Unemployment assistance in Germany

Abstract

"The fundamental reform of unemployment and social assistance in 2005 was associated with a widening of access to benefits and assistance. The unemployment II benefit scheme is now far more important to protect the unemployed than unemployment insurance. Its name, however, is somewhat misleading as benefit receipt is not conditional on unemployment. The claimant group in the UB II system is broader and more heterogeneous than in most assistance schemes of other countries. The reform led to a strong emphasis on activating a broad group of (mainly) unemployed welfare recipients. It enlarged the group of people who can participate in ALMPs. Empirical evidence with regard to the outcomes in terms of caseloads, benefit receiving periods, integration into employment is mixed. There is growing evidence that activation policies help move people off benefits but are insufficient to achieve sustainable employment, in particular when it comes to activation and integration of inactive, long-term benefit recipients and the low-skilled with severe skill or employability deficits." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Konle-Seidl, R. (2012): Unemployment assistance in Germany. In: International labor brief, Vol. 10, No. 9, p. 1-13.