NAV local offices’ interaction with employers

Abstract

NAV’s main goal is to help more people to be active and in the workforce. Traditionally NAV’s predecessors - the Norwegian Public Employment Service (Aetat), the Norwegian State National Insurance Service (trygdeetaten) and Social Welfare Services focused on people who were outside the workforce. This focus has shifted and there is an increasing focus on what can be done in the work force and with employers. The establishment of NAV paves to the way for an intensification of focus on what can be achieved in the workplace and with employers – forms of interaction with employers which integrate Inclusive Workplace policies and Labour Market Policies. Employers are both NAV’s customers and NAV’s most important partners. NAV’s ability to interact with employers is the key to the success of the NAV reform process. This study examines the way in which NAV local offices organise their work. In addition to the traditional forms of contact with employers local offices have established several new forms of contact with employers. The balanced score card system is known and used in the local offices which are the focus of this study. This is an indication that strategies used to implement the balanced score card system have been successful. However there are still challenges associated with finding relevant indicators. Specifically NAV is having difficulty finding indicators to measure the degree to which NAV integrates inclusive workplace policies and employment market policies. One of the consequences of increased interaction with employers is that local offices are questioning some of NAVs structures. This study identifies that interaction within NAV is a challenge for the organization. Knowledge transfers between local offices and the Workplace Support Centre and Market Team is, in places, problematic and in other places totally lacking. NAV is an organization that is learning to live with contradictory goals and considerations. Local offices are developing strategies for integrating Inclusive Workplace policies and Labour Market Policies.