AktiF and AktiF+
About this good practice
The programme pursues this goal by subsidising the employment of certain groups of people. In concrete terms, this means that employers who hire people who are disadvantaged in the East Belgian labour market receive financial support through AktiF or AktiF PLUS. The employment subsidy is limited to two years for an AktiF job and three years for an AktiF PLUS job.
The subsidy is degressive, unless the employee has already completed a training course with the same employer and has been taken on seamlessly. The subsidy is paid as a monthly advance and amounts to €7,560/year for an AktiF job and €15,108/year for an AktiF PLUS job from 2024.
This programme has been developed from a number of different job creation measures. It combines them and is tailored to the needs of thelabour market (unemployed people) in the German-speaking Community.
The target groups for AktiF - AktiF PL Employment promotion for jobseekers US are low-skilled young people, older jobseekers and long-term jobseekers. Jobseekers with multiple placement problems may be eligible for AktiF PLUS support.
There are three different AktiF support programmes:
- General funding --> Target group employers are mainly commercial enterprises.
- Project-based funding -->Target group employers are exclusively non-profit associations from the German-speaking community.
- Convention bodies -->Target employers are exclusively local authorities in the German-speaking Community.
Resources needed
An annual budget of EUR 13,355,000 is providen for the implementation of AktiF and AktiF+.
In the Corona pandemic, the subsidies for employment promotion were doubled for a limited period. These additional costs (€1,002,522.44) were supported with €1,000,000 from the ESF React project.
Evidence of success
From 2019 to the end of 2022, the employment of 1,207 workers has been supported through AktiF. Not all of them remained employed until the end of their support.
79% of the workers whose employment support ended were taken on by the same employer in regular employment in 2022.
A customer satisfaction survey was carried out with employers in 2020. Employers gave the PES a very good score (2.0 = German grading system) for AktiF support.
Potential for learning or transfer
A success factor of the measure is the involvement of all stakeholders (employment service, public social welfare centres, office of the German-speaking community for self-determined living) in the development of the measure. They should also be involved in the evaluation and continuous improvement of the programme. This provides different perspectives on the problem of unemployment and better solutions.
During the implementation, the Public Employment Service works directly with the companies and the training services for placement.