WHAT HAPPENS AFTER JOB REFERRALS? OUTCOME MONITORING AND IMPROVEMENT PROCESSES IN İŞKUR PRACTICES

This study examines the status of vacancies and the mechanisms through which post-referral outcomes are monitored, drawing on the experiences of Job and Vocational Counselors working at Turkish Employment Agency (İŞKUR). Within the scope of the research, semi-structured interviews were conducted with counselors operating in different regions of Türkiye. Following the interviews, the researcher produced verbatim transcripts, which were subsequently transferred to MAXQDA Pro 2020 and analyzed using content analysis. The findings indicate that labor demand in regional labor markets is concentrated in specific leading sectors, such as textiles in Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia, industry in the Marmara region, and tourism in the Mediterranean region. This sectoral concentration appears to generate employment vulnerability, particularly for young and inexperienced workers. Under conditions of high unemployment, counselors tend to adopt more selective and cautious referral strategies in order to minimize the risk of unsuccessful matches. Conversely, despite the pressure of unemployment, job seekers maintain a degree of selectivity by demonstrating conditional acceptance behavior based on concrete working conditions such as wages, job security, and transportation. The findings further reveal that rejections following referrals are largely rooted in structural mismatches between employers’ implicit expectations—often extending beyond formal job postings—and candidates’ expectations. These outcomes are monitored through multi-channel mechanisms, including telephone confirmations, face-to-face interactions, and system records. In conclusion, the study demonstrates that the effectiveness of public employment services cannot be adequately explained solely through quantitative indicators. The systematic monitoring of post-referral outcomes and the integration of these data into service design play a critical role in enhancing overall effectiveness.