A participatory action research project identified that a key area of need was for residents to have access to unskilled casual work.
A critical review of a previous employment initiative showed that a traditional 'job creation' model that employed a number of residents as ‘workers’ for the duration of a specific program was deficient in a number of ways, including:
- It did not respond to the residents desires for casual work opportunities. The long term unemployed have usually developed survival systems and life styles that make full time employment an unattractive proposition. The potential for earning small amounts to supplement benefits is though highly desirable.
- There was no opportunity for residents to take personal responsibility for executing a work program. The majority of ‘employment programs’ result in ballooning labour costs, and the continuation of a ‘master/servant’ attitude to work.