Although Norway has a relatively small proportion of young people who are Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET), compared to other countries, NEETs in Norway are more vulnerable compared to NEETs of a similar age in the rest of Europe. A large proportion of Norwegian NEETs have poorer mental health, and lower levels of education compared to other European NEETs. Health, including mental health, is an important factor for why many young Norwegians find themselves outside the labour force and education: 11% of male NEETs and 24% of female NEETs are left outside because of health issues. Among female NEETs, mental health issues are the most common reasons. Among NEETs with health issues, there is also a high risk of remaining in the NEET category long term. A survey conducted between 2008–2013 showed that 94% of young people who had NEET status because of health issues in 2008, still remained in this category after five years (Fyhn, Radlick & Sveinsdottir, 2021).
The Norwegian labour market today is characterized by an increased focus on efficiency and productivity. This development has consequences for people’s potential to access the labour market, where the need for highly skilled workers is steadily rising (Strand & Svalund, 2021). The main reasons behind the status of the NEETs can be explained on two levels. On the individual level, the mental health issues that NEETs experience, in combination with a lack of secondary or higher education and work experience, creates challenges for the NEETs to be active on the labour market. Studies find that employers are sceptical to employ people with mental or physical health issues (Strand & Svalund, 2021). On the socioeconomical level, the increasing demand for efficacy and productivity, and therefore highly skilled workers, results in NEETs facing difficulties accessing the labour market (Strand & Svalund, 2021). There is a concern regarding the increased number of young adults receiving disability benefits or work clearance allowance in Norway, questioning whether this increase is connected to a medicalization trend, since these financial benefits require a medical diagnosis. The political goal is therefore to increase the number of young adults participating in work qualification programs instead (NOU 2021:2).
An initiative targeting this goal is called Supported Employment Youth (IPS Ung). This intervention aims to close the gap between the labour market and NEETs with mental illness and drug addictions. The target group of Supported Employment Youth includes NEETs in the age group 16 – 29, who are at risk of disability (due to mental illness and drug addictions) at an early age (Nav.no, n.d.). Supported Employment entails a professional – often called a job specialist – supporting a young person who has (often severe) mental health issues and/or drug addiction in the process towards employment and time after, with the aim of enabling the youth to get employed, and to keep the job over time (ipsnor.no, n.d.). These professionals do not only map the youth and their background, but also the employers and organizations for the purpose of matchmaking between the youth and organizations.
A notable aspect of Supported Employment Youth is that systematic and frequent follow-up of NEETs is not only effective regarding employment outcomes, but also regarding outcomes of mental, and psychological well-being. An evaluation of the initiative (in the form of a randomized control trial), concluded that in comparison to traditional vocational rehabilitation, Supported Employment Youth had a positive effect not only on NEETs’ employment, but also on their well-being: NEETs reported feeling less hopeless and more hopeful after their participation (Sveinsdottir et al., 2020). Supported Employment is a method that is imported from other countries and is therefore a method that shows a wide application potential.
The implementation of Supported Employment on youth in Norway has shown to be effective, especially for NEETs with lighter and moderate mental health issues. The tailored individual support and follow up seems to be the key success factor (Sveinsdottir et al., 2020). Supported Employment Youth has potential applicability in contexts where NEETs have similar backgrounds.
Literature
Fyhn, T, Radlick, R.L. & Sveinsdottir, V. (2021). Norwegian youth who are outside of school and the labor market. (Unge som står utenfor arbeid, opplæring og utdanning (NEET). En analyse av unge i NEET-kategorien). Report 2:2021. NORCE.
IPSNOR.no (n.d.). The trial of IPS Youth (Forsøket IPS Ung). Retrived from https://ipsnor.no 18th of June, 2022.
Nav.no (n.d.). IPS Youth – Individual Carriere Support (IPS ung – individuell karrierestøtte). Retrieved from https://www.nav.no/ips-ung#kortom 18th of June, 2022.
NOU 2021:2. Competence, activity and Income sevcurity – Measures for increased employment (Kompetanse, aktivitet og inntektssikring. Tiltak for økt sysselsetting).
Strand, A.H. & Svalund, J. (2021). Welfare programmes for youth: Applying work assessment benefits and qualificatins programmes on youth not in employment or education (Velferdsordninger til unge: Bruk av arbeidsavklaringspenger og kvalifiseringsprogram blant unge utenfor arbeid og utdanning). Oslo: Fafo-rapport 2021: 35.
Sveinsdottir V., Lie S.A., Bond G.R., Eriksen H.R., Tveito T.H., Grasdal A.L., & Reme S.E. (2020).
Individual placement and support for young adults at risk of early work disability (the SEED trial). A randomized controlled trial. In Scand J Work Environ Health 2020;46(1), pp. 50-59. DOI: 10.5271/sjweh.3837
