LLG for jobseekers Guidance and counselling services provided

LLG for jobseekers Guidance and counselling services provided by PES in Slovakia Differences and similarities in approach to unemployed and employed job seekers Štefan Grajcár, COLSAF www. vdab. be 0800 30 700 Dissemination seminar, Brussels, February 19, 2009

LLG for jobseekers Contents • Short history of career guidance and counselling services in Slovak PES • Current legislation defining guidance and counselling • Contribution of guidance services to efforts focused on reducing consequences of present crisis on the labour market www. vdab. be 0800 30 700

LLG for jobseekers History of Slovak PES since 1990 q Before 1990: no employment services, ″full“ and even compulsory employment q 1990 – 1996: Employment Services Administration as part of the ministry of labour, a network of labour offices q 1997 – 2003: National Labour Office as a public institution built on tripartite principles; three levels of NLO (national, regional, local) q 2004 until now: Central Office and local Offices of Labour, Social Affairs and Family as budgetary organisations under the MOLSAF q Two types of clients from the very beginning – unemployed and employed job seekers www. vdab. be 0800 30 700

LLG for jobseekers Definition of guidance and counselling services (1) q 1991: career (vocational) guidance and counselling helping people in their assertion on the labour market defined as part of economic and social policy, thus supporting to fulfil targets of national employment policy q 1993: three types of guidance and counselling services - information and guidance services - counselling services - special counselling services (psychological and medical) www. vdab. be 0800 30 700

LLG for jobseekers Definition of guidance and counselling services (2) q 1997: guidance and counselling as a tool helping clients in - choosing a career (mainly for young people), - choosing or selection of employment including its change - selection of an employee (for an employer), q guidance and counselling is provided for ″citizens“ (not distinguishing between unemployed and employed job seekers) www. vdab. be 0800 30 700

LLG for jobseekers Current legislation q Act. No. 453/2003 on state administration institutions in the area of social affairs, family and employment services (valid since January 2004) Organisational structure of PES SR – Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family – Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family – 46 Offices of Labour, Social Affairs and Family – 135 contact points throughout the country q Act No. 5/2004 of Employment Services, valid since February 1, 2004, with major amendments valid since May 2008 www. vdab. be 0800 30 700

LLG for jobseekers Guidance and counselling in current legislation (1) • distinction is made between career information and guidance services on one hand counselling services on the other • all three types or levels of these services are part of active labour market measures www. vdab. be 0800 30 700

LLG for jobseekers Guidance and counselling in current legislation (2) q information and guidance services are provided by the office to citizens, unemployed and employed job seekers and to employers q counselling services can be provided by the office to unemployed and employed job seekers www. vdab. be 0800 30 700

LLG for jobseekers Information and guidance services defined as part of mediation services are services focused on: q q choosing a career (mainly for young people), selection of employment including its change selection of an employee (for an employer), adaptation of an employee in new employment Information and guidance services are also services providing information and advice on q vacancies and employment possibilities in the territory of the Slovak Republic and abroad, q requirements of individual occupations, q possibilities and conditions of participating in active labour market measures and programmes, q conditions of claiming unemployment benefits, etc. www. vdab. be 0800 30 700

LLG for jobseekers Counselling services q are focusing on solving problems associated with job seeker's employability, on harmonizing his/her personal characteristics with requirements of a certain job, as well as on improving his/her decision making, job search and other skills needed for successful personal and social adaptation to the labour market q counselling services are provided internally or externally (outsourcing) mainly for disadvantaged unemployed (registered) job seekers – here individual action plan is offered to specific group of clients (mainly those under 25, over 50 years of age, long term unemployed, etc. ) q counselling services may be provided by counsellors with university degree (master level) www. vdab. be 0800 30 700

LLG for jobseekers Active labour market measures are focusing on q increasing employability of unemployed job seekers q creation of new jobs q supporting to maintain employment, retain employed people in their job places q currently there about 20 active LM measures (and few others are focused on people with disabilities), 5 new will be introduced since March 2009 – only two of them have direct link to guidance and counselling services q recent development of registered unemployment rate Ø Ø October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 Source: COLSAF/UPSVAR www. vdab. be 0800 30 700 7. 54 7. 80 8. 39 9. 03

LLG for jobseekers Thank you for your attention! Štefan Grajcár Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family Bratislava, Slovak Republic stefan. grajcar@upsvar. sk www. vdab. be 0800 30 700