Abstract:

The insertion companies seek to achieve the social and labor insertion of disadvantaged people with difficulties in their access to the labor market. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development highlights the importance of the fight against poverty in all its forms, the reduction of social inequality, the promotion of decent work, and full employment for all. Employability is a key element as it provides the possibility of accessing and maintaining employment (Di Cataldo and Rodríguez-Pose, 2017). The EU is making a great effort in this regard; however, vulnerable workers (e.g., migrants, refugees, battered women, ex-convicts, ex-drug addicts, etc.) who are also unskilled have reduced employment opportunities. In this sense, the Spanish government has promoted a program of reforms for the improvement of employability and social inclusion, Plan 22. One of these social tools are insertion companies. These are non-profit companies that combine business logic with labor insertion. Thus, in addition to complying with the objectives of sustainable development, they are profitable and competitive entities that reinvest profits in the training and welfare of their human capital and the improvement of the company itself. In this sense, insertion companies apply socio-occupational insertion itineraries to develop the employability of their insertion workers for subsequent incorporation into the ordinary labor market. The study presented here carries out a case study with a Spanish insertion company and analyses the intervention carried out by the accompanying worker and the production worker as well as the effectiveness of the program for the development of employability. The results obtained show the general characterization of the insertion workers, the learning that is carried out, the methodologies used, and the evolution of the employability indicators. Subsequently, the effectiveness of the company analyzed is discussed in the light of Spanish insertion companies. It also analyses the social economy and the third sector of which they take part. Finally, it reflects the need to promote this type of initiative to create a worth economy and make access to the labor market possible for people with special difficulties and in a situation of social exclusion.

Keywords:

Employability, vulnerability, labor insertion, social exclusion, insertion enterprise & gender.