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BACKGROUND REPORT

THE EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND AND SOCIAL INCLUSION

IMPORTANT NOTE

This study is produced by Bernard Brunhes International (BBI, www.bb-international.eu) under the contract

“Reporting on ESF interventions in the EU.” The report was written by Livia Di Nardo, Valter Cortese and

Donal McAnaney. A brochure summarising the findings of this study is available in English, French, German,

Spanish, Italian and Polish at http://ec.europa.eu/esf.

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1Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 – Introduction 3

1A. Scope of the Study 31B. the europeAn SociAl fund: frAmework & AchievementS 41c. ApproAch 11

Chapter 2 – General Context 13

2A. definitionS of SociAl incluSion And relAted conceptS 132B. eu policieS in the BroAder Sphere of SociAl incluSion 162c. SociAl incluSion And employment in the europeAn union 18

Chapter 3 – ESF Interventions and Achievements 25

3A. SociAl incluSion tArgetS for eSf Support 253B. interventionS And finAnceS 26

3B.1 Social inclusion in eSf 2000-2006 263B.2 Social inclusion in eSf 2007-2013 283B.3 considerations on eSf Social inclusion interventions 31

3c. overAll AchievementS 323c.1 participation in Social inclusion Activities 323c.2 the profile of participants 34

3d. typologieS of eSf interventionS in SociAl incluSion 403d.1 typologies of eSf interventions in Social inclusion in 2000-2006 403d.2 typologies of eSf interventions in Social inclusion in 2007-2013 46

3e. eSf And SociAl incluSion ActivitieS to ASSiSt people 493e.1 overview of interventions and Achievements Addressing people 493e.2 comprehensive pathways to integration 52

3f. eSf enhAnceS SociAl incluSion SyStemS And StructureS 633f.1 overview of interventions and Achievements Addressing Systems and Structures 633f.2 developing new Supports and Services 643f.3 developing training and education programmes 673f.4 training of trainers and professionals 683f.5 promotional campaigns 70

Chapter 4 – Conclusions 72

Annexes 76

Annex 1: expenditure 2000-2006 And Budget 2007-2013 76Annex 2: eSf vocABulAry 78Annex 3: liSt of eSf 2000-2006 meASureS uSed for the Study 79Annex 4: StAndArdiSed indicAtor nAmeS uSed for AnAlySiS 87Annex 5: liSt of keywordS uSed for AnAlySiS 92Annex 6: liSt of eSf 2007-2013 priority AxeS uSed for the Study 92

Index of figures, tables and insights 95

2 The European Social Fund and Social Inclusion

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

Country codesAt Austria

Be Belgium

Bg Bulgaria

ch Switzerland

cy cyprus

cZ czech republic

de germany

dk denmark

ee estonia

eS Spain

fi finland

fr france

gr greece

hr croatia

hu hungary

ie ireland

iS iceland

it italy

lt lithuania

lu luxembourg

lv latvia

mt malta

nl netherlands

no norway

pl poland

pt portugal

ro romania

Se Sweden

Si Slovenia

Sk Slovakia

tr turkey

uk united kingdom

uS united States

Other abbreviationsAlmp Active labour market policies

ec european commission

eeS european employment Strategy

eSf european Social fund

eu european union

gdp gross domestic product

ict information and communication technologies

ilo international labour organisation

ltu long term unemployed

nAp national Action plan

ngo non governmental organisation

oecd organisation for economic cooperation and development

omc open metod of coordination

op operational programme

pc programme complement

peS public employment Services

S.e. Supported employment

Sfc ec Structural funds financial database

Spd Single programming document

tfeu treaty of the functioning of the european union

vet vocational education and training activities

3Chapter 1 – Introduction

Chapter 1 – Introduction

1A. ScOpE OF ThE STudythis research report presents the interventions of the european Social fund (eSf) in the area of social inclusion.

it is one of a series of 22 studies describing what eSf does on a range of policy topics or target groups. in addition

to this background report, which exists only in english, a “summary fiche” (brochure) containing the main findings

of the study is available in english, french, german, Spanish, italian and polish.

eSf is one of the Structural funds of the european union (eu) and is devoted in particular to promoting employment.

promoting social inclusion of people from vulnerable groups is one of the main intervention areas of eSf.

the implementation of eSf is structured along seven-year programming periods. this report contains information

on the eSf interventions in the programming period 2000-2006 and 2007-2013. Since 2000, the eu has grown from

15 to 27 member States and so has the involvement of the respective countries in eSf. romania and Bulgaria only

participate in the current programming period 2007-2013.

the report consists of two chapters and a conclusion. chapter 1 defines social inclusion, poverty, exclusion and

other related concepts for the scope of this study and puts them in a wider context. particular attention is given to

terminology, to statistics on at-risk of poverty and working poor and to the way social inclusion is addressed in the

eu framework and in particular in the europe 2020 Strategy.

A detailed description of eSf interventions and achievements in the field of social inclusion constitutes the second

and core chapter of this report. the first part of the chapter describes the way in which social inclusion is addressed

in various eSf regulations. the second part concerns the overall finances, interventions and achievements for all

relevant measures and priority axes. Social inclusion is one of the main fields of activities of the eSf and therefore

the findings of this study are compared to the findings related to the eSf achievements as a whole. on the basis

of its contents, each measure and priority axis with a social inclusion component was allocated to one or more

typology of activity (key concepts): social inclusion activities to assist people (through integrated pathways to

employment); social inclusion activities to assist systems and structures. each of these typologies is then looked

from a double perspective: a description of the main reported achievements and a qualitative review of the types

of interventions.

the concluding section contains a summary of the findings and analyses the continuity that exists in the eSf

assistance on social inclusion across the two programming periods.


1B. ThE EuROpEAN SOcIAL FuNd: FRAmEwORk & AchIEVEmENTS

the eSf is one of the eu’s Structural funds set up to reduce the gap in living standards between regions and

between people and to promote economic and social cohesion across europe. the eSf is devoted to promoting

employment in the eu. it helps member States make europe’s workforce and companies better equipped to face

new and global challenges. the eSf was created in 1957 at the time when the european economic community

was established. while the overall purpose of the fund has remained unchanged, its objectives and scope of

application have been adapted to socio-economic developments. the eSf strategy and budget is negotiated and

decided between the eu member States, the european parliament and the commission. on this basis, seven-year

operational programmes (ops) are planned by member States together with the european commission.

Programming Period 2000-2006

in the period 2000-2006, the Structural funds were grouped around 3 objectives1: objective 1 promoted the

development of regions where the gdp per capita was below 75% of the eu average, outlying regions (e.g. Azores)

and sparsely populated regions in finland and Sweden; objective 2 supported areas adjusting to change in the

industrial and services sector, rural areas in decline, urban areas in difficulty, and economically depressed areas

heavily dependent on fisheries; objective 3 provided funding throughout the eu to help adapt and modernise

policies and systems of education, training and employment. objectives 1 and 2 were financed by the eSf in

combination with other Structural funds. objective 3 was financed solely by eSf.

eSf supported activities related to five policy fields: (i) the development and promotion of active labour market

policies; (ii) the promotion of equal opportunities for all in accessing the labour market, with particular emphasis

on those exposed to social exclusion; (iii) the promotion and improvement of training, education and counselling

as part of lifelong learning policy; (iv) the promotion of a skilled, trained and adaptable workforce; and (v) the

improvement of women’s access to and participation in the labour market. Across all programmes, the eSf has

also addressed three horizontal themes: (i) support for local initiatives concerning employment; (ii) the social and

labour market dimensions of the information society; and (iii) equal opportunities for women and men as part of

the mainstreaming approach.

Between 2000 and 2006 a total of 212 ops2 were implemented by either regional or national authorities in the

member States. in 2000, the eSf was open to 15 member States. Additional ops were set up in 2004 to accommodate

the priorities of 10 new member States. the distribution of the programmes and the total eSf co-funded expenditure

per objective is presented in figure 1.

1 <http://europa.eu/scadplus/leg/en/lvb/g24203.htm> 2 The research is based on data collected for 207 OPs covering the years 2000 to 2006. The remaining programmes are technical assistance OPs and

a specific transnational OP promoting the peace process in Northern Ireland. This OP is not included in figure 1. The Equal Operational Programmes are not covered.


Figure 1: Number of OPs and total ESF co-funded expenditure per Objective in the ESF 2000-2006 period

49

5

52

106

58

47

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Objective 1 Objective 2 Objective 3

ESF co-funded expenditure in € billion

Number of OPs

Source: EC Structural Fund Database (SFC), situation in September 2008 (2000-2006)

Between 2000 and 2006, over 75 million participants3 were involved in eSf funded activities. Because it is very likely

that some people have benefited more than once from eSf funded interventions, it is more correct to refer to over

75 million participations.

Figure 2: Average yearly participation per Member State

0

500.000

1.000.000

1.500.000

2.000.000

2.500.000

3.000.000

3.500.000

4.000.000

ES FR PT DE IT GB EU 25 PL GR IE SE BE AT FI CZ NL HU SK SI LV LT DK EE LU CY MT

Source: Data compiled by BBI on the basis of ESF Operational Programme reports 2000-2006

this corresponds to approximately a fifth of the total population between 15-64 years4 in the 25 eu member States.

participants may have benefited from more than one eSf intervention. in the case of portugal, no aggregated

data were available so data from the different years were added up. in Spain, participants could be funded under

national and regional programmes. furthermore, for the netherlands limited data is available.

3 The findings are based on a total of 1,567 measures of which 1,260 have reported on participants.4 Eurostat, Europe in figures, Eurostat Yearbook 2008, <http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/publications/eurostat_yearbook>


Figure 3: The proportion of the yearly average of ESF beneficiaries per Member State in relation to the total population between 15-64 years per Member State

0,0%

2,0%

4,0%

6,0%

8,0%

10,0%

12,0%

14,0%

16,0%

PT ES IE FR GR SE BE FI SI AT LV IT UK DE SL CZ LU PL HU LT NL EE MT CY DK

EU average

Proportion of ESF bene�ciaries

Source: Eurostat 2008 and for ESF, data compiled by BBI on the basis of ESF Operational Programme reports 2000-2006

on an annual basis, eSf reached on average nearly 4% of the total eu-25 population between 15 – 64 years in the

25 eu member States. in most of the member States the yearly proportion of the active population benefitting

from eSf money was lower. exceptions to this were portugal, Spain, ireland and to a lesser extent france, greece

and Sweden. new member States started later with the programming and this may explain the lower proportion of

the active population addressed through eSf. moreover in some member States operational programmes focussed

more on assistance to systems and structures than in others.

the total eSf community expenditure was € 54 billion in the period 2000-2006. this amount was matched, through

the basic principle of co-funding within eSf with about € 51 billion from the public and private sectors in the member

States concerned. A detailed breakdown of the financial allocations per member State is available in Annex 1.

the average percentage of the total eSf co-funded expenditure committed by member States to eSf activities was

51.3%. the share of the eSf budget that each member States received depended on several factors, such as the size

of the population and the objective covered5. on average the new member States received a higher share of eSf

funding, which can be explained by the need for these countries to catch up with the global european economy.

funding was allocated to member States where support was most needed to ensure that the whole of eu moved

forward.

5 Priority Objectives in 2000-2006 have been defined on the basis of the per capita gross domestic product (GDP). Objective 1 territory were the ones with a GDP lower than 75% of the Community average, Objective 2 programmes were aimed at helping regions with indications of industrial decline; Objective 3 programmes were not geographically targeted and delivered the European Employment Strategy. <http://europa.eu/scadplus/leg/en/lvb/g24203.htm>


Figure 4: Total ESF co-funded expenditure per Member State: proportion between ESF and Member State funds

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

SE FI BE DK FR AT GB LU DE NL CY EU25

IT IE ES PT EE CZ SK PL LT SI MT LV HU GR

ESF community expenditure ESF national expenditure

Source: EC Structural Fund Database (SFC), situation in September 2008 (2000-2006).

the average total expenditure per eSf beneficiary was € 1,306 (€ 669 was the average eSf expenditure per

beneficiary). Some member States like denmark and germany, but also the netherlands and united kingdom

exceeded this average amount considerably. this may reflect a stronger focus of the operational programmes on

assistance to systems and structures.

Figure 5: Total ESF co-funded expenditure per participant per Member State (in €)

0

1.000

2.000

3.000

4.000

5.000

6.000

7.000

DK DE NL GB SE EE FI LT IT GR LU PL BE MT HU SK AT PT LV IE CZ FR ES SI CY

Expenditure perparticipant

EU 25 Average ESFexpenditure perparticipant in €

Source: EC Structural Fund Database (SFC), situation in September 2008 (2000-2006.) Data compiled by BBI on the basis of ESF

Operational Programme reports 2000-2006.


the eSf supported two types of interventions, assisting people and systems. Actions targeting the enhancement

of systems (e.g. capacity building in public employment Services or the modernisation of vocational education and

training systems) will ultimately address individual beneficiaries, too. however, such programmes tend not to have

the same number of participants as those interventions directly aimed at e.g. training disadvantaged sections of the

population in acquiring a better position for the labour market or supporting researchers to pursue part of their work

in another region or country. member States implementing more system-related interventions had a relatively lower

number of participants and therefore the average eSf budget spent on each participant may be somewhat higher.

Figure 6: ESF community expenditure per participant per Member State (in €)

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

DK EE NL DE LT GB GR PL SE IT MT HU FI SK LU LV PT CZ AT BE IE ES SI FR CY

ESF Expenditure per participant in €

EU 25 Average ESF expenditure per participant in €

Source: EC Structural Fund Database (SFC), situation in September 2008 (2000-2006) data compiled by BBI on the basis of ESF Operational Programme

reports 2000-2006.

the eSf regulation strongly reflected the eu’s commitment to eliminate inequalities between women and men

following a combined approach of gender mainstreaming and specific activities for women in different fields. eSf

resulted in a balanced participation of women and men: 52% of the participants are women and 48% are men.

Figure 7: Gender breakdown of ESF participants

Women52%

Men48%

Source: Data compiled by BBI on the basis of ESF Operational Programme reports 2000-2006.

most member States had a balanced division of male and female participants. Seven member States had a proportion

of female participants exceeding 55% (malta, poland, lithuania, ireland, portugal, greece and Austria where 64% of

the participants were women).


37% of the eSf participants were young people (< 25 years) while 7% were beneficiaries aged 50 years and older6.

eSf helped to prepare young people to find suitable work and to succeed in their jobs. it assisted older workers to

stay in employment, by e.g. re-skilling programmes.

eSf addressed both employed and unemployed people: 54% of eSf participants were unemployed, of whom 25%

were long term unemployed, 42% short term unemployed and 33% were not further specified. 38% were employed

people of whom 4% self-employed. Another 7% of the participants were inactive, e.g. students.

Figure 8: Status of ESF participants in the labour market

Unemployed54%

Employed38%

Inactive8%

Source: Data compiled by BBI on the basis of ESF Operational Programme reports 2000-2006.

furthermore, 700,000 projects were funded. the majority of these projects were reported by operational

programmes in italy and germany. in germany, most of the 170,000 projects funded through eSf were situated in

the priority “promotion of the work force potential and of equal opportunities”, while in italy about 400,000 projects

were spread over various programmes and priorities.

not all member States have reported in the same way on results, meaning that in practice the scope and size of

the results are expected to be higher. the success rate of participants gaining a qualification was on average 34%.

Success rates above 75% were achieved in greece (97%), estonia (89%) and latvia (85%)7. 22% of the participants

were integrated into the labour market. particularly high success rates were reported by portugal (91%) and Slovakia

(72%)8. the success rates were largely influenced by the type of target group eSf addressed, i.e. groups at risk for

which it is difficult to, for example, (re)integrate into the labour market. moreover, not all measures aimed at the

achievement of a formal qualification or at an immediate integration in the labour market.

the creation of 600,000 jobs with eSf funds was reported particularly in Spain and greece. in Spain 152,227 jobs

were created leading to self-employment. in greece the majority of jobs were created in the framework of the

programme “employment promotion and vocational training”. this programme was entirely devoted to job creation,

including actions aiming at combating (long-term) unemployment, creating conditions to ensure job positions in

enterprises and strengthening the acquisition of work experience.

About 200,000 jobs were safeguarded as a result of eSf interventions. finland and france reported particularly good

results. the results in france were mainly related to the programme midi-pyrénées.

6 These two percentages were calculated independently. For the calculation of the proportion of young people and older persons, the maximum number of data was used for each of the respective categories. The proportions were calculated on the basis of all measures including data on young people on the one hand and on older persons on the other hand.

7 These rates have been calculated on the number of measures on which data on participants gaining a qualification have been reported.8 These rates have been calculated on the number of measures on which data on participants integrated into the labour market have been reported.


Programming Period 2007-2013

in the current period 2007-2013, the Structural funds are concentrated around 3 new objectives: (i) convergence

concerns the least developed regions, comparable to the old objective 1, and aims to help the least-developed

member States and regions catch up more quickly with the eu average by improving conditions for growth and

employment; (ii) regional competitiveness and employment concerns the rest of the eu and aims to strengthen

the competitiveness, employment and attractiveness of all regions; and (iii) european territorial cooperation aims at

strengthening cross-border, trans-national and interregional cooperation through joint local and regional initiatives.

the eSf is supporting activities under the first two objectives that relate to the following priorities: (i) adaptability

of workers and enterprises; (ii) improved access to employment and the sustainable inclusion in the labour market

of job seekers and inactive people; (iii) reinforcing the social inclusion of disadvantaged people with a view to their

sustainable integration in employment and combating all forms of discrimination in the labour market; (iv) enhancing

human capital by promoting reform in education and training systems, as well as networking activities between

higher education institutions, research centres and enterprises; and (v) promoting good governance, partnership and

the involvement of social partners. moreover, eSf addresses additional priorities under the convergence objective: (i)

expanding and improving investment in human capital, in particular by increasing the participation in education and

training through the life-cycle and by developing human potential in research and innovation; and (ii) improving the

institutional capacity and efficiency of public administrations and public services at national, regional and local level.

the current programming period features 117 ops for all 27 member States, including Bulgaria and romania which

did not participate at all in the previous eSf period. half of the programmes concern regional competitiveness and

employment (59 ops), while 42 ops belong to the convergence objective. the remaining 16 ops contain initiatives

for both objectives. the total co-funded budget available for eSf related interventions in the period 2007-2013 is

€ 117 billion, of which € 76 billion is contributed by the eSf. A detailed breakdown per member State is available

in Annex 1.

the programming, implementation and financing procedures for the 2007-2013 period were simplified for all

Structural funds. in so far as the eSf is concerned, the current period features a strong link with the objectives of the

lisbon Strategy for growth and Jobs: the eSf is supporting member States’ policies to comply with the guidelines

and recommendations adopted in the european employment Strategy. the most important eSf concepts and

documents across the programming periods are described in Annex 2.

in 2007, 2008 and 2009 more than 18 million participants entered eSf funded interventions9. there were slightly

more women (52%) than men (48%). 31.5% of the participants were unemployed, including 9% of long-term

unemployed; 33% were inactive of which 23% in education or training. the remaining 31% were employed, of

which 2% self-employed. nearly one third of the eSf participants were younger than 25 and 5% were 55 years and

older. the eSf mainly targets people with modest educational attainment: 64% of the participants have a primary

or a secondary school degree (iSced 1, 2 or 3). Also in this programming period the eSf funding targets people in

society who are more vulnerable to unemployment and social exclusion. 17% of the participants belong to one of

the vulnerable groups (f.i. minorities, migrants, disabled).

9 Figures as of 30/08/2010. Udated information on participants can be found at: http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/esf/discover/statistics_en.htm


1c. AppROAchthis study describes the ways in which member States used the financial means offered by eSf to promote social

inclusion of people from the most vulnerable groups. it does not attempt to make any evaluation or judgement

about the effectiveness of planned versus realised initiatives but rather to offer an overview – as comprehensive as

possible – of the activities carried out across the member States, and of their achievements.

the research work took place in three stages. first of all, measures and programmes elaborated by member States

during the 2000-2006 programming period have been checked on their relevance for this study. the selection was

made by identifying keywords in the titles and by reviewing the content of each measure10. in parallel this selection

was cross-checked with measures funded either fully or in part under the policy field “social inclusion” (22) but also

under “active labour market policies” (21). As a result of this exercise, a final list of relevant measures was drafted

(please see Annex 3).

Secondly, the eSf programming and implementation documents related to the selected measures were screened

for relevant quantitative and qualitative information. the latter was provided mainly through the operational

programmes (op) and programme complements (pc) that described the planned interventions, while the Annual

implementation reports (Air) contained primarily quantitative information in the form of outcome indicators.

other outcome-related information was found in the (updated) mid-term evaluations and in the online eSf projects

database11.

the third step consisted in processing the collected information. All outcome indicators of the relevant measures were

collected, reviewed, standardised and processed. the results of this quantitative research constitute the backbone

of this study and are presented in section 3c of this study insofar as they cover the entire range of measures and

priorities. the standardisation of indicators was necessary to obtain results that are comparable across programmes

and member States. the methodological approach to this research stage is thoroughly described in Annex 4.

the qualitative information was reviewed and on the basis of its content, each measure was allocated to one or

more key concepts, which underpin the basic structure of this report:

Assistance to people: integrated pathways to employment (guidance and counselling, education and training ●●

and employment support – Section 3e)

Assistance to systems: developing new supports and services, developing training and education programmes, ●●

training for trainers and professionals, promotional campaigns – Section 3f)

At the same time, some of the measures identified for social inclusion were specifically targeting roma, migrants

and minorities, people with disabilities and older workers. these measures have also been used for other studies12.

the key concepts analysis was also applied to these measures (even though some overlap with other studies) and

it was possible to estimate the proportion of each type of social inclusion activity implemented for each target

group. please see Annex 3 for the results of the allocation of measures to both the key concepts and to other studies

focused on specific target groups.

10 The list of keywords used to identify relevant measures and priority axes is available in Annex 511 http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/esf/projects/projects_en.htm 12 ESF and Roma, ESF migrants and minorities, ESF and disability, ESF and older workers


Budget information was gathered from the ec Structural funds database (Sfc). the figures presented in this report

in relation to the 2000-2006 programming period reflect the situation available on 2 September 2008. All such

information refers to the expenditure claimed by the member States, not to the amount budgeted or distributed.

the information for the current programming period (2007-2013) was compiled from a series of documents made

available by the ec, in particular the summaries (in english) of the individual operational programmes, the allocation

of planned interventions to priority themes, and the foreseen budget per programme and per theme. the research

started from the ops that were mentioned under one or more of the priority theme:

priority theme no. 71: pathways to integration and re-entry into employment for disadvantaged people; combating ●●

discrimination in accessing and progressing in the labour market and promoting acceptance of diversity;

But also:

priority theme no. 67: measures encouraging active ageing and prolonging working lives; ●●

priority theme no. 70: specific action to increase migrants’ participation in employment and thereby strengthen ●●

their social integration.

the allocation of the eSf community budget to the above priority themes was then compared with a list of priority

axes compiled using a keyword search on the op summaries and a double check on the full text of ops. the list of

priority axes forms the source of the financial data on the current programming period. the budget information

for 2007-2013 is taken from the Sfc2007, as available in may 2009, and refers to the amounts budgeted in the

operational programmes (i.e. not actual spending). the list of relevant programmes and priority axes is provided in

Annex 6. Because in 2007-2013 member States report per priority axis, it was not possible to allocate these axes to

the same key concepts used in the analysis of eSf funded activities in 2000-2006. nevertheless member States have

used similar approaches to address social inclusion, and qualitative information on activities is presented in section

3.d.2 and in the two sections dedicated to the description of activities per key concept (3.e and 3.f).

for both programming periods, the identification of relevant information was carried out as thoroughly as possible

in order to provide a comprehensive report. nevertheless, given the large quantity and variety of source documents,

individual relevant activities might have been overlooked. however, the scope for mistakes should be fairly small

and hence any possible errors should not affect the overall picture presented in this report.

13Chapter 2 – General Context

Chapter 2 – General Context

2A. dEFINITIONS OF SOcIAL INcLuSION ANd RELATEd cONcEpTS

promoting social inclusion and social cohesion are considered by the european commission to be important

contributors to achieving both sustainable economic and employment growth and to modernising the european

social model. Social inclusion is a process which ensures that those at risk of poverty and social exclusion gain

the opportunities and resources necessary to participate fully in economic, social and cultural life and to enjoy a

standard of living and well-being that is considered normal in the society in which they live. It ensures that they have

greater participation in decision making which affects their lives and access to their fundamental rights13.

Social inclusion and social exclusion are inseparable. Social exclusion became prominent in the eu policy discourse

under the first delors presidency (1985-1990). the fight against social exclusion was concretely mentioned for the

first time in the history of european integration in the treaty of Amsterdam as an objective of the community and

the member States, in particular the integration of people excluded from the labour market14. often linked in eu

documents to poverty, social exclusion refers to people who “are prevented from participating fully in economic,

social and civil life and/or when their access to income and other resources (personal, family, social and cultural) is

so inadequate as to exclude them from enjoying a standard of living and quality of life that is regarded as acceptable

by the society in which they live. In such situations people often are unable to fully access their fundamental rights”

(Joint Report on Social Inclusion, council, 200115).

for the european commission, integrating the most vulnerable groups into the labour market is an important

step towards combating social exclusion. Since 200616 the commission encouraged member States to take an

active inclusion approach to people excluded from the labour market. A comprehensive active inclusion strategy

is composed of three strands: adequate income support, inclusive labour markets and access to quality services.

this threefold approach is designed to ensure that social protection policies effectively contribute to mobilising

people who are capable of working, while achieving the wider objective of providing a decent living standard to

those who are and will remain outside the labour market.

central to combating social exclusion is the fight against poverty. people are considered to be living in poverty

if their income and resources are so inadequate as to preclude them from having a standard of living considered

acceptable in the society in which they live.

13 Council of the European Union, Joint report by the Commission and the Council on social inclusion 2004, Brussels, 4 March 200414 Ferrera M., Matsaganis M., Sacchi S., Open coordination against poverty: the new EU “social inclusion process”, Journal of European Social Policy, Vol

12 (3): 227-239.15 Council of the European Union, 15223/01, Draft Joint Report on Social Inclusion 2001, Brussels (12.12.2001)16 COM(2006)44 final, Communication from the Commission concerning a consultation on action at EU level to promote the active inclusion of

the people furthest from the labour market, Brussels (8.2.2006), COM(2007) 620 final, Modernising social protection for greater social justice and economic cohesion: taking forward the active inclusion of people furthest from the labour market Brussels (17.10.2007) and COM(2008) 639 final Commission Recommendation on the active inclusion of people excluded from the labour market, Brussels (3.10.2008).


As a result of their poverty they may experience multiple disadvantages through unemployment, low income,

poor housing, inadequate health care and barriers to lifelong learning, culture, sport and recreation. they are often

excluded and marginalised from participating in activities (economic, social and cultural) that are the norm for other

people, and their access to fundamental rights may be restricted. poverty can be described in “absolute”, “subjective”

or “relative” terms17. “Absolute” defines a minimum subsistence in terms of basic needs (food, clothing, housing,

services, etc). the aggregate cost of these goods and services then constitutes the poverty threshold. Subjective

measures of poverty are based on public opinion on income levels considered to be “just sufficient”, derived from

household surveys. relative poverty is measured against the standard of living enjoyed by the majority of people in

an area, and thus varies between regions. the european union uses a relative definition to measure poverty, namely

“the share of persons with a disposable income below 60% of the national median”18.

the present study focuses on the eSf achievements with regard to the inclusion of vulnerable groups in the labour

market. Vulnerable groups are those that experience a higher risk of poverty and social exclusion than the general

population. ethnic minorities, migrants, disabled people, the homeless, those struggling with substance abuse,

isolated elderly people and children often face difficulties that can lead to further social exclusion, such as low

levels of education and unemployment or underemployment19. the most frequent characteristics used to define

vulnerable groups are age, sex, ethnicity, disabilities, illnesses and legal status (e.g. refugees or undocumented

workers). the groups can vary according to the member States and the policy area (labour market, health,

and housing).

the present report focuses on social inclusion particularly in relation to four specific vulnerable groups, each of

which have been the subject of other studies in this series20: migrants, minorities (with a focus on roma), people

with disabilities and older workers. compared to the others, this study takes a broader focus and covers all measures

addressing labour market inclusion. nevertheless, it is important to review the scope of each of these terms from

an eu perspective.

the employment in europe report (2008)21 defines legal (im)migrants as individuals who reside in a country other

than the one where they were born ( i.e. a “country of birth” rather than a “nationality” approach). the “foreign-

born” concept provides a more complete picture by including naturalized immigrants. the total population resident

in member States can be divided into three basic groups based on place of birth: native-born – those born in

the member State of residence; other eu-born – those born in another eu member State; non-eu born (or third

country nationals)– those born outside of the eu. the latter two groups – although both “foreign-born” – may

have different residence and labour market rights, and differ in terms of labour market outcomes22. immigration

remains of high political importance on european union (eu) and member States’ agendas. The integration of

legal immigrants implies the provision of opportunities ìto participate and develop their full potential. European

society should enhance their capacity to manage immigration-related diversity and enhance social cohesion23.

17 Hagenaars, A. and K. de Vos (1987), “The Definition and Measurement of Poverty”. The Journal of Human Resources, XXIII/2, pp. 211-221.18 Eurostat19 http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/spsi/vulnerable_groups_en.htm20 ESF and Roma, ESF and migrants and minorities, ESF and disability and ESF and older workers 21 European Commission, Employment in Europe 2008, Luxembourg 2008. 22 Ibidem. 23 COM(2008) 359 final A Common Immigration Policy for Europe: Principle, actions and tools, Brussels (17.6.2008).


official estimates refer to about 18.5 million third country nationals as residing (in 2007) in eu-27, making up 3.8%

of its total population of 495 million24. the biggest groups of third country nationals in the eu come from turkey

(2.3 million), morocco (1.7 million), Albania (0.8 million) and Algeria (0.6 million)25.

Ethnic minorities are by definition nationals of the country in which they reside. ethnic minority groups include

former migrant workers, their offspring who have obtained the nationality of their country of residence, and people

who have gained a new nationality as a result of geopolitical reconfigurations. their right to equal treatment is

stipulated in the ilo’s discrimination (employment and occupation) convention, 1958 (no. 111), which aims to

combat discrimination. in article 1.1(a) of this convention, discrimination is defined as “any distinction, exclusion

or preference made on the basis of race, colour, sex, religion, political opinion, national extraction or social origin

which has the effect of nullifying or impairing equality of opportunity or treatment in employment or occupation”.

Roma people are considered the largest ethnic minority in europe. Studies indicate that there are between 15 and

30 million roma worldwide, with more than 10 million living in europe26. while recognising the specific cultural

identity of all roma, the eu institutions use “roma” as an umbrella term that also incorporates other groups of

people who share more or less similar cultural characteristics and history of marginalisation in european societies,

such as Sinti, travellers, Ashkali, camminanti, etc.

disability is less easy to pin down. there is no single widely accepted, applicable and measurable definition of

disability that can be used across cultures and jurisdictions27. disability can be a political or legal construct, a

personal experience, a stigmatising label, an eligibility criterion for services, or a feature of demographics. there have

been two main competing paradigms in the disability field - the older medical model and the more recent social

model. despite the changing discourse produced by the social model, the medical model still remains entrenched

in the sphere of disability-focused policy and legislation in many countries28.

in recent years the ageing of the european population – and more specifically of the workforce – has received

much attention in policy circles29. high levels of early retirement from work, the costs of funding retirement for

increasingly long periods and the projected labour market shortages together with an increase in dependency

ratios, with fewer workers sustaining larger numbers of older people, have put high pressure on people in work not

only in relation to the costs of financing social security and pension systems but also as regards their ability to meet

the labour demand within economies. All these realities have led to older workers becoming an important policy

target at both the european commission and member States’ levels, with the final objective of raising the average

retirement age of the eu workforce and thus increasing the numbers of older persons staying in work30.

24 EC, Moving Europe: EU Research on Migration and Policy Needs, Directorate-General for Research: Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities, Brussels, 2009.

25 EC, Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, Third Annual Report on Migration and Integration, COM(2007) 512 final, Brussels, 11.9.2007.

26 Di Nardo L., Koncokova E., The European Social Fund and Roma, Background Report produced by BBI on behalf of the European Commission, Brussels 2010

27 Roadmap - EU Disability Strategy 2010-2020 http://ec.europa.eu/governance/impact/planned_ia/docs/139_empl_disability_strategy_en.pdf 28 McAnaney D., The European Social Fund and Disability, Background Report produced by BBI on behalf of the European Commission, Brussels 201029 Wynne R., The European Social Fund and Older Workers, Background Report produced by BBI on behalf of the European Commission, Brussels 201030 Ibidem


2B. Eu pOLIcIES IN ThE BROAdER SphERE OF SOcIAL INcLuSION

the treaty of the functioning of the european union (tfeu) stipulates in Article 3(3) that the union shall aim at

full employment, combat social exclusion and discrimination, promote social justice and protection and provide

for the union’s initiatives to ensure coordination of member States’ social policies. moreover Article 9 provides that

in defining and implementing its policies and activities, the eu shall take into account requirements linked to the

promotion of a high level of employment, the guarantee of adequate social protection, the fight against social

exclusion, and a high level of education and training.

Since 2000, the member States were invited to coordinate their policy on a method of “common objectives, National

Action Plans, common indicators with the aim of promoting more ambitious and effective policy strategies for social

inclusion31”.

in december 2000 the nice european council launched the “open method of coordination” (omc). the omc aims at

“spreading best practice and achieving greater convergence towards the main EU goals”32 and consists of guidelines,

indicators and timetables for achieving these goals, alongside periodic monitoring and evaluation. the omc was

revised in 2002 and again in 2005 with changes in its structure: the three previously independent strands (social

inclusion, pensions, health and long-term care) were streamlined into a single framework with common objectives

and simplified reporting procedures. the national Strategy reports on Social protection and Social inclusion and

the annual Joint report on Social protection and Social inclusion are elements of the omc. A key feature of the

omc is the joint analysis and assessment by the european commission and the council of the national reports

on Strategies for Social protection and Social inclusion submitted by the member States. the Joint reports assess

progress made in the implementation of the omc, set key priorities and identify good practice and innovative

approaches of common interest to the member States.

the Social policy Agenda of 200033 also addressed the issues of poverty and social exclusion. its main objective was “to

prevent and eradicate poverty and exclusion and promote the integration and participation of all into economic and

social life”. the new Agenda for 2005-2010 was launched in 200534 and renewed in 200835. the current Social Agenda

aims at ensuring that european union policies respond effectively to today’s economic and social challenges.

As indicated earlier, the european commission has put forward a set of common principles to help guide eu countries

with their strategies to tackle poverty through promoting an Active inclusion of people excluded from the labour

market 36. Active inclusion policies should help those who can work to enter the labour market and provide those

who cannot with both sufficient resources to live with dignity and also support for their social participation. national

governments are encouraged to refer to these common principles and define policies for active inclusion on this basis.37

31 Council of the European union, Joint report by the Commission and the Council on social inclusion 2004, Brussels, 4 March 200432 Ferrera M., Matsaganis M., Sacchi S., Open coordination against poverty: the new EU “social inclusion process”, Journal of European Social Policy,

Vol 12 (3): 227-239.33 COM (2000) 379 final, Communication from the Commission on the Social Policy Agenda, Brussels (28.6.2000)34 COM (2005) 33 final, Communication from the Commission on the Social Agenda, Brussels (9.2.2005)35 COM(2008) 412 final, Communication from the Commission on Renewed social agenda: Opportunities, access and solidarity in 21st century Europe,

Brussels (2.7.2008)36 Commission Recommendation of 3 October 2008 on the Active inclusion of people excluded from the labour market (2008/867/EC), OJEU L.307/11,

18.11.2008.37 http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/soc-prot/soc-incl/final_joint_inclusion_report_2003_en.pdf


in the european commission’s renewed social agenda, the communication put forward that some 78 million europeans,

or 16% of eu population, are at risk of poverty. poverty and exclusion are also addressed in the europe 2020 Strategy of

2010. one of the headline targets of the strategy is to lift at least 20 million people out of the risk of poverty and exclusion

by 202038. the population is defined as the number of persons who are at risk of poverty and exclusion according to

three indicators (at-risk-of poverty; material deprivation; jobless household), leaving member States free to set their

national targets on the basis of the most appropriate indicators, taking into account their national circumstances and

priorities. on the basis of this definition 120 million europeans currently face the risk of poverty and exclusion39.

Raising Awareness on Social Inclusion and Tools to Fight Against Poverty

An important tool for the european union to coordinate policies on combating social exclusion, together with the

national Action plans in the framework of the omc, is the community Action programme40. the first community

Action programme to encourage co-ordination was set up in 2001 and implemented until 2006. the programme

supported policy analysis and statistical improvements, the exchange of good practice and the promotion of

networking across europe among ngos active in fighting poverty and social exclusion.

in 2007 the community Action programme was replaced by PROGRESS, the community programme for

employment and Social Solidarity41. progreSS42 works alongside the european Social fund and has a global budget

of € 743 million for seven years (2007-2013) to support eu activities in employment, social inclusion and protection,

working conditions, non-discrimination and gender equality.

other tools to raise awareness on social inclusion are the so-called european years. the european commission

declared 2007 as the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All43 in order to promote equality and non-

discrimination in the european union. it focused on raising awareness on the right to equality and non-discrimination

and promoting a more cohesive society through respect and tolerance. the year’s proposed budget of € 13.6 million

and actions at national level were funded up to 50% from eu funds. in this context, the european commission

initiated the creation of a high-level Advisory group on social and labour market integration of disadvantaged

ethnic minorities, including the roma.

the commission’s 2005-2010 Social Agenda put forward 2010 as the European Year for Combating Poverty

and Social Exclusion44, to reaffirm and strengthen the initial eu political commitment made at the start of the

lisbon strategy and to effect “a decisive impact on the eradication of poverty”45. Specifically this year aims to foster a

society that sustains and develops quality of life, quality of skills and employment, social well-being, including the

well-being of children, and equal opportunities for all, ensuring sustainable development and policy coherence

with eu action worldwide.

38 The Europe 2020 Strategy of 2010 targets and initiatives are presented in the next section. 39 http://www.consilium.europa.eu//uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/lsa/117234.pdf 40 Council of the European Union, Joint report by the Commission and the Council on social inclusion 2004, Brussels, 4 March 200441 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2006:315:0001:0008:EN:PDF 42 European Commission, Equality and non-discrimination — Annual report 2006, Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European

Communities, September 2006.43 European Commission, 2007 to be “European Year of Equal Opportunities for All”, IP/05/647, Brussels, 1 June 2005. In this context, the European

Commission initiated the creation of a high-level Advisory group on social and labour market integration of disadvantaged Ethnic minorities, including the Roma.

44 http://www.2010againstpoverty.eu/?langid=en45 European Commission, European Year for combating poverty and social exclusion (2010), Strategic Framework Document — Priorities and

guidelines for 2010 European Year activities, D(2008), Brussels, 16/11/2008.


2c. SOcIAL INcLuSION ANd EmpLOymENT IN ThE EuROpEAN uNION

in march 2010, the european commission’s new strategy for jobs and growth was agreed by the european council46.

According to the Europe 2020 Strategy47, member States should reform their policies putting forward three mutually

reinforcing priorities: “smart”, “sustainable” and “inclusive” growth. inclusive growth means building a cohesive society

in which people are empowered to anticipate and manage change, and can thus actively participate in society and

economy. Actions under this priority will be focused on the modernisation and strengthening of employment, education

and training policies as well as social protection systems to reduce unemployment while increasing employment

opportunities for the most vulnerable groups. two flagship initiatives are implemented under this priority:

An agenda for new skills and jobs●● , to create conditions to modernise labour markets and raise employment

levels while empowering people through the acquisition of new skills for new jobs.

The European Platform against Poverty●● , which aims at ensuring economic, social and territorial cohesion with

several activities starting in 2010, the european year for combating poverty and exclusion.

the eu headline target, on the basis of which member States will set their national targets, is to reduce by 25% the

number of europeans living below national poverty lines, lifting over 20 million people out of poverty.

the european tools for social inclusion such as the omc will play a crucial role in achieving the europe 2020 Strategy

goals. the 2010 Joint report on social protection and social inclusion reckons that the recent economic crisis has

emphasised the added value of policy co-ordination through the social omc and “provided further incentive to

reinforce and exploit its potential fully”48. the adoption of europe 2020 and integrated surveillance mechanisms

and governance for macro-economic/growth/fiscal policies on the one hand and employment/social (inclusion)

policies on the other, provide a new window of opportunity to better connect member States’ employment, social

inclusion and social protection policies with national macro-economic and fiscal policies.

Social inclusion and fighting discrimination are also among the targets of the new integrated guidelines for

the employment policies of the Member States. the following guidelines focus on employment and social

inclusion policies of member States:

Guideline 7: Increasing labour market participation of women and men, reducing structural unemployment and ●●

promoting job equality - “member States should increase labour force participation through policies to promote

active ageing, gender equality and equal pay and labour market integration of young people, people with

disabilities, legal migrants and other vulnerable groups”.

Guideline 8: Developing a skilled workforce responding to labour market needs and promoting lifelong learning ●●

member States should (…) “focus their efforts particularly on supporting those with low skills and increasing

the employability of older workers (…)”. concerning “young people, in particular those not in employment,

education and training, member States in cooperation with the social partners, should enact schemes to

help recent graduates find initial employment and further education and training opportunities, including

apprenticeships, and intervene rapidly when young people become unemployed”.

46 COM(2010)193/3, Proposal for a Council decision on guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States. Part II of the Europe 2020 Integrated Guidelines {SEC(2010)488}, Brussels,3.3.2010.

47 COM(2010)2020, Europe 2020, A Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, Brussels (3.3.2010).48 The Social Protection Committee, Social dimension in the Europe 2020 Strategy and its governance, discussion paper, SPC/1009/1


Guideline 10: Promoting social inclusion and combating poverty - ●● “member States should put in place effective

anti-discrimination measures. empowering people and promoting labour market participation for those

furthest away from the labour market while preventing in-work poverty will help fight against social exclusion.

this would require enhancing social protection systems, lifelong learning and active inclusion policies to

create opportunities at different stages of people’s lives and shield them from the risk of exclusion, with special

attention to women.”49

Main Trends on Social Inclusion and Employment

people who live with a disposable income equivalent to below 60% of the national median income are considered

to be at risk of poverty. overall women are more exposed to poverty than men: in 2008, 18% of women and 16%

of men lived in poverty (figure 9). the aggregate figure hides marked differences across member States, ranging

from 9-12% in Austria, the czech republic, denmark, hungary, the netherlands, Slovenia, Sweden and Slovakia, to

20-26% in Bulgaria, greece, lithuania, romania, Spain and latvia (see figure 9). gender discrepancy is more evident

in some of the new member States such as cyprus, estonia, latvia and lithuania.

Figure 9: At-risk-of-poverty rates by gender (%, 2008)

Source: EU-SILC (2008)

whether persons below the 60% threshold are actually experiencing poverty depends on a number of factors,

including the relevance of the threshold, the length of time on this relatively low income or the possession and use

of other assets, especially one’s own home. poverty risk factors include long-term unemployment or low-quality

employment, low educational qualifications, a socially vulnerable family background, disability, poor health, drug

abuse and alcoholism, and an immigrant or ethnic minority background.

the Social protection committee has recently adopted a new principle to measure the poverty rate: the material

deprivation rate50, which estimates the proportion of people experiencing a lack of resources51.

49 COM(2010)193/350 European Commission, Joint Report on Social Protection and Social Inclusion 2010, Supporting Document, Brussels (February 2010)51 The material deprivation rate provides a headcount of the number of people who cannot afford to pay their rent, mortgage or utility bills, keep their

home adequately warm, face unexpected expenses, eat meat or proteins regularly, go on holiday, or cannot afford to buy a television, a washing machine, a car or a telephone. The indicator measures the percentage of the population that cannot afford at least 3 of the 9 items quoted above.


Both material deprivation and at risk of poverty rates are presented in figure 10. in 2008, 17% of europeans lived in material

deprivation. however, in Bulgaria and romania more than 50% of the population was affected by material deprivation

and in hungary, latvia and poland more than 30% (see following figure). the material deprivation rate complements the

at risk of poverty rate by reflecting the differences in living standards. “These disparities in material deprivation rates reflect

the large differences in GDP per capita that remain between EU countries. This emphasizes that the fight against poverty in

the EU will benefit from a greater economic growth as well as from greater territorial cohesion within the EU”52.

Figure 10: At-risk-of-poverty and material deprivation rates (%, 2008)


As is evident from figure 11, poverty risks have shifted from elderly towards younger people. According to data

from 2008, the percentage of children who live in poverty is estimated to be 20% in eu27 and 23% in eu12. these

figures for children are 5% higher than the figures for the entire population. child poverty affects new member

States such as romania (33%) and Bulgaria (26%) but also some old member States such as italy (25%), Spain or the

uk (both 24%). over the past decades child poverty remained stable or increased in eu countries, while poverty

risks generally decreased for the elderly as a consequence of the maturing of pensions systems.53 in 2008, 19% of

the elderly were at risk of poverty across the eu. in some member States the situation of people older than 65 is still

critical, notably in latvia (51%), cyprus (48%) and estonia (39%).

Figure 11: At-risk-of poverty rate by age group (%, 2008)


52 European Commission, Joint Report on Social Protection and Social Inclusion 2010, Supporting Document, Brussels (February 2010), p. 3053 Ibidem


Poverty and Employment: the Working Poor

people who find a job are not necessarily protected against risk of poverty: 8% of the employed live under the

poverty threshold and in-work poverty is on the increase54. the at-risk-of-poverty rate for the employed was 10%

or higher in portugal, latvia, italy, Spain, poland, greece and even 17.5% in romania. the concept of in-work poverty

refers to people who have insufficient income and resources to maintain a decent standard of living, even though

they are in employment. in-work poverty results mainly from labour market deficiencies such as unstable jobs, low

wages, involuntary part-time work55, or recurrent unemployment, or from a particular household structure.

figure 12 presents the rate of in-work poverty in terms of household characteristics. within the eu, the largest

share of the population at risk of working poverty is composed by single parents, followed by single persons and

households with children. 56

Figure 12: In-work poverty risk, by household characteristics (%, 2007)

Source: Eurofound 2010 56 – EU SILC (2007)

these factors can be compounded by situations where too few adults in relation to the size of the household are

working. According to the eurobarometer survey57 conducted at the beginning of 2007, the two most common

answers as to why young adults stayed living in the family home longer than in the past were because they could

not afford to move out (44 % of respondents) or because of a lack of affordable housing (28 %)58.

Figure 13: In-work poverty: at-risk-of-poverty rate of people in employment aged 18 and over (%, 2008)


54 Commission Communication, Renewed Social Agenda Opportunities, Access and Solidarity, COM(2008) 412 final of 2 July 2008.55 More than one in five part-time workers in the EU-27 was classified as involuntary part-time, with the highest shares recorded in Bulgaria,

Romania and Greece (Eurostat, 2010).56 Eurofound, Working poor in Europe, Dublin 2010. 57 Eurobarometer, Young Europeans A survey among young people aged between 15-30 in the European Union. Analytical Report,

http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/flash/fl_202_en.pdf 58 Eurostat, Combating poverty and social exclusion A statistical portrait of the European Union 2010, Luxembourg, European Union


for persons facing in-work poverty, typical employment practices include temporary or part-time work, self-

employment, and careers that are interrupted to care for children or other dependents. Such practices may have

a direct impact on social inclusion because of a lack of job security which limits long-term family and employment

commitments, and also indirectly if such practices lead to reduced pension or sickness benefits. the share of part-

time work in the eu-27 has risen steadily for many years, reaching 18.2 % in 2008. more than one out of seven persons

in employment worked under a temporary contract in the eu-27 in 2008, with this share reaching one out of five in

portugal and more than one out of four in Spain and poland. in Sweden, germany and the united kingdom more than

one out of four persons in employment did so under a part-time contract, while in the netherlands this was the case

for almost one out of two workers59. whether working full- or part-time, a large proportion of those in employment

work some kind of atypical or irregular hours (shift work, work at weekends, evenings or nights). night and shift work

can create difficulties with respect to maintaining social contacts and may also lead to health disorders (disrupted

sleeping and eating rhythms). more than a quarter of all persons in employment worked on a Saturday in the eu-27

in 2007, a share that (for example) reached a high of almost two fifths of the working population in greece (2008).

Poverty Risks for the Most Vulnerable

the last decade has seen groups of people persistently remaining outside or on the margins of the labour market, often

facing multiple barriers to enter and therefore higher risks of poverty. Access to the labour market is considered as

one of the main conditions for successful integration. however, statistics in many member States show that the labour

market situation of third country migrants is worse than the situation of eu country migrants and non migrants. in

particular, they tend to have lower employment rates and are often more likely to have jobs of lower quality or ones

for which they are over-qualified. it is recognised that recent and more established migrant populations generally face

different labour market challenges including skill structure and composition by country of origin60. generally, the migrant

unemployment rate is considerably higher than the unemployment rate of natives in member States61. throughout

2008 the unemployment rate of third country nationals rose by 5%, compared to 2.8% for citizens who moved from

other eu member States and 1.8% for nationals. in 2008 (Q4) and 2009 (Q1), the unemployment rate of non-eu nationals

was 7% to 8% higher than that of nationals, the gap widening to 11% by the second quarter of 200962.

Among different ethnic minorities, members of the Roma community face major difficulties and barriers to labour

market participation together with high levels of discrimination. the high unemployment rate of roma is one of the

main factors contributing to their social exclusion63. A comprehensive data set is available in undp’s 2004 report

“Avoiding the Dependency Trap: the Roma in Central and Eastern Europe” ��. unemployment figures of roma were

around 64% in Slovakia65, 51% in Bulgaria, 32% in czech republic, and 25% in hungary and romania. in most countries

employment rates of roma are comparatively much lower than those of the rest of society. furthermore, roma women

are far less likely than roma men to be employed. Across europe there are in general fewer women than men at work,

but the difference in occupational status is particularly noteworthy among roma. on the other hand, roma tend to

be involved in informal employment at least four times more than their counterparts in the rest of society.

59 Eurostat, Combating poverty and social exclusion: a statistical portrait of the European Union 2010, Luxembourg, 2010.60 European Commission, Employment in Europe 2008, Luxembourg, October 2008.61 See also Glytsos N., ESF, migrants and minorities, Background Report produced by BBI on behalf of the European Commission, Brussels 201062 European Commission, Employment in Europe 2009, Luxembourg, October 200963 See also Di Nardo L, Koncokova E., ESF and Roma, Background Report produced by BBI on behalf of the European Commission, Brussels 201064 UNDP “Avoiding the Dependency Trap: the Roma in Central and Eastern Europe”. The report and the data set are available on http://roma.undp.sk.65 An update to this report of 2007 in Slovakia showed that the unemployment rate of the Roma was of 72%.


Among the overall eu population, 16.2% reported themselves as suffering from disability. this figure masks

a substantial variation across member States, ranging from 5.8% in romania to 32.2% in finland66, such a wide

variation which is unlikely to reflect the actual levels of impairment in a particular member State. it is more likely that

cultural, social and economic factors impact on the perception of disability. for example attitudes to disability can

influence whether a person is willing to declare themselves as having a disability. notwithstanding the challenges

in specifying disability at a member State level and the complexities of measuring disabilities and activity, there

is little doubt that people with disabilities are significantly disadvantaged when it comes to participation in the

labour market. According to a report by oecd67 comparing the 2003 employment rates of people between 20-64

years old across a range of labour markets, the participation rates of people with disabilities in employment was

between 3.5 and 1.5 times less than people without a disability. A recent review of the situation of persons with

disabilities in the eu concluded that the incidence of disability was about 10% of the working age population

across member States68. it concluded that people with disabilities suffer explicit or concealed discrimination or

are at risk of discrimination. this conclusion was based on evidence that employment rates for persons with very

severe and severe degrees of disability were 19.5% and 44.1% respectively, and the incidence of poverty for persons

with disabilities was 70% higher than average. it pointed to the role of the “benefit trap” as a significant obstacle for

labour market participation of persons with disabilities and the restricted opportunities for people with disabilities

to participate fully in education.

A major pillar of eu employment policy in relation to older workers is the Stockholm69 and Barcelona70 targets.

these state that the member States should have an average employment rate of 50% for workers in the age range

of 55-64 by the year 2010. in 2000, when the policy was first agreed, only denmark, portugal, Sweden and the uk

had already reached the target 50% of older workers being employed. of the then member States, countries such as

Austria, Belgium, france, italy and luxembourg all had rates of less than 30% or sometimes much less. employment

rates for older workers in the then accession countries tended to be even lower, with rates as low as 20.8% in

Bulgaria, and six of the 12 accession countries had rates below 30%. in all, taking the eu15 and the eu12, only four of

the 27 countries had employment rates above the lisbon Strategy and Stockholm and Barcelona targets. By 2008,

the situation had changed dramatically, with 12 of the member States having reached the target, but the data were

gathered before the crisis and the current situation is likely to be different.

the overall rate across the eu27 had risen from 36.9% to 45.6% and from 37.8% to 47.4% in the eu15. in 2009 the

employment rate of older workers remained stable and was not affected by the crisis while youth unemployment

increased consistently. According to the europe 2020 Strategy71, increasing the employment rate of older workers

is important to face demographic ageing and to achieve one of the main objectives of the strategy: a european

employment rate for the population aged 20-64 of 75%.

66 See also McAnaney D., The European Social Fund and Disability, Background Report produced by BBI on behalf of the European Commission, Brussels 2010

67 OECD, Transforming disability into ability,2003http://www.oecd.org/document/14/0,3343,en_2649_34747_35290126_1_1_1_1,00.html68 European Commission, Roadmap - EU Disability Strategy 2010-2020

http://ec.europa.eu/governance/impact/planned_ia/docs/139_empl_disability_strategy_en.pdf69 2001 Stockholm European Council Presidency Conclusions http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/ec/71025.pdf70 2002 Barcelona European Council Presidency Conclusions, http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/ec/71025.pdf 71 COM(2010)2020, Europe 2020, A Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, Brussels (3.3.2010).


Summing up, social inclusion and the fight against poverty and social exclusion are among the main objectives of

the european Social policy. the treaty of the functioning of the european union (tfeu) stipulates that in defining

and implementing its policies and activities, the eu shall take into account requirements linked to the promotion

of a high level of employment, the guarantee of adequate social protection, the fight against social exclusion, and

a high level of education and training. improving social inclusion also means fighting against poverty and tackling

equality measures and anti discrimination for specific groups at risk of exclusion such as migrants and minorities

(e.g. roma people), people with disabilities or older workers.

to achieve a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, the european union has set up the europe 2020 strategy. one

of the headline targets of this strategy is to reduce by 25% the number of europeans living below national poverty

lines, lifting over 20 million people out of poverty.

member States have made considerable use of eu financial instruments to support social inclusion and fight against

discrimination. A very important financial instrument continues to be the european Social fund, which forms the

subject of the next section.

25Chapter 3 – ESF Interventions and Achievements

Chapter 3 – ESF Interventions and Achievements

3A. SOcIAL INcLuSION TARgETS FOR ESF SuppORTeSf was used to support social inclusion in all eu member States. eSf funded activities aimed at reinforcing social

cohesion, reducing poverty and promoting an inclusive labour market.

Social inclusion is about enhancing the integration of all people in society through promoting full economic, social

and cultural participation72, creating more responsive and efficient structures and systems and supporting people

through employment or training who are particularly at risk of marginalisation.

in the eSf regulation for the 2000-2006 programming period, accessing the labour market is directly linked to

promoting social inclusion. this is found in Articles 1 (tasks) and 2 (scope) of the eSf regulation n° 1784/199973.

Article 2 reads as follows: “ the fund shall support and complement the activities of member States directed towards

developing the labour market and human resources in the following policy fields, in particular in the context of

their multiannual national action plans for employment: (…) promoting equal opportunities for all in accessing the

labour market, with particular emphasis on those exposed to social exclusion.”

in the 2000-2006 programming period, social inclusion activities could also be funded under the community

initiative eQuAl which aimed at promoting “new means of combating all forms of discrimination and inequalities

in connection with the labour market, through transnational co-operation”74. funded through the eSf, eQuAl was

implemented in, and between, the member States up until 2008. its activities are now mainstreamed in the current

eSf programming period.

in the 2007-2013 programming period, there are also direct references to social inclusion in Article 3.1.c of the

eSf regulation n° 1081/200675: “reinforcing the social inclusion of disadvantaged people with a view to their

sustainable integration in employment and combating all forms of discrimination in the labour market, in

particular by promoting: (i) pathways to integration and re-entry into employment for disadvantaged people,

such as people experiencing social exclusion, early school leavers, minorities, people with disabilities and people

providing care for dependent persons, through employability measures, including in the field of the social economy,

access to vocational education and training, and accompanying actions and relevant support, community and care

services that improve employment opportunities; (ii) acceptance of diversity in the workplace and the combating

of discrimination in accessing and progressing in the labour market, including through awareness-raising, the

involvement of local communities and enterprises and the promotion of local employment initiatives.”

72 Council of the European Union, Joint report by the Commission and the Council on social inclusion, Brussels, 4 March 2004. http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/soc-prot/soc-incl/final_joint_inclusion_report_2003_en.pdf

73 EC Regulation 1784/1999 on the European Social Fund74 EC Communication 853/2000 from the Commission to the Member States establishing the guidelines for the Community Initiative EQUAL concerning

transnational co-operation to promote new means of combating all forms of discrimination and inequalities in connection with the labour market. 75 EC Regulation 1081/2006 on the European Social Fund


3B. INTERVENTIONS ANd FINANcES

3B.1 Social Inclusion in ESF 2000-2006Social inclusion was one of the key priorities for the eSf during the previous programming period. Social inclusion

was addressed by a dedicated policy field (policy field 22 of the Sfc database76).

the allocation of expenditure for the period 2000-2006 per policy field is presented in figure 14. of the claimed

expenditure by member States, 18% was allocated to interventions under the social inclusion policy field, which is

comparable to the expenditure on adaptability (19%) but somewhat less than the policy fields of lifelong learning

(24%) and Almp (29%).

Figure 14: Budgetary allocation per policy field (EU25) (TOTAL Expenditure = Community + National + Private)

Source: Data compiled by BBI on the basis EC Structural Fund Database (SFC), Situation in September 2008 (2000-2006)

the approach adopted to identify the measures relevant for this study has been described in section 1c. A total of

330 measures with a social inclusion component have been identified from 149 ops in all 25 member States (see

table 1, below).

the table indicates that in the programming period 2000-2006:

All 25 member States addressed the topic of social inclusion through eSf;●●

two out of three ops addressed the topic of social inclusion;●●

more than one out of five measures contained relevant interventions on social inclusion;●●

the total claimed expenditure●● 77 for these measures amounted to € 24 billion;

the selected measures represent 23% of the total claimed expenditure in the 2000-2006 programming period. ●●

the real degree of expenditure on social inclusion may be somewhat lower, though, because not all measures

addressed exclusively social inclusion activities.

76 In the SFC database, these Policy Fields correspond to the sub-categories (coded 21 to 25) of the field of intervention Human Resources (code 2). Other fields of interventions are also used, most commonly but not exclusively to designate Technical Assistance. However, the amounts involved are limited in relation to the overall total (approximately 5%) and Technical Assistance measures and Operational Programmes are not included in this study.

77 September 2008.


Table 1: ESF co-funded expenditure for identified measures on social inclusion (€ million) 2000-2006

MSNumber

of OP

Number of OP with a social

inclusion component

Number of measures with a social inclusion

component

Community Expenditure

National Public expenditure

National private

expenditure

Total expenditure of measures with a social inclusion

component

At 5 3 6 82 109 - 191

Be 11 8 25 231 411 52 694

cy 1 1 4 8 8 - 15

cZ 3 3 5 48 18 - 66

de 15 10 25 2,091 2,425 220 4,736

dk 2 1 3 151 196 26 372

ee 1 1 1 18 8 - 26

eS 35 20 56 1,356 720 18 2,094

fi 6 5 7 155 197 23 376

fr 28 18 30 2,403 3,177 114 5,695

gr 18 16 58 1,445 417 - 1,861

hu 2 2 4 41 13 - 54

ie 3 3 5 186 146 - 331

it 27 23 25 396 362 2 760

lt 1 1 1 12 3 - 15

lu 1 1 4 6 7 - 13

lv 1 1 1 20 5 - 25

mt 1 1 1 2 1 - 3

nl 2 2 5 317 311 13 641

pl 2 1 2 116 40 - 155

pt 15 6 13 935 467 10 1,412

Se 7 2 4 118 132 27 277

Si 1 1 1 4 1 - 6

Sk 5 4 2 5 4 - 9

uk 17 15 42 1,825 2,215 85 4,125

EU25 210 149 330 11,971 11,393 590 23,952

Source: Data compiled by BBI on the basis of EC Structural Fund Database (SFC), situation in September 2008 (2000-2006).

the share of the overall eSf co-funded expenditure (community, national public and private) devoted by each

member State to measures with a social inclusion component compared on total expenditure varied greatly. it

illustrates the extent to which the eSf was used to support the implementation of national inclusion strategies or

to change structures and systems related to inclusion (figure 15). the highest relative share of the eSf co-funding

to measures with a social inclusion component was in cyprus. in denmark and france, the relative eSf contribution

was also high, with the eSf co-funding dedicated to measures with a social inclusion component reaching almost

50%. Among the “new” member States, estonia and malta had higher rates of expenditure compared to lithuania,

poland, Slovenia and Slovakia. they were also higher than Austria, finland, ireland, italy, Sweden and Spain.


Figure 15: Share of expenditure on measures with a social inclusion component to total expenditure per MS (2000-2006)


eSf interventions in both programming periods are budgeted and financed from a combination of at least two

but often three sources. the eSf contribution provided by the ec and the “national” contribution provided by the

national or regional authorities are often complemented by private sources of finance. the co-financing rates are

established by the regulation laying down general provisions on the Structural funds (1260/1999) on the basis of

the different objectives78.

the proportion of expenditure between community and national funding per member States for measures with a

social inclusion component is presented in figure 16. it varied widely from one member State to another. in all new

member States the eu funding support made a very substantial contribution to social inclusion activities with, in

most cases, a contribution greater than 50%.

eleven member States used private financial resources in their national funding. the highest proportion of private

funding was allocated in Sweden (10%) followed by Belgium, denmark, finland and germany.

3B.2 Social Inclusion in ESF 2007-2013in the current programming period the importance of social inclusion among eSf-supported activities is reaffirmed.

member States have provided an indicative breakdown by category of the contribution of the eSf to the operational

programmes using the relevant thematic categories (priority themes) from Annex ii of the commission regulation

(ec) no 1828/2006.79

three priority themes focus on social inclusion and represent overall 16% of the eSf budget allocation (figure 17)

for a total of € 12 billion of community funding.

78 EC Regulation 1260/1999 laying down general provisions on the Structural Funds, Article 2979 The indicative breakdown is provided for information purposes only, and is not a set of targets or allocation.


Figure 16: ESF co-financing breakdown by Member State (2000-2006)


Figure 17: ESF budget allocated to 2007-2013 Priority Themes with a social inclusion component

Source: Data compiled by BBI on the basis of EC Structural Fund Database (SFC), situation on 4 February 2009.

on the basis of the priority themes allocation by member States and following a key-word search in all op summaries,

relevant priority axes with a social inclusion component in the eSf 2007-2013 have been identified. overall 125 out

of 633 priority axes address social inclusion exclusively or together with other types of activity (see next table).


Table 2: ESF co-funded budget for identified measures on social inclusion (€ million) 2007-2013

MSNumber

of OP

Total number

of priority axes

Number of priority axes with a social inclusion

component

Commu-nity

budget

National Public

budget

National private budget

Total budget of priority axes with a social inclusion

component

Community budget for priority themes

67, 70 and 71

At 2 10 2 165 162 - 327 131Be 6 26 6 290 305 2 596 328Bg 2 12 1 144 25 - 170 77cy 1 3 1 35 15 - 50 14cZ 3 21 2 1,011 178 - 1,189 372de 18 84 18 3,143 1,929 275 5,347 2,414dk 1 3 1 66 13 53 132 0ee 1 7 1 128 23 - 150 13eS 22 123 35 4,494 1,804 62 6,361 754fi 2 7 1 193 255 - 448 173fr 5 21 5 2,193 1,582 354 4,129 2,035gr 4 47 6 285 70 - 355 445hu 2 14 1 377 67 - 444 474ie 1 3 1 226 526 - 752 112it 24 146 23 652 825 - 1,477 863lt 2 6 1 373 7 62 442 74lu 1 4 1 10 10 - 19 5lv 1 6 1 42 7 - 50 57mt 1 5 1 31 6 - 37 21nl 1 4 1 183 223 - 406 116pl 1 10 2 1,750 309 - 2,059 1,160pt 4 17 3 630 203 - 833 429ro 2 10 1 541 103 - 644 433Se 1 3 2 664 664 - 1,328 24Si 1 6 1 64 11 - 75 66Sk 2 10 2 253 45 - 297 321uk 6 25 5 2,288 2,139 40 4,466 1,250

EU27 117 633 125 20,229 808 11,546 32,584 12,159

Source: data compiled by BBI on the basis of EC Structural Fund Database (SFC), situation on 4 February 2009

the table indicates that in the programming period 2007-2013:

All 27 member States are addressing the topic of social inclusion;●●

more than one out of six priority axes contain relevant interventions on social inclusion;●●

overall the total budget devoted to priority axes with a social inclusion component in eSf operational ●●

programmes is €32.5 billion out of which € 20 billion comes from community funding;

the real budget for social inclusion activities is lower. the community contribution is determined by the ●●

€ 12 billion allocated to priority themes 67, 70 and 71 (see section 1c for descriptions). denmark is the only

member State not allocating any funding to one of these three particular priority themes.

the share of eu2680 community support devoted to priority themes targeting social inclusion in the 2007-2013

programming period is illustrated in the next figure. Since priority themes only indicate the eSf contribution and

priority axes cover many other interventions, it is not possible to compare the overall funding or the share with the

data available for the previous programming period.

80 Denmark is not devoting any budget to Priority Themes 67, 70 and 71


8 1

Figure 18: Share of total ESF community budget devoted to social inclusion per Member State81 (2007-2013)

Source: Data compiled by BBI on the basis of EC Structural Fund Database (SFC), situation on 4 February 2009

most of the ops target social inclusion activities in dedicated priority axes (e.g. Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, cyprus,

estonia, france, ireland, netherlands, portugal, romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and the uk). the topic is also addressed

through a focus on disadvantaged groups in other domains such as active and preventive labour market measures

(e.g. priority Axis 3 of all regional ops in italy, priority Axis 2 of all regional ops in Spain, priority 7 of the poland op).

Some member States feature an op entirely devoted to promoting employability through social integration of

people from the most vulnerable groups: this is the case for instance in Spain (fight against discrimination op82) and

Slovakia (employment and Social inclusion op83).

3B.3 Considerations on ESF Social Inclusion Interventionscomparing the administrative and financial data for both programming periods, the following elements are

noteworthy:

All member States are using eSf support to promote/implement national and/or regional social inclusion ●●

policies;

Social inclusion is one of the main policy fields/priorities of the eSf. depending on how the proportion is ●●

calculated84, it is fair to say that approximately 18% of all eSf interventions are related to this topic;

the overall budget allocations foreseen under priority themes 67, 70 and 71 in the current programming ●●

period seem to be in line with the level of spending on measures which had a social inclusion component

in 2000-2006.

81 The budget share refers only to Priority Themes 67, 70 and 7182 CCI No. 2007ES05UPO00283 CCI No. 2007SK05UPO00284 For 2000-2006 calculation is made on the basis of the allocation of expenditure per policy field. For 2007-2013 the calculation is made on the basis

of the budget allocation foreseen under priority themes 67, 70, 71.


3c. OVERALL AchIEVEmENTS

3C.1 Participation in Social Inclusion Activitiesfor the programming period 2000-2006, the selection of relevant measures for this study is based on what

was announced in the planning documents of individual ops. these offered a description of the then planned

interventions. throughout the period and after its conclusion, managing authorities reported on the implementation

of the measures. in most cases (266 out of 330 measures) data were provided on the outputs and results of the

measures, in particular with regard to the number of people who benefited from interventions.

with regard to the programming period 2007-2013, the selection of relevant priority axes for this study was

based on what was announced in the operational programme documents of the individual ops. these provide

a description of the interventions to be implemented in the course of the programming period. At the time of

drafting this study (June 2010 – october 2010), managing authorities had reported on the achievements of their

ops in the years 2007, 2008 and 2009. the data presented relate to 100 out of 125 priority axes earmarked as

relevant for this study.

the available data on the current programming period need to be treated with caution because most priority axes

do not exclusively address social inclusion interventions and thus many of the reported participants may have

benefited from eSf for purposes other than social inclusion. the total number of participants in priority axes with a

social inclusion component amounts to 29% of the total number of reported participants across all eSf priorities.

in addition, the absolute figures should not be compared as such with similar data for the previous programming

period. it is clear that more robust results will be obtained after a few years, once the programmes are fully up and

running. By that point, the data from the current programming period will be more complete thanks to member

States now reporting systematically on participations and profiles of participants.

Reported Participations in the Previous Programming Period (2000-2006)

Between 2000 and 2006, identified measures with a social inclusion component accounted for approximately

18 million participations (see next table)85, which corresponds to nearly a quarter of all eSf participations. this

proportion varied widely between member States, ranging from less than 2% to nearly 64%.

85 Data based on 266 measures out of 330.


Table 3: Participations in ESF measures with a social inclusion component (2000-2006) in thousands

MS(a)

Total number of ESF participations

(b) Total number of participations in measures with a social inclusion

component

(c) Proportion of a over (b) (in %)

At 1,172 64 5.5%Be 1,604 387 24.1%cy 11 7 63.6%cZ 346 24 6.9%de 6,197 1,325 21.4%dk 133 41 30.8%ee 26 8 30.8%eS 22,856 2,848 12.5%fi 875 121 13.8%fr 15,945 9,119 57.2%gr 2,200 667 30.3%hu 248 47 19.0%ie 1,606 375 23.3%it 6,191 238 3.8%lt 81 5 6.2%lu 29 1 3.4%lv 121 13 10.7%mt 7 5 71.4%nl 749 120 16.0%pl 1,152 57 4.9%pt 7,062 975 13.8%Se 1,863 113 6.1%Si 139 2 1.4%Sk 214 17 7.9%uk 4,686 1 310 28.0%

EU25 75,513 17,881 23.7%

Source: Data compiled by BBI on the basis of ESF Operational Programme Reports 2000-2006

Reported Participations in the Current Programming Period (2007- 2009)

during the first three years of the 2007-2013 programming period, 5.2 million participations have been reported in

eSf-supported priority axes with a social inclusion component (see next table). this corresponds to just over one

quarter of all participations, a comparable share to the previous programming period. one important factor to be

taken into account is the increased level of reporting in the current period. data was available from all member

States apart from two.


Table 4: Participation in ESF-supported priority axes with a social inclusion component (2007-2009) in thousands

MS(a)

Total number of ESF participations

(b) Total number of participations in priority axis with a social inclusion

component

(c)Proportion of a over b

(in %)

At 53 282 18.9%Be 134 424 31.5%Bg 16 377 4.3%cy n.a* n.a n.acZ n.a* n.a n.ade 361 1,597 22.6%dk 2 12 12.9%ee 58 136 42.9%eS 2,428 4,569 53.1%fi 31 112 27.6%fr 494 1,954 25.3%gr 6 654 0.9%hu 43 283 15.4%ie 200 381 52.7%it 42 1,836 2.3%lt 69 76 91.4%lu 1 7 16.9%lv 5 74 6.6%mt 0 8 3.4%nl 38 338 11.2%pl 191 1,454 13.2%pt 38 2,099 1.8%ro 3 36 9.1%Se 65 65 100.0%Si 1 27 4.5%Sk 138 362 38.2%uk 829 1,224 67.7%

EU27 5,249 18,386 28.6%

* CY and CZ did not reported on numbers of participations.


3C.2 The Profile of Participants

The Profile of Participants in the Previous Programming Period (2000-2006)

the breakdown by gender86 of participations in eSf-supported social inclusion activities is presented

in figure 19. on average women represented 53% of all participations. the range is from 23% in lithuania to 67%

in the netherlands.

the labour market status of participants in eSf 2000-2006 measures with a social inclusion component is presented in

figure 20. the labour market status was not specified for 30% of participants. 62% of participants were unemployed

(long term, short term and not specified) and 5% were inactive or in training. 3% were employed or self-employed.

Among the 62% of unemployed 42% were long term unemployed (ltu). the proportion of ltu in this group is

much higher than in the overall figure of eSf 2000-2006, where only 25% of unemployed were ltu.

86 Data available for 20 Member States from 25.


Figure 19: Gender breakdown of ESF participations in measures with a social inclusion component, per MS (2000-2006)

Source: Data compiled by BBI on the basis of ESF Operational Programme Reports 2000-2006.

Data available for 190 measures out of a total of 266 for which participations are available. Data available for 16.5 million people out of a total of 17.9

million participations in social inclusion activities.

Figure 20: Proportion of ESF participations in measures with a social inclusion component according to their status in the Labour Market (2000-2006)



data on participation rates of specific vulnerable groups87 were available for 16 member States. the average

participation rate was 11%. within this figure, however, there was a wide participation rate variation among

member States, ranging from 2% in hungary and france to 88% in Sweden. it is important to note that some of the

proportions reported are based on relatively small numbers and that reporting on vulnerable groups for the period

2000-2006 was not done as consistently as it is in the current period.

Table 5: Percentage of participations in ESF measures with a social inclusion component (2000-2006)

MS % of Vulnerable groups on total participationsSe 88%lt 66%pt 65%lu 65%pl 56%ie 48%Si 45%it 44%Be 40%uk 29%fi 18%eS 18%de 10%mt 4%fr 2%hu 2%

EU Average 11%


Although the characteristics of vulnerable groups for which data were available were not always easy to discern, it was

possible to disaggregate the figures to estimate the proportion of people with disabilities from other disadvantaged

groups, such as migrants or ethnic minorities. this breakdown in presented in figure 21: 4% of participations

reported were for people with disabilities and 3% for migrants or people from ethnic minorities. other vulnerable

groups including older workers accounted for a further 3%. these figures are lower than the figures in the current

programming period (see next paragraph) and most likely reflect under-reporting rather than limited participation.

Figure 21: ESF participations in measures with a social inclusion component broken down by vulnerable groups (2000-2006)


87 Migrants and minorities, people with disabilities, other vulnerable.


The Profile of Participants in the Current Programming Period (2007-2009)

data for the years 2007-2009 have been reported more systematically, including the participation of vulnerable

groups. the participation of women in priority axes with a social inclusion component is presented in figure 22.

on average, slightly more women than men were reported, 53% and 47% respectively. the variation between

member States was significant, with some reporting greater participation on the part of men, but there were also

a number of member States in which women accounted for a substantial majority of participations (e.g. greece,

poland, Bulgaria and Slovenia where their participation rate was over 60%).

Figure 22: ESF participations in priority axes with a social inclusion component: breakdown by gender per MS (2007-2009)


Data available for 24 Member States.

during 2007-2009, unemployed participants accounted for 70% of all participants, out of which 35% was ltu.

employed people represented 9% and inactive are 21%. A similar picture was also registered for women participants.

As in 2000-2006 the proportion of ltu in this group is much higher than in the overall figure of eSf 2007-2009,

where only 9% of unemployed were ltu.


Figure 23: Proportion of ESF participations in measures with a social inclusion component according to their status in the Labour Market (2007-2009)


the proportion of reported participations from specific vulnerable groups is presented in figure 24. one in three

participations belonged to a vulnerable group: people with disabilities represented 9%, 12% were migrants,

4% belonged to minority groups and 9% were reported as belonging to other vulnerable groups.

Figure 24: ESF participations in priority axes with a social inclusion component broken down by vulnerable groups (2007-2009)


figure 25 presents data for eSf during 2007-2009 on the gender breakdown per specific vulnerable group: overall,

47% of the reported vulnerable groups’ participations were women. migrant women were more often reported

than migrant men, while there were fewer women than men in all other vulnerable groups.


Figure 25: The gender breakdown of priority axis with a social inclusion component participations from vulnerable groups (2007-2009)


the proportional participation by vulnerable women also varied between member States. in five member States

(lithuania, portugal, Bulgaria, Spain, poland) female participants represented the majority. notably, three of these

were “new” eu member States (lithuania, Bulgaria and poland). reported participation rates for women were also

higher than average in germany, Sweden, ireland, Austria, italy and the uk.

Along with vulnerable groups, more robust data are also available for the current programming period for age

breakdown and the educational level of participants in priority axes with a social inclusion component.

in 2007-09, 7% of those reported as participating in social inclusion activities were older people (55-64 years) and

31% were young people (15-24 years) (see figure 26). women were underrepresented amongst younger participants

(43%) and in the older age group (46%) although they represented 52% of the group between 25 and 54 years old.

Figure 26: Age breakdown of participations in priority axes with a social inclusion component (2007-09)



the educational level of participants is presented in figure 27. people with primary or lower secondary education

(iSced 1 and 2) represented the majority of the participants in social inclusion activities (59%). 25% of participants

have an upper secondary education (iSced 3), 4% has completed post-secondary non-tertiary education (iSced 4)

and 12 % tertiary education (iSced 5 and 6). there is substantial variation between member States. participants with

primary or lower secondary education (iSced 1 and 2) represent more than 75% of participations in five member

States while six member States reported a higher proportion of highly educated participations compared to the

eu-18 average (12%).

Figure 27: Proportion of vulnerable group participants in priority axes with a social inclusion component by level of education per Member State (2007-2009)


Data available for 25 Member States

gender was a factor in the variation of level of education. proportionally, women participation was higher than the

average (53%) in post-secondary education including non tertiary (65%) and tertiary education (68%).

3d. TypOLOgIES OF ESF INTERVENTIONS IN SOcIAL INcLuSION

3D.1 Typologies of ESF Interventions in Social Inclusion in 2000-2006the methodology described in section 1.c lead to the identification of 330 measures (out of 1,557) with a social inclusion

component. nearly 18 million people benefitted from these measures which can be classified in two large types:

Assistance to persons which included pathways to integration,●● guidance and counselling, training and education

programmes and employment initiatives;

Assistance to structures and systems which included setting up supports and services, developing training ●●

and other educational programmes, the training of trainers and professionals, and implementing promotional

campaigns to remove attitudinal barriers to the mainstream participation of minority groups.


Some measures were targeted at specific vulnerable groups. examples of these types of eSf-supported activities

used to combat social exclusion for selected groups during the period can be found in both this and other eSf

reports, notably eSf and lifelong learning, eSf, migrants and minorities, eSf and older workers, eSf and roma and

eSf and disability.88

Allocation of ESF Support to Measures with a Social Inclusion Component per Typology

of the 330 measures, 151 measures were solely devoted to assistance to people, 49 measures were dedicated

specifically to assistance to structures and systems and 130 measures covered both activities (see next figure).

Figure 28: Overview of measures per key concept (2000-2006)

151 measures130

measures49 measures

Assistance to structures and systems

Pathways to integration: assistance to people

Source: Data compiled by BBI on the basis of EC Structural Fund Database (SFC), situation in September 2008.

Between 2000 and 2006 in absolute terms, €24 billion in total was spent on the implementation of measures with a

social inclusion component €15.4 billion was allocated to assistance to people, € 7.6 billion was spent in measures

addressing both people and systems and €1billion to assistance to systems and structures only.

Table 6: ESF Co-financed expenditure for measures with a social inclusion component (EU-25 in € million) 2000-2006

Assistance to people Assistance to systemsAssistance to people

and systemsTotal

number of measures 151 49 130 330

eu (€m) 7,501 657 3,812 11,971

national public (€m) 7,417 342 3,634 11,393

national private (€m) 437 13 141 590

TOTAL (€m) 15,355 1,011 7,586 23,952


88 Available at: ESF website http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/esf/library/library_en.htm#opt4


An overview of the way in which eSf funding was distributed amongst the three categories of actions is presented in

figure 29. of the 330 measures targeted at social inclusion activities 64% of expenditure was allocated to assistance

to people, 4% to assistance to systems and structures and 32% to addressing both assistance to people and to

systems and structures.

Figure 29: Overview on ESF expenditure for measures with a social inclusion component per type of action (in percentage)

Source: Data compiled by BBI on the basis EC Structural Fund Database (SFC), situation in September 2008 (2000-2006).

it is clear from figure 30, below, that the pattern of expenditure varied widely between member States. the majority

of “old” member States tended to emphasise assistance to persons, while combined actions were most often

implemented in “new” member States where the need to modernise and develop systems was greater.

Figure 30: Overview on ESF expenditure for measures with a social inclusion component per type of action and per Member State (in percentage)



measures focused on assistance to people recorded a participation of 12.7 million people; 4.9 million people took

part in people and systems measures and 250,000 participants benefited from assistance to systems and structures

activities (figure 31).

Figure 31: Number of participants per key concept (2000-2006)

12.8 m participations

4.9 m participations

250,000participations

Assistance to structures and systems

Pathways to integration: assistance to people


3D.1a Assistance to Persons

in general, the majority of measures directed towards support for persons could be classified either as comprehensive

pathways to integration actions or at least providing one or more elements of a pathways approach. in the context

of eSf the term “pathways to integration” has been widely used to describe a holistic approach to supporting job-

seekers during the process of integration in the labour market by providing a combination of services and supports

towards to the labour market. Although there can be many intermediate stages (i.e. outreach, guidance, counselling,

orientation, training, employment support, personalised services, incentives for direct job creation and support for

business start-ups), most can be classified into three main steps: outreach, guidance and counselling; training and

education; employment services. Actions vary in terms of the nature of activities included and in the combination

of steps involved.

these three main steps of the pathways approach are described in more detail as follows:

outreach, guidance and counselling: actions to encourage people to become involved in the process, and1.

personalised services adapted to the specific needs of the unemployed, disadvantaged or people with

disabilities and linked to the requirements of the labour market.

training and education:2. pre-vocational, basic and vocational training and education adapted to the needs of

the unemployed and/or inactive individuals and in some instances those at risk of unemployment as a result of

low qualifications and skills, in order to improve or maintain their employability. other actions in this category

can involve facilitating progress to further education or promoting the participation of minority groups in

mainstream higher education.

employment activities:3. services and supports which operate in the intermediate (subsidised) and open labour

markets to facilitate work participation either as an employee or in a self-employed capacity. many of these

services are similar to those offered through mainstream public employment services but often they are


customised to the needs of people at a significant distance from the labour market or experiencing particular

challenges as a result of personal characteristics or their social status. typical activities include:

Subsidised job creation, job consolidation, and providing employment incentives, encouraging employers a.

to recruit unemployed or vulnerable job seekers;

Support for entrepreneurship, self-employment, business creation and business start-ups. b.

pathways to integration are designed as a process in which interventions are linked rather than functioning as

separate options, and are often coordinated through an individual integration plan. within this classification there

are sub-elements, such as actions to initially motivate and socially support those who are currently disengaged

from the job-seeking process and who are economically inactive. once a person decides to become involved, the

key is to offer guidance and counselling based on an assessment of individual needs and strengths. in turn this can

lead, if needed, to a range of opportunities to participate in learning options matched to the current competence

level of the jobseeker. this can be at the level of adult basic education in literacy and numeracy, basic skills, pre-

vocational training or vocational training, offered either in centres or through on-the-job training. learning options

at the level of further or higher education can also be offered to those who have the capacity and necessary level

of attainment to participate successfully. the final linked step in the process is a range of support measures geared

to finding employment and support for job retention89.

to illustrate how these elements come together to create a pathway to integration, an example of a comprehensive

“pathway to integration” approach which was implemented in east wales (obj 3) is presented below90.

participants, whose circumstances and/or lifestyles prevented them from easily accessing mainstream employment

or training opportunities, were offered a range of activity options customised to their readiness to participate in the

labour market. these included training on promoting equality, creating employment and voluntary opportunities

for work experience.

the activities were designed to offer flexible options at each step of the integration pathway:

outreach measures to attract under-represented groups into learning and employment support programmes;●●

improving access to customised impartial advice, guidance, assessment, information and support services;●●

integrated packages of support providing a pathway into employment for targeted groups;●●

pre-vocational and vocational skills training, including formal and informal training opportunities related to ●●

employability, confidence building and motivation;

work experience and work trials, including intermediate labour market opportunities;●●

initiatives to encourage employers to recruit people from target groups, including wage subsidies and ●●

employment aids;

innovative approaches to helping target groups to gain and retain employment;●●

innovative actions to engage excluded groups in environmental skills training and education.●●

89 Di Nardo L., Koncokova E., The European Social Fund and Roma: Background Report produced by BBI on behalf of the European Commission, Brussels 2010.

90 CCI No. 1999GB053PO001 Measure 2.1 http://www.wefoprojects.wales.gov.uk/default.asp?action=projectdetail&ID=&ProjectID=53348


3D.1b Assistance for Structures and Systems

49 measures were addressed towards systems and structures to create more flexible and responsive services

which would strengthen their role in supporting the pathway to integration approach. An additional 130 measures

combined actions to assist people with activities to modernise and adapt systems and structures. A variety of

interventions were implemented to adapt the provision of services and supports to the needs of vulnerable people

and to remove attitudinal barriers. these could be classified under four headings.

developing (new) supports and services: activities in this category aimed at increasing and developing the 1.

capacities of the existing services both quantitatively and qualitatively. they also aimed to create new services,

in particular within the framework of local employment initiatives and the modernisation of the public

employment services.

developing training and education programmes: in order to respond to the specific needs of people at risk 2.

of social and economic exclusion, new types of pre-vocational, basic and vocational learning opportunities

were developed to encourage progress towards the labour market or to further/higher education. other

programmes created learning support packages to help vulnerable people participate in mainstream training

and education programmes.

training of trainers and professionals: key elements in the delivery of responsive services are the knowledge, skills 3.

and attitudes of the teachers, trainers and other professionals in those services. in order to enhance the delivery

of Almp, peS and training and education and to modernise their functioning, the capacities of professionals

were enhanced through specifically designed continuing professional development programmes.

Awareness-raising campaigns: negative attitudes on the part of society in general and employers in particular 4.

constitute a major barrier to the participation of some minority groups in mainstream society and the labour

market. Awareness campaigns to fight discrimination, change attitudes and promote social inclusion and

diversity in the workplace were an important strand in the fight against exclusion. campaigns were also

directed at such people at risk of exclusion to encourage them to engage with the social inclusion process.

A typical example of a social inclusion measure aimed at creating more inclusive systems was implemented in the

czech republic91. the measure set out to strengthen the capacity of social service providers. ngos were supported

in their work to improve the standard and quality of social services and education and challenge exclusion in the

labour market through specific projects. the main activities included:

developing and implementing training programmes for professionals focusing on the improvement of the ●●

quality and accessibility of social services;

developing and implementing programmes for training ngo trainers and educators in the use of the modern ●●

methods of social work and social services;

developing and implementing counselling and guidance services with an impact on the integration of ●●

vulnerable groups socially and economically;

providing professional education for ngo social services employees working in the labour market field;●●

creating special services for groups facing the risk of social exclusion;●●

Supporting organisational and staff development in the ngos that provided social services to disadvantaged ●●

groups and to groups of individuals at risk of social exclusion.

91 CCI No. 2003CZ051PO001, Measure 2.3


3D.1c Measures Targeted at Vulnerable Groups

A range of measures targeted specific vulnerable groups through activities which were customised to the specific

needs and personal characteristics of individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds and discriminated target groups.

Among these were young people, people with disabilities or people discriminated against in the labour market

because they belong to a specific group (e.g. ethnic or racial, elderly worker). many of the measures which focused

on specific target groups have been described in other reports in this series92. however, in so far as they address the

challenge of social inclusion, they have also been included in this report.

A wide range of pathways programmes were implemented in Spain for a variety of target groups. one example

targeted specific interventions to facilitate the integration of people with particular difficulties into the labour

market93. the activities included integration services tailored to the needs of a variety of groups at risk of exclusion

from the labour market including migrants, members of the roma community, young people and people with

disabilities94. typical activities included:

pathways to integration for immigrants aimed at addressing the characteristics of the individual and the ●●

demands of the labour market. Support was provided at each stage of the pathway, culminating in a suitable

training option for each participant.

migrant workers were addressed through the adaptation of migratory flows of labour to areas where demand ●●

for employment was high and by helping non-resident workers authorised to work in Spain, and who needed

to move around the country, to secure suitable socio-professional integration services.

the needs of young people between 16 and 35 years old in situations of, or at risk of, social exclusion were met ●●

through the delivery of services which provided information, orientation and a strengths and needs assessment

to develop an individual integration plan for each participant.

3D.2 Typologies of ESF Interventions in Social Inclusion in 2007-2013

Social inclusion activities are widely addressed across the ops in all member States in the current programming

period. in some ops, social inclusion is addressed in specific priority axes, while in other ops it is targeted across

a number of priority axes or within priority axes also targeting other typologies of activities. Since in 2007-2013,

member States report per priority axis, it was not possible to allocate these axes to the same key concepts used in

the analysis of eSf-funded activities in 2000-2006. nevertheless member States have used similar approaches to

address social inclusion.

3D.2a Integrated Pathways to Employment

Assistance to people in the social inclusion priority axis is addressed by member States with specific actions

supporting integration into education/employment through individual pathways or guidance, training and

employment.

92 Available at : ESF web site http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/esf/library/library_en.htm#opt493 For example, ES 2000ES161PO009 Comunidad Valenciana 44,11(6B) & ES 2000ES161PO011 Galicia 44,11(6B)94 For example, ES 2000ES161PO013 44,10 (6A) & ES 2000ES161PO002 Cantabria 44,10 (6A)


in Spain, social inclusion is addressed at national level in the op fight against discrimination95 and in all other

regional ops. under these ops different actions target various vulnerable groups. for example the op of extremadura

foresees specific activities for young people and women from vulnerable groups.

the same approach has been used by finland96, where measures to prevent social exclusion are targeted at

young people and immigrants among other vulnerable groups, and in ireland at people with disabilities, early

school leavers and members of the travelling community, migrants, women and other groups experiencing

discrimination.

in the netherlands97, following various projects implemented in the previous programming period98, specific

activities are planned for prisoners and ex-prisoners including those with mental health problems and youths in

juvenile custodial institutions. planned activities include tailored education during detention, work experience

programmes with employers based outside the detention centre for those who have permission to go outside, the

creation of a connection with the municipality where the (ex-) prisoners are expected to live after their detention to

ensure an individual reintegration path, active mediation through a social network for paid work and an emphasis

on after-care after the detention period.

complete integrated pathways are the focus of several priorities. one example is in Belgium where the flanders

op99 plans to implement job coaching and support for job searching, assistance with non-labour market-related

problems, career development systems and other activities following up on the implementation of the previous

programming period. A similar approach, focusing on typologies of activities rather than on specific target groups,

is also being implemented by italy in its 21 regional ops. for example in the calabria op100, the social inclusion

priority axis aims at developing integrated pathways for and improving the work placement of disadvantaged

people through work placement actions, guidance and training, in order to tackle all kinds of discrimination in the

labour market.

3D.2b Assistance to Systems

Assistance to structures and systems activities are supported by eSf in several member States. for example, in czech

republic101 assistance to systems to improve the social inclusion of target groups is implemented by: providing social

services and promoting other instruments; transforming accommodation facilities for target groups; implementing

a process to improve the quality, control and availability of social services, including developing partnerships at

local and regional level; systemic measures in favour of target groups facilitating the application of the national

Social Services Act and other legislative provisions; supporting the development of a system of social services,

including evaluation of effectiveness.

95 CCI No. 2007ES05UPO00296 CCI No. 2007FI052PO001, Priority Axis 297 CCI No. 2007NL052PO001, Priority Axis 298 http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/emplweb/esf_projects/project.cfm?id=4267&project_lang=nl&rp=2

http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/emplweb/esf_projects/project.cfm?id=4324&project_lang=nl&rp=2 99 CCI No. 2007BE052PO005, Priority Axis 2100 CCI No. 2007IT051PO002, Priority Axis 3101 CCI No. 2007CZ05UPO001, Priority Axis 4


in france102, assistance to systems is implemented through reinforcing support to local authorities which set up and

implement local plans for integration and employment. Activities include strengthening the partnership between

the “local plans for integration and employment” (Plans Locaux pour l’Insertion et l’Emploi, plie) and different

employment stakeholders, stimulating new cooperation between economic actors and organisations involved in

socio-economic integration of disadvantaged groups, and developing links between employers and local decision-

makers in order to improve access to long term employment.

in hungary103, eSf is supporting the development of the social care system, improvement in access to services by

promoting good governance in the field of social services, and through development services which advocate social

and economic inclusion. Activities include systematic data collection, measuring the effectiveness and efficiency

of programmes, development of professional protocols, standards, and efficient administration and improving

information standards of social work, and standardised systems of data-, document- and information exchange.

training and continuous professional development for improving professional competencies will be developed

and implemented. networking and inter-sector cooperation is also encouraged.

Several ops not only promote social inclusion activities but also focus their measures on fighting against

discrimination. Several campaigns are planned in the ops of czech republic104, germany105, Spain106, france107,

greece108 among others.

in a number of ops, activities to improve employment are linked to improving the social economy and social

entrepreneurship. this is the case in some new member States such as poland, romania109 and Bulgaria but also in

other eu15 countries such as Belgium110, greece111 and Sweden. Support to the social economy in poland112 and

Bulgaria113 is implemented through creating new jobs in the sector and supporting the establishment of social

enterprises by providing start-up capital. these actions are linked to the creation of jobs for people from vulnerable

groups. in Sweden114 eSf is strengthening the support to ngos, social cooperatives, mutual associations and other

charity and voluntary organisations, to provide a flexible and sustainable tool that can help communities to achieve

their own objectives. this is done through developing the tools and mechanisms needed to fully implement the

concept of social economy, and supporting partnerships between all the stakeholders involved in community

development (trade unions, public institutions, employers’ organisations, workers, the non-governmental sector,

enterprises, the business environment, other associations etc.).

102 CCI No. 2007FR052PO001, Priority Axis 3103 CCI No. 2007HU05UPO001, Priority Axis 5104 CCI No. 2007CZ05UPO001, Priority Axis 4105 CCI No. 2007DE05UPO001, Priority Axis C106 CCI No. 2007ES05UPO002107 CCI No. 2007FR052PO001, Priority Axis 3108 CCI No. 2007GR05UPO001, Priority Axis 1109 CCI No. 2007RO051PO001, Priority Axis 6110 CCI No. 2007BE052PO005, Priority Axis 2111 CCI No. 2007GR05UPO001, Priority Axis 1112 CCI No. 2007PL051PO001, Priority Axis 7 113 CCI No. 2007BG051PO001, Priority Axis 5114 CCI No. 2007SE052PO001, Priority Axis 1


3E. ESF ANd SOcIAL INcLuSION AcTIVITIES TO ASSIST pEOpLE

Social inclusion activities are widely addressed across the ops in all member States in both programming periods.

for 2000-2006 measures have been allocated to key concepts. Since in 2007-2013 member States report on much

broader priority axes, it was not possible to allocate these to the same key concepts (assisting people). nevertheless

member States have used similar approaches to address integrated pathways to assist people. the next sections will

present the achievements per key concept: data are available for the 2000-2006 period. the typology is described

through examples covering both periods.

3E.1 Overview of Interventions and Achievements Addressing People

ESF Achievements Across Europe in 2000-2006

having analysed the selected measures, it was apparent that it would not be possible to allocate each measure with

activities for assisting people to one of the three key concepts identified115. Some measures cover different issues

and include all three activities of the integrated pathways: guidance and counselling, training and employment.

therefore it was decided to allocate measures dealing with support to people in the following way:

Figure 32: ESF and social inclusion Pathways to Integration measures per activity (2000-2006)

24

Training

28

5423

145

Guidance and counselling

27

Employment


figure 32 shows that participants were distributed differently across each type of activity. the majority of the

measures addressed comprehensive pathways to integration activities (incorporating all 3 types of activity), and

more than 50 measures funded activities on training in combination with employment measures.

115 A description of the key concepts is provided in section 3.D.1


taking account of the fact that many measures incorporated a number of different types of actions, 177 measures

(63%) included guidance and counselling services, 250 measures (89%) involved training and education

actions and 228 measures (81%) dealt with employment services.

the pattern of eSf-supported social inclusion activities per member State is presented in table 7. the comprehensive

pathways approach was particularly prioritised in most “new member States” which in general only implemented

a single social inclusion measure, as well as in Spain (33 out of a total of 55 measures), italy (19 out of a total 21

measures) and greece (32 out of a total of 45 measures). other member States which emphasised the comprehensive

approach included the uk, the netherlands, portugal, denmark, the czech republic and Belgium.

Table 7: ESF and social inclusion Pathways to Integration measures per activity and per Member State (2000-2006)

MSOnly

guidanceOnly

trainingOnly

employmentGuidance &

trainingGuidance&

employmentTraining &

EmploymentComplete pathways

to employmentTotal

At 1 1 2 4Be 2 3 3 2 1 7 18cy 1 1 1 3cZ 2 1 3de 3 5 1 4 9 22dk 1 1 1 3ee 1 1eS 1 1 1 4 15 33 55fi 1 4 2 7fr 5 4 4 1 6 8 28gr 6 2 1 4 32 45hu 1 1 2ie 2 1 3it 1 1 19 21lt 1 1lu 1 3 4lv 1 1mt 1 1nl 1 1 2 4pl 2 2pt 3 3 3 4 13Se 3 3Si 1 1Sk 1 1uk 5 2 6 7 15 35

EU25 2 28 24 23 7 54 145 281EU25% 1% 10% 8% 8% 2% 19% 51% 100%

Source: Data compiled by BBI on the basis EC Structural Fund Database (SFC), situation in September 2008 (2000-2006).

the overall data on expenditure and participants as presented in sections 3B and 3c can be broken down per key

concepts, following the same allocation of measures, to partly overlapping key concepts (excluding the 250,000

participations in measures with exclusive assistance to systems activities). the result is shown in the following

diagrams:


Figure 33: Overview of claimed expenditure per key concept (Pathways to Integration) 2000-2006

€ 1.6bn

Training

€ 2.8bn

€ 3.6bn€ 3bn

€ 9.9bn


€ 832m€2.3 bn

Employment


Figure 34: Overview of participations per key concept (Pathways to Integration) 2000-2006

392,000

Training

2.5m

1.1m801,000

6m


4,0006.8m

Employment

Source: Data compiled by BBI on the basis of ESF Operational Programmes Reports 2000-2006

it is worth noting that 6.8 million participations were recorded for guidance and employment activities essentially

under one single measure in france116 financing “new start” policies. this measure allocated € 2.3 billion of grants to

support projects to prevent long term unemployment and exclusion. the measure supported coaching services,

providing regular monitoring for job seekers over a period of three months to help them in the research and

development of their job-search projects. these more traditional guidance activities were also supported by ad-

hoc services such as workshops to guide jobseekers in writing a cv, preparing for an interview or offering skills

assessments activities. these activities were then combined with placement and employment actions.

116 CCI No. 1999FR053DO001, Measure 1.1


part of the measures identified for this study overlapped with measures explicitly targeting specific vulnerable

groups which have been used for other studies (roma, migrants and minorities, people with disabilities, older

workers)117. nevertheless, taking account of these overlaps, it is possible to estimate the proportion of each type

of social inclusion activity which was implemented through measures targeting specific vulnerable groups. this

breakdown is presented in figure 35. training, education and employment were most frequently implemented

for all groups. employment initiatives, guidance and counselling activities were proportionally more important in

measures mainly targeting roma. training and education activities were focused more often on measures where

migrants and people with disabilities were among the targets. for measures mainly targeting older workers, there

was an equal emphasis on training and education and employment activities.

Figure 35: Breakdown of ESF Pathways to Integration activities in measures with a social inclusion component targeting specific vulnerable groups (2000-2006)

Source: data compiled by BBI on the basis of ESF Operational Programme Reports 2000-2006. Cut off date October 2008.

3E.2 Comprehensive Pathways to Integration As described earlier, the pathways approach to integration offers continually linked interventions and supports

customised to the current status of the person and adapted to their personal and social needs. it is generally

accepted as an effective approach to promote equal opportunities and an inclusive labour market, particularly

for those at risk of exclusion. the linked steps in an integration pathway can be classified in a number of ways.

the approach adopted in the current report has been to segment the process into three stages: guidance and

counselling, training and education and employment services.

the concept of linked interventions and supports has two dimensions. the first dimension is “vertical integration”,

which refers to the inclusion process from its initial stage, where the individual is remote from job seeking and the

labour market, to the final stage in which the person is actively seeking work or is in employment. Secondly, the

“horizontal dimension” refers to the necessity for actions to be linked across different spheres of a person’s life and

to aim at “joined up” activities in the economic, social, and cultural spheres. this approach should thus be informed

equally by vocational training, employment and social policies.

117 Some of the 281 measures identified for social inclusion assistance activities were specifically targeting Roma (32 measures), migrants and minorities (132), disabled people (144) and older workers (88). Individual target groups were not the only beneficiaries of each measure but also other groups were targeted within the same measure.


A pathways approach is based on the assumption that effective integration into the labour market, particularly for

vulnerable groups, must be gradual and progressive and matched to the person’s current level of preparedness

to participate in the open labour market. it aims to create a new way of linking the needs of participants to the

requirements of the labour market118.

the effective implementation of a pathways approach requires a number of different components including

coordination between project promoters and funders, making the process individual, and focusing constantly on

the ultimate goal of employment. the pathways approach as described in the literature should be viewed as an

“ideal type”, and is not always to be found as such in its actual implementation in member States. nevertheless, it

does provide a systematic framework within which one can characterise the variety of approaches evident in the

actions of member States.

Some member States adopted a comprehensive pathways approach in which all elements were integrated together.

for example, in responding to the needs of the roma community and other vulnerable groups, both italy and

Spain119 implemented measures which included guidance and counselling, followed by personalised and tailored

training in specific occupations and then combined mentoring for job placement and entrepreneurial activities.

these activities were accompanied by individual and company incentives and structural actions to improve the

capacity of institutions and organisations working with the target group120.

in the horizontal dimension, the actions to promote employability within each stage were coordinated with

interventions to resolve social challenges such as social isolation, family issues, housing and inadequate income121.

partnership across sectors and between agencies was a cornerstone of this process. the complexity of each

individual’s situation requires a multidimensional and multidisciplinary set of interventions in which the contribution

of each specific partner to the individual integration plan could be clearly defined.

Another aspect of “joined up” actions was the implementation of both assistance to people and assistance to

systems and structures in a coordinated approach to promoting social inclusion. this approach was implemented

in italy, the uk and Spain.

in Spain, individual insertion plans were at the core of many social inclusion actions122 for different vulnerable groups

such as migrants, people with disabilities, roma people and other minorities.

the east wales measure123, described earlier, is a good example in which action to provide equality in training,

employment and voluntary work was combined with various human resources development actions to enhance

the effectiveness and responsiveness of professionals working with the target groups. A more detailed description

of this measure is presented in insight 1.

118 16-17 octobre, 1997 in FSE, INFOREVUE, n°5, mai 1998, 9-10. 119 See Annex 3 for the complete list of measures (2000-2006) used for the study. In Italy and Spain, measures for social inclusion were implemented in

all 21 Regional Operational Programmes and in some National Operational Programmes. 120 Di Nardo and Koncokova, op. cit.121 Cortese, V., Veinstein, M., Fonds social européen, Évaluation du PO de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale Objectif 3 1994-1999, Centre de sociologie du

Travail, de l’Emploi et de la Formation, Bruxelles, p. 163-164.122 CCI No. 2000ES051PO016, Measure 44.11.123 CCI No. 1999GB053PO001, Measure 2.1


Insight 1: Integrated pathways to employment in East Wales - UK

A measure in east wales in 2000-2006 promoted action to provide equality in training, employment and

voluntary opportunities to socially excluded people whose circumstances and/or lifestyles prevented them

from easily accessing mainstream employment and training. this was done through a wide combination of

more intensive activities personalised according to different levels of vulnerability. A specific emphasis was

placed on meeting basic skills needs as well as on placement actions.

in the seven years of implementation of this measure more than 21,000 people were supported (5,200 received

basic skills training). Almost 4,000 were part of an ethnic minority and more than 4,000 were people with

disabilities. 8,500 people completed the training activities and 4,400 gained a qualification. 2,600 were employed

after completion of the activities. in the current period, social inclusion activities in east wales are supported

under a priority axis also funding activities for Active labour market policies. 4,500 participations have been

recorded in the first three years of implementation; more than 3,000 are part of a vulnerable group.

Source: CCI No. 1999GB053PO001, Measure 2.1

in italy, where 19 out of a total 21 measures with a social inclusion component were based on the pathways approach,

almost 10,000 projects were approved and benefited 240,000 people. guidance and counselling activities were

implemented within employment services by setting up information desks, reception and orientation services. new

models of integrated services were created while programmes were begun to raise the awareness of employers of

the advantages of hiring people from the target groups. Supporting was offered to the families of participants and

the creation of local networks to improve the coordination of responses.

there was also an emphasis placed on the provision of learning opportunities through work experience and on-

the-job training. training itself was customised by developing specific modules, in line with the learning needs of

the person, in adult basic education, literacy or vocationally relevant skills. the approach also targeted emerging

and developing sectors in which the labour demand was high. financial incentives were used to support access to

independent employment and geographical mobility, and to motivate employers to create jobs.

in italy, in the region of friuli-venezia-giulia, people over 45 were targeted through pathways to integration

programmes. this is a region with high unemployment amongst older people. more than half the population of

women aged between 55 and 64 are not working. one aim of the action was to address the needs of people

who had not received sufficient support from the public employment services. Some 1,226 people registered their

interest, and 955 took part in counselling sessions focusing on the individual’s technical and professional skills and

work expectations. A specialised training programme attracted some 265 participants, and included classes in Basic

english, computing, self-empowerment, designing a cv and preparing for an interview.

Additionally, 25 people took part in five-month work placements, giving employers the chance to assess them as

new employees, and offering trainees a practical work experience. three of the seven people who completed their

placement received permanent employment contracts.


in latvia124, assistance was provided to at risk groups including people with special needs through vocational and

social rehabilitation, training, retraining, support within the educational system and fostering business start-ups and

self-employment. training was also provided to social work specialists. in 2000-2006 almost 13,000 benefited from

this measure and 3,600 persons were employed after completion of the activities.

pathways approaches varied in terms of their focus. in some member States, a very specific focus on a clearly

delineated target group was adopted within social inclusion measures. in other member States, a broad focus

was adopted which included a variety of target groups on the basis that all groups shared the characteristic of

being at risk of exclusion.

As an example of this broad focus, the czech republic125 concentrated on long-term unemployment as a result

of altered work capacity, low qualifications and age. the main target groups included young people, people with

disabilities, people over 50 years of age, individuals with no or low qualifications and parents with young children,

with an emphasis on those facing multiple disadvantages. A coordinated approach to dealing with the challenges

facing these groups was the aim. overall in 2000-2006, more than 8,000 participations were recorded under this

measure within 105 specific programmes for integration of people with special needs. over 3,000 people were

trained and another 4,800 received guidance or employment support.

3E.2a Guidance and Counselling

outreach to economically inactive people and guidance and counselling activities constitute the initial stage of

a pathways to integration approach. the quality and relevance of interventions at this stage of the process can

determine the effectiveness of subsequent stages and the likelihood that the pathway will result in an eventual

successful placement in a job.

effective and responsive interventions at this stage can have a substantial impact on the inclusion of people from

at risk target groups by preparing and motivating them for the challenges ahead. concentration is on building self

esteem and confidence, developing personal and social skills to support an active and constructive participation in

the professional integration process, making sure that people have easy access to the knowledge and information

they need to make good quality decisions about their pathway choices, and online or face to face support from a

counsellor to facilitate the problem solving and planning process.

outreach, guidance and counselling activities were rarely implemented in isolation. many measures that prioritised

this stage of the pathway tended to link it to progression towards training or education and in a small number of

cases directly to employment services.

one measure finland126 provides an example on how individuals in a weak position in the labour market were targeted for

support. participants included older people, long-term unemployed, unemployed people and students with disabilities,

refugees, immigrants and ethnic minorities and people released from prison. they were supported with guidance

and counselling services combined with rehabilitation, apprenticeships, vocational training and other measures.

124 CCI No. 2003LV161DO001, Measure 3.3125 CCI No. 2003CZ051PO001, Measure 2.1126 CCI No. 1999FI053DO001, Measure 2.23


An important element of the approach was to nurture self-motivation and self-management skills and strategies.

the approach was implemented in a number of locations. in some cases, social economy initiatives and cooperatives

played an important role.

in Belgium in the Brussels region127, a social and professional guidance project aimed at identifying the social,

psychological or professional challenges facing job seekers and forming appropriate responses to overcome

them. the participants were people at a disadvantage in the labour market as a result of low skills, long-term

unemployment, disability and other factors. the approach consisted of creating a confidential relationship with

the person, an assessment of his or her social and professional characteristics and the development, in consultation

with the participant, of a realistic professional integration project. A focus on the needs of job seekers and support

from a counsellor were key factors in success. the guidance service also offered follow-up activities such as pre-

vocational training and/or job-seeking support.

Insight 2: Active search of job and professional in Brussels

the region of Brussels implemented a measure for Active Job-Searching (recherche Active d’emploi – rAe).

the overall objective of the rAe was to support job seekers in their research work to optimise the results,

taking into account their situation, their profile and the job market. it offered personalised assistance tailored

to individual needs. one of the “formulas” proposed by the Brussels public employment Service (orBem)

was to assist candidates through vocational guidance activities to allow them to explore their interests and

motivations and to identify a professional and career goal. the “formula” on vocational guidance took the form

of nine short individual modules focused on curriculum vitae development, targeting employers, writing a

cover letter, preparing for a job interview, a simulated job interview and a job-search space. other modules

allowed candidates to focus on career paths and the necessary steps to achieve their professional objectives.

overall 30,000 people took part in the activities developed under this measure in the 2000-2006 period.

Source: Operational Programme Brussels Region 1999BE053DO001, Measure 1.12

in the uk, a measure in merseyside128 concentrated on three groups of job seekers: people who had been out of work

for a short period of time, but were considered to be at risk of moving to long term unemployment or economically

inactive status; disaffected young people, aged 14 to 16, who were likely to enter the long term unemployment

system without ever being employed; and those who were already classified as long term unemployed or

economically inactive. individuals taking part in pre-vocational or counselling and guidance services were expected

to move onto other actions such as vocational training or recruitment support. they were monitored by the staff,

and support was provided in their progress towards sustainable employment. the focal points of the project were

an assessment of basic and key skills and pre-vocational training linked to guidance, counselling and information

services delivered by personal advisors. the aim was to develop an integrated package of interventions for each

person designed to support a pathway to employment.

the measure helped people begin basic skills training as well as high level skills training in occupational areas

linked to key industrial sectors, and it also identified skills shortages. local labour initiatives were used to encourage

127 CCI No. 1999BE053DO001, Measure 1.12128 CCI No. 1999GB161DO002, Measure 2.25


employers to recruit local unemployed people. in addition, those who were considering self-employment were

supported during the first years of operation. more than 40,000 people took part in the measure in seven years of

implementation, and over 5,000 were then integrated in the labour market after completion of the activities.

3E.2b Training and Education

A number of measures concentrated on the second stage of the pathway – the provision of training or further

education to upgrade skills and qualifications. vocational education and training activities (vet) implemented

were diverse in terms of level, content and duration. however, a consistent characteristic of all measures that

prioritised vet as a social inclusion mechanism was that learning opportunities were tailored to the needs of the

participants. Basic training was offered to those with no or low qualifications or redundant skills in order to improve

their employability, and other vocational training was offered to those who would benefit from more up-to-date

occupational competences to improve their competitiveness in the local labour market.

eSf support was provided to vet actions that targeted both low and high skilled individuals. Activities included

adult basic education programmes for those who had left school without any skills, basic and transferrable skills to

people with no or low qualifications, language learning to migrants with difficulties using the national language

of the member States in which they lived, labour market-relevant skills to long term unemployed or economically

inactive people whose skills had become outdated, job seeking skills to qualified individuals from at risk groups

who were ready for work, and continuing professional development to employed older people at risk of exclusion

as a result of redundant knowledge and skills.

in the region of yorkshire in the uk, an initiative currently under implementation focuses on literacy and numeracy

skills. it is specifically targeted at women. the aim of the key Support worker programme129 is to identify and remove

barriers that women can face in accessing vet. many of the women participating have difficulties with reading or

writing, and sometimes illiterate in their mother tongue. training in english for Speakers of other languages (eSol)

and basic skills (literacy and numeracy) constitute core elements of the programme. however, other supports are

also important, such as childcare and mentoring (the key Support workers), career advice, and guidance sessions in

a warm and friendly environment where people of all ethnic backgrounds are welcome.

A project combining language learning with occupationally useful skills was implemented in luxembourg130. Asylum-

seekers who faced many obstacles to integration into the mainstream society of their host country needed to be able

to communicate in the predominant language and to offer employers added value in terms of occupationally useful

skills. the Association de Soutien aux travailleurs immigrés (ASti), a non-governmental organisation, implemented

a project titled “franchir les obstacles/overcoming obstacles” aimed at improving the situation of asylum seekers

by providing them with opportunities to develop their language and computer skills and thereby enhance their

chances of entering the labour market and society as a whole. Between 2002 and 2004, some 46 asylum-seekers

participated. the language learning and computers skills training were followed up with six-month work placements

in local companies. the programme was complemented with social and cultural events, such as trips to the theatre,

in order to bring them into closer contact with the community and other members of the group.

129 http://www.esf-works.com/projects/projects/18 130 CCI No. 1999LU053DO001, Measure 2,24


in greece, immigrants who have arrived during the previous 15 years account for approximately 7% of the country’s

population. in 2001, an official census registered almost 800,000 resident foreigners, more than half of Albanian

origin. ensuring their access to the official labour market and social integration is an important national political

priority. this is a challenge because most immigrants are engaged in the informal economy, for example in the

construction industry or in household services. their jobs tend to be temporary, low paid and poorly regulated.

without adequate training and language skills, many immigrants find it difficult to enter the official labour market

and as a result remain on the margins of society long after they have moved to the country. with the support of the

eSf, a project aimed at addressing these problems was implemented. this is profiled in insight 3.

Insight 3: Greek language for immigrants in Greece

this measure helped immigrants to enter the official labour market by providing a combination of vocational

training and language skills. the greek language training initiative increased immigrants’ chances of finding

permanent and secure employment or vocational training. the project offered these language learning

opportunities alongside complementary activities such as traineeships, other lifelong learning opportunities,

assistance in finding employment or support for self-employment and setting up in business.

phase 1 of the project took place in 2003 and involved almost 7,000 immigrants. A second phase began in 2004

targeting 7,600 immigrants. in both phases, approximately 60% of participants were women.

Source: http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/esf/library/library_en.htm#opt3

An important social inclusion strategy that emphasises education and training is the provision of support and

interventions to prevent people from dropping out of formal learning opportunities. for example, in finland a

measure131 was implemented to prevent exclusion by encouraging people without vocational training to participate

in training and those at risk of dropping out to finish their training. flexible ways of delivering vocational training

closer to the labour market were developed. these were augmented by training in life-management skills and

other actions to reduce the risk of dropping out. elements of the programmes included skills-mapping, mentoring,

personal learning projects and rehabilitation plans, and supported through the co-operation of authorities,

enterprises and training organisations. older people (+50 years) without vocational training were particularly

targeted. overall almost 26,000 participants took part in the activities funded under this measure in 2000-2006,

more than half women and 7,000 over 45 years old.

in malta132, lifelong learning activities were offered to update the qualifications of participants. the projects utilised

training needs-assessments and the provision of responsive training schemes. these were linked to research on the

integration of people with disabilities and socially excluded persons into the labour market which used specific

employment schemes. the measure targeted economically inactive people, people with disabilities and people

with literacy problems but also addressed the needs of graduates, teachers, workers and employers. responsive

training schemes and life-long learning schemes proved to be very popular amongst the labour force and resulted

in a substantial uptake, in some cases far exceeding the targets. in seven years of implementation the measure has

recorded almost 5,000 participants in more than 300 training courses. more than 2,000 people gained a qualification

and almost 400 jobs were created.

131 CCI No. 1999FI053DO001, Measure 2,22132 CCI No. 2003MT161DO001, Measure 2,3


An example of a vet project with a very specific social inclusion focus was implemented in Austria. previously

profiled in the report on eSf and disability133, this project implemented by the Styrian Association of the deaf helped

people with hearing impairments to improve their job skills. the participants were deaf people and people with

hearing impairments who had difficulties in accessing training programmes due to their different communication

needs and as a result were involved in lower-skilled occupations. the project developed and provided training

in data processing to improve their labour market skills. the training courses enabled participants to achieve

the european computer driving licence (ecdl) and offered them special modules in written german as well

as english and mathematics. Similar course were offered by nowA – the network for vocational training – and

the vocational training institute (bfi) in graz for nine months on a part-time basis, which allowed participants to

continue their regular jobs. in 2003, 16 people participated in the course. in 2004, the number of participants rose

to 43. the courses helped the participants to increase their self-confidence as well as their interest in education

and training. in general, the project also helped to overcome misunderstandings and prejudices against people

with a hearing impairment.

An example of an eSf-supported project which combined vet with a focus on an employment sector where there

was a significant labour market demand was implemented in denmark, in Southern Jutland134. targeted at ethnic

minorities, the project partners developed an integrated approach to recruiting, training and retaining people in

the nursing profession. the project promoted the profession of nursing as a desirable occupation by providing

positive role models to encourage ethnic minorities to go into the profession. to achieve this goal, different nursing

schools developed a three-pronged approach. firstly, they offered an introductory course in nursing, which gave

participants the opportunity to experience what it was like to work in a nursing home and hospital prior to

committing to professional studies. Secondly, existing members of the nursing staff were trained in intercultural

awareness and conflict management. thirdly, a mentor scheme was introduced, whereby experienced nurses

guided new students, and helped them to overcome problems as they arose. Several mentors were themselves

from a non-danish ethnic background and had direct experience of the difficulties ethnic minorities face in the

profession. 30 people participated in the introductory course, while a further 10 went straight into nursing school.

Some 50-60 nurses acted as educators or counsellors in their own workplace. 14 nurses underwent training in

tutoring and supervision skills.

133 McAnaney D., The European Social Fund and Disability, Background Report produced by BBI on behalf of the European Commission, Brussels 2010134 http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/esf/docs/da4_en.pdf


Insight 4: Supporting people from groups threatened with social exclusion in Poland

in poland, projects were implemented which combined direct delivery of training and support measures for

disadvantaged people, such as providing care for the children and dependants of the project participants, with

awareness-raising of exclusion issues and capacity-building amongst professionals to respond appropriately to

diverse needs. the goal was to mobilise people from groups with a high risk of exclusion.

training activities included person-focused activities such as:

the assessment of vocational potential, needs and aspirations and the upgrading of skills and qualifications ●●

of high-risk groups;

training for persons from groups threatened by social exclusion to improve their coping skills to overcome ●●

the challenges they faced in accessing the labour market, to deal with the problems they encountered in

their day to day lives and to increase their independence;

training and educational workshops to encourage young people with problems to return to education. ●●

System-focused activities included training the staff of social services providers, such as ngos and their

volunteers who were working with persons from high risk groups.

By 2006, 7,500 people working with high risk groups had participated.

Source: OP 2003PL051PO001, Measure 1.5

3E.2c Employment Supports

the final stage of the pathways approach is support for active participation in the labour market and effective job

seeking, placement and retention. while reducing the distance from the labour market of people who are long

term unemployed or economically inactive is a critical outcome of social inclusion activities, the ultimate goal is

placement in a real job. ultimately, the key indicator of the impact of resources invested in social inclusion activities

must be the rate of labour market participation of the target groups, i.e. young people, migrants, minorities, women

and older workers.

Among the specific mechanisms available to support job seeking are financial incentives to promote employment,

grants to bolster job creation through local employment initiatives, the development of social economy

organisations, and grants towards the creation of specific jobs for vulnerable groups.

the ideal conclusion of the job seeking process is either that the person finds work as an employee of a company

or that they start to participate in the economy as a self-employed worker or entrepreneur. these objectives can be

achieved in two main ways. firstly, interventions can be provided to vulnerable job seekers or employers to increase

the likelihood of employment. Secondly the needs of those already in employment, but in a precarious position as

a result of redundant skills, can be addressed through continuing training and mentoring.

A particularly useful approach to job placement which was implemented during the previous period is Supported

employment (S.e.). in the S.e. model the second stage of the pathways approach, i.e. vet, is omitted and participants

are instead placed directly into jobs. this takes place after a period of occupational assessment and exploration,

often carried out through work experience placements in open employment settings and with the cooperation

of local employers. once the job seeker has decided on the type of work he or she would like to do, it is the role


of a job coach to find a suitable placement. the job coach carries out a task and demands analysis of the job and

the workplace and prepares a tailored on-the-job training plan. he/she then accompanies the new worker to the

workplace and initially performs the tasks of the worker as a way of training him/her. gradually the job coach

reduces his/her involvement, making sure that the natural supports required by the worker are available from co-

workers and supervisors. this approach has proved particularly appropriate for people with intellectual impairment,

communication and relationship problems or those with emotional or behavioural difficulties. A good example of

how this approach was implemented with the support of the eSf is described in the next insight.

Insight 5: Spain, Jobs support for people with disabilities

Supported employment was provided to people with disabilities based on a model of intensive and personalised

support for each individual. non-profit, specialised organisations were contracted to work with a minimum

number of people with disabilities – at least four per full-time employees in the case of mental disabilities, and

at least six in the case of physical disabilities. their role was to prepare the person for employment and help

them find a job. once in a job, the support person learnt and performed the work tasks required by the person

while guiding and supporting him or her during the initial adaptation period.

private companies employing people with disabilities were entitled to financial support to employ people with

disabilities, provided that they complied with certain criteria. for example, they had to commit to a minimum three

years’ employment contract in the case of indefinite employment contracts, and report annually on progress.

the programme was launched in 2000, and over 4,000 people with disabilities participated, 700 of whom found

employment.

Source: http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/esf/docs/es4_2_en.pdf

while developed originally for people with general learning disabilities, the S.e. approach can be equally effective

for other vulnerable groups. for example, migrants in Sweden with little or no knowledge of the language and who

found it difficult to find work were provided with a variant of S.e. this approach is profiled in the next insight.

Insight 6: Integrating long-term unemployed into the Swedish workforce

this project, implemented by the Blekinge labour exchange located 400 kilometres south of Stockholm,

focused on immigrants from around europe, Africa and the middle east who had poor language skills in Swedish

and, in some cases, mental or physical difficulties. participants were given individual coaching through work

placements and new jobs.

in an attempt to minimise the social exclusion of immigrants, participants were offered a highly intensive, hands-

on approach to the problem. two people worked full-time with each participant to get a solid understanding

of their needs. together, they devised a personal employment plan for the participant to follow. the individual

was accompanied by a coach to their work experience placement and then to their new place of work to

support them through the difficult earlier stages of finding and retaining a new job.

the work placements varied from manual work in fish processing to learning structural design.

Around 130 immigrants took part in the scheme: 101 found a job and four have set up their own businesses.

the project was replicated by other employment offices all over Sweden.

Source: http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/esf/library/library_en.htm#opt3


Support to vulnerable groups can also be achieved by sensitising employers to use more flexible forms of work

and thus enable the most vulnerable people to enter the labour market. this was the focus of a project in london

(uk) “from playground to payslip”135. the project was implemented by the association women like us. it aimed to

engage mothers at the school gates and support them to prepare for work, providing a recruitment agency and

“matching” service with a wide range of employers looking for quality staff. women like us actively went out and

contacted women where they felt most confident about talking about a potential return to work - at the school

gates. through unique partnerships with 170 schools in the capital, the organisation made access to jobs easier,

posting vacancies on school notice-boards, putting leaflets in book bags and providing an outreach associate to

talk to. each participant was assigned a career coach who fully supported them, stayed with them for the whole

journey and ensuring that they did not get lost in the system. At time of writing, 11,000 women have registered

with women like us and over 700 employers have successfully used the platform to source and recruit part-time

staff. 40% of women who have accessed funded programmes through eSf have been supported into work, with

87% still in work after three months. this is evidence of a high retention rate which is thanks to achieving the right

“match” between the woman and employer.

enabling people at risk of exclusion to enter or return to the labour market can also be achieved by boosting human

potential and the services of ngos and cooperatives which work with them. Small grants are often used in this field,

as for example in the italian region of friuli-venezia-giulia.

Insight 7: Small grants in Italy to integrate people from vulnerable groups in the labour market

Between 2003 and 2007, the region of friuli venezia giulia provided small grants to improve and stabilise

the position of disadvantaged people in the labour market. it strengthened the action of social economy

associations and social cooperatives, stimulated the creation of networks within the public welfare system and

created an operational and flexible procedure to link the public and private sectors while directly involving

the final beneficiaries (people with disabilities, prisoners, former convicts, non-eu immigrants, other migrants,

(former) drug/alcohol addicts, hiv-positive people, people newly facing poverty, women victims of violence

and mistreatment and people escaping prostitution).

these goals were achieved through: awareness-raising actions to prepare an environment supportive of social

inclusion policies; surveys on the labour opportunities offered by the enterprises for categories of disadvantaged

people; integrated services provided through grants assignment.

230 people were placed as a result of this project and some of them started self-employment activities.

the project also improved the capacity of ngos and associations working with the most vulnerable and

generated positive feedback from employers.

Source: ESF in Italy 2000 – 2006 A Selection of Best Practices136

135 http://www.esf-works.com/projects/projects/22 136 http://www.lavoro.gov.it/NR/rdonlyres/1342FAAB-DD74-4649-BA33 FA531C522BB4/0/ExamplesofEsfbestpractices_english.pdf


3F. ESF ENhANcES SOcIAL INcLuSION SySTEmS ANd STRucTuRES

Social inclusion activities are widely addressed across the ops in all member States in both programming periods.

for the 2000-2006 programming period, these measures have been allocated to key concepts. however since

in 2007-2013 member States report on much broader priority axes, it was not possible to allocate these to

the same key concepts. nevertheless member States are using similar approaches to address assistance to

systems and structures across the programming periods. the next sections will present the achievements per

key concept: data are available for the 2000-2006 period. the typology is described through examples covering

both periods.

3F.1 Overview of Interventions and Achievements Addressing Systems and Structures

ESF Achievements across Europe in 2000-2006

About € 1 billion of eSf co-funding was allocated to measures with a social inclusion component concentrated

solely on assistance to systems and structures137. this included activities aimed to build or enhance institutional

and administrative capacity, especially in regions covered by objective 1. taking into account the 130 measures

that combined assistance to persons with assistance to systems and structures, a total of 179 measures addressed

assistance to structures and systems.

from a social inclusion perspective, four main types of actions were supported by eSf as described in section

3d.1. many of these activities were included in a single measure and thus there was a substantial overlap. this

is illustrated in figure 36.

it was possible to identify 125 measures that developed supports and services, 53 measures which developed

training and educational programmes, 60 measures that trained trainers and professionals and 83 measures which

included promotional campaigns138.

137 ESF Expenditure for 130 measures related to both assisting people and systems in 2000-2906 corresponded to more than € 7.5 billion.138 Activities implemented in Assistance to structure overlapped, thus one activity can address one or more topics of this field.


Figure 36: Breakdown of total assistance to structure and systems measures per activity (2000-2006)


the primary aim of social inclusion actions addressing assistance to systems and structures was to create more

effective responses to people at risk of exclusion by removing societal barriers, improving services or changing

attitudes and raising awareness. Some of the measures identified for this study overlap with measures explicitly

targeting specific vulnerable groups among others which have been used for other studies (roma, migrants and

minorities, persons with disabilities, older workers)139. nevertheless, taking account of these overlaps, it is possible to

estimate the proportion of each type activity in measures with a social inclusion component which addressed systems

and structures targeting specific vulnerable groups. this breakdown is presented in figure 37. the development of

supports and services was most frequently implemented in the case of all target groups, followed by promotional

campaigns. other than for measures targeting roma among other vulnerable groups, the training of trainers and

professionals was the next most frequently implemented activity. developing training and educational programmes

was implemented least often, although in the case of measures targeting roma (among other vulnerable groups)

it was equal in frequency to activities for training of trainers. it was possible to identify a very similar pattern to the

overall pattern for these measures, and this may reflect a consistent approach to systems and structures.

3F.2 Developing New Supports and Services in many members States, the responsibility for guidance and counselling services has been traditionally allocated to

the public employment Services (peS). Broadening the remit and enhancing the capacity of peS to include people

distanced from the labour market therefore requires a change in the way these services are designed and delivered.

the eSf made an important contribution to revamping and modernising peS to meet these challenges through

supporting the quality improvement of services, updating and enhancing the competencies of peS staff, raising

awareness of the needs and strengths of these groups and promoting positive attitudes and a non-discriminatory

approach by peS.

139 Some of the 281 measures identified for social inclusion assistance activities were specifically targeting Roma (32 measures), migrants and minorities (132), disabled people (144) and older workers (88). Individual target groups were not the only beneficiaries of each measure but also other groups were targeted within the same measure.


Figure 37: Breakdown of ESF assistance to structure and systems in measures with a social inclusion component targeting specific vulnerable groups (2000-2006)


Besides the strengthening of the peS, a wide range of other support services were also developed with the support

of eSf to address the needs of vulnerable groups. By way of example, child care facilities were established to enable

unemployed women, often from at risk groups, to participate in vet or job searching activities. centres and services

adapted to the social and cultural needs of the roma community were founded. the availability of social services

adapted to the needs of vulnerable groups was increased. the capacity, quality and accessibility of existing social services

were enhanced. Services to complement training and employment activities such as residential or family services were

developed. more effective outreach, guidance and counselling services were created using innovative methodologies.

An example of a project that developed from local needs was implemented in ireland for parents of young children

who wished to work. this is profiled in the next insight.

Insight 8: Creating work opportunities for parents of young children in Ireland

the project, “drumshambo community childcare”, located in the midland and western region of ireland

evolved from a mother and toddler group back in 1995 which had expanded into a playschool at the local

enterprise centre. the population in the area was increasing dramatically and the need for an all day childcare

facility in the area became apparent.

under the equal opportunities childcare programme, the project secured a capital grant of €622,000 for

building, a €248,000 grant for staffing and an additional capital grant of €7,839 for equipment. At one point

there were 95 children using crèche, playgroup and after school services on a weekly basis and there were 18

staff on the payroll.

the project was part of a measure in midland and western region entirely dedicated to childcare facilities

activities. under this measure several other activities were implemented, such as training courses for childcare

staff and direct support to childcare organisations. overall in seven years more than 10,000 people have

benefited from this measure and more than 6,000 have achieved a childcare qualification.

Source: OP of Border, Midland and Western Region, CCI No. 2000IE161PO005, Measure 4,7


A similar project was also implemented in east england140 from 2005 to 2007. it aimed at enabling individuals living

in the five most deprived districts in Southend to access training. the training was mainly addressed to people

but under the same project several new trainings were also planned to help raise standards for children through

supporting childcare workers in improving their skills and qualifications.

the eSf supported service-development that focused on the roma community in a number of member States. the aim

was to strengthen the role and capacities of existing organisations and institutions to respond to the social and cultural

needs of the roma and to create new services and structures specifically adapted to their needs. in some examples: a

cultural centre was established in the czech republic; a centre particularly for young people was developed in Austria;

a development centre for employment of roma people was created in Slovakia; a special employment service was

put in place in Slovenia; and greece established Anti racist centres throughout the country141.

in the czech republic142, the quality of social services and education were improved in order to more effectively

address the needs of people at a disadvantage in the labour market through specific projects that supported

social inclusion. the overall objective was to provide those at risk of exclusion with equal access to education,

employment and other aspects of social and work life. the main participating organisations were ngos working in

the area of social services provision and other social services for individuals such as long-term unemployed, people

with disabilities, roma, ethnic minorities and migrants, and the homeless. key actions involved strengthening the

capacity and quality of these agencies, expanding their range and availability to meet the needs of target persons

and the requirements of the local community, and transforming and extending them in order to reduce labour

market exclusion. Activities also included the development and implementation of training to improve the quality

and accessibility of social services, training trainers and educators from the ngos in the use of the modern methods

of social work and social services, and developing and implementing counselling, guidance and other special

services. in three years of implementation almost 200 ngos and other organisations were supported and almost

3,000 people working in these organisations received their own support. indirectly 15,000 persons from groups

at risk of exclusion benefited from the support of these organisations, and the measure has also encouraged the

establishment of 125 partnerships between organisations working in this field.

in the midi-pyrénées region of france143, support services were enhanced and extended in a cooperative action

involving the local public authorities, ngos, and employment and training associations. the support services

reflected the pathways to integration approach and thus included outreach, vet and job placement. target groups

were young people and job seekers facing difficulties in both urban and rural areas. the activities concentrated

on outreach and orientation services, access to information on employment and training opportunities, adapting

educational programmes, and subsidies for transport or residential costs for those who had to travel to access these

services. in some cases, services were established in temporary buildings in order to meet local needs. in total, more

than 400 projects were supported and 8,000 people received training and support to use new services. indirectly

the measure has helped more than 50,000 jobseekers, created 21,000 new jobs and safeguarded 18,000 others.

140 http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100104174347 http://www.esf.gov.uk/archive/2000_2006_esf_programme/case_studies/case_studies_-_east/forward_five_childcare_training_project.asp

141 Di Nardo L., Koncokova E., The European Social Fund and Roma, Background Report produced by BBI on behalf of the European Commission, Brussels 2010

142 CCI No. 2003CZ051PO001, Measure 2,3143 CCI No. 2003CZ051PO001, Measure 1,5


in greece, a network of municipal offices was established around the country dedicated to assisting people living

on the margins of society to gain access to the labour market and to access necessary social services. this action is

described in more detail in the next insight.

Insight 9: A network of support centres to assist vulnerable groups to access the labour market in Greece

this measure targeted people who had difficulties in contacting the social services right for them and the

labour market supports they required. Such individuals included people with disabilities, abused women,

ex-offenders and refugees, among others. in order to reach these people, the greek ministry of health and

Social Solidarity established a network of offices around greece. these could advise people and to refer them

on to where they could get help in accessing the labour market in addition to the specific social services

they needed. Social services included social benefits schemes, health, mental health, social care services, and

vocational training. A small team of specifically trained social workers, psychologists and sociologists were

employed in each centre. in addition to providing counselling and information services, the offices, operated

by municipal or inter-municipal enterprises, also monitored the number and type of applications they received.

over 18,000 applications for assistance were received, of which approximately 10% came from ethnic minorities,

9% from third country national resident and 6% from single parent families. the services offered by the offices

were co-funded by eSf and the greek ministry of health and Social Solidarity for a period of two years, after

which the municipalities were committed to maintain operation and funding of the offices. Approximately

150 social support services offices were established.

Source: http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/esf/docs/el4_en.pdf

3F.3 Developing Training and Education Programmes Another critical element of a pathway to integration process is the availability of flexible training and education

opportunities which have the capacity to cope with learners whose needs are not met by traditional methods

of instruction. measures that emphasised vet as the focal point for social inclusion often incorporated actions

targeted at delivery systems in order to respond more flexibly to individual learning needs and the development

of innovative instructional methodologies which were more accessible to atypical learners such as modular

programmes or multi-media formats. the implication of this customised training approach was that vet delivery

systems responded more effectively to the specific needs of a wide diversity of needs.

A good example of a measure to create more flexible lifelong learning opportunities was implemented in latvia144.

it focused on persons at the risk of social exclusion including people with disabilities, long-term unemployed,

pre-pensioners, young people with a low level of basic skills, ethnic minorities, and prisoners. Also targeted

were social workers and other professionals working in social rehabilitation institutions and social rehabilitation

service providers. one element of the measure supported 10 projects to design, develop and deliver new

programmes and courses in general education institutions and vocational training centres for young people

with low basic skills and early school leavers. the aim was to offer them opportunities to obtain a certificate in

basic education which would allow them to progress within the education system.

144 CCI No. 2003LV161DO001, Measure 3.3


in other activities, modules and methodological materials for remedial and compensatory education and social

skills courses, capable of being delivered within the prison system, were delivered to young prisoners with a low

level of social skills. Almost 1,500 educators were trained to deliver these modules and to understand the needs of

the target groups.

Adapting the learning environment for people with special needs was the focus of an initiative developed in estonia,

described in the next insight.

Insight 10: Adapting the learning environment for young people with disabilities in Estonia

the day care centre käo in tallinn is a social institution that has been providing support services and rehabilitation

activities for children and adolescents with disabilities since 2000. the same building also hosts the nursing

education department of tallinn Boarding School which provides basic education training. teachers from the

school trained children and adolescents in the day care centre in personal hygiene and basic skills. despite this

education, once the children had completed their basic education there was no possibility for them to access

vocational training programmes suitable for them. therefore eSf was used to create curricula and train specialists

to adjust the learning environment. the day care centre käo, in cooperation with an education centre in finland

(the continuing education centre of the university of Jyväskylä), set up new curricula and new methodologies

for “special learners” programmes. two pilot curricula were created in 2008, one for adolescents who need to

learn life skills and another for those in need of nursing education. 30 teachers were trained in 2007 and 2008.

Source: http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/emplweb/esf_projects/project.cfm?id=4117&project_lang=en&rp=2

3F.4 Training of Trainers and Professionalsprofessionals who are fully briefed on the needs of the target group, are equipped with the strategies and skills

required to meet those needs and whose attitudes are respectful and sympathetic to their clients and service users

are the key to effective social inclusion services. when creating new services and supports and the developing

new training and education programmes, training of professionals in the application and delivery of such methods

and approaches was a supporting factor. training of trainers and professionals is an essential element in the

modernisation of employment and social services. A good example of this is where ict is introduced as a basis for

delivering more efficient and effective services. Along with trainers and professionals, public employment services

personnel working in the social field were also targeted.

in hungary145 in both the fields of social care and crime prevention, training was provided to professionals who

worked with a range of disadvantaged groups to enable them to offer a more efficient service to their clients

and to foster cooperation between professionals working in different agencies or sectors so as to achieve more

coordinated services. through this activity, the area of social policy has become an integral part of the fight against

social exclusion, contributing to the expansion of the tools of employment policy, as well as to the reinforcement

of cooperation among the sectors. the central eSf programme was implemented in two ways: special training for

professionals and volunteers active in the social field, and reinforcing cooperation between social and employment

services, thereby creating networks of institutions working to fight exclusion.

145 CCI No. 2003HU051PO001, Measure 2.2


Another example of the application of training of professionals to improve the quality of services was implemented

in the prison system in italy.

Insight 11: Labour market integration of convicted persons in Italy

the project - insertion pathways in prison system (“percorsi di transizione nell´area penitenziaria”),

was implemented in tuscany between 2001 and 2002 having as the main objective preparing prisoners and

ex-prisoners so that they might integrate into the labour market.

By having an analysis of the labour market demands as a starting point, this project provided prisoners with the

skills and knowledge needed to get a job either inside or outside detention centres.

training and orientation was offered to agents from the private social sector which provided them with

information about social vulnerability issues, a training module was delivered to prison trainers, and manuals

were disseminated through social workers and prison staff in order to prepare prisoners to respond to specific

issues concerning the labour market integration of the target group. furthermore several awareness seminars

and meetings took place in order to inform social partners, entrepreneurs, civil servants and other institutional

agents of the issues.

Several other projects addressing prisoners or ex-prisoners have been implemented under the scope of eSf,

namely in Austria, czech republic, france, ireland, luxembourg, the netherlands, Spain and Slovakia.

Source:http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/emplweb/esf_projects/project.cfm?id=71459&project_lang=it&rp=2

in germany, a training of trainers initiative was carried out in schools, vocational guidance service centres and other

educational institutions in cooperation with local authorities. the theme of the training was the integration of

learners with special learning needs into the mainstream education system. it assisted the teachers and trainers to

develop strategies to support vulnerable learners in the classroom and to assist them to cope with the curriculum.

implemented through interactive units, key skills were developed with the participation of both young people and

professionals. the teachers were trained in the distinctions and similarities of life experiences for boys and girls and

how to use culturally appropriate life planning strategies to empower decision making and encourage behaviours

congruent with transition from school to the world of work.

Another example of using training to raise the awareness of teachers of the needs and characteristics of learners

from vulnerable groups is currently under implementation in niedersachsen in germany146. the “integration and

diversity” (“Integration und Vielfalt”) project aims to increase tolerance and intercultural awareness amongst teachers

and young people. As well as teachers, social education staff, people from an immigrant background and students

are all targeted. Activities involve intercultural training, sensitisation for staff and the delivery of vocational guidance

and job training to the students. Around 100 training courses are under implementation or will be implemented

involving between 5 and 100 people.

146 http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/emplweb/esf_projects/project.cfm?id=73663&project_lang=de&rp=2 The project started in 2009 and will end in 2012.


3F.5 Promotional Campaignsnegative attitudes towards people from minority groups and the stigma associated with disability and other

personal characteristics have been identified as major barriers to participation in society. the attitudes of the public

in general and of employers in particular can be instrumental in creating barriers to inclusion for people whose

individual characteristics mark them out as being “different”. in this respect an important dimension in the fight

against social exclusion is creating more positive images of minorities and the beneficial contribution they can

make to society and within the workforce, as well as raising awareness amongst the public in general, and amongst

key actors in the inclusion process in particular, of the risk of discrimination. in some cases promotional campaigns

were accompanied and informed by research into the factors contributing to social exclusion and discrimination

against vulnerable groups.

other targets for awareness-raising campaigns are people who are risk of exclusion themselves. this is to make them

aware of the opportunities available to them and change their attitudes to the possibilities of gaining employment.

the broad purpose of this type of campaign is to increase the participation of economically inactive people in

social inclusion programmes. Such campaigns were implemented during the eighties in Belgium and in france,

addressing the problem of illiteracy. they led to the explicit recognition of the problem and its measurement but

also made people with literacy and numeracy difficulties aware that there were learning opportunities available to

them through adult learning programmes.

the combination of research and raising awareness is well represented by the approach adopted in Spain in relation

to immigrants147. Both studies and seminars on immigration were used. the studies identified the key issues to be

addressed and the seminars were used to disseminate good practices and sensitise stakeholders about the needs

of the target population. the campaign was supported by encouraging cooperation between socially responsible

companies, other public awareness campaigns to fight against social discrimination, debates in public and private

agencies and the development of a web.

Another awareness campaign in Spain148 which directly targeted employers was concerned with the occupational

integration needs of young offenders. it targeted employers, trade unions, employment agencies, local

administrations and temporary employment agencies in order to provide them with the necessary knowledge

and understanding of the social situation of the young people and to come up with solutions. Activities included

seminars, forums and working groups combined with research into good practices and positive solutions. A network

of employers and organisations committed to the inclusion of young offenders was established.

luxembourg149 implemented an awareness campaign to address the needs of older workers (over 45), particularly

managers and employees perceived as being too old and not sufficiently active. the leading message of the

campaign was that older workers have much to offer employers and have strengths that can play an important

role in the future of society. in general, the project aimed to promote active ageing and extend working life. it

attempted to encourage employers to recruit more 45+ employees and to retain them as long as possible.

147 CCI No. 2000ES051PO016, Measure 44.10148 Ibidem. 149 http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/emplweb/esf_projects/project.cfm?id=5010&project_lang=fr&rp=2


Activities included a media campaign to sensitise employers, employees and the wider audience to the issue

of ageing in the population in general and the implications of an ageing workforce in particular. A website was

developed, articles were published in the national press and tv, posters and folders were produced and disseminated.

meetings were held with stakeholders and key actors and a network was created around the topic.

A broad scope on social exclusion was adopted in a uk project which researched disadvantage and discrimination

in the labour market in london150 in order to achieve a better understanding of the nature of barriers to workforce

participation. this resulted in the production of a toolkit showcasing projects that were considered to represent

good practice in promoting employability and social inclusion. the groups addressed were very diverse and

included black and ethnic minorities, refugees and asylum seekers, travellers, people with disabilities, lone parents,

older people, homeless persons and those living in areas with high levels of multiple deprivation (social, economic,

psychological). led by the london metropolitan university, it involved a range of partners including the refugee

council, the Skills Sector council, tuc learning Services, london voluntary Service council and Jobcentreplus, a

public employment service. it was concentrated in all five london areas (north, east, South, west and central).

information on existing initiatives in london that supported excluded and disadvantaged individuals to combat

labour market disadvantage was collated and analysed. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were held

with a sample of providers, beneficiaries and other stakeholders. A cd database of projects was created. the project

identified the ‘critical success factors’ for engaging people who due to disadvantage, institutional discrimination or

direct experience of discrimination were currently disengaged from education, training and job opportunities.

150 http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100104174347/http:/esf.gov.uk/archive/2000_2006_esf_programme/case_studies/case_studies_-_london/labour_market_disadvantage_disengagement_discrimination_research_project.asp


Chapter 4 – Conclusionsthis report has analytically described the main interventions and achievements of the european Social 1.

fund assistance to member States in the policy area of Social inclusion. Across the european union, eSf

has supported social inclusion interventions to help people from vulnerable groups better integrate in the

labour market. these interventions focused on implementing integrated pathways to employment and on

enhancing intermediary employment systems and structures. the core basis of the research has consisted of the

eSf-funded programmes, measures, priority axes and interventions carried out during the programming periods

2000-2006 and 2007-2013 (up to 2009), with a more detailed focus on the former. with regard to the 2000-2006

period, relevant measures were selected by reviewing titles and contents of all eSf measures, and cross-checking

with the measures falling entirely or partly under the “social inclusion” policy field. overall 330 measures

(out of 1,567) belonging to 149 Operational Programmes (out of 212) from all 25 EU Member States

have been earmarked as relevant for the study topic, and make up the broad basis for the analysis. the research

on the eSf 2007-2013 priority axes has started from the list of ops mentioned under three priority themes

(67, 70 and 71) covering social inclusion issues. eventually, 125 priority axes (out of 633) from 26 Member

States have been identified for the current period.

the financial information on the selected measures and priority axes with a social inclusion component has 2.

been gathered from the ec Structural funds database. According to the information available on 2 September

2008, member States had claimed € 24 billion of expenditure (combining € 12 billion of Community and

€ 12 billion of national public and private contributions) on measures with a social inclusion component,

a figure which represents 23% of the total claimed expenditure for the entire eSf.

overall, 3. approximately 18 million participations were recorded in measures with a social inclusion

component between 2000 and 2006. the term “participation” is used instead of “participant” because it is very

likely that certain people have benefited more than once from eSf support. the share of participants in social

inclusion interventions varied widely between member States from less than 2% to nearly 64%. where data are

available on gender, more women (53%) than men participated in social inclusion measures in the previous

programming period. Data on the first three years of implementation of the current programming

period indicate that 5.2 million participations were recorded in the selected priority axes featuring a similar

number of men and women.

the available data on the 4. labour market status of participations in 2000-2006 shows that 62% of participants

were unemployed, out of which 42% were long term unemployed. in 2007-2009 unemployed persons

represented 70% (35% of them long term) of the beneficiaries in priority axes with a social inclusion component.

in 2007-2009, regarding age groups’ representation, 7% of those reported as participating in activities with

a social inclusion component were older people (55-64 years) while 31% were young people (15-24 years).

women were underrepresented amongst younger participants (43%) and in the older age group (46%).

the available data on the participants’ level of education indicate that in the current programming period,

59% of participations had primary or lower-secondary education (iSced 1+2), 25% of participants had an upper

secondary education (iSced 3), 4% had completed post secondary non-tertiary education (iSced 4) and 12%

followed tertiary education (iSced 5 and 6).

73Chapter 4 – Conclusions

eSf-supported interventions with a social inclusion component usually feature a relatively significant number 5.

of participations from specific vulnerable groups such as migrants, minorities, and people with disabilities:

in 2000-2006 the average share of vulnerable beneficiaries from these specific groups was 11%.

this figure masks a wide variation amongst member States, from 2% in hungary and france to 88% in Sweden.

the 11% were composed as follows: 4% of people with disabilities, 4% of migrants and minorities, and 3% of

other vulnerable groups such as older workers. these show that most of the people in 2000-2006 were not part

of specific vulnerable groups but were living in a vulnerable situation due to their status in the labour market

(unemployment or long-term unemployment) or to their low level of education and low skills. more precise

data is available for the current programming period. In 2007-2009, the proportion of participations

from specific vulnerable groups in priority axes with a social inclusion component is 34% of all reported

participations: 9% of people with disabilities, 12% of migrants, 4% of minorities and 9% of other vulnerable

groups. the participation of women from vulnerable groups is lower (47%) than men (53%).

eSf has supported a wide variety of interventions across the domain of social inclusion. Based on content 6.

analysis, each measure has been allocated to one or both of the following key concepts: assistance to persons

including pathways to integration in the labour market, and assistance to structures and systems. 64% of

the interventions from 2000-2006 addressed assistance to people, 32% addressed measures with assistance

to people and to systems and 4% to systems only. measures focused on assistance to people recorded a

participation of 12.7 million, while 4.9 million people took part in people and systems measures and 250,000

participants benefited from assistance to systems and structures activities. Since in 2007-2013, member States

report per priority axis, it was not possible to allocate these axes to the same key concepts used in the analysis

of eSf-funded activities in 2000-2006. nevertheless member States have used similar approaches to address

social inclusion.

the pathways approach to integration offers a system of continuous interventions and supports customised 7.

to the current status of the individual person his/her personal and social needs. integrated pathways in

measures with a social inclusion component are addressed by member States with specific actions supporting

integration into education or employment through individual pathways or individual guidance, training and

employment activities. the analysis of the selected measures showed that it was not possible to allocate each

measure to only one of the three main activities within the individual pathways. most of the selected measures

in fact addressed all three actions. this comprehensive pathways approach was particularly prioritised in most

of the “new member States” as well as in Spain, italy and greece.

part of the measures identified for this study overlap with measures explicitly targeting specific vulnerable 8.

groups which have been used for other studies, such as roma, migrants and minorities, persons with disabilities,

and older workers. Some of the 281 measures identified for social inclusion assistance activities were specifically

targeting roma (32 measures), migrants and minorities (132), disabled people (144) and older workers (88).

individual target groups were not the only beneficiaries; often also other groups were targeted within the same

measure. training, education and employment were most frequently implemented for all groups. employment

initiatives were proportionally more important in measures targeting roma. in addition, guidance and counselling

activities were more frequently implemented for measures targeting roma compared to the other groups.


reaching out to economically inactive people and providing guidance and counselling activities constitute 9.

the initial stage of the pathways to integration approach. In 2000-2006, about 63% of all measures

under which integrated pathways were developed also implemented guidance and counselling

activities. in other words, outreach, guidance and counselling activities were rarely implemented in isolation.

many measures that prioritised this stage of the pathway tended to link it to progression towards training or

education and,, in a small number of cases, directly to employment services.

A number of measures concentrated on the second stage of the pathway i.e. the provision of training or further 10.

education to upgrade skills and qualifications. vocational education and training activities (vet) implemented were

diverse in terms of level, content and duration. however, one element featuring consistently in the selected measures

concerned the tailoring of learning opportunities to the needs of the participants. eSf support was provided to vet

actions that targeted both low and high skilled individuals. Overall 89% of all measures addressing pathways

to integration implemented training activities in the previous programming period.

the third activity within the integrated pathways approach is support for integration and active participation in the 11.

labour market through effective job finding, placement and job retention. 81% of all measures in 2000-2006

addressing pathways to integration supported employment and job creation. A particularly useful approach

to job placement is Supported employment (S.e.). in the S.e. model, the second stage of the pathways approach,

i.e. vet, is omitted and participants are placed directly into jobs following a period of occupational assessment and

exploration which is often carried out through work experience placements in open employment settings with

the cooperation of local employers. this approach has proved particularly appropriate for people with intellectual

impairment, communication and relationship problems or those with emotional or behavioural difficulties.

12. In 2000-2006, 179 measures (38% of all selected measures for this study) addressed assistance to

systems and structures to improve the social inclusion of people from vulnerable groups. from a social

inclusion perspective, four main types of actions were supported by eSf: setting up supports and services,

developing training and other educational programmes, training of trainers and professionals, and implementing

promotional campaigns to remove attitudinal barriers to the mainstream participation of minority groups.

in the past programming period, 13. 70% of all assistance to structures and systems measures supported

the development of new supports and services. in many members States the responsibility for guidance

and counselling services has traditionally been allocated to the public employment Services (peS). the eSf

made an important contribution to revamping and modernising peS by supporting the quality improvement of

services, and adapting services to the needs of the most vulnerable people. eSf also supported the creation and

implementation of new services addressing specific needs of people from vulnerable groups. these services

include childcare facilities, cultural centres for some minorities such as the roma, and other social services.

A critical element of a pathway to integration process is the availability of flexible training and education 14.

opportunities for learners whose needs are not met by traditional methods of instruction. measures

emphasising vet as focal point for social inclusion often contained modular programmes or multi-media

formats because these respond more flexibly to individual learning needs and are accessible for atypical learners.

75Chapter 4 – Conclusions

furthermore, eSf has funded the development of new programmes and curricula to adapt the learning

environment for people with special needs. in the past programming period, 30% of the systems and

structures measures included the development of training and pedagogical programmes for

vulnerable people.

15. Nearly 34% of the 2000-2006 systems and structures interventions aimed at improving the skills and

qualifications of trainers and professionals working in social inclusion. when creating new services and

supports and developing new training and education programmes, training of professionals in the application

and delivery of such methods and approaches was a supporting factor. training of trainers and professionals is

an essential element in the modernisation of employment and social services supported by the eSf.

one crucial aspect for achieving social inclusion is the fight against exclusion and discrimination towards 16.

vulnerable people such as minorities, people with disabilities, etc. eSf has funded several such activities through

promotional campaigns sometimes accompanied by research into the factors contributing to social exclusion

and discrimination. 46% of the measures supporting systems and structures in which social inclusion

was a component also funded promotional campaigns in 2000-2006.

17. Summing up, social inclusion is one of the main fields of intervention in the ESF 2000-2006 and

2007-2013 programming periods. in both programming periods selected measures and priority axes

with a social inclusion component represented 23% of the funding (expenditure for 2000-2006 and budget

for 2007-2013) and participations overall. when supported through eSf, social inclusion activities mainly

concern(ed) integrated pathways to employment and the adaptation of systems and structures to the specific

needs of individual people belonging to vulnerable target groups.


Annexes

ANNEx 1: ExpENdITuRE 2000-2006 ANd BudgET 2007-2013

1. Operational Programmes 2000-2006 Expenditure Claimed (in € million) per Member State

MS EU % National public % National private % Total

At 43.7% 48.7% 7.6% 1,326

Be 34.7% 55.3% 10.1% 2,422

cy 50.0% 50.0% -- 22

cZ 69.8% 30.2% -- 297

de 46.5% 45.7% 7.8% 20,930

dk 41.5% 37.2% 21.3% 779

ee 69.3% 25.9% 4.9% 71

eS 60.4% 38.4% 1.2% 17,388

fi 31.4% 42.9% 25.6% 2,365

fr 43.4% 50.8% 5.8% 12,204

gr 78.6% 21.4% -- 4,783

hu 75.6% 24.4% -- 288

ie 53.9% 45.8% 0.3% 1,778

it 52.7% 45.5% 1.8% 12,902

lt 74.6% 25.4% -- 166

lu 45.3% 52.8% 2.0% 47

lv 75.2% 24.8% -- 115

mt 75.0% 25.0% -- 9

nl 49.6% 21.6% 28.8% 2,458

pl 74.3% 25.7% -- 1,776

pt 62.2% 34.2% 3.6% 7,073

Se 31.3% 39.1% 29.6% 2,661

Si 75.0% 25.0% -- 60

Sk 74.0% 25.2% 0.8% 241

uk 44.1% 51.5% 4.4% 13,285

EU 25 51.3% 42.8% 5.9% 105,446

Data compiled by BBI on the basis EC Structural Fund Database (SFC), Situation in September 2008

77Annexes

2. Operational Programmes 2000-2006 Co-funded Expenditure Claimed (in € million) per Objective

OBJ EU National Public National Private TOTAL

1 30,859 16,627 833 48,319

2 2,167 2,352 582 5,101

3 21,103 26,111 4,811 52,026

EU25 54,129 45,091 6,226 105,446

Data compiled by BBI on the basis EC Structural Fund Database (SFC), Situation in September 2008

3. Operational Programmes 2007-2013 Budget (in € million) per Member State

MS EU % National Public % National Private % Total Budget

At 44.3% 46.4% 9.3% 1,184

Be 46.3% 49.8% 4.0% 2,320

Bg 85.0% 15.0% -- 1,395

cy 80.0% 20.0% -- 150

cZ 85.1% 14.9% -- 4,436

de 59.9% 30.6% 9.6% 15,666

dk 50.0% 33.4% 16.6% 510

ee 84.8% 11.2% 4.1% 462

eS 70.5% 28.4% 1.1% 11,426

fi 43.5% 56.5% -- 1,420

fr 52.5% 35.9% 11.6% 10,275

gr 76.2% 23.8% -- 5,726

hu 85.0% 15.0% -- 4,270

ie 27.6% 72.2% 0.2% 1,360

it 45.3% 54.7% -- 15,321

lt 85.0% 8.7% 6.3% 1,210

lu 50.0% 50.0% -- 50

lv 83.8% 13.0% 3.1% 657

mt 85.0% 15.0% -- 132

nl 48.7% 27.4% 23.9% 1,705

pl 85.0% 15.0% -- 11,420

pt 70.7% 29.3% -- 9,210

ro 85.0% 15.0% -- 4,335

Se 50.0% 50.0% -- 1,383

Si 85.0% 15.0% -- 889

Sk 85.0% 15.0% -- 1,764

uk 52.0% 46.9% 1.1% 8,598

EU 27 64.8% 32.1% 3.2% 117,275

Source: EC Structural Fund Database (SFC), situation on 4 February 2009; Number of OPs compiled by BBI on the basis of ESF Operational Programmes

2000-2006 and 2007-2013.


ANNEx 2: ESF VOcABuLARythe table below compares a number of documents and concepts across the two consecutive programming periods.

2000-2006 PROGRAMMING PERIOD 2007-2013 PROGRAMMING PERIOD

the community Support framework (cSf) is the basic programming document agreed between the european commission and the member States, setting out plans for Structural fund support for objective 1 regions. it identifies the problems, the strategy and the priorities for action and where money should best be channelled. it must be supplemented by more detailed operational programmes. cSf’s are not compulsory for the objectives 2 and 3.

the national Strategic reference framework (nSrf) is not a management instrument as the cSf were in the preceding period. however, it defines policy priorities whilst suggesting the key elements of implementation such as the list of operational programmes and an indicative annual allocation from each fund for each operational programme it is applied to the convergence and regional competitiveness and employment objectives. it is optional for the territorial cooperation objective.

the operational programmes (ops) detail how and where funds will be spent, what the expected impact is and how the programmes will be monitored and evaluated. ops may exist at a national or regional level.

An op can cover only one of the three objectives. An op can be financed by more than one fund.

An op can cover more than one objective but can be financed by only one fund.

priorities are a set of aims within a operational programme that have to be tackled through the implementation of specific measures.

in the new programming period priorities are formally called priority Axes. resource allocation (community and national co-financing) is done at the level of the priority axes.

measures are the means by which a priority is implemented over several years and which enable operations to be financed. measures are listed in the operational programmes, fully described in the programme complements and reported on in the Annual implementation reports. resource allocation (community and national co-financing) is done at the level of the measure.

there are no measures in the 2007-2013 programming period. instead of this, the description of the priority axes contains an indicative list of actions.

programme complements (pc) provide further details on the implementation of the operational programmes such as the indicators that are used. programme complements may be formulated as needed throughout the implementation of the op.

there are no programme complements for the 2007-2013 operational programmes. information that was contained in the pc such as about the indicators is now to be found in the op itself.

the policy fields refer to the five broad types of activities than can be financed with eSf. most ops are structured along these policy fields, one priority corresponding to one policy field.

the types of activities that can be financed with eSf are called priorities.

Annual implementation reports (Air) are prepared every year by the national or regional managing authorities and describe the progress on the implementation of the priorities and the financial implementation of the assistance. Airs also report on the main socio-economic trends or on changes in national, regional or sectoral policies that are relevant to the implementation of the assistance.

indicators are used to “indicate” the outcomes of the eSf interventions. the types of indicators that are relevant to this study can be quite diverse in nature: (i) output indicators relate to the immediate consequences of an activity and are measured in physical or monetary units, e.g. number of people trained, number of firms financially supported. (ii) result indicators relate to the direct and immediate effects on direct beneficiaries brought by a programme. result indicators can be of a physical (e.g. number of successful trainees) or financial nature (e.g. leverage of private sector resources); (iii) impact indicators refer to the consequences of the programme beyond the immediate effects on its direct beneficiaries.

79Annexes

ANNEx 3: LIST OF ESF 2000-2006 mEASuRES uSEd FOR ThE STudy

MS Obj CCI Title Measure

Key concepts Measures used in other ESF studies

1. P

athw

ays

to In

tegr

atio

n

2. A

ssis

tanc

e fo

r str

uctu

res

and

syst

ems

ESF

and

Rom

a

ESF:

m

igra

nts a

nd

min

oriti

es

ESF

and

olde

r w

orke

rs

ESF

and

peop

le w

ith

disa

bilit

ies

At 1 1999At161do001 Burgenland 5,2 x x x x xAt 2 2000At162do008 wien 3,2 x x x At 3 1999At053do001 Austria obj. 3 2,21 x x xAt 3 1999At053do001 Austria obj. 3 2,22 x x x xAt 3 1999At053do001 Austria obj. 3 2,23 x xAt 3 1999At053do001 Austria obj. 3 2,24 x xBe 1 1999Be161do001 hainaut obj. 1 5,3 x x Be 1 1999Be161do001 hainaut obj. 1 6,2 x x x xBe 2 2000Be162do008 meuse - vesdre 3,3 x x x Be 2 2000Be162do009 rural dinant-philippeville 3,2 x x Be 3 1999Be053do001 Bruxelles-capitale obj. 3 1,1 x x x xBe 3 1999Be053do001 Bruxelles-capitale obj. 3 1,12 x x x xBe 3 1999Be053do001 Bruxelles-capitale obj. 3 1,13 x x Be 3 1999Be053do001 Bruxelles-capitale obj. 3 1,14 x x x Be 3 1999Be053do001 Bruxelles-capitale obj. 3 1,15 x x x Be 3 1999Be053do001 Bruxelles-capitale obj. 3 1,16 x x Be 3 1999Be053do001 Bruxelles-capitale obj. 3 2,213 x x Be 3 1999Be053do001 Bruxelles-capitale obj. 3 4,41 x Be 3 1999Be053do001 Bruxelles-capitale obj. 3 4,42 x Be 3 1999Be053do001 Bruxelles-capitale obj. 3 4,44 x Be 3 1999Be053do001 Bruxelles-capitale obj. 3 5,52 x x Be 3 1999Be053do001 Bruxelles-capitale obj. 3 5,53 x

Be 3 1999Be053do002Belgium federal ministry

of employment obj. 32,1 x x

Be 3 1999Be053do003 vlaanderen obj. 3 2,2 x x x x xBe 3 1999Be053do004 wallonie-Bruxelles obj. 3 1,14 x x Be 3 1999Be053do004 wallonie-Bruxelles obj. 3 2,21 x x Be 3 1999Be053do004 wallonie-Bruxelles obj. 3 2,22 x x xBe 3 1999Be053do004 wallonie-Bruxelles obj. 3 4,42 x x

Be 3 1999Be053do005german-speaking

community of Belgium2,21 x x x x


community of Belgium2,22 x x


community of Belgium2,23 x x

cy 3 2004cy053do001 cyprus obj 3 1,1 x x cy 3 2004cy053do001 cyprus obj 3 1,3 x xcy 3 2004cy053do001 cyprus obj 3 1,4 x x xcy 3 2004cy053do001 cyprus obj 3 2,2 x cZ 1 2003cZ051po001 czech republic hrd obj. 1 2,1 x x x x xcZ 1 2003cZ051po001 czech republic hrd obj. 1 2,3 x x

cZ 1 2003cZ161po004czech republic Joint regional operational

programme3,2 x x x

cZ 3 2003cZ053do001 prague region obj. 3 2,1 x x x x xcZ 3 2003cZ053do001 prague region obj. 3 2,3 x x x xde 1 1999de161po001 Berlin 4,21 x x xde 1 1999de161po001 Berlin 4,22 x x xde 1 1999de161po001 Berlin 4,61 x de 1 1999de161po002 thüringen 4,21 x x x




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de 1 1999de161po002 thüringen 4,22 x x x de 1 1999de161po002 thüringen 4,61 x x x de 1 1999de161po003 Sachsen-Anhalt 4,13 x x

de 1 1999de161po004mecklenburg

- vorpommern4,21 x x x


- vorpommern4,22 x x x x


- vorpommern4,61 x x x x x

de 1 1999de161po005 land Brandenburg 4,3 x x xde 1 1999de161po005 land Brandenburg 4,4 x x x de 1 1999de161po005 land Brandenburg 4,5 x x xde 1 1999de161po005 land Brandenburg 4,10 x de 1 1999de161po006 Sachsen 4,4 x x x xde 1 1999de161po006 Sachsen 4,5 x x de 1 1999de161po006 Sachsen 4,10 x x x de 1 2000de051po007 germany obj. 1 2,4 x x x x xde 1 2000de051po007 germany obj. 1 2,5 x x x x xde 1 2000de051po007 germany obj. 1 6,11 x x x xde 2 2000de162do002 Berlin west 2,41 x x x xde 2 2000de162do004 nordrhein-westfalen 4,22 x x x x de 3 1999de053do001 germany Spd obj.3 20,4 x x x xde 3 1999de053do001 germany Spd obj.3 20,5 x x x xde 3 1999de053do001 germany Spd obj.3 60,11 x x xdk 3 1999dk053do001 denmark obj. 3 1,1 x x dk 3 1999dk053do001 denmark obj. 3 2,1 x x x xdk 3 1999dk053do001 denmark obj. 3 2,2 x x ee 1 2003ee161do001 estonia 1,3 x x

eS 1 2000eS051po016Spain fight Against

discrimination obj. 144,10 x x x


discrimination obj. 144,11 x x x x


discrimination obj. 144,19 x x




discrimination obj. 144,61 x

eS 1 2000eS051po017Spain employment promotion obj. 1

50,6 x x

eS 1 2000eS161po002 cantabria 44,10 x x xeS 1 2000eS161po002 cantabria 44,11 x x x xeS 1 2000eS161po003 Andalucia 42,9 x x xeS 1 2000eS161po003 Andalucia 44,10 x xeS 1 2000eS161po003 Andalucia 44,11 x x xeS 1 2000eS161po004 Asturias 44,10 x xeS 1 2000eS161po004 Asturias 44,11 x x x eS 1 2000eS161po005 canarias 42,9 x x xeS 1 2000eS161po005 canarias 44,10 x xeS 1 2000eS161po005 canarias 44,11 x x eS 1 2000eS161po006 castilla-la mancha 44,10 x xeS 1 2000eS161po006 castilla-la mancha 44,11 x x eS 1 2000eS161po007 castilla y león 44,10 x xeS 1 2000eS161po007 castilla y león 44,11 x x

81Annexes



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eS 1 2000eS161po008 ceuta 44,11 x x xeS 1 2000eS161po009 comunidad valenciana 42,9 x xeS 1 2000eS161po009 comunidad valenciana 44,10 x xeS 1 2000eS161po009 comunidad valenciana 44,11 x x x eS 1 2000eS161po010 extremadura 44,10 x xeS 1 2000eS161po010 extremadura 44,11 x eS 1 2000eS161po011 galicia 44,10 x xeS 1 2000eS161po011 galicia 44,11 x x eS 1 2000eS161po012 melilla 44,10 x x xeS 1 2000eS161po012 melilla 44,11 x x eS 1 2000eS161po013 murcia 44,10 x xeS 1 2000eS161po013 murcia 44,11 x x x eS 3 2000eS053po301 Aragon obj. 3 7,1 x xeS 3 2000eS053po301 Aragon obj. 3 7,2 x x x x eS 3 2000eS053po302 Baleares obj. 3 7,1 x x xeS 3 2000eS053po302 Baleares obj. 3 7,2 x x x x eS 3 2000eS053po302 Baleares obj. 3 7,3 x x eS 3 2000eS053po303 cataluña obj. 3 7,1 x xeS 3 2000eS053po303 cataluña obj. 3 7,2 x x x x xeS 3 2000eS053po303 cataluña obj. 3 7,3 x x x x x

eS 3 2000eS053po304comunidad de madrid

obj. 37,1 x x x


obj. 37,2 x x x x


obj. 37,3 x x x x

eS 3 2000eS053po305 navarra obj. 3 7,2 x x x x eS 3 2000eS053po305 navarra obj. 3 7,3 x x x x eS 3 2000eS053po306 pais vasco obj. 3 7,1 x xeS 3 2000eS053po306 pais vasco obj. 3 7,2 x x x xeS 3 2000eS053po307 la rioja obj. 3 7,1 x xeS 3 2000eS053po307 la rioja obj. 3 7,2 x x x xeS 3 2000eS053po307 la rioja obj. 3 7,3 x x




discrimination obj. 37,2 x x x x x


discrimination obj. 37,3 x





eS 3 2000eS053po313Spain employment promotion obj. 3

7,1 x x

fi 1 1999fi161do001pohjois-Suomen (north

finland) 3,4 x x x x x

fi 1 1999fi161do002 itä-Suomen (east finland) 2,3 x x x fi 1 1999fi161do002 itä-Suomen (east finland) 2,4 x x x xfi 2 1999fi162do001 etelä-Suomen (South finland) 3,3 x x x x fi 2 1999fi162do002 länsi-Suomen (west finland) 3,4 x x x x x fi 3 1999fi053do001 finland Spd obj. 3 2,22 x x x fi 3 1999fi053do001 finland Spd obj. 3 2,23 x x x x xfr 1 1999fr161do001 la réunion 14,1 x x




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fr 1 1999fr161do001 la réunion 14,2 x fr 1 1999fr161do001 la réunion 14,3 x x xfr 1 1999fr161do001 la réunion 14,6 x fr 1 1999fr161do002 nord-pas-de-calais 2,2 x x xfr 1 1999fr161do003 corse 5,2 x fr 1 1999fr161do003 corse 5,3 x xfr 1 1999fr161do003 corse 5,7 x fr 1 2000fr161do001 guadeloupe 6,1 x fr 1 2000fr161do002 guyane 8,3 x x x xfr 1 2000fr161do002 guyane 15,6 x x xfr 1 2000fr161do003 martinique 8,4 x x xfr 2 2000fr162do001 Alsace 3,2 x x fr 2 2000fr162do003 lorraine 1,24 x fr 2 2000fr162do003 lorraine 3,9 x x fr 2 2000fr162do008 haute-normandie 3,14 x x x

fr 2 2000fr162do011provence-Alpes-côte

d’Azur2,4 x x

fr 2 2000fr162do011provence-Alpes-côte

d’Azur3,5 x

fr 2 2000fr162do012 franche-comté 6,16 x x x fr 2 2000fr162do014 Bretagne 1,3 x fr 2 2000fr162do015 Bourgogne 2,3 x xfr 2 2000fr162do018 midi-pyrénées 1,5 x x xfr 2 2000fr162do019 picardie 1,1 x x x xfr 2 2000fr162do019 picardie 2,3 x x x fr 2 2000fr162do020 rhône-Alpes 2,8 x fr 2 2000fr162do020 rhône-Alpes 2,81 x fr 2 2000fr162do021 nord pas-de-calais 3,9 x x fr 3 1999fr053do001 france Spd obj. 3 1,1 x x xfr 3 1999fr053do001 france Spd obj. 3 2,2 x x x xfr 3 1999fr053do001 france Spd obj. 3 2,3 x x x

gr 1 2000gr051po001greece employment promo-tion and vocational training

2,1 x x x x x


2,2 x x x x x x


2,3 x x x x


4,1 x


5,2 x x


5,3 x x

gr 1 2000gr051po002greece education and

initial vocational training1,1 x x x

gr 1 2000gr051po002greece education and

initial vocational training1,2 x

gr 1 2000gr051po003greece health and

prevention1,4 x


prevention2,1 x


prevention2,3 x



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prevention3,1 x


prevention3,2 x


prevention5,1 x

gr 1 2000gr161po002 Attica 3,1 x gr 1 2000gr161po002 Attica 3,4 x x x gr 1 2000gr161po003 peloponnesia 4,6 x x gr 1 2000gr161po003 peloponnesia 5,2 x x x gr 1 2000gr161po003 peloponnesia 5,3 x xgr 1 2000gr161po003 peloponnesia 2,25 x x xgr 1 2000gr161po004 western greece 4,6 x x x gr 1 2000gr161po004 western greece 5,1 x xgr 1 2000gr161po004 western greece 5,2 x gr 1 2000gr161po004 western greece 5,3 x x x gr 1 2000gr161po004 western greece 6,9 x gr 1 2000gr161po005 continental greece 3,7 x x gr 1 2000gr161po005 continental greece 5,1 x xgr 1 2000gr161po005 continental greece 5,3 x x gr 1 2000gr161po005 continental greece 1,14 x x gr 1 2000gr161po006 thessaly 2,9 x x gr 1 2000gr161po006 thessaly 3,6 x x gr 1 2000gr161po006 thessaly 5,2 x x x gr 1 2000gr161po006 thessaly 5,3 x gr 1 2000gr161po007 epirus 2,4 x x xgr 1 2000gr161po007 epirus 5,2 x gr 1 2000gr161po007 epirus 5,3 x gr 1 2000gr161po007 epirus 4,13 x x xgr 1 2000gr161po008 crete 4,5 x gr 1 2000gr161po008 crete 6,1 x xgr 1 2000gr161po008 crete 6,3 x gr 1 2000gr161po009 north Aegean 1,5 x xgr 1 2000gr161po009 north Aegean 2,5 x x x gr 1 2000gr161po009 north Aegean 4,12 x x gr 1 2000gr161po010 South Aegean 4,1 x gr 1 2000gr161po010 South Aegean 4,2 x xgr 1 2000gr161po010 South Aegean 4,8 x x x xgr 1 2000gr161po011 ionian islands 5,2 x x x gr 1 2000gr161po011 ionian islands 5,3 x gr 1 2000gr161po012 eastern macedonia 4,3 x gr 1 2000gr161po012 eastern macedonia 5,5 x gr 1 2000gr161po012 eastern macedonia 5,6 x gr 1 2000gr161po013 western macedonia 1,1 x xgr 1 2000gr161po013 western macedonia 1,3 x gr 1 2000gr161po013 western macedonia 3,7 x gr 1 2000gr161po014 central macedonia 3,9 x gr 1 2000gr161po014 central macedonia 5,1 x xgr 1 2000gr161po014 central macedonia 5,3 x gr 1 2000gr161po023 greece information society 3,4 x x x xhu 1 2003hu051po001 hungary hrd 2,1 x x hu 1 2003hu051po001 hungary hrd 2,2 x x x hu 1 2003hu051po001 hungary hrd 2,3 x x x x x x



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hu 1 2003hu161po001hungary regional

development3,2 x x x

ie 1 2000ie051po001employment & hr deve-lopment in ireland obj. 1

3 x x

ie 1 2000ie051po001employment & hr de-

velopment in ireland obj. 19 x x x

ie 1 2000ie051po001employment & hr deve-lopment in ireland obj. 1

30 x x

ie 1 2000ie161po005Southern and eastern

region4,7 x x

ie 1 2000ie161po006Border, midland and

western region4,7 x x

it 1 1999it161po006 calabria 3,4 x x xit 1 1999it161po007 campania 3,4 x x x xit 1 1999it161po007 campania 5,3 x it 1 1999it161po008 molise 3,4 x x x xit 1 1999it161po009 puglia 3,4 x x x xit 1 1999it161po010 Sardegna 3,4 x x x xit 1 1999it161po011 Sicilia 3,4 x x x xit 1 1999it161po011 Sicilia 5,3 =3.19 x it 1 1999it161po011 Sicilia 3,19 x it 1 1999it161po012 Basilicata 3,4 x x x x xit 3 1999it053po002 marche obj. 3 2,21 x x x xit 3 1999it053po003 piemonte obj. 3 2,21 x x x x xit 3 1999it053po004 emilia romagna obj. 3 2,21 x x x x xit 3 1999it053po005 toscana obj. 3 2,21 x x x x xit 3 1999it053po006 Bolzano obj. 3 2,21 x x x x x

it 3 1999it053po007italy ministry of

employment obj. 32,21 x

it 3 1999it053po008 trento obj. 3 2,21 x x x xit 3 1999it053po009 valle d’Aosta obj. 3 2,21 x x x xit 3 1999it053po010 lombardia obj. 3 2,21 x x x x xit 3 1999it053po011 umbria obj. 3 2,21 x x x xit 3 1999it053po012 Abruzzo obj. 3 2,21 x x x xit 3 1999it053po013 liguria - obj. 3 2,21 x x xit 3 1999it053po014 veneto obj. 3 2,21 x x x xit 3 1999it053po015 friuli venezia giulia 2,21 x x x xit 3 1999it053po016 lazio obj. 3 2,21 x x x xlt 1 2003lt161do001 lithuania 2,3 x x x x xlu 3 1999lu053do001 luxembourg 2,21 x x xlu 3 1999lu053do001 luxembourg 2,22 x x xlu 3 1999lu053do001 luxembourg 2,23 x x xlu 3 1999lu053do001 luxembourg 2,24 x x x lv 1 2003lv161do001 latvia 3,3 x x xmt 1 2003mt161do001 malta 2,3 x x xnl 1 1999nl161do001 flevoland 4,1 x x x x

nl 3 1999nl053do001netherlands Active labour market policy and lifelong

learning1,1 x x x x


learning2,2 x x


learning2,4 x

85Annexes



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learning3,6 x

pl 1 2003pl051po001poland human resources

development1,4 x x x x

pl 1 2003pl051po001poland human resources

development1,5 x x x

pt 1 1999pt051po002portugal employment,

training and Social development

5,1 x x x x



5,2 x x x



5,3 x x x



5,4 x x x x



7,1 x



7,2 x



7,3 x x x

pt 1 1999pt161po011 Açores 3,4 x xpt 1 1999pt161po012 Algarve 3,3 x x xpt 1 1999pt161po014 centro 2,8 x x pt 1 1999pt161po015 lisboa e vale do tejo 2,4 x pt 1 1999pt161po015 lisboa e vale do tejo 3,6 x x xpt 1 1999pt161po016 madeira 1,5 x x xSe 1 1999Se161do001 norra norrland 3,3 x x x x xSe 1 1999Se161do001 norra norrland 3,4 x Se 3 1999Se053do001 Sweden obj. 3 3,31 x x xSe 3 1999Se053do001 Sweden obj. 3 4,41 x Si 1 2003Si161do001 Slovenia Spd 2,2 x x xSk 1 2003Sk051po001 Slovakia hr development 2,21 x x x xSk 3 2003Sk053do001 Bratislava region Sdp obj. 3 1,11 x x x x

uk 1 1999gB161do001cornwall and the isles of

Scilly3,1 x


Scilly3,4 x x


Scilly3,8 x x x x x


Scilly4,2 x x

uk 1 1999gB161do002 merseyside 2,13 x x uk 1 1999gB161do002 merseyside 2,14 x x xuk 1 1999gB161do002 merseyside 2,16 x x uk 1 1999gB161do002 merseyside 4,25 x x uk 1 1999gB161do002 merseyside 4,26 x x x




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uk 1 1999gB161do003 South yorkshire 3,16 x x uk 1 1999gB161do003 South yorkshire 3,17 x x x xuk 1 1999gB161do003 South yorkshire 4,22 x x x uk 1 1999gB161do004 west wales and the valleys 3,1 x x x xuk 1 1999gB161do004 west wales and the valleys 4,2 x x x xuk 1 1999gB161do004 west wales and the valleys 4,6 x uk 1 1999gB161do005 highlands & islands 3,2 x uk 1 1999gB161do005 highlands & islands 4,23 x uk 1 1999gB161po007 northern ireland 2,3 x x uk 2 2000gB162do002 west midlands 3,4 x x uk 2 2000gB162do002 west midlands 1,15 x

uk 2 2000gB162do003yorkshire and the

humberside3,3 x x

uk 2 2000gB162do004 east midlands 3,13 x uk 2 2000gB162do005 north east of england 4,4 x x uk 2 2000gB162do005 north east of england 4,5 x x uk 2 2000gB162do009 london 1,3 x x x xuk 2 2000gB162do010 South west of england 1,3 x x uk 2 2000gB162do013 western Scotland 3,2 x x uk 3 1999gB053po001 east wales obj.3 1,1 x x x x xuk 3 1999gB053po001 east wales obj.3 2,1 x x x xuk 3 1999gB053po001 east wales obj.3 2,2 x x x xuk 3 1999gB053po001 east wales obj.3 2,3 x x x x xuk 3 1999gB053po001 east wales obj.3 2,4 x x x x xuk 3 1999gB053po001 east wales obj.3 3,2 x x xuk 3 1999gB053po001 east wales obj.3 4,5 x uk 3 1999gB053po002 Scotland obj. 3 2,1 x x x x xuk 3 1999gB053po002 Scotland obj. 3 2,2 x x x xuk 3 1999gB053po002 Scotland obj. 3 2,3 x x x xuk 3 1999gB053po002 Scotland obj. 3 2,4 x xuk 3 1999gB053po002 Scotland obj. 3 6,1 x x uk 3 1999gB053po003 england obj. 3 2,21 x x x xuk 3 1999gB053po003 england obj. 3 2,22 x x x x xuk 3 1999gB053po003 england obj. 3 2,23 x x x

87Annexes

ANNEx 4: STANdARdISEd INdIcATOR NAmES uSEd FOR ANALySIS

the indicators used in the report have been collected from the official eSf operational programme reports

(Annual implementation reports and evaluations). each member State defined a set of physical indicators “to be

able to monitor a programme’s implementation and judge its performance against the objectives set”151. in each

operational programme (and more specifically in the programme complements) a set of indicators have been

defined and target levels that corresponded to the objectives of the programme have been assigned.

there are three levels of indicators that were used for the analysis: output, result and impact indicators152.

in order to analyse all indicators from different operational programmes, a procedure was introduced to standardize

the indicators’ names.

this procedure consisted of inserting the indicator name in the database in its original language, then translate it

into english and allocate it a name mentioned in the list below.

151 European Commission Directorate-General XVI Regional Policy and Cohesion: coordination and evaluation of operations The New Programming period 2000-2006: methodological working papers WORKING PAPER 3. Indicators for Monitoring and Evaluation: An indicative methodology. (Brussels: 2000) <http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docoffic/working/doc/indic_en.pdf>

152 For a description of the differences between types of indicators see Annex 2 – ESF Vocabulary.

Indicator name in its original language

ex: Anzahl der geplanten teilnehmerinnen

Indicator exact translation in English

ex: number of planned male and female participants

Standardised indicator’s name

ex: participants (totAl)


LIST OF STANDARDISED OUTPUT, RESULT AND IMPACT INDICATOR NAMES

Output Indicators153 154

Name of the standardised indicator Definition Further specifications

participants (totAl)total participants of a measure or a priority starting the activities.

characteristics of participants can be defined accord-ing to:

gender: male, female, both -Age: <25, 25-50, >50 -Status in the labour market: employed, self-em- -ployed (entrepreneurs), unemployed, short-term unemployed (less than 12 months), long-term unemployed (more than 12 months), inactive (all people between 16 and 64 years old who are not classified as employed or unemployed, inactive in training (mainly students), workers with special statuseducational level: primary or lower secondary, up- -per secondary, post-secondary non-tertiary, terti-ary, post-tertiary, other non-academic, vocational education, lower than primary levelvulnerable groups: minorities, migrants, disabled, -other disadvantaged groups, eu citizens, third-country nationals, disabled+migrantsStatus: researcher, student, household, appren- -tice, teacher, trainer, manager, social worker, health worker, civil servant, farmer

participantsparticipants154 starting the activities in a measure or a sub-measure (activity or action)

participants (completing)participants completing the activi-ties in a measure or in a sub-meas-ure (activity or action)

participants (interrupting)participants interrupting the activi-ties in a measure or in a sub-meas-ure (activity or action)

participants (continuing the same activities)

participants continuing the same activities even after the end of the implementation year

organisations (totAl)total of organisations participating in a measure

characteristics of organisations are: microenterprises, Smes, firms (size not specified), large enterprises, organisations not specified, public em-ployment services (peS), schools or education institu-tions (referring to the individual schools/educational institutes or training organisations participating in a measure/being supported), non-profit organisations (community, voluntary, charity, ngos)

organisationsorganisations include all kinds of organisations supported or in-volved in eSf activities

Systems + StructuresSystems or structures supported by eSf

Systems and structures can be: educational (for measures addressing the creation or improvement of school or educational systems or parts of educational systems / structures in a specific area/region, i.e. the creation of new departments in universities, lifelong education centres etc), human resource manage-ment, other

initiatives implementedActivities or initiatives implemented under a measure

partnershipspartnerships or networks supported

153 Please note that some standardised indicators can be used at different levels, according to the context of the intervention. 154 Participants without specification are considered to be beneficiaries starting.

89Annexes


coursestraining courses (programmes) realised under a measure

curricula designednew education or training courses developed (list of topics + objectives, teaching methods and contents)

Services deliverednew services designed under eSf delivered to participants

research and analysis Studies, research realised

Jobs created155 workplaces created

Jobs supported workplaces supported

Jobs safeguarded workplaces safeguarded

Qualifications achieved156

number of qualifications (certifica-tions) obtained by participants after the end of training activities

projects funded (totAl)total projects funded under a meas-ure or priority

projects funded eSf projects funded (started)

projects completed (totAl)total projects completed within a measure or priority

projects completed eSf projects completed

Start-ups supported new start-ups supported

firms created new firms created

events organisedevents, conferences or meetings organised

products newnew products developed under a measure

Scholarshipsnumber of scholarships funded un-der an eSf measure or priority

places creatednumber of units created (for stu-dents at universities, or for little children at day-care, etc.)

daysnumber of days the activity con-cerned was implemented

hoursnumber of hours during which the activity (training, counselling, etc) was implemented

yearsyears of duration of activities or projects

155 If those jobs refer to people placed into employment they could be used as result indicator and added to “Participants integrated into the labour market”. The indicator “Jobs created” is in fact used as Output or Result depending on the context.

156 Although in most of OPs it is listed as Output, “Qualifications achieved” can also be used as result indicator and analysed together with “Participants gaining a qualification”.



monthsmonths of duration of activities or projects

Apprenticeship places created

new apprenticeship places created

Apprenticeship places supported

number of apprenticeship places receiving eSf support

incentiveseconomic individual incentives (for training or business creation, self employment, etc.)

equipmentnew equipment items purchased (e.g. pc stations, etc.)

participants* daysnumber of participants multiplied by number of days of activity

participants* hoursnumber of participants multiplied by number of hours spent on the activity

indirect Beneficiaries

for example: a measure is direct-ed at students, but teachers are trained in order to teach the stu-dents. teachers are therefore indi-rect beneficiaries

electronic toolselectronic / virtual tools developed (portals, branch points, software etc)

internships places created number of placements created

vacancies notified to peS

vacancies about which the peS is informed, which is an indicator of measuring success of contacts with employers

Action plansindividual action plans or em-ployment plans for jobseekers produced

91Annexes

Result Indicators


positive outcomes on leavingthis label is used for all results indicators for a measure, so all positive outcomes of the meas-ure after the end of the activities

participants starting a trainingAfter having benefited from counselling serv-ices or guidance activities

participants integrated into the labour market

people integrated into the labour market after the end of the activities

people integrated into the lm are clas-sified according to the time elapsed between completing the activity and integrating on the lm: 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-12 months, more than 12 months

participants gaining a qualification

participants gaining a qualification after the end of training activities

participants following insertion paths

participants following insertion paths in the labour market after the end of activities

Start-ups existing after 1 yearnumber of start-ups that continue to exist 1 year after their creation

Impact Indicators

Name of the standardised indicator Definition

Activity rate general activity rate of a member State / region / sector

unemployment rate general unemployment rate of a member State / region / sector

Start-ups existing after 2 years number of start-ups that continue to exist 2 years after their creation

unemployment rate of young people on the total unemployment rate

the relation of youth unemployment (persons aged 15-24 years) to the total unemployment rate (m/f)

long-term unemployed on the total unemployed

the relation of long-term unemployed persons (12-24 months) to the total number of unemployed persons

participants that consider an advantage participating in the measure

percentage of persons who consider that their participation in the measure was advantageous for them

employment rate general employment rate of a member State / region / sector

Student access to internet index productivity growth

the indicator measuring student access to the internet

participation in lifelong learning (% of 25-64 years age)

Share of the population between 25-64 years old which participates in lifelong learning activities

participants starting tertiary educationShare of persons who continue studies at the college among total of high school pupils –recipients of the scholarship in the last grade


ANNEx 5: LIST OF kEywORdS uSEd FOR ANALySISSocial inclusion●●

Social exclusion●●

pathways (integrated)●●

vulnerable (groups), disadvantaged people, groups in danger of exclusion●●

integration●●

guidance●●

counselling●●

insertion in the labour market; integration in the labour market●●

discrimination, anti-discrimination, fighting against discrimination●●

roma●●

older workers●●

disabled, people with disabilities●●

minorities●●

migrants●●

young●●

unemployed, long-term unemployed, job seekers●●

ANNEx 6: LIST OF ESF 2007-2013 pRIORITy AxES uSEd FOR ThE STudy

MS CCI OP Title Priority Code

At 2007At051po001 Burgenland 2

At 2007At052po001 Austria employment 3

Be 2007Be051po001 hainaut 3

Be 2007Be052po001 german-speaking community of Belgium 3

Be 2007Be052po002 wallonie-Bruxelles 3

Be 2007Be052po003 Belgium federal State Axe 2

Be 2007Be052po004 Bruxelles-capitale region axe1

Be 2007Be052po005 vlaanderen 2

Bg 2007Bg051po001 Bulgaria human resources development 05

cy 2007cy052po001 cyprus employment, human capital and Social cohesion 2

cZ 2007cZ05upo001 czech republic human resources and employment 4.3

cZ 2007cZ05upo002 czech republic education for competitiveness 7.1

de 2007de051po001 Brandenburg 3

de 2007de051po002 mecklenburg-vorpommern c

de 2007de051po003 niedersachsen - region lüneburg c

de 2007de051po004 Sachsen 3

de 2007de051po005 Sachsen-Anhalt 3

de 2007de051po006 thüringen c

de 2007de052po001 Baden-württemberg c

de 2007de052po002 Bayern c

de 2007de052po004 Bremen c

93Annexes


de 2007de052po005 hamburg c

de 2007de052po006 hessen c

de 2007de052po007 niedersachsen (except for region lüneburg) c

de 2007de052po008 nordrhein-westfalen 3

de 2007de052po009 rheinland-pfalz c

de 2007de052po010 Saarland c

de 2007de052po011 Schleswig-holstein c

de 2007de05upo001 germany federal State c.1

de 2007de05upo001 germany federal State c.2

dk 2007dk052po001 denmark more and better jobs 02

ee 2007ee051po001 estonia human resource development 3

eS 2007eS051po002 castilla la mancha A2

eS 2007eS051po003 extremadura A2

eS 2007eS051po004 galicia A2

eS 2007eS051po005 Andalucia A2

eS 2007eS051po006 Asturias B2

eS 2007eS051po007 ceuta B2

eS 2007eS051po008 melilla B2

eS 2007eS051po009 region de murcia B2

eS 2007eS052po001 canarias d2

eS 2007eS052po002 castilla y leon d2

eS 2007eS052po003 comunidad valenciana d2

eS 2007eS052po004 Aragon c2

eS 2007eS052po005 Baleares c2

eS 2007eS052po006 cantabria c2

eS 2007eS052po007 cataluña c2

eS 2007eS052po008 madrid c2

eS 2007eS052po009 navarra c2

eS 2007eS052po010 pais vasco c2

eS 2007eS052po011 la rioja c2

eS 2007eS05upo001 Spain employment and Adaptability A2

eS 2007eS05upo001 Spain employment and Adaptability B2

eS 2007eS05upo001 Spain employment and Adaptability c2

eS 2007eS05upo001 Spain employment and Adaptability d2

eS 2007eS05upo002 Spain fight Against discrimination A2



eS 2007eS05upo002 Spain fight Against discrimination B2



eS 2007eS05upo002 Spain fight Against discrimination c2



eS 2007eS05upo002 Spain fight Against discrimination d2



fi 2007fi052po001 mainland finland 2

fr 2007fr051po001 martinique 3

fr 2007fr051po002 guadeloupe 3

fr 2007fr051po003 guyane 3

fr 2007fr051po004 réunion 2

fr 2007fr052po001 french national op 3



gr 2007gr05upo001 greece human resource development 10



gr 2007gr05upo003 greece public Administration reform 07



hu 2007hu05upo001 hungary Social renewal 5.

ie 2007ie052po001 ireland human capital investment 2

it 2007it051po001 campania 03

it 2007it051po002 calabria 03

it 2007it051po003 Sicilia 03

it 2007it051po004 Basilicata 03

it 2007it051po005 puglia 03

it 2007it051po006 italy governance and System Actions 03

it 2007it051po007 italy competences for development 03

it 2007it052po001 Abruzzo 03

it 2007it052po002 emilia romagna 03

it 2007it052po003 friuli venezia giulia 03

it 2007it052po004 lazio 03

it 2007it052po005 liguria 03

it 2007it052po006 lombardia 03

it 2007it052po007 marche 03

it 2007it052po008 molise 03

it 2007it052po009 Bolzano 03

it 2007it052po010 trento 03

it 2007it052po011 piemonte 03

it 2007it052po012 toscana 03

it 2007it052po013 umbria 03

it 2007it052po014 valle d’Aosta 03

it 2007it052po015 veneto 03

it 2007it052po016 Sardegna 03

lt 2007lt051po001 lithuania human resource development 1

lu 2007lu052po001 luxembourg 1

lv 2007lv051po001 latvia human resources and employment 4

mt 2007mt051po001 malta empowering people for more jobs and a better quality of life 3

nl 2007nl052po001 nederland 2

pl 2007pl051po001 poland human resources 01

pl 2007pl051po001 poland human resources 07

pt 2007pt051po001 Azores ep1

pt 2007pt052po001 madeira human potential valorisation and Social cohesion ep2

pt 2007pt05upo001 portugal human potential ep6

ro 2007ro051po001 romania human resources development 6

Se 2007Se052po001 Sweden 1

Se 2007Se052po001 Sweden 2

Si 2007Si051po001 Slovenia human resources development 4

Sk 2007Sk05upo001 Slovakia education 26130

Sk 2007Sk05upo002 Slovakia employment and Social inclusion 27120

uk 2007uk051po001 highlands and islands of Scotland 1

uk 2007uk051po002 west wales and the valleys 2

uk 2007uk052po001 east wales 1

uk 2007uk052po002 lowlands and uplands of Scotland 1

uk 2007uk05upo001 england and gibraltar 1

95Index of figures, tables and insights

Index of figures, tables and insights

FIguRESfigure 1: number of ops and total eSf co-funded expenditure per objective in the eSf 2000-2006 period 5

figure 2: Average yearly participation per member State 5

figure 3: the proportion of the yearly average of eSf beneficiaries per member State in relation

to the total population between 15-64 years per member State 6

figure 4: total eSf co-funded expenditure per member State: proportion between eSf

and member State funds 7

figure 5: total eSf co-funded expenditure per participant per member State (in €) 7

figure 6: eSf community expenditure per participant per member State (in €) 8

figure 7: gender breakdown of eSf participants 8

figure 8: Status of eSf participants in the labour market 9

figure 9: At-risk-of-poverty rates by gender (2008) 19

figure 10: At-risk-of-poverty and material deprivation rates (%, 2008) 20

figure 11: At-risk-of poverty rate by age group (2008) 20

figure 12: in-work poverty risk, by household characteristics (2007) 21

figure 13: in-work poverty: at-risk-of-poverty rate of people in employment aged 18 and over, 2008 21

figure 14: Budgetary allocation per policy field (eu25) (totAl expenditure = community + national + private) 26

figure 15: Share of expenditure on measures with a social inclusion component to total expenditure

per mS (2000-2006) 28

figure 16: eSf co-financing breakdown by member State (2000-2006) 29

figure 17: eSf budget allocated to 2007-2013 priority themes with a social inclusion component 29

figure 18: Share of total eSf community budget devoted to social inclusion per member State (2007-2013) 31

figure 19: gender breakdown of eSf participations in measures with a social inclusion component,

per mS (2000-2006) 35


figure 20: proportion of eSf participations in measures with a social inclusion component according to

their status in the labour market (2000-2006) 35

figure 21: eSf participations in measures with a social inclusion component broken down

by vulnerable groups (2000-2006) 37

figure 22: eSf participations in priority axes with a social inclusion component: breakdown by gender

per mS (2007-2009) 37

figure 23: proportion of eSf participations in measures with a social inclusion component according to their

status in the labour market (2007-2013) 38

figure 24: eSf participations in priority axes with a social inclusion component broken down by vulnerable

groups (2007-2009) 38

figure 25: the gender breakdown of priority axis with a social inclusion component participations from

vulnerable groups (2007-2009) 39

figure 26: Age breakdown of participations in priority axes with a social inclusion component (2007-09) 39

figure 27: proportion of vulnerable group participants in priority axes with a social inclusion component

by level of education per member State (2007-2009) 40

figure 28: overview of measures per key concept (2000-2006) 41

figure 29: overview on eSf expenditure for measures with a social inclusion component per type

of action (in percentage) 42

figure 30: overview on eSf expenditure for measures with a social inclusion component per type of action

and per member State (in percentage) 42

figure 31: number of participants per key concept (2000-2006) 43

figure 32: eSf and social inclusion pathways to integration measures per activity (2000-2006) 49

figure 33: overview of claimed expenditure per key concept (pathways to integration) 2000-2006 51

figure 34: overview of participations per key concept (pathways to integration) 2000-2006 51

figure 35: Breakdown of eSf pathways to integration activities in measures with a social inclusion

component targeting specific vulnerable groups (2000-2006) 52

figure 36: Breakdown of total assistance to structure and systems measures per activity (2000-2006) 64

figure 37: Breakdown of eSf assistance to structure and systems in measures with a social inclusion

component targeting specific vulnerable groups (2000-2006) 65

97Index of figures, tables and insights

TABLEStable 1: eSf co-funded expenditure for identified measures on social inclusion (€ million) 2000-2006 27

table 2: eSf co-funded budget for identified measures on social inclusion (€ million) 2007-2013 30

table 3: participations in eSf measures with a social inclusion component (2000-2006) in thousands 32

table 4: participation in eSf-supported priority axes with a social inclusion component (2007-2009)

in thousands 34

table 5: percentage of participations in eSf measures with a social inclusion component (2000-2006) 36

table 6: eSf co-financed expenditure for measures with a social inclusion component

(eu-25 in € million) 2000-2006 41

table 7: eSf and social inclusion pathways to integration measures per activity and

per member State (2000-2006) 50

INSIghTSinsight 1: integrated pathways to employment in east wales - uk 54

insight 2: Active search of job and professional in Brussels 56

insight 3: greek language for immigrants in greece 58

insight 4: Supporting people from groups threatened with social exclusion in poland 60

insight 5: Spain, Jobs support for people with disabilities 61

insight 6: integrating long-term unemployed into the Swedish workforce 61

insight 7: Small grants in italy to integrate people from vulnerable groups in the labour market 62

insight 8: creating work opportunities for parents of young children in ireland 65

insight 9: A network of support centres to assist vulnerable groups to access the labour market in greece 67

insight 10: Adapting the learning environment for young people with disabilities in estonia 68

insight 11: labour market integration of convicted persons in italy 69

What ESF does for you

ESF: active labour market policies and public employment services

ESF: adaptability of enterprises and continuous training of workers

ESF: developing human potential in research and innovation

ESF and labour mobility

ESF: education and lifelong learning

ESF: women, gender mainstreaming and reconciliation of work and private life

ESF and Roma

ESF: sustainable development and eco-technologies

ESF: migrants and minorities

ESF: urban areas and local employment

ESF and older workers

ESF and health

ESF and entrepreneurship

ESF and young people

ESF and disability

ESF and institutional capacity of public bodies

ESF and social inclusion

ESF and equality mainstreaming

ESF and its support to social partners and NGOs

ESF: culture and tourism

Check the latest on these publications at http://ec.europa.eu/esf

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