blixtjobb
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Blixtjobb
”An honest days pay for an honest days work”
• A unique form of employment agency.
• A scheme that gives people with dependency problems a chance to earn money through
temporary work.
– Without the precondition that they have to be free of their addiction.
– Sober the day they come to work.
• The Blixtjobb workers and the team leaders – who are they? Both men and women living with
dependecy problems and/or homelessness. Dependent of variuous form of welfare or supporting
them selves through ”the black market”.
• The customers : 30 % assigments from individual households and 70% from Corporates, NGO and
business.
• The jobs : Easyer construction work, gardening, paintning, cleaning, ”LEGO work”
• An honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work”.
• Positive effects both for the individuals and for society.
New and innovative
– Tailored for the target group. Originates in an actual need expressed by the individuals
themselves.
– Offering work to a target group excluded from the labour market.
– Entrepreneur approach instead of a traditional social worker approach.
– Taxes deducted from the wages – by Blixtjobb.
Sustainable benefits
Individual level
– Increased sense of self esteem (empowerment)
– Sense of belonging and meaning,
– Decreased substance abuse,
– Income - decreased welfare benefits,
Transferring the idea
The rolemodel for Blixtjobb is ”Lønn som Fortjent”(”Wages earned”), part of Kirkens Bymisjon
(The Church City Mission) in Oslo.
2009 - Oslo field studies
• Interviews with employees and representatives from the target group.
2009 -2011 - Trying to start Blixtjobb in Stockholm
• Workshop with the target group and other stakeholders on the subject of offering job
opportunities for people with dependency problems,
• Application for funding from the European Social Fund,
• Policy level – suggesting to the Ministry of Employment that they should promote Blixtjobb as a
pilot study conducted by the National Employment Agency in Sweden.
Late 2011 - project Blixtjobb starts in Stockholm.
• Starting on a small scale within Stockholm City Mission – one project leader together with one
part time team leader.
Which elements are transferable and why?
Transferable elements
The idea - ” An honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work”.
• Norway and Sweden similar working ethics/culture
• The target group faces similar problems in Oslo/Stockholm.
The organisational design – Certain elements are transferable;
• Team leaders employed to supervise and support the Blixtjobb workers on actual jobs. The team
leaders themselves having a background with dependency problems.
• The administration - paying of wages after every day´s work/ tax pay etc.
Not transferable (so far)
• Recurring bigger jobs offered by the City of Stockholm – comparing with Oslo where all the
stations in the subway system and certain areas of the city are kept clean by ”Lonn som fortjent”
Success factors
• The target group needs to be involved early in the process.
• Promoting local/recipient “ownership” of projects is recognised as a key issue in the strategy
for sustainable development.
• Similar values in the cooperating organisations – Stockholm City Mission – The Oslo City
Mission.
• Entrepreneur approach – not focusing on the social profession.
• Recruiting of staff - project leader needs to have entrepreneurial skills and interpersonal skills.
• The ”brand” of Stockholm City Mission – creating trust with the workers and credibility for the
potential customers.
• Important key individuals in the public debate promoting Blixtjobb. (Fölster mfl)
• Positive publicity in the form of award for CSR-related activities. (Visa vägen-galan).
Obstacles
• Norway not part of the European union – the transfer not eligable for transnational cooperation
funded by ESF.
• In Competition with the local government work integration programs – competing for the same
jobs.
• Difficulties built in the system – the target group is seen as not capable of working or at least
not encouraged to do so.
• Part of the target group is not seen at all since they are not part of the official employment
market.
• Small project – difficulties in balancing incoming jobs with available workers.
• No funding – neither possible to validate the method, nor to measure social impact (only on
individual level)