Statistical Assistance for Programme Selection – for a Better Targeting of Active Labour Market Policies in Switzerland

Struggling with increasing unemployment rates, many European countries intensified the role of active labour market policies (ALMP) in the 1990s. Active labour market programmes include training programmes such as job search and personality courses, computer courses, language courses and further vocational training.They also contain temporary wage and employment subsidies for competitive and for noncompetitive (extraordinary) jobs. The latter are often referred to as job creation schemes or employment programmes, whereas the former may be in the form of subsidies for temporary jobs (interim jobs) or subsidies for jobs intended to become long-term (job introduction allowances). Other forms of subsidies and incentives for raising mobility also exist. These measures were introduced to reduce unemployment by providing and maintaining skills of job seekers, by improving job matching between employers and employees and by serving as a signalling device for job seekers or a screening device for firms. When assigned by the case worker, participation in programmes is often mandatory.