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Bratislava, 12 Feb. 2008Bratislava, 12 Feb. 2008

Roma Employment – Challenges and BarriersRoma Employment – Challenges and Barriers

What do we know about Roma What do we know about Roma Employment Employment

in Central and Eastern Europe? in Central and Eastern Europe?

Europe and CIS

Jaroslav KlingJaroslav KlingProject Manager, Project Manager,

UNDP RBECUNDP RBEC

Bratislava Regional CentreBratislava Regional Centre

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As an introductionAs an introduction

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From hard data (official)From hard data (official)

We do not know muchWe do not know much Administrative data on employment/unemployment not Administrative data on employment/unemployment not

collectedcollected Official statistical surveys do not allow for Roma Official statistical surveys do not allow for Roma

representativenessrepresentativeness Governments reluctant to collectGovernments reluctant to collect

Political considerationsPolitical considerations Constitutional constraintsConstitutional constraints

Constituencies reluctant to shareConstituencies reluctant to share Desire to avoid discrimination and stigmatizationDesire to avoid discrimination and stigmatization Desire to keep distance from the stateDesire to keep distance from the state

Absence of ethnic data creates opportunities to Absence of ethnic data creates opportunities to misuse and misinterpret data deficitsmisuse and misinterpret data deficits

Data might still be collected and used with negative Data might still be collected and used with negative effects (i.e. criminal justice)effects (i.e. criminal justice)

Europe and CIS

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All we know is coming All we know is coming from…from… Europe

and CIS

Narrative reportsNarrative reports on employment of Roma – on employment of Roma – status, challenges, barriers, based on direct status, challenges, barriers, based on direct experiencesexperiences

Qualitative and quantitative researches Qualitative and quantitative researches Sociological SurveysSociological Surveys Mapping of the Roma situationMapping of the Roma situation Household Budget/Labour Force type of surveys - status, Household Budget/Labour Force type of surveys - status,

challenges, barriers challenges, barriers Interviewing the employers – challenges, barriersInterviewing the employers – challenges, barriers Modeling with the use of administrative data Modeling with the use of administrative data

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……what do we know*?what do we know*?Europe and CIS

Unemployment rates more than twice as high as Unemployment rates more than twice as high as similarly placed colleagues from majority similarly placed colleagues from majority communities in some countriescommunities in some countries

Low-skilled work predominates dominated by Low-skilled work predominates dominated by manual labormanual labor

Roma involvement in informal sector is on Roma involvement in informal sector is on average four times more common than for average four times more common than for majoritymajority

*Based on UNDP survey of the socio-economic situation of Roma in the Decade of Roma Inclusion countries, results of which published in *Based on UNDP survey of the socio-economic situation of Roma in the Decade of Roma Inclusion countries, results of which published in At Risk: Roma and the Displaced in Southeast Europe, UNDP 2006At Risk: Roma and the Displaced in Southeast Europe, UNDP 2006

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Unemployment ratesUnemployment ratesFigure 1-22: Unemployment rates

Percentage of Roma and the majority between 15 and 55 years of age that are unemployed

44 4551 52 53

60 62

71

2825

21

30 32

25 25

45

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Romania Albania Serbia Bosnia &Herzegovina

Montenegro Bulgaria Croatia Macedonia

%

Roma Majority

Europe and CIS

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Informal sector involvementInformal sector involvementFigure 1-25: The informal sector

Percentage of workers employed in the informal sector by country

10 12

28

34

45

58

66

78 79

108

5

9

1713

33

27

22

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Croatia Montenegro Bulgaria Romania Macedonia Serbia Kosovo Bosnia &Herzegovina

Albania

Roma Majority

(%)

Europe and CIS

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Roma employment - Roma employment - correlatescorrelates

Gender:Gender: Employment rates of Roma women in Employment rates of Roma women in some countries are as low as 20% (60% for some countries are as low as 20% (60% for majority women) majority women)

Age:Age: differences between youth and adult differences between youth and adult unemployment rates are much smaller for Roma unemployment rates are much smaller for Roma than for majoritythan for majority

Location:Location: unemployment in urban areas is higher unemployment in urban areas is higher for both Roma women and men (opposite for for both Roma women and men (opposite for majority); unemployment rates lower in mixed, majority); unemployment rates lower in mixed, well-integrated neighborhoodswell-integrated neighborhoods

Education:Education: Returns on education lower for Roma Returns on education lower for Roma than majority – and particularly lower for Roma than majority – and particularly lower for Roma womenwomen

Europe and CIS

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Returns to educationReturns to education

Figure 1-37: Education and the probability of employmentExpected probabilities of employment for Roma and majority men and women with

each level of education

56 53

27 28

65

55

36 38

7267

5446

8578

48

78

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Majority Roma Majority Roma

Men Women

Baseline (less than primary) With primary With secondary With tertiary

(%)

Europe and CIS

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……we also know thatwe also know thatEurope and CIS

The poor (over-represented among Roma) often have no The poor (over-represented among Roma) often have no access to formal financial institutionsaccess to formal financial institutions

Lack of collateral, lack of credit history and lack of skills Lack of collateral, lack of credit history and lack of skills are major barriers to bank creditsare major barriers to bank credits

At the same timeAt the same time

Microlending should not be seen as a ‘stand alone’ tool or as a starting point for Roma poverty alleviation. Such projects are most likely to be successful if applied in a concerted manner with training and traditional business support activities, including assistance in marketing and professional skills development

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views from employers (good views from employers (good practices)*practices)* Europe

and CIS

Managerial leadership is keyManagerial leadership is key in breaking the prejudices. in breaking the prejudices. Prejudice against Roma needs to be made socially unacceptable.Prejudice against Roma needs to be made socially unacceptable.

Diversity policy important but not sufficientDiversity policy important but not sufficient unless it unless it specifically addresses the Roma discriminationspecifically addresses the Roma discrimination

Multisectoral cooperation, local partnershipsMultisectoral cooperation, local partnerships with with local Roma NGOs help to find/train suitable Roma candidatelocal Roma NGOs help to find/train suitable Roma candidate

……

*Based on the UNDP survey of the employers in Central Europe published in Employing the Roma. Insights from Business, UNDP 2005

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views from employers (good views from employers (good practices)practices) Europe

and CIS

…… Training and transportation packagesTraining and transportation packages addressing the addressing the

mismatch between location and quality of the workforce and the mismatch between location and quality of the workforce and the needneed

Promote role modelsPromote role models - - while people may be told that discrimination is wrong, until they see for themselves that Roma can be educated, successful and assets in work teams, perceptions will be slow to change

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……to concludeto concludeEurope and CIS

Simply increasing Roma Simply increasing Roma educational status is educational status is not enoughnot enough to improve their employment to improve their employment prospectsprospects

The employment agencies should work as The employment agencies should work as job job brokersbrokers for vulnerable groups with appropriate for vulnerable groups with appropriate knowledge about them and appropriate knowledge about them and appropriate treatmenttreatment

Private employersPrivate employers must be at the heart of any must be at the heart of any long-term strategy to reduce the unemployment long-term strategy to reduce the unemployment of Romaof Roma

……

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……to concludeto concludeEurope and CIS

…… Microfinance is only effective Microfinance is only effective if applied in if applied in

combinationcombination with other approaches and policies with other approaches and policies

Learning by doingLearning by doing should be encouraged, for should be encouraged, for example via involving Roma in internship and example via involving Roma in internship and traineeship programstraineeship programs

Positive externalitiesPositive externalities of employing Roma of employing Roma workers who would otherwise not have a job workers who would otherwise not have a job should be also reflected when assessing a should be also reflected when assessing a project’s viabilityproject’s viability

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More on our work on Roma More on our work on Roma social inclusionsocial inclusion

… … to be found at:to be found at:

http://http://europeandcis.undp.orgeuropeandcis.undp.org/go/vulnerability/go/vulnerability

… … or contact me at:or contact me at:

jaroslav.kling@undp.orgjaroslav.kling@undp.org

Europe and CIS