Can activation policies foster sustainable wellbeing? Phenomenological analysis of long-term unemployed jobseekers’ lived experiences

Abstract

This article examines the wellbeing implications of activation policies, focussing on the lived experiences of long-term unemployed jobseekers with public employment services. Using a phenomenological approach and the theory of sustainable wellbeing as a framework, the article explores how activation services function as either need satisfiers or barriers across four wellbeing dimensions: having , loving , doing , and being . Drawing on twenty-four individual and four focus group interviews in the city of Espoo in Finland, the findings highlight the potential of group activities in enhancing wellbeing, particularly in the doing dimension through providing meaningful activity and fostering a sense of autonomy and capability. At best, providing meaningful activity could lead to improvements in the being dimension of wellbeing, such as improved self-image and functional ability, creating a self-reinforcing circle of wellbeing. However, to offer successful need satisfiers, group activities had to also support the loving dimension by offering experiences of social relatedness. Additionally, the interviewees’ lived experiences highlight conditionality as a need barrier, as jobseekers may prioritise maintaining basic material needs over engagement, fearing benefit loss. Ultimately, the article argues for a holistic approach to welfare policy design, considering the interplay of different wellbeing needs to create more inclusive support structures.