Job‐seeking, adaptation and re‐employment experiences of the unemployed: a 3‐year follow‐up

The aim was to find predictors of employment status (Employed, Active Job-Seeker, Not a Job-Seeker) with a 3-year longitudinal design. Also predictors of the quality of re-employment were studied. Initially unemployed Finnish men and women were followed-up. Of the original sample (n=559), 318 (56.9%) responded to the questionnaire. Baseline health and participation in labour market interventions were not predictive of employment status. Passive baseline job-seeking and female gender were predictive of being a passive job-seeker 3 years later. Good vocational education was central for high-quality re-employment. Long duration of unemployment and high baseline level of psychological distress were predictive of a perceived need for adjustment in the new job.