3. Data and method

In this report, we generally rely on three data sources. We 1) use a systematic literature review to collect cutting-edge research on the effectiveness of various employment instruments, 2) gather grey literature on the matter through both searching in databases and interviewing experts from the various employment ministries in the Nordic countries, and 3) interview caseworkers in the Nordic countries to get the practitioner’s view on the effectiveness of various employment instruments for various groups.

Below, we briefly describe our search strategy and how the caseworker interview has been conducted. The full overview of our data collection approach can be found in Appendix A.

Relevant studies are identified through searches in international electronic databases and grey literature. In the following, we will describe the search methods. The search string is based on the PICO (S) model, which categorises the search into Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, and Study design. However, we utilise only three aspects: Population, Intervention, and Outcome. Moreover, we further limit the search to concern only English articles from the Nordic countries published in the period 2017-2023. We have searched through a variety of international electronic databases, such as Academic Search Premier and EconLit. 

Further, we have searched working papers and published papers from various sources, including IZA, IFAU and Vatt Institute for Economic Research. We have done so to collect some of the latest research, which may not have been published in any journals yet.

After having searched for literature, we had a large gross list containing many articles, also irrelevant ones. We screened the literature in two steps. In the first step, the literature was screened on title and abstracts to identify literature relevant to the purpose of this report. In the second step, the full text of the remaining literature was screened, meaning that it was read to decisively determine whether it fit the purpose of this report. In the screening process, we also screened on study type and methodology, as we are only interested in quantitative evaluation studies with a comparison condition. After screening on the two levels, we ended up with 46 articles. 

To bolster arguments and ensure that the findings in this review are grounded in previous research, we have utilised literature from other sources alongside the literature from the systematic review. Additionally, we have interviewed experts from the employment authorities in the Nordic countries to collect their latest insights into the effectiveness of various employment instruments.

To complement the findings from our literature review, we conducted a series of interviews with caseworkers across the PES in the Nordic countries. The aim was to gain practical insights into the effectiveness of various employment instruments focusing on vulnerable groups such as youth, seniors, immigrants, and individuals with disabilities. Our approach was designed to capture a broad spectrum of experiences, reflecting both urban and rural settings within the Nordic region.

We received assistance from the employment ministries in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden in identifying relevant caseworkers. While we initially aimed at conducting group interviews with 2–4 caseworkers working with the same target group in different regions, scheduling challenges led us to conduct a mix of 9 group interviews and 24 individual interviews, involving a total of 44 participants.

The interviews were conducted via Zoom and structured using a funnel approach, beginning with open-ended questions about the caseworker’s general experiences and gradually focusing more on specific employment instruments. To facilitate discussion, we used vignettes: brief, hypothetical scenarios representing typical cases within the target groups. For example, a vignette might describe a young man struggling with unemployment and substance abuse or an individual with disabilities facing long-term joblessness. These vignettes prompted caseworkers to reflect on similar real-life cases and discuss the strategies they employed.

The interviews, which lasted between 45 and 65 minutes, were conducted in Danish, Norwegian, or Swedish with participants from these countries, while Finnish and Icelandic caseworkers were interviewed in English. Each interview was recorded and summarised for further analysis.

Subsequent thematic analysis identified several recurring themes: the barriers most commonly faced by members of our target groups, the critical importance of establishing a trustful relationship between caseworkers and clients, and the effectiveness of specific employment instruments in overcoming these barriers. These findings provided valuable cross-Nordic perspectives on practical approaches to improving employment outcomes for vulnerable populations.

For further information on the caseworker interviews, see Appendix A.