Abstract

Jointly with the German Federal Employment Office, the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth has initiated the pilot programme “Perspective of Women’s Re-entry into the Labour Market”, which is co-financed by the European Social Fund.

From March 2009 to February 2012, the programme is conducted in several German regions. The aim of the programme is to support the re-entry of women into the labour market after a family-related absence from work for at least three years.

The programme consists of 17 projects with partly different approaches. All projects, however, consider re-entry into the labour market as a long lasting process that has to take into account also family members and local enterprises. In autumn 2011 it was decided to extend the program up to the end of 2013.

The Institute for Employment Research conducts an evaluation study of the programme that is composed of quantitative and qualitative elements. The research focuses on
- the process of returning into the labour market and its supporting and restraining factors
- the implementation of the programme by the different projects
- the effectiveness of the programme by comparing participating women with a comparison group of women who are clients of the Federal Employment Agency.