Social networks, accessed and mobilised social capital and the employment status of older workers

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the importance of social networks, and the social capital embedded in them, to secure employment if someone had become unemployed after the age of 50 years and to reveal the process of accessing and mobilising that social capital. Design/methodology/approach A case study of a Scottish labour market was undertaken which involved an interview-based survey of those who became unemployed in their early 50’s and tried to regain employment. The interview had structured and unstructured parts which allowed both quantitative and qualitative analysis to compare those who were successful in regaining work with those who were not. The uniqueness of the paper is the use of social network components while controlling for other socio-economic and demographic variables in job search of older workers. Findings Those older people who were unemployed and, returned to employment (reemployed) had a higher proportion of contacts with higher prestige jobs, their job searching methods were mainly interpersonal and the rate of finding their last job via their social networks was higher than those who remained unemployed. Both groups mobilised social capital (MSC), but those reemployed accessed higher “quality” social capital. “Strong ties”, rather than “weak ties”, were found to be important in accessing and mobilising social capital for the older workers who returned to employment. Research limitations/implications This work is limited to a local labour market and is based on a small but informative sample. However, it does show that policy is required to allow older people to enhance their social networks by strengthening the social capital embedded in the networks. The results support the use of intermediaries as bridges to help compensate for older people who have weak social networks. Besides the policy implications, the paper also has two distinct research implications. First, the use of social network component to the existing literature of older workers’ job search. Second, exploring the type and relational strength with network members to explain older workers’ reemployment. Practical implications The paper illustrates that how accessed and MSC can be measured. Social implications As populations age, this work points to an approach to support older people to re-enter employment and to include them in society. Originality/value The paper extends social network and employment literature to fill gaps on how older people require to both access and mobilise social capital. The importance of “strong ties” in the reemployment of older workers contrasts with much of the literature on younger workers where the “strength of weak ties” so far has been regarded as essential for successful job search. Measures are forwarded to reveal the relevance of social capital. The policy value of the work is in suggesting ways to facilitate older people re-enter or remain in work and hence sustain their well-being.

The effect of Zhong-yong thinking to employee survival ability: taking Chinese employees as an example

“…There is a positive correlation between social capital and successful employment (Chen et al , 2018). Social capital is an important resource for the reemployment of older people (Gayen et al , 2019). No unified concept has been formed for employee survival ability, thus far.…”

Exploring Network Measures of Social Capital: Toward More Relational Measurement

“…Node-level measures are useful for studying social capital as an individual asset. On the one hand, bonding and bridging social capital were conceived as factors in explaining political participation (Achbari 2015), use of employment services (Barman-Adhikari and Rice 2014), entrepreneurial orientation (Cao, Simsek, and Jansen 2015), loan repayment performance (Dufhues et al 2011), job searches (Gayen, Raeside, and McQuaid 2019), and health disruption (Shen and Chen 2015). These studies generally refer to bonding and bridging as effects and then analyze how the two explain the individual-level dependent variables.…”

Networks, case managers, and the job‐search experiences of unemployed people

“…However, they are users or clients of public and human services, which constitute formal ties. This is recognized in studies of linkages between the unemployed and the services that are provided to assist them (Barman-Adhikari and Rice 2014;Bonoli 2014;Gayen, Raeside and McQuaid 2019;Heidenreich and Rice 2016;Torezani, Colic-Peisker and Fozdar 2008). These studies are relatively few in number, and the research that does exist does not offer high levels of specificity on links between services and particular social network-enhancing strategies.…”

“…Putnam (2000) referred to this kind of connection as "bridging capital". Further, there is research which suggests that effective employment services can compensate for unemployed clients' small social networks (Behncke, Frölich and Lechner 2008;Gayen et al 2019;Heidenreish and Rice 2016;Liechti 2019).…”