Young beneficiaries’ routes off benefits through labour market integration: the case of Germany

Abstract

The study explores routes off benefits through labour market integration for young adults in Germany. Policies for young people are focused on a rapid integration into employment or training to prevent long-term benefits dependency. The causes of long-term benefits receipt can be related to poor labour market opportunities. But in political and public discourse, long-term benefits dependency is most widely regarded as the consequence of young adults' low labour supply. The article examines the labour market transitions of 650 beneficiaries aged 18 to 24. The analysis combines survey data on beneficiaries in Germany and longitudinal register data for 2005 to 2007. Though most of the young adults surveyed enter employment or vocational training, a high percentage continues to receive benefits. Long-term benefits receipt is related to low levels of qualifications and young parenthood; there is no evidence for young people resigning themselves to benefits receipt.

Caught between two stools? Informal care provision and employment among welfare recipients in Germany

“…Furthermore, welfare recipients under 25 years of age have a special status within Social Code II with stricter job search requirements ( see e.g. Schels 2011; Nivorozhkin and Wolff 2012). We drop observations for people who are still enrolled in school and those who have already retired from the labour market because they are not available for the labour market.…”

The dynamics of welfare entry and exit amongst natives and immigrants

“…One group of contributions studies take-up behaviour. 1 Transitions in and out of welfare receipt have been analysed based on cross-sectional data by Wilde (2003), Aldashev and Fitzenberger (2009) and Schels (2011). Riphahn (2004) compared native and immigrant welfare receipt between 1984 and 1996.…”

The Contribution of Mothers’ Employment on Their Family's Chances of Ending Welfare Benefit Receipt in Germany. Analysis of a Two-Stage Process

“…The analysis will focus on the mothers' labour market behaviour and how their employment contributes to the ending of benefit receipt. general or have defined employment-related exits as one possible route among others (i.e., Achatz & Trappmann 2011;Achdut 2016;Bane & Ellwood 1986;Buhr 1995;Leisering & Leibfried 1999;Gangl 1998;Graf and Rudolph 2009;Schels 2011). This research has shown for Germany that single mothers have particularly low chances to end benefit receipt (Buhr 1995;Graf and Rudolph 2009).…”