„Workfare” or „Active Social Inclusion” Agnes Simonyi

1. „Workfare” or „Active Social Inclusion”Agnes Simonyi Symposium 5 Work and employment in a global world: decent work, migrations and workfare 33rd Global Conference of ICSW - Tours, France 2008

2. Growing pressure on welfare systems • Effects of globalisation, competition, new international division of work, global value chains • The competiton of low cost economies, ICT technologies, re-structuring and segmentation of labour markets in the developed countries • Migration, unemployment, irregular forms of work, black and informal work • Marginalisation, exclusion from the labour market of wide social groups (unskilled, minorities, migrants, women, 50+, disabled)

3. Costs and risks • Growing costs of pension systems and health services • Growing number of unemployed and inactives supported by unemployment and social benefits • Growing costs to combat poverty • Danger of the „assistance trap”, no alternative to „living on benefits” • Loss of human capital, inter-generational cycle of poverty (child poverty) • Social conflicts, lack of solidarity

4. The rise of the workfare approach • More cost sensitive governments and communities • Need of solidarity based not only on rights but on responsibilities too • Need to establish link between income support and work („work for benefits” initiatives) • Setting conditions to social income support

5. Discussion points to the „workfare” approach • Universal human and social rights (means of decent living and dignity) • Non-availability of jobs (labour market demand) • Low education and skill level hindering entrance to formal employment (labour supply) • Costs of public works and subsidized jobs • Subsidized jobs interfering with job-creation and small entrepreneurship • Wider social context of availability to work

6. Complexity of being available to work • Health, age and family conditions • Child care support, child care infrastructure • Public transport, means of geographical mobility • Education and training services • Quality of job offers (part-time, working conditions for women, disabled, 50+ …)

7. The „activation” approach • Recognizing public responsibilities of social inclusion • Differentiated public support to the employability of marginalized groups • Offering services (education, capacity building, training, transport, health care, family support…) on the way to employment • Integrated actions of labour market and social services, coordinated efforts of social and employment policies

8. Incentives to work • The social benefit – minimum available wage ratio • Financial incentives, „make work pay” initiatives • Child care support initiatives (vouchers, nurseries and kindergartens) • Family and 50+ friendly workplaces • Support to mobility (transport, housing…) • Investments in LLL, in capacity building, recognition of skills and work experiences

9. The „flexicurity” need • Measures to balance greater contract, job and working time flexibility with income security, with LLL, with H&S policy, with participation and representation as incentives to work • Support to geographical mobility by accessibility to quality services (housing, education, health care, child care, family support, etc.)

10. The EU Active Social Inclusion Policy • Three pillars: 1) minimum income support, 2) inclusive labour markets, 3) access to quality social services • Linking income support with activating labour market policies and social services • Personalized („tailored”) activating programs • Gender aspect and equal opportunities taken into account • Role to the social economy • Greater involvement of local authorities and communities in the design of activating policies • Quality jobs, LLL, participation • Evaluation and monitoring