A survey of 129 unemployed people was conducted in three areas of greater Manchester in the autumn of 1978, and a follow-up survey took place in January 1979. The research was a case study which examined access to employment opportunities for unemployed people and the role of transport in their search for work. It compared people of similar socioeconomic characteristics living near the city centre and in a suburban council house estate. Age, unemployment duration, skills, area of residence and the availability of transport influenced job search behaviour and problems; although propensity to find a new job was affected by skills, age and unemployment duration, it was not, apparently, affected by area of residence or availability of transport. Obviously scarcity of suitable job vacancies in the north west was the main problem for many people. However some experienced difficulties in travelling to look for work, mostly because of the cost of transport. it is suggested that some form of assistance with the cost of using public transport while travelling to look for work would be beneficial for some unemployed people. In the areas studied, such help could be of particular importance to those living in the suburban council house estate, unskilled people, and the long-term unemployed. (Author/publisher)
Abstract