World Bank2014-07-182014-07-182008-10-17https://hdl.handle.net/10986/18915Roma in marginalized localities in the Czech Republic have not benefited from the recent improving employment opportunities in the Czech labor market. Employment among Roma is low and labor market participation limited, often driven by lacking labor market opportunities. The labor market status among the Roma is strongly driven by educational attainment and skills, and the vast majority of Roma in marginalized communities suffer from low attainment and lacking functional literacy and numeracy skills. As a result a majority rely on traditionally generous social welfare benefits to make ends meet. In an effort to reduce this welfare trap the Czech Government has introduced measures to reduce benefits and tighten conditions for long-term unemployed who are inactive. However, with very low demand for low or unskilled labor and widespread indebtedness of Roma which acts as a binding barrier to choosing formal employment, this tightening of beneficiaries' incentives alone will not suffice in enhancing their employment chances. It requires effective interventions by the employment services; yet in its current set-up the Czech labor office appears not well placed to provide effective support to long-term unemployed and disadvantaged job-seekers such as Roma. A new approach to improving job chances for socially excluded youth and adults is necessary, involving a new way of engagement through the labor office and contracted third sector service providers and with integrated activation services addressing multiple barriers to employment such as skills deficits, lack of child care, indebtedness and others. However, given the large skills gap of Roma and the receding demand for elementary skills in the labor market, the key long-term strategy to prevent Roma joblessness has to focus on improving educational outcomes for Roma.en-USCC BY 3.0 IGOACTIVE LABORACTIVE LABOR MARKETACTIVE LABOR MARKET POLICIESACTIVE LABOR MARKET PROGRAMACTIVE LABOR MARKET PROGRAMSADVISERSALLOCATION OF RESOURCESAVERAGE WAGEBASIC HUMAN RIGHTBASIC LITERACYCAREER COUNSELINGCHILD CARECLERKSCOMPULSORY EDUCATIONCURRENT LABOR FORCEDISABILITYDISADVANTAGED GROUPSDISCRIMINATIONDRIVERSEARLY CHILDHOODEARNINGEDUCATION FOR ALLEDUCATION POLICYEDUCATION PROGRAMSEDUCATION SYSTEMEDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENTELEMENTARY EDUCATIONEMPLOYABILITYEMPLOYMENTEMPLOYMENT INCENTIVESEMPLOYMENT OFFICEEMPLOYMENT OFFICESEMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIESEMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITYEMPLOYMENT OUTCOMESEMPLOYMENT POLICIESEMPLOYMENT POLICYEMPLOYMENT PROGRAMSEMPLOYMENT PROMOTIONEMPLOYMENT PROSPECTSEMPLOYMENT RATEEMPLOYMENT SERVICEEMPLOYMENT STATUSEQUAL OPPORTUNITIESEQUAL OPPORTUNITYFAMILY SIZEFINDING EMPLOYMENTFOREIGN WORKERSFORMAL EDUCATIONFUNDAMENTAL RIGHTSFUTURE LABORGENDER DIFFERENCESHIGH UNEMPLOYMENTHIGH UNEMPLOYMENT RATESHIGH WAGEHOUSEHOLD INCOMEHUMAN CAPITALHUMAN DEVELOPMENTHUMAN RESOURCESHUMAN RIGHTSILLITERACYINCOME SUPPORTINEQUITIESINFORMAL EMPLOYMENTINSURANCEJOB MARKETJOB OFFERSJOB OPPORTUNITIESJOB PLACEMENTJOB SEARCHJOB SEARCH ASSISTANCEJOB SEEKERSJOB TENUREJOB-SEEKERSJOBSLABOR DEMANDLABOR FORCELABOR FORCE PARTICIPATIONLABOR FORCESLABOR MARKETLABOR MARKET CONDITIONSLABOR MARKET EXPERIENCELABOR MARKET NEEDSLABOR MARKET OUTCOMESLABOR MARKET POLICIESLABOR MARKET PROGRAMSLABOR MARKET SUCCESSLABOR OFFICELABOR OFFICESLABOR SUPPLYLABOR SUPPLY INCENTIVESLEGISLATORSLEVEL OF EDUCATIONLEVELS OF EDUCATIONLIFELONG LEARNINGLONG-TERM EMPLOYMENTLONG-TERM UNEMPLOYMENTLOW EMPLOYMENTMARKET ECONOMYMINIMUM WAGEMINISTRY OF EDUCATIONMINORITYMODERNIZATIONMOTIVATIONNUMBER OF CHILDRENOCCUPATIONOCCUPATIONSOLD REGIMEOLDER WORKERSON-THE-JOB TRAININGPERFORMANCE MONITORINGPILOT PROJECTSPOLICY IMPLICATIONSPOPULATION GROUPSPREVENTIVE ACTIONPREVIOUS JOBPREVIOUS JOB EXPERIENCEPREVIOUS WAGEPREVIOUS WORKPREVIOUS WORK EXPERIENCEPRIMARY EDUCATIONPRIMARY REASONPRIMARY SCHOOLPRIME AGEPRIOR WORK EXPERIENCEPRIVATE EMPLOYMENTPRIVATE EMPLOYMENT SERVICESPRIVATE PROVISIONPRIVATE SECTORPRIVATE TRAININGPRIVATE TRAINING PROVIDERSPRODUCTION WAGEPUBLIC EMPLOYMENTPUBLIC EMPLOYMENT SERVICEPUBLIC EMPLOYMENT SERVICESPUBLIC POLICYPUBLIC WORKSPUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMSPURPOSEFUL JOBSQUALITY EDUCATIONQUALITY SERVICESREGIONAL LABOR OFFICEREGULAR JOBSRESEARCH TEAMRESPECTRETIREMENTROLE MODELSROLE OF WOMENSCHOOL CHILDRENSEARCH COSTSSECONDARY EDUCATIONSERVICE PROVIDERSSERVICE PROVISIONSKILL LEVELSKILLED WORKERSKILLED WORKERSSKILLS ASSESSMENTSOCIAL AFFAIRSSOCIAL BENEFITSSOCIAL INCLUSIONSOCIAL NEEDSSOCIAL PROTECTIONSOCIAL SCIENCESSOCIAL STATUSSOCIAL SUPPORTSOCIAL WELFARESOCIAL WORKERSSUBSIDIZED EMPLOYMENTTEMPORARY JOBTRAINING COURSETRAINING COURSESTRAINING PROGRAMSTRAINING PROVIDERTRANSPORTATIONUNEMPLOYEDUNEMPLOYED PERSONSUNEMPLOYMENTUNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITSUNEMPLOYMENT RATEUNSKILLED LABORUNSKILLED WORKERSVOCATIONAL EDUCATIONVOCATIONAL TRAININGWAGE DISTRIBUTIONWAGE INEQUALITYWAGE LEVELSWAGESWORK MOTIVATIONWORKFORCEYOUNG AGEYOUNG PEOPLE10.1596/18915