P a g e | 1 Qualitative Research Framework Study Title: Will Work for Food: Structural Unemployment in Denton, Texas Author Name(s): Jennie Larry Johnson . Abstract from the Study The goal of this phenomenological study is to explore the world as experienced by adults that seek job search and placement assistance from the Workforce Solutions for North Central Texas because they lack the skills currently in demand by local employers. The broader context for the study is that the labor force participation rate declined by 0.2 percentage point to 62.8 percent in April but was unchanged from a year earlier. The local context is that despite statistic reflect that the residents in Denton, Texas with a Bachelor’s degree are 10.5% above the national average, 201,350 of Denton County’s working-age population were not in the workforce in 2018. The study will provide a narrative of the pre-given essences and structure regarding how participants make meaning from their assisted job search activities. The settings will be the Workforce Solutions for North Central Texas located at 1300 Teasley Ln, Denton, TX 76205. A purposeful sampling of 10 unemployed adults, aged 18 to 35, will be interviewed. The study will answer the research question: What are the lived experiences of the structurally unemployed adults that seek job search assistance at the Workforce Solutions for North Central Texas? The study is relevant because it will use the COREQ 32-item checklist to create a thematic report of the study, its findings, analysis, and interpretations. The study will add to the body of knowledge by providing greater insight into the structured unemployment phenomenon for decision-making and public policy considerations. P a g e | 2 Research main topic of inquiry The topic of inquiry to be explored are the lived experiences of the unemployed men and women that use job search and career planning resources at the Workforce Solutions for North Central Texas (Center). Subtopic(s) of inquiry The subtopic of inquiry is to examine the prevalence of structurally unemployed adults that seek job search assistance at the Center during the study period. Main Literature in Support of Conducting this Study As cited by Johnson (2018), U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, 2018) reported that America payrolls increased by 201,000 workers in August 2018. However, the BLS Labor Force Statistics’ Current Population Survey revealed the U.S. Labor Participation was only 62.7%. Furthermore, the U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey (CPS) indicates that 96,157,000 adult Americans did not work in August 2018. The unemployed included 5,534,000 individuals that wanted a job but could not find one and 1,443,000 reported they were available for work, wanted a job and had searched for a position the prior 12 months. However, disturbingly, 598,000 working-aged Americans said they are not available to work even though they worked the prior year. The latter included individuals whose reasons for not working were “not ascertained (Johnson, 2018). Locally, statistics indicate only 70.6% of Denton County’s working- age population are in the workforce. The purpose of this study is to interview and observe the remaining 29.4% of Denton County adults that do not work to gain greater insight into this national and regional phenomenon. General Theoretical Framework Supporting Method While the United States has entered a period of historically low unemployment rates, the methods used to measure unemployment do not account for all persons not currently in the workforce. Department of Labor statistics indicates over 96 million non-working Americans remain unemployed from month-to-month but were not included in the unemployment counts. Structural unemployment is a type of unemployment caused when there is a mismatch between the knowledge, skills, and abilities employers want and the availability of those qualifications in the local workforce. Often referred to as the skill gap, this chasm between in- demand skills and America’s unskilled labor is expected to grow exponentially over the next decade because of advances in technologies and the increasing rise in sophistication and utility of artificial intelligence. Structural unemployment is like cyclical unemployment in that these two forms of unemployment are sensitive to economic conditions. Structural unemployment is different P a g e | 3 from cyclical unemployment in that workers that become cyclically unemployed can usually find jobs again once the economy improves. Structurally unemployed workers tend to be out of work for prolonged periods and are at risk of becoming chronically unemployed which has been documented to create a host of societal issues. Structural unemployment is like frictional unemployment in that in both are usually last- employer-driven. Structural unemployment is different from frictional unemployment in that the frictionally unemployed usually have in-demand skills and can usually transition from one job to a better one. The structurally unemployed usually lack marketable job skills or have specialized job skills that make it difficult for them to find new jobs after being let go by a previous employer. The theoretical framework supporting this study is the need to record the lived experiences of adults that seek assistance with finding employment because they lack marketable skills and how their perceptions are affecting their families and community. Conceptual Framework Figure 1. The Conceptual Model The study will provide a thematic description of the pre-given essences and structure of lived experiences of this population. The study is relevant and will add to the body of knowledge by providing greater insight into the structured unemployment phenomenon for decision-making and public policy considerations. P a g e | 4 Study goals The goal of this phenomenological study is to explore the world as experienced by adults that seek job search and placement assistance from the Workforce Solutions for North Central Texas because they lack the skills currently in demand by local employers. At this stage in the research, this group defined as the structurally unemployed. The study will answer the research question: What are the lived experiences of the structurally unemployed adults that seek job search assistance at the Workforce Solutions for North Central Texas? Delimitations The expected limitations of the scope of the study that might result from the researcher’s positionality, participant questions, theoretical perspectives and framework, methodologies, and participant choices (Simon & Goes, 2013) Setting The settings for the study will be the Workforce Solutions for North Central Texas located at 1300 Teasley Ln, Denton, TX 76205. Broad contextual framing The broad contextual framing is that, by all appearances, the United States economy is booming. The Gross National Product in Quarter 1, 2019 increased by 3.2% and personal income is up by 0.1% as well. The unemployment rate for persons 16 years and over was 3.6%, and Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates declined in April for adult men (3.4 percent), adult women (3.1 percent), Whites (3.1 percent), Asians (2.2 percent), and Hispanics (4.2 percent). The jobless rates for teenagers (13.0 percent) and Blacks (6.7 percent) showed little or no change. However, the labor force participation rate declined by 0.2 percentage point to 62.8 percent in April but was unchanged from a year earlier. The employment-population ratio was unchanged at 60.6 percent in April and has been either 60.6 percent or 60.7 percent since October 2018. ("Employment Situation Summary," n.d.) Local contextual framing The contextual framing is that there exists an essential, perceived reality behind structural unemployed in Denton, Texas. According to its annual Economic Overview, Denton County’s population has increased by 17.9% since 2013, and the county is now home to 683,947 working-age adults. The county reports 468,716 of adults employed in 2018. However, disturbingly, despite statistic reflect that the residents in Denton, Texas with a Bachelor’s degree are 10.5% above the national average, 201,350 of Denton County’s working-age population were not in the workforce in 2018. P a g e | 5 The physical or virtual setting of the study According to their website, the Workforce Solutions for North Central Texas (Center) help job seekers find employment, financial assistance, and new careers. The primary tool used is the WorkInTexas.com online job-matching system. Job seekers are instructed to create an account and a general online job application matched with Texas employers with current job openings. The website also offers job search support tools including resume builders, career tools, and job availability notices. The Center is also the local host for the U.S. Department of Labor’s CareerOnestop career, training, and job search website, which also offers free online job search tools, information, and resources ("Career Seekers," 2019). This setting was selected because it matches the goals of the research and is relevant to the issue to be studied. The Center is also where the human subjects to be studied will be visible and accessible. Other situations that would influence this as the appropriate setting is that this is the designated location where job seekers can apply for Unemployment benefits. Population in focus The purposeful sampling of 10 unemployed adults, aged 18 to 35 that come to the Center during the study period requesting assistance with job search activities. Participants will be purposely picked from a wide range of job seekers willing to provide detailed accounts of their experiences to get variations on dimensions and to document comparisons between structural, cyclical, and frictional unemployed. The structurally unemployed will be asked five additional questions to explore in-depth their experiences looking for work with mismatched skills.