The Role of Municipalities in Labour Market and Employment Policy

Abstract

Until the introduction of the Social Code II (SGB II) in 2005, municipal labour market policy mainly aimed at the integration of social aid recipients into employment, social integration of people into local communities, and the creation of value added for municipalities. For that purpose, municipalities used the instruments of the Federal Law on Social Assistance (BSGH). The first part of this article provides an overview of the legal bases and the practise of municipal employment policy under the BSGH regime. The second part is concerned with the changing role of municipalities since the introduction of the basic income support for employment-seeking people (SGB II). With the introduction of SGB II, active employment services have been transferred into the Federal Employment Agency's (BA) area of responsibility. Depending on which institutional solution is applied on the local level, the municipal formal arrangement has either been expanded to far more persons and by some instruments, or has been considerably restricted by the transfer of responsibility for services of active ('activating') labour market policy to the BA. Thus, only in so-called opting municipalities, employment policy is still an independent municipal field of operation. (IAB)

Cite article

Kaps, P. (2009): Die Rolle der Kommunen in der Arbeitsmarkt- und Beschäftigungspolitik. In: S. Bothfeld, W. Sesselmeier & C. Bogedan (Hrsg.) (2009): Arbeitsmarktpolitik in der sozialen Marktwirtschaft : vom Arbeitsförderungsgesetz zum Sozialgesetzbuch II und III, p. 191-204.