)

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