Abstract

The project examines counseling and support processes that are particularly geared toward the unemployed or benefit recipients remote from the labour market". Under Social Code III (SGB III), this specifically involves the Internal Holistic Integration Service (Interne ganzheitliche Integrationsleistung, INGA), while in Social Code II (SGB II) it involves employment-oriented case management and municipal integration services in accordance with §16a Social Code II. The study examines the implementation of the respective concepts and the quality of counseling in these service formats. Also, it assesses the interrelationships between the target system, the counseling process and the quality of placement, the working methods and experiences of the case managers and INGA counselors. Special attention is paid to their interaction with unemployed persons with heterogeneous life histories and biographical aspirations. Insights into the construction of labour market remoteness are generated by analyzing the processes of classification and allocation to these forms of service. The question of whether there are gender-specific differences in the construction of labour market remoteness and in the process of counseling is another focus of the analyses.