Key research themes
1. How do institutionally defined job search requirements impact unemployed individuals’ experiences and outcomes?
This research theme investigates the consequences of activation policies that strictly define and monitor job search activities, focusing on how unemployed individuals navigate these institutional frameworks. It matters because rigid monitoring can misrecognize informal job searching, disproportionately penalizing vulnerable groups and affecting social benefit eligibility.
2. What roles do employability factors and socio-economic characteristics play in shaping employment outcomes and experiences of unemployment?
This theme explores the multidimensional concept of employability, including personal skills, attitudes, socio-economic circumstances, and barriers, seeking to understand how these factors influence employment trajectories and mental health among unemployed individuals across various contexts.
3. How do precarious employment and non-standard work relations affect workers’ protection and employment quality?
Focusing on the rise of precarious and non-standard employment, this theme assesses the adequacy of labor law protections, regulatory failures, and the health and mental health implications of employment instability, emphasizing the challenges in enforcing rights and securing quality jobs.



