THE IMPOSSIBLE JOBS OF EMPLOYMENT POLICY - DEALING WITH UNEMPLOYMENT AND COPING WITH FIRMS

How effective are public policy measures that provide incentives for h iring the jobless? Their impact depends very much on the positions and strategies of the firms that take advantage of them. In case of the ' 'return-to-employment contract'', two economic factors (whether or not the hiring leads to productivity gains, and whether or not the firm i s growing) can be used to establish six types of firms that have used such contracts. Differences can be observed in: motivations; the recou rse to public aid; and the latter's effects on company management. Wit h respect to the government's objectives, these six types of employers are following quite distinct rationales that vary between the creatio n of stable jobs, the reintegration of the jobless and an ''antiselect ive logic'' favoring the unemployed in difficulty.