Closer but not close enough - how work is made invisible in a municipal labor market unit

Abstract

Municipal labor market units (AME) are important arenas for people who are far from the labor market. The Kolada reporting system is used for follow-up and analysis of the operations within AME. This article examines the staff’s experiences of working with this system and what is made invisible in the reporting in Kolada. The results show a clear discrepancy between the fixed representations in the reporting system and the activities actually carried out by staff and participants. We have identified how participants, efforts and results are constructed in the reporting system and how these methods make individuals’ development of work ability and staff efforts invisible.