In this stream the labour market is studied from the perspective of structures as well as individual experiences. Research topics include structural changes in the labour market and their governance, uses of labour force (nonstandard employment, self-employment, platform work), the position of vulnerable groups (e.g. those with partial work capacity, immigrants), employment careers, unemployment and active labour market policies (ALMPs). ALMPs are studied from the perspectives of barriers to employment, ways to promote employment, unemployment security and employment services. This research utilises multi-method research designs. It makes use of for example register data, data from the administration and frontline workers, and data collected from the employed and unemployed population itself.
Projects:
Demanding activation – harming outcomes? The nexus of reformed policies, social harm, and claimants’ life courses (HarmingActivation, 2024 – 2028)
Principal Investigator: Satu Ojala
Funding: Research Council of Finland
Tendered services and job quality (2024 – 2026)
Coordinator: Satu Ojala
Funding: The Finnish Work Environment Fund
Employment and Social Security Careers of the Population out of Labour Force (2022–2025)
Coordinator: Satu Ojala
Funding: Kone Foundation
Sociology of testing (2020–2024)
Coordinator: Virve Peteri
Funding: Kone Foundation
State of emergency and resilience in the cultural economy organizations (2021–2023)
Coordinator: Arja Haapakorpi
Funding: European Social Fund, The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health
From Margins of Labour Markets towards Empowerment? (MARTE) (2018–2021)
Coordinator: Sanni Tiitinen
Funding: Academy of Finland (post-doctoral researcher fund)
The future of work: Opportunities and challenges for the Nordic models (2017–2021)
Contact person: Antti Saloniemi
Funding: Nordic Council of Ministers
Multiple job holding – practices and institutional frame (2019–2020)
Coordinator: Harri Melin
Funding: The Finnish Work Environment Fund
Fragmented Work Careers? – Research Project (2018–2020)
Coordinator: Satu Ojala
Funding: The Finnish Work Environment Fund
Economic crises, well-being at work and career development (2015–2017)
Coordinator: Pasi Pyöriä
Funding: The Finnish Work Environment Fund