ACCESS TO THE LABOUR MARKET

ROMA IN AN EXPANDING EUROPE Challenges for the future

José Manuel Fresno García

CONTENTS

1. Foundation Secretariado General Gitano

2. Social Situation of the Gipsy Community in Spain

3. Employment and Roma Community4. Acceder Program5. The use of the Structural Funds with

the Roma Community: Key elements

FOUNDATION SECRETARIADO GENERAL GITANO

•Non-profit non-governmental organisation •Dates back to the 1960’s; foundation in 2001. •Purpose: improvement of living standards for the Roma community. •Interculturality

•Activities: Goal-oriented & Non goal-oriented activities•Volume of activity in 2002 was 11,500,000 euros. •partnership 70 public administrations •400 staff professionals. •Work is carried out in 14 of Spain’s 17 Autonomous Communities •40 work centres.•40,000 direct beneficiaries and 60,000 indirect beneficiaries•Participation in different fora and international networks

SOCIAL SITUATION OF THE ROMA COMMUNITY IN SPAIN (1)

– 600.000 people– 45% in Andalusia– Heterogeneity and processes of social

change and cultural transformation.– High birth rate. 40% under 16 years

of age

SOCIAL SITUATION OF THE ROMA COMMUNITY IN SPAIN (2)

StrengthsHigh progress in the last 30 years– Recognition as full citizens: constitutional

law, participation in elections, involvement in social movements…

– Access to the welfare state system: housing, education, health…

– High access to integrated habitats: migration from rural to urban areas…

– Improving recogntion of the Roma cultural identity

SOCIAL SITUATION OF THE ROMA COMMUNITY IN SPAIN (3)

WeaknessesStrong situation of social exclusion

– Low educational level; early school dropouts– Generally losing touch with traditional professions

and labour activities– Poor housing and living conditions– Inadequate access and use (either due to abuse or

shortage) of general services– Prejudice, stereotypes and high level of social

discrimination– Lack of cultural recognition

EMPLOYMENT AND ROMA Community (1)

MAIN LABOUR ACTIVITIES OF ROMA COMMUNITY:

DESCRIPTION

PROFESSIONAL AREA % APROX.

TRADITIONAL ROMA PROFESSIONS

In transformation

Street markets Re-collection

of urban disposals

Seasonal Work (Agricultura)

50-80%

(GENERALLY, SELF EMPLOYED))

Liberal professions

Antique dealers Merchants Art related

professions

5-15%

NEW PROFESSIONS (GENERALLY, NON SELF EMPLOYMENT)

Non -qualified

Building area Public works Non qualified

civil servants Other

10-15%

Qualified Qualified civil servants

Other

(*) these percentages represent wide ranges of approximation to the employment areas of the Roma community.

EMPLOYMENT AND ROMA COMMUNITY (2)

•Their traditional professions are in recession or require a strong re-conversion •Very few Roma have access to the offer of normalised professional training.•The life conditions of many Roma together with the social prejudices and stereotypes, affect in a negative way.•Likewise, the cultural aspects (habits, traditions of re ference, etc.) affect in a negative way, in the majority of cases, when trying to access a job.•Otherwise, there are increasing expectatives of the Roma Community accessing the labour market.

EMPLOYMENT AND ROMA COMMUNITY (3)

Context:•Employment : priority on the European Union's political agenda. EEE•National Action Plans for Employment •Use of Structural Funds (2000-2006): ESF, especially •High growth of the Gross Domestic Product: double than European average (SPAIN)•High rates of employment creation: 1 of every 5 European new employments (SPAIN)•High demand of non qualified labour

ACCEDER PROGRAMMULTIREGIONAL OPERATIONAL PROGRAM

“FIGHT AGAINST DISCRIMINATION” 2000-2006

ACTIONS AIMED AT THE ROMA POPULATION

ACCEDER PROGRAM (1)OBJECTIVES: To facilitate the Roma/Gypsy population's access to

mainstream training and employment

• To provide Roma/Gypsies with professional qualifications and access to labour contracts by meeting their needs

• To adapt and make general vocational training and employment services more accessible to unemployed Roma/Gypsies with a view to facilitating their access to the labour market on an equal footing with the rest of the citizens.

• To raise awareness regarding prejudice and discriminatory practices affecting Roma/Gypsies

• To foster more active policies regarding the Roma/Gypsy community

ACCEDER PROGRAM (2)

METHOD• Intercultural teams working on Integrated

employment itineraries: guidance, information, professional social counselling, basic skills training and vocational training as well as specific formula for labour mediation.

• This intervention is being implemented through :1. Individualised employment access itineraries 2. Partnership: public and private entities3. Lobbying: influence on the employment policies

ACCEDER PROGRAM (3)

FUNDINGESF: 55. 40%Feder: 6.20%Central Government: 6.40%Autonomous Government: 17%Local Government: 14 %Others: 1%

ESF

FEDER

Central / State

Autonomous

Local

Others

OBJ 1 & OBJ 3

More than 70 public and private partners in the program: funding & monitoring

ACCEDER PROGRAM (4)Municipalities where work is taking place

ACCEDER PROGRAM (5)

NO GITANOS

2,106

GITANOS3,832

65%

35%

MUJ ERES2,791

HOMBRES3,147

53 %

47%

BENEFICIARIES PROFILE

MEN: 7,418

WOMEN: 7,113

ROMA: 9,711

NON ROMA: 4,820

49%

51%

33.1 %

66.9 %

ACCEDER PROGRAM (6)

EDAD DE LOS USUARIOS/AS

2.909

808

362

2.371

1.032846

1.399

385

861

1.379

0

1.000

2.000

3.000

<25 25-30 30-35 35-45 >45

MUJERES

HOMBRES

AGE

BENEFICIARIES PROFILE

ACCEDER PROGRAM (7)

3.480

6.221

9.220

12.35214.531

JUNE 2001 DEC 2001 JUNE 2002 DEC 2002 APRIL2003

NUMBER OF CLIENTS

ACCEDER PROGRAM (8)

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

CO

NT

RA

TA

CIO

NE

S

CONTRATACIONES PREVISTAS 2006

CONTRATACIONES CONSEGUIDAS

7.287

CONTRATACIONES CONSEGUIDAS

291 %

NUMBER OF CONTRACTS (APRIL 2003)

Contracts: 7,287

Contracts: 291%

Foreseen contracts 2006

ACCEDER PROGRAM (9)

23%

17%14%

25%

17%

5%

<30 DIAS 30-60 DIAS 60-90 DIAS 90-180 DIAS 180-365 DIAS > DE 365 DIAS

DURATION OF THE CONTRACTS (APRIL 2003)

ACCEDER PROGRAM (10)

HIRED PEOPLE PROFILE

15982577

27644710

43627287

0 2000 4000 6000 8000

NO GITANOS

GITANOS

TOTAL

PERSONAS CONTRATACIONES

ACCEDER PROGRAM (11)HIRED PEOPLE (December 2002)

NUMBER OF CONTRACTS

2399

735336 237

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

1 CONTRAT 2 CONTRATS 3 CONTRATS OVER 3CONTRATS

Average: 1.70 contracts/person

ACCEDER PROGRAM (12)

ENTERPRI SES´ PROFI LE

6%12%

16%

66%

AgricultureBuildingIndustryServices

ACCEDER PROGRAM (13)Key elements:

– Use of specific tools and revised methods–Strong partnership– Individual itineraries that include training and job seeking actions. –Long term projects–Participation of the Roma community–Intercultural teams–Sinergy between local, regional, national and European level (ESF, Council of Europe Development Bank)–Experience of the solicitor entity

THE USE OF THE STRUCTURAL FUNDS WITH THE ROMA COMMUNITY

Key elements:–Mainstreaming the Roma issue in the Communitary frameworks–Targeting specific Roma programs with the Structural Funds.–Promotion of the participation in the decision making (“Empowerment”) trough monitoring committees.–Impact on a specific target group at the local level (“Targeting territory”)–Networking different experiences & supporting good practices

ACCEDER PROGRAM

www.fsgg.org/acceder

BUDAPEST, 2003. José Manuel Fresno García