Data collection template and questionnaire

Provide a general assessment of how much national employment policies differ in different regions and of the governance of employment policies
As outlined in the German NAP 2002, the regional employment policies have different focal points and main priorities. We thus find a number of differences in regional employment policy measures, which nevertheless still focus on the core German labour market problems of job creation and activation, youth, female and long-term unemployment, training, promoting economic growth, etc.
National employment policies moreover have to respond to the different strengths and weaknesses of the German Länder. Therefore the implementation of these national employment policies can differ according to the special needs and the resources of a region.

Generally the Länder are rather innovative in terms of their employment policies, e.g focussing on flexibilisation of work. Thus, the Länder are important fields for experiments in this area.⁶⁸²

Labour market performance in 1999⁶⁸³

	Strengths	Weaknesses
Baden-Württemberg	Youth unemployment, low unemployment and female unemployment	Weaker employment rates and higher long-term unemployment
Bayern	Good marks in all areas	No special weaknesses
Berlin	Good mark in participation in the labour market, medium marks in long-term unemployment	Very bad performance in terms of youth unemployment, relatively weak in other areas too
Brandenburg	Good figures in participation in the labour market and long-term unemployment,	Weak performance in unemployment rates, youth and female unemployment
Bremen	No special strengths, good figures in female unemployment and unemployment	Nearly all figures are weak
Hamburg	Figures generally in the upper middle field, very good performance in female unemployment	No special weaknesses
Hessen	Good figures (in comparison to other Länder) in youth and female unemployment and unemployment	Weaker performance in employment rates and long-term unemployment
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern	Good figures in participation in the labour market and long-term unemployment	Weak performance in unemployment rates, youth and female unemployment
Niedersachsen	No special strengths	Comparably low employment rate and high long-term unemployment rate
Nordrhein-Westfalen	performance in female unemployment and unemployment in the upper middle field	Especially weak performing in employment rate and long-term unemployment
Rheinland-Pfalz	All figures well except employment rate	Low employment rate
Saarland	Female employment rate in upper area	Especially weak performing in employment rate and long-term unemployment
Sachsen	Very good figures in participation in the labour market, medium in long-term unemployment	Weak performance in unemployment rates, youth and female unemployment
Sachsen-Anhalt	Good figures in participation in the labour market, medium in long-term unemployment	Especially weak performance in unemployment rates, youth and female unemployment
Schleswig-Holstein	Generally good – upper middle field, esp. female unemployment	No special weaknesses
Thüringen	Very good figures in participation in the labour market and in long-term unemployment	Weak performance in unemployment rates, youth and female unemployment

According to Blancke/Schmid until 1997 three different types of labour markets could be identified in the different German Länder⁶⁸⁴:

• 
  Those using a push strategy with high readiness to introduced innovation, high degree of deepness of labour market interventions, active labour market policy, close link to industry and regional policy, wage subsidies, subsidised employment, subsidised structural change, creation of incentives for private employers to hire unemployed persons, close link between employment and training, neo-corporate political process, high level of budget spending for employment measures
  
  • 
    Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Thüringen
    
• 
  Those using a pull strategies with a low level of active labour market measures, low degree of budget spending in this area, target group and problem focused labour market policy, support of apprenticeship for (disadvantaged) young persons, low degree of innovations, measures close to work places, labour market policy not linked to structural or industry policy, hardly any institutionalised labour market co-ordination measures, economic policy as equivalent to labour market policy,
  
  • 
    Baden-Württemberg, Bayern, Hessen, Rheinland-Pfalz.
    
• 
  Those using a stay strategy (close to the pull strategy) with low degree of labour market intervention weak link to regional policy, low level of innovations, normal use of labour market instruments (co-financing by the Federal Employment Service, strong orientation alongside target groups), nevertheless: high level of budget spending
  
  • 
    Saarland, Schleswig-Holstein
    

Since 1998 all Länder have put greater emphasis on active labour market measures and the development of innovative strategies. Thus, pull strategy Länder increased public spending in the area and the co-operation in regional Alliances for work intensified the innovative potential. Talks within those alliances for work are compared to the national level more successful and even less conflictual. Additionally elements of political steering (work hour models, evaluation of the need for training) are increasingly integrated into regional employment and labour market policies too.

Regional priorities in labour market policies as presented in the 2002 NAP (wording of the NAP) ⁶⁸⁵
Baden-Württemberg:

• 
  scarce public means for active labour market measures
  
• 
  main principle: increased co-ordination between employment policy and economic policy, education policy and women’s policy as well as policy for rural areas
  
• 
  decentralised approach: measures have to be aimed at the regional level (incl. participation of social partners, NGOs, education institutions
  
• 
  priorities of the regional employment strategy:
  
  • 
    strengthening the active and preventive approach
    
  • 
    promoting business start-ups
    
  • 
    taking into account innovative measures and methods
    
  • 
    training opportunities for unskilled, semi-skilled and older workers
    
  • 
    measures to prepare low-performing young people for vocational training or classes to prepare mothers for a reinsertion into employment.
    
• 
  implementation of state programmes aiming at integration into the primary labour market
  
  • 
    ‘Youth-Work-Future’
    
  • 
    ‘Work and Future for the Long-term Unemployed’
    
  • 
    projects by the European Social Fund
    

Bavaria:

• 
  Priorities (esp. targeted at SMEs)
  
  • 
    promotion of start-ups and company successions
    
  • 
    promotion of the regions
    
  • 
    targeted promotion of new technologies (framework of the High-Tech-Offensive)
    
  • 
    co-operation-based employment policy approach reflected in Bavaria’s Employment Pact.
    
  • 
    supplement, support and strengthen active labour market policy of the Federal Labour Office
    
  • 
    integration into the primary labour market
    
  • 
    labour market fund financed by the interests earned in the privatisations of the „Future Bavaria” programme
    
    • 
      Implemented within the framework of Bavaria’s Employment Pact.
      
    • 
      Individual measures are chosen in a consensus reached by the individual participants of the Pact.
      
    • 
      Targeted at the promotion of groups difficult to place
      
    • 
      Main focus on districts of the local employment offices with an above-average unemployment rate (receiving approx. 80 % of the funds)
      
  • 
    programmes and measures concentrate on
    
    • 
      promotion of special groups (recipients of social assistance, disadvantaged young people, older unemployed persons and unemployed foreigners)
      
    • 
      promotion of non-profit worker transfers to re-integrate unemployed recipients of social assistance (combination of placement elements, occupational qualification, limited employment contracts and educational guidance)
      
  • 
    ESF funds are also used for the re-integration of people with special placement difficulties
    
    • 
      Vocational continuing training measures for people receiving of benefits according to the Social Law Compendium
      
    • 
      important contribution to Bavaria’s labour market with measures of tailor-made vocational continuing training targeted at structural changes of the regions and aim at attracting companies into the regions
      

Berlin:

• 
  Labour market policy framework programme ARP (basis of Berlin’s labour market policy since 1991)
  
• 
  ‘Berlin’s Alliance for Competitiveness and Securing Production Sites’: one of the main frameworks for discussion of labour market reforms
  
• 
  Senate of Berlin (in co-operation with the districts) will create conditions to award contracts in the framework of employment-creating infrastructure promotion pursuant to the Job-AQTIV Act
  
• 
  Integration of labour market policy measures into development strategies of the districts
  
• 
  Training as a key element (sufficient vocational training vacancies): promise of the above mentioned Alliance to offer a training vacancy to each willing young person
  

Brandenburg:

• 
  Four priority areas:
  
  • 
    Qualifying for working life – promoting initial vocational training
    
    • 
      regional government’s aim to provide a training vacancy that offers training in a recognised profession for each willing young person.
      
    • 
      special programmes to increase the number of vocational training places
      
    • 
      programmes to create additional training vacancies
      
  • 
    Financing work instead of unemployment - integrating target groups into the labour market is the second pillar of Brandenburg’s labour market policy.
    
    • 
      differentiated amount of measures: e.g. measures to promote institutions that provide services for the unemployed, the promotion of a course scheme for the long-term unemployed and a programme called “Work instead of Social Assistance”
      
  • 
    Stabilising existing jobs - unemployment shall be tackled by preventive measures set in the companies (priority to promote the qualification of workers in SMEs)
    
  • 
    New methods and instruments – innovative solutions for selected individual support
    
    • 
      stabilisation and creation of jobs for SMEs
      
    • 
      campaigns so far focussed on the flexibilisation of working hours, women in IT jobs and the improvement of education programmes in companies.
      
• 
  priorities are the result of a partnership agreement within the reform of the programme „Qualification and Employment for Brandenburg“ in which a large number of the Land’s labour market policy actors participated.
  

Bremen:

• 
  main instrument: Bremen’s active „Employment Policy Action Programme” (BAP)
  
  • 
    takes the financial means of the Land and the local authorities pursuant to the Social Assistance Act of the city of Bremen and bundles them with funds by the ESF and the EFRE.
    
  • 
    BAP funds are combined with the promotion funds of the employment offices in Bremen and Bremerhaven
    
• 
  The strategic aims of the BAP:
  
  • 
    Preventing reaction: guaranteeing and promoting employment
    
  • 
    Active labour market policy guiding structural changes
    
  • 
    Creating additional and future-oriented training places
    
  • 
    Preventing the emergence of long-term unemployment / combating existing long-term unemployment
    
  • 
    Special support for groups at risk on the labour market
    

• 
  seven funds of the BAP:
  
  • 
    Qualification fund (strengthening Bremen as a location for business by qualifying its labour force potential)
    
  • 
    Support fund (support of innovation of SMEs)
    
  • 
    Start-up fund (promotes the self-employment of unemployed persons)
    
  • 
    Fund to promote the employment and qualification of severely disabled people (integration of severely disabled people into the labour market)
    
  • 
    Promotion of employment fund pursuant to the Social Law Compendium III (bundles labour market policy instruments of employment promotion usually financed in addition to the Federal Labour Office)
    
  • 
    Fund for local employment promotion pursuant to the Social Assistance Act (occupational integration of recipients of social assistance)
    
  • 
    Planning and development fund (innovative approaches in labour market policy, e.g. the Alliance for Work and Training)
    

Hamburg:

• 
  Revision in 2002:
  
  • 
    Aims: closely aligning labour market policy with company needs and at an increased coupling of labour market policy measures with the general labour market
    
• 
  Priority:
  
• 
  integration of the unemployed into the regular labour market under the heading „Promote, Demand, Efficiency“
  
• 
  support of measures to maintain and create jobs
  
• 
  tailor-made promotion of unemployed persons through profiling and assessment
  
• 
  strictly aiming pro-employment measures at the needs that are relevant to employ and integrate unemployed persons and at the needs of the companies on the general labour market
  
• 
  creating additional low-quality jobs
  
• 
  setting up an efficient controlling system for the scope and the use of different labour market policy programmes
  
• 
  criteria like benefits agreements, the preservation of wage compensation offers, etc. shall be used as a condition that employers have to fulfil in order to receive support
  
• 
  opening up of low-skilled and low-wage jobs
  
  • 
    „Hamburg Model of Employment Promotion“ (1 March 2002)
    
    • 
      creation of additional employment with compulsory social insurance
      
    • 
      granting wage cost subsidies without red-tape, handing out cheques, a voucher for continuing training
      
    • 
      mixture between a „wage combination model“ (worker promotion) and wage cost subsidies (employer promotion)
      
    • 
      Target group: long-term unemployed persons, recipients of social assistance, unemployed persons who have not finished their vocational training and people likely to become long-term unemployed
      

Hesse:

• 
  Priorities:
  
  • 
    promotion of especially disadvantaged target groups: the long-term unemployed, recipients of social assistance, severely disabled people, disadvantaged young people, older unemployed persons and women
    
  • 
    placement measures
    
  • 
    assistance to find a job
    
  • 
    vocational guidance
    
  • 
    promotion of vocational training programmes
    
  • 
    measures of vocational continuing training
    
  • 
    employment and wage cost subsidies
    
  • 
    immediate integration into the general labour market
    
  • 
    measures to improve the infrastructure
    
• 
  „Action Programme for Regional Labour Market Policy“ (HARA)
  
  • 
    freely combinable modules of „Hesse’s Action Programme for Regional Labour Market Policy“
    
  • 
    aid programmes and multiple activities organised at the local and district level
    
  • 
    integration of unemployed recipients of social assistance into employment “
    
• 
  wage combination model Hesse”
  
  • 
    reactivate jobs or create new jobs in the low-wage sector
    
• 
  the Land strengthened programmes to improve equal opportunities
  
  • 
    „in-company training vacancies for single mothers“
    
  • 
    women’s promotion measure of the HARA programme (child care, inclusion of women’s bureaux, women’s quota)
    
  • 
    above-average participation of women in Hesse’s combined wage pilot project (72 % of participants are women)
    
• 
  2001: Land and ESF funds of more than 100 million DM available for labour market measures
  

Mecklenburg Western Pomerania

• 
  labour market policy leans back on regional development concepts
  
• 
  labour market policy also supplements the economic, education, social and environmental policies as well as regional and state planning.
  
• 
  assists regional actors in the development of new skills
  
• 
  employment promotion projects that benefit the community (‘GAP projects’)
  
• 
  „Labour market and Structural Development Programme“ (ASP)
  
  • 
    new approaches to strengthen the region’s labour market
    
  • 
    Groups of people and activities that are not supported by the local employment offices receive special promotion
    
  • 
    helping the administrative districts and towns to facilitate the return into employment for citizens who receive social assistance
    
  • 
    measures are mainly ESF funded.
    
  • 
    Priorities:
    
    • 
      Occupational integration of young people and young adults
      
      • 
        state programme JAZ “Youth – Work – Future”
        
      • 
        programme „Enterprise MV“ for young unemployed people who want to become self-employed
        
      • 
        „mv4you“, a communication agency for young people who do not see sufficient professional perspectives in Mecklenburg Western Pomerania at the moment but want to stay in contact with the region.
        
    • 
      Equal opportunities for men and women
      
      • 
        complementing gender mainstreaming strategies
        
      • 
        specific promotion of women
        
      • 
        promotion programmes are reviewed upon their gender impact
        
      • 
        Specific activities to reduce structural discrimination of women
        
    • 
      Developing the knowledge-based society
      
    • 
      Participation of the regional and local levels
      
      • 
        The responsibilities of the regional/local level are strengthened by their participation in the design of the programmes
        
    • 
      disabled people are taken into special consideration
      

Lower Saxony

• 
  In 2002, focus on young people under 25
  
  • 
    promotion of structural adjustment measures, training opportunities for the unemployed, etc.
    
  • 
    so-called “youth offices” have been established in 7 cities in Lower Saxony (besides the existing counselling structures from the state programmes RAN and RABaZ)
    
    • 
      provide new employment opportunities for young recipients of social assistance
      
• 
  greater focus to the preventive idea of the labour market programme
  
  • 
    focus on the primary labour market
    
  • 
    linking the programme with the economic policy
    
• 
  Priorities:
  
  • 
    preventive measures (preventive approach)
    
  • 
    early intervention,
    
  • 
    vocational training and vocational continuing training
    
  • 
    extending the comprehensive labour market programme for women
    
  • 
    promoting the compatibility of family and employment for men and women (family services, implementation of gender mainstreaming in all labour market programmes)
    
  • 
    linking labour market policy with economic and structural policies
    
  • 
    enhancing effectiveness through tailor-made promotion programmes.
    

North Rhine-Westphalia

• 
  decentralised, participative approach of labour market policy
  
• 
  Priorities:
  
  • 
    target group-oriented, structure-oriented and preventive labour market policy
    
  • 
    promotion concept developed by the Land supplements the promotion of the Federal Government
    
  • 
    own promotion systems that enable new ways of employment promotion with ESF funds
    
  • 
    strategies to link labour market policy measures with the special needs of companies
    
  • 
    occupational integration of the long-term unemployed, young people and women as well as migrants and disabled people
    
  • 
    advocating occupational integration of young people
    
    • 
      pilot projects (with the social partners) to promote the transition from school into employment were developed
      
    • 
      initiative „Youth and Employment“: approach for occupational integration of young unemployed people.
      
• 
  Support of regional and sectoral structural changes
  
  • 
    thirty regional conferences
    
    • 
      members are the respective representatives of a.o. the local authorities, the employment service, the employers and the trade unions
      
  • 
    Ruhr area
    
  • 
    specific promotion approaches to provide new employment perspectives for the unemployed and those threatened by unemployment
    
  • 
    promotion of employment transfers carried out in co-operation with the social partners
    
  • 
    occupational reorientation and reinsertion of former miners
    
• 
  support for counselling and training projects in order to structure necessary adjustment processes in companies
  
• 
  Within the framework of the labour market policy co-financed by the ESF, the labour ministry has concluded target agreements with the conferences that define the results that should be achieved for the respective policy areas with the funds available to the region. The results shall be discussed in annual meetings on the state of the programmes with the regions and if necessary, adjustments to the regional strategies shall be agreed.