NO-LINC
Norwegian labour inclusion of young people at risk of exclusion (NO-LINC)
Project period: 2023-2027
Funding: The Research Council of Norway
Project number: 33451
Project owner: NTNU Social Research
Project Manager (PI): Stian H. Thoresen
This research proposal addresses a Norwegian paradox: While employment rates are high, unemployment low (acknowledging diverse impacts of the current COVID-19 situation) and the toolbox of labour market supports well developed, the proportion of the working age population on disability benefits is high and the employment rate of disabled people mediocre relative to other comparable countries. Thus, the 2006 OECD review of “Sickness, disability and work” concluded that “the key challenge for Norway is to understand why the existing frameworks, which look good, are not delivering”. Today’s situation remains very much the same. Labour force participation for persons with disabilities is well below ambitions and the proportion of working aged persons on disability benefits has exceeded 10 per cent. The only recent change relates to the age distribution of beneficiaries, as the proportion of persons on disability benefits is decreasing among older persons (aged 55+) and increasing among younger people – in particular people aged 18-29 years. The NO-LINC project will unpack this conundrum by exploring pathways and support systems for younger persons at risk of labour market exclusion.
The overall aim of NO-LINC is to generate new knowledge on barriers and facilitators for successful transitions and pathways for young people with RWC at risk of labour market exclusion that can strengthen policy and practice responses.
Core research group
The core team comprises people from NTNU Social Research, two departments at NTNU (Department of Social Work (DSW) Dept. of Neuromedicine & Movement Science (DNM)), SINTEF, Oslo Metropolitan University (Oslo MET), and Centre for Disability Studies (CDS) at the University of Sydney, Australia. NO-LINC will be led by Senior Researcher Stian H Thoresen (NTNU Social Research).