Support and Response (Research on Downgraded Workers from the Perspective of Social Work)

Author: Gu Donghui
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-02-01
Features: Researchers generally describe the content of unemployed individuals' job-seeking behavior in two ways.
The first type of researcher simply outlines the content of job-seeking behavior, such as Kanfer and Hulin who pointed out multiple types of job-seeking behaviors: searching for job advertisements in newspapers, discussing job prospects with family and friends, preparing resumes, contacting employment agencies and job assistance centers, telephoning employers, filling out job applications, attending interviews, and other behaviors (1985: 836–839). For example, van Ryn and Vinokur categorized job-seeking activities as: reading newspapers or other publications about job openings, registering at employment agencies, discussing job opportunities with family and friends, sending personal resumes, filling out applications, telephoning, writing letters, visiting potential employers, participating in job interviews, improving one's self-image, and contacting public service institutions (1992: 586). Marko and Fagan found that job-seeking activities included: responding to newspaper job advertisements, applying for jobs by letter, writing personal resumes, taking tests or answering questions to discover one's strengths, participating in job interviews, applying for unadvertised positions with employers, receiving information on how to seek and apply for jobs, participating in work experience and internship programs, and understanding what kind of job one needs (1996). Clearly, these studies only list individual behaviors and fail to reflect the similarities and differences between them.
The second type of researcher not only identifies the content of job-seeking behavior but also categorizes it. For example, Kaufman believed that job-seeking behavior falls into five categories: ① formal methods, such as referrals from private employment agencies, national employment service agencies, and discovering job advertisements in professional publications; ② direct methods, such as applying directly to employers, advertising or responding to newspaper ads; ③ interpersonal contacts, such as through professional associations and introductions from family and friends; ④ professional resources, such as obtaining information or referrals through professional associations, professional publications, and colleagues in the same field; ⑤ free services, such as national computer placement services, outreach services from former employers, college placement services, and utilizing national employment services (1982: 153–192). Wielgosz and Carpenter pointed out that job-seeking can be divided into formal and informal methods: the former includes registering with public and government employment service agencies, private employment agencies, school placement offices, union employment associations, and newspaper ads; the latter includes meeting potential employers directly or through intermediaries such as family and friends (1987: 162–163). Sprengers and other scholars found that unemployed individuals obtain new jobs through three methods: informal contacts, such as through informal networks like family and friends; formal channels, such as through labor agencies and newspapers; and direct methods, such as applying to employers and self-employment (1988: 101).
The International Labour Organization defines employment as paid employment or self-employment for people of a certain age group. Paid employment refers to being currently employed, i.e., earning money or compensation, or having a position but not working. Self-employment refers to engaging in labor to earn money or profit or income for oneself or one's family, i.e., being currently employed, or owning a business but temporarily not working due to special circumstances. The job-seeking behavior of unemployed individuals includes: registering with private or public employment agencies, applying to employers