The role of work coaches in supporting economic inactive people returning to work. A case of Northern Ireland’s labour market challenge.

Economic inactivity as a sub-set of the out-of-work population presents a major labour market challenge for Northern Ireland, with 26.6% of the region’s working-age population currently classed as ‘hidden unemployed’ – a concerning rate of inactivity which is only marginally succeeded by the Northeast of England. This research forms part of a larger project called EPIC Futures NI, which seeks to fill data and knowledge gaps on those furthest from the labour market; specifically, women, over 50’s, and individuals with disabilities; to develop an evidence base and inform policies and programmes that support these groups to secure fair and sustainable work.

This study focuses on the role played by work coaches, in facilitating the return to work, of the ‘hidden unemployed’. The research objectives are 1) to understand the lived work realities of work coaches in Northern Ireland; 2) and to seek insights into the perceptions of self-efficacy, job satisfaction and impact potential of work coaches. Using purposive sampling, 15 semi-structured interviews with work coaches across of Northern Ireland were conducted. Interview questions followed a set structure based on the COM-B (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation and Behaviour) model of behaviour change. Findings reveal that a regional disparity in motivation and empathy exists between rural and urban work coaches; that opportunities to facilitate a return to work lack user-centred design; that work coaches’ self-efficacy is negatively impacted by capability deficits; and that work coaches’ potential to change their claimants’ behaviour is impeded by a culture driven by targets, automation and lack of incentivisation.