Providing accurate and accessible labour market information is a key priority for policies targeted at improving the employability of unemployed people. In an attempt to develop the quality and reach of such services, policy-makers are increasingly turning to ICT, and particularly the Internet. However, there are concerns that the expansion of services delivered through ICT risks leaving behind the most disadvantaged. This paper investigates the current and potential role of ICT within the job-seeking activities of unemployed people in one urban labour market (the city of Glasgow). Deploying the concept of the 'digital divide' as an analytical framework, it examines differences between job seekers' access to, and use of, the Internet. The paper finds an association between higher levels of economic capital (income) and cultural capital (skills) and Internet access and job seeking. It is argued that a renewed commitment to the development of community-based technology centres and ICT training for the unemployed is required, if disadvantaged job seekers are to reap the potential employability gains associated with the expansion of on-line services.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Autor, D. (2001) Wiring the labor market, Journal of Economic Perspectives, 15, pp. 35-40.
2.
Beatty, C., Fothergill, S., Gore, T. and Green, A. (2002) The real level of unemployment 2002. Sheffield: Sheffield Hallam University.
3.
Belt, V. and Richardson, R. (2005) Social labour, employability and social exclusion: pre-employment training for call centre work, UrbanStudies , 42(2), pp. 257-270.
4.
van den Berg, L. and van Winden, W. (2002) Should cities help their citizens to adopt ICTs? On ICT adoption policies in European cities, Environment and PlanningC, 20, pp. 263-279.
5.
Bonfadelli, H. (2002) The Internet and knowledge gaps: a theoretical and empirical investigation, European Journal of Communication , 17, pp. 65-84.
6.
Borgida, E., Sullivan, J.L., Oxendine, A. Et al. (2002) Civic culture meets the digital divide: the role of community electronic networks, Journal of Social Issues , 58, pp. 125-142.
7.
Cabinet Office (2002) Cabinet office service delivery agreement 2002/3 to 2005/6. London : Stationery Office.
8.
Carter, C. and Grieco, M. (2000) New Deals, no wheels: social exclusion, tele-options and electronic ontology, Urban Studies, 37, pp. 1735-1748.
9.
Chadwick, A. and May, C. (2002) Interaction between states and citizens in the age of the Internet: e-Government in the United States, Britain and the European Union, Governance, 16, pp. 271-300.
10.
Chapple, K. (2002) Out of touch, out of bounds: how social networks shape the labour market radii of women on welfare in San Francisco, Urban Geography, 22, pp. 617-640.
11.
Cles Consulting, Mccr and Cemvo (2003) Supporting access to ICT for BME groups in deprived areas. Research Report 388, Department for Education and Skills, London.
12.
Coleman, N., Jeeawody, F. and Wapshott, J. (2002) Electronic government at the Department for Work and Pensions: attitudes to electronic methods of conducting benefit business . Research Report 176, Department for Work and Pensions , London.
13.
Corrigan, P. and Joyce, P. (2000) Re-connecting to the public, UrbanStudies, 37, pp. 1771-1779.
14.
Dabinett, G. (2002) Reflections on regional development policies in the information society, Planning Theory and Practice, 3, pp. 232-237.
15.
Davies, R. (2002) Making the most of IT: the role of local government in benefits take-up, Benefits, 10, pp. 135-139.
16.
Devins, D., Darlow, A. and Smith, V. (2002) Lifelong learning and digital exclusion: lessons from the evaluation of an ICT Learning Centre and an emerging research agenda , Regional Studies, 36, pp. 941-945.
17.
Devins, D., Darlow, A., Petrie, A. and Burden, T. (2003) Connecting communities to the Internet: an evaluation of the WiredUp Communities initiative. Research Report 389, Department for Education and Skills, London.
18.
Dfes (Department For Education And Skills) ( 2002) Wired-up communities (www.dfes.gov.uk/wired/over.shtml).
19.
Dimaggio, P., Hargittai, E., Neuman, W.R. and Robinson, J. (2001) Social implications of the Internet, Annual Review of Sociology, 27, pp. 307-336.
20.
Dti (Department For Trade And Industry) (2000 ) Closing the digital divide: information and communication technologies in deprived areas. London: Stationery Office.
21.
Dwp (Department For Work And Pensions) (2002 ) The Employment Service Annual Report and Accounts, 2001-02 . London: Stationery Office.
22.
Employment Service (2000) Modernising ES. Sheffield: Employment Service .
23.
Freeman, R.B. (2002) The labour market in the new information economy , Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 18, pp. 288-305.
Ghk (2002a) Jobseeker Direct customer satisfaction survey. Research Report 126, Employment Service, Sheffield.
26.
Ghk (2002b) Early views on the Internet job bank. Research Report 109, Employment Service , Sheffield.
27.
Ghk (2002c) Internet access for Jobcentre staff pilot evaluation. Research Report 110, Employment Service, Sheffield.
28.
Graham, S. (2002) Bridging urban digital divides? Urban polarisation and information and communications technologies, UrbanStudies , 39, pp. 33-56.
29.
Green, A., Shuttleworth, I. and Lavery, S. (2005) Young people, job search and local labour markets: the example of Belfast, UrbanStudies, 42(2), pp. 301-323.
30.
Haddon, L. (2000) Social exclusion and information and communication technologies, New Media and Society, 2, pp. 387-406.
31.
Hall Aitken (2003) Evaluation of CMFfunded uk on-line centres. Research Report 502, Department for Education and Skills, London.
32.
Hampton, K. (2002) Place-based and IT-mediated 'community', Planning Theory and Practice, 3, pp. 228-231.
33.
Ilo (International Labour Organisation) (2001 ) World Employment Report 2001: Life at Work in the Information Economy. Geneva: ILO.
34.
Johnson, S. and Burden, T. (2003) Young People, Employability and the Induction Process. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
35.
Katz, J., Rice, R. and Aspden, P. (2001) The Internet 1995-2000: access, civic involvement and social interaction, American Behavioural Scientist, 45, pp. 405-419.
36.
Kpmg (2002) Is Britain on course for 2005?London: KPMG.
37.
Kraut, R., Lundmark, V., Patterson, M. Et al. (1998) The Internet paradox: a social technology that reduces social involvement and psychological well being?, American Psychologist, 53, pp. 1017-1031.
38.
Kuhn, P. and Skuterud, M. (2000) Job search methods: Internet versus traditional , Monthly Labor Review, 123, pp. 3-11.
39.
Lindsay, C., Mccracken, M. and Mcquaid, R.W. (2003) Unemployment duration and employability in remote rural labour markets, Journal of Rural Studies, 19, pp. 187-200.
40.
Loader, B., Muncer, S., Burrows, R. ET AL. (2002) Medicine on the line? Computer-mediated social support and advice for people with diabetes, International Journal of Social Welfare, 11, pp. 53-65.
41.
Malecki, E. (2003) Digital development in rural areas: potential and pitfalls, Journal of Rural Studies, 19, pp. 201-214.
42.
Mansell, R. (2002) From digital divides to digital entitlements in knowledge societies, Current Sociology, 50, pp. 407-426.
43.
McKenna, K.Y.A. and Bargh, J.A. (2000) Plan 9 from cyberspace: the implications of the Internet for personality and social psychology, Personality and Social Psychology Review, 4, pp. 57-75.
44.
McQuaid, R.W. and Lindsay, C. (2002) The 'employability gap': long-term unemployment and barriers to work in buoyant labour markets, Environment and Planning C, 20, pp. 613-628.
45.
McQuaid, R.W. and Lindsay, C. (2005) The concept of employability, Urban Studies, 42(2), pp. 197-219.
46.
McQuaid, R.W., Lindsay, C. and Greig, M. (2003) Wired for Work? ICT and Job Seeking in Rural Areas . York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation .
47.
McQuaid, R.W., Lindsay, C. and Greig, M. (2004) Re-connecting the unemployed: ICT and services for job seekers in rural areas, Information, Communication and Society, 7(3), pp. 364-388.
48.
van der Meer, A. and van Winden, W. (2003) E-governance in the cities: a comparison of urban information and communication technology policies, Regional Studies, 37, pp. 407-419.
49.
Mori (Market And Opinion Research International) (2003) Glasgow Panel Study, Autumn 2003. Glasgow: MORI/GlasgowCity Council .
50.
Nie, N. and Erbring, L. (2000) The Internet and Society. Stanford, CA: Institute for the Quantitative Study of Society .
51.
Niles, S. and Hanson, S. (2003) The geographies of on-line job search: preliminary findings from Worcester, MA, Environment and Planning A, 35, pp. 1223-1243.
52.
Norris, P. (2001) The Digital Divide: Civic Engagement, Information Poverty and the Internet Worldwide. New York: Cambridge University Press.
53.
Ntia (National Telecommunications And Information Administration) (1999) Falling through the Net: defining the digital divide (http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/dn/index.html).
54.
Ntia (2000) Falling through the Net: toward digital inclusion (http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/dn/index.html)
55.
Oecd (Organisation For Economic CoOperation And Development) (2001) Understanding the Digital Divide. Paris: OECD.
56.
Ons (Office For National Statistics) (2002 ) Internet Access: Statistical First Release, September. London: ONS.
57.
ONS (2003) Internet Access: Statistical First Release, December. London: ONS.
58.
Owen, D., Green, A.E., Mcleod, M. ET AL. (2003) The use of and attitudes towards information and communication technologies (ICT) by people from black and minority ethnic groups living in deprived areas. Research Report 450, Department for Education and Skills, London.
59.
Parker, E. (2000) Closing the digital divide in rural America, TelecommunicationsPolicy, 24, pp. 281-290.
60.
Russell, N. and Stafford, N. (2002) Trends in ICT access and use. Research Report 358, Department for Education and Skills, London.
61.
Scottish Enterprise (2003) Digital inclusion audit, 2003. Glasgow: Scottish Enterprise.
Scottish Executive (2002) Digital communities initiative (www.scotland.gov.uk/digitalscotland/digital_communities.asp).
65.
Scottish Executive (2003) Scotland's People-Results from the 2001-2002 Scottish Household Survey. Edinburgh: Stationery Office Scotland.
66.
Selwyn, N. (2002a) E-stablishing an inclusive society? Technology, social exclusion and UK government policy making, Journal of Social Policy, 31, pp. 1-20.
67.
Selwyn, N. (2002b) Defining the 'digital divide': developing a theoretical understanding of inequalities in the information age. Occasional Paper 49, School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University.
68.
Servaes, J. and Heinderyckx, F. (2002) The 'new' ICTs environment in Europe: closing or widening the gaps?, Telematics and Informatics, 19, pp. 91-115.
69.
Servon, L.J. (2002) Four myths about the digital divide, Planning Theory and Practice, 3, pp. 222-227.
70.
Servon, L.J. and Nelson, M.K. (2001) Community technology centers and the urban technology gap, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research , 25, pp. 419-426.
71.
Wellman, B. (2001) Physical space and cyber place: the rise of personalised networking, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research , 25, pp. 227-252.
72.
Wellman, B., Haase, A., Witte, J. and Hampton, K. (2001) Does the Internet increase, decrease or supplement social capital? Social networks, participation and community commitment, American Behavioural Scientist, 45, pp. 436-455.
73.
van Winden, W. (2001) The end of social exclusion? On information technology policy as a key to social inclusion in large European cities, Regional Studies, 35, pp. 861-877.
