Jobs study pits ’who you know’ against ’where you go’

Jobs study pits 'who you know' against 'where you go' 11 July 2014 - Jobseekers are commonly told "it's who you know" when searching for employment. Now researchers from the University of Sydney will put that old adage to the test as they begin a landmark study into how formal and informal networks affect employment outcomes for the long-term and youth unemployed. Lead researcher, Associate Professor Gaby Ramia of the Graduate School of Government , said the significance of both formal and informal job networks is sharply in focus, after the Federal Budget. "Under measures announced in the Federal Budget, some categories of younger unemployed people will, if the measures are passed in the Senate, be without income for up to six months," said Associate Professor Ramia. "Having an income in the form of government benefits can be an important gateway to better formal and informal networks, which means better employment chances. Our project can produce evidence on whether a lack of income over time - if current proposals go through - might be partly offset by strong formal or informal networks. In short, we can make policy recommendations on how income interacts with policy, employment service organisations and the jobless person's informal networks," he added.