Evaluation of the Medium-term Effects of Active Labour Market Policies by Age Group

The study examines the medium-term effects of key active labour market policy measures in Austria and Lower Austria, with a particular focus on differences across age groups. It analyses five training measures (vocational orientation, active job search, basic skills training, initial and continuing vocational training, and subsidies for course costs) and two employment measures (integration subsidies and employment in social enterprises and non-profit employment projects). The central question is how effective the different measures are for young persons, persons of prime working age, and older unemployed persons. To this end, the study examines programme participation rates and the characteristics of target groups and uses micro-econometric methods to estimate the causal net effects on subsequent employment integration and earnings over a multi-year follow-up period. In addition, differences between Austria as a whole and Lower Austria are analysed, and the employment effects are assessed from a fiscal perspective. The study thus provides an empirical basis for the targeted and evidence-based use of key active labour market policy instruments.