Raising Employment and Mental Well-being Among People With Disadvantages – Results of a Hungarian Project

Abstract

Background: People with disadvantages are a high-risk group of unemployment or underemployment. Disadvantages include disability, under-education, being a single parent or a member of a minority, etc. Effective labor market programs could be a key in raising employment and quality of life among this high-risk group of the society. The TOP 6.8.2.-15-NA1 project is one of the main Hungarian labor market programs. Methods: The project’s primary aims are increasing the employability of disadvantaged unemployed and supporting the efficiency of job-seeking. The sample of our study contains participants of the project (n=300), based in Zala County, Hungary. Results: We could identify low educated participants and older participants as higher risk groups of long-term unemployment. Conclusions: We emphasize the role of these services in the long-term individual success of participants. Improving the employment rate for people with disadvantages is a critical factor for enhancing the quality of life for individuals with disadvantages.