European Network of Public Employment Services : integrated services for long-term unemployed 2020 : survey-based report.
Date: 2020-11-02
Institutions: Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion
Subjects: economic survey, employment service, labour market, long-term unemployment, public service, report, teaching, vocational training

European Network of Public 
Employment Services 

Integrated services for long-term 
unemployed 

2020 

Survey-based Report 

Written by ICON Institute Public Sector GmbH 
Liliana-Luminita Anghel 
November 2020 

Social 
Europe 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion 
Directorate B — Employment 
Unit B.1 — Employment Strategy 

Contact: Hilde Olsen 

E-mail:  EMPL-PES-SECRETARIAT@ec.europa.eu 

European Commission 
B-1049 Brussels

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Integrated services for long-
term unemployed 

2020 

Survey-based Report

European Commission 
Directorate-General for Employment Social Affairs and Inclusion  
Directorate B — Employment 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
LEGAL NOTICE 

The information and views set out in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion 
of the European Union. Neither the European Union institutions and bodies nor any person acting on their behalf may be 
held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein. More information on the European 
Union is available on the Internet (http://www.europa.eu). 

EN PDF 

ISBN 978-92-76-27813-9 

doi: 10.2767/418886 

KE-03-20-870-EN-N 

Manuscript completed in November 2020. 

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Report on PES Capacity Questionnaire Part II: integrated services for long-term unemployed 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .......................................................................................... 7 

1. 

2. 

INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 8 

ARRANGEMENTS FOR ENSURING SPOC SERVICE ............................................... 10 

2.1  Responsibility for ensuring provision of a SPOC service .............................. 10 
2.2 

Partnerships/cooperation agreements in place to provide coordinated support 
for the LTU ........................................................................................... 11 

2.3  Models of partnership/cooperation in place for providing coordinated support 

for the LTU ........................................................................................... 15 

3. 

SERVICES FOR INTEGRATION OF THE LTU INTO THE LABOUR MARKET ................. 18 

3.1 
3.2 

Types of offers proposed for the LTU ....................................................... 18 
Services available to employers .............................................................. 23 

4.  DATA SHARING BETWEEN SPOC PARTNERS OR DIFFERENT ACTORS .................... 25 

4.1  Data sharing or exchange of data between different partners, relevant actors 

dealing with the LTU .............................................................................. 25 
Type of approach of data sharing / access to data ..................................... 25 

4.2 

5. 

ASSESSING THE LTU’S NEEDS AND THE JIA ...................................................... 28 

5.1 
5.2 

Assessing the individual needs of the LTU................................................. 28 
Elements of the JIA ............................................................................... 29 

6. 

FOLLOW-UP FOR THE LTU ............................................................................... 33 

6.1  Referral pathways for the LTU ................................................................. 33 
Follow-up of the LTU after concluding a JIA .............................................. 34 
6.2 

7.  MONITORING THE DELIVERY OF COORDINATED SERVICES TO THE LTU ............... 36 

7.1 
7.2 

Aspects of monitored coordinated support for the LTU ............................... 36 
Joint monitoring of the delivery of the coordinated support ......................... 37 

8. 

BUDGETING THE SPOC SERVICE ...................................................................... 39 

8.1 
8.2 

Joint budgeting of SPOC service .............................................................. 39 
Types of joint budgeting for SPOC services ............................................... 39 

9. 

KEY FINDINGS ............................................................................................... 40 

10.  ANNEX .......................................................................................................... 43 

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LIST OF TABLES 

Table 1 Institutions responsible for arranging and offering a SPOC service ........................... 10 

Table 2 Partnerships/cooperation agreements in place to provide coordinated support for 

the LTU .......................................................................................................... 11 

Table 3 Models of partnership/cooperation in place for providing coordinated support to 

the LTU .......................................................................................................... 15 

Table 4 Type of services offered to the LTU ...................................................................... 18 

Table 5 Services offered to the LTU are different from services offered to other categories 

of clients ........................................................................................................ 21 

Table 6 Services available to employers ........................................................................... 23 

Table 7 Systems in place for data sharing / exchange of data between different partners 

/ relevant actors dealing with the LTU ................................................................ 25 

Table 8 Type of approach of data sharing / access to data ................................................. 26 

Table 9 Assessing the individual needs of the LTU ............................................................. 28 

Table 10 Elements of the JIA .......................................................................................... 29 

Table 11 Dedicated referral pathways for the LTU in places that differ from the one(s) 

available to the other groups of PES clients ......................................................... 33 

Table 12 An LTU’s follow-up responsibilities (after concluding their JIA) ............................... 34 

Table 13 Aspects of coordinated support to LTU that are monitored .................................... 36 

Table  14  Joint  monitoring  (PES  and  other  partners)  in  place  for  the  delivery  of  the 

coordinated support for the LTU ........................................................................ 37 

Table 15 Joint budgeting (PES and other partners) in place for a SPOC service ..................... 39 

Table 16 Type of joint budgeting (PES and other partners) for SPOC services ....................... 39 

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 

ALMP 

Active Labour Market Policy 

BL 

Benchlearning 

DG EMPL 

Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion Directorate General  

EaSI 

EC 

European Programme for Employment and Social Innovation 

European Commission 

EMCO 

Employment Committee  

EU  

European Union 

EURES 

European Employment Services 

ESF 

GDPR 

GMI 

IAP 

JIA 

LTU 

N/A 

NGO 

PES 

European Social Fund 

The General Data Protection Regulation 

Guaranteed Minimum Income 

Individual Action Plan 

Job Integration Agreement 

Long-Term Unemployed 

Not Available 

Non-Governmental Organisation 

Public Employment Services 

SPOC 

Single Point of Contact 

UI 

Unemployment Insurance 

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1.  INTRODUCTION 

The EU Council adopted in February 2016 the Recommendation on the integration of the 
long-term unemployed  into the labour  market1 (hereinafter  ‘the Recommendation’).  The 
aim of the Recommendation was to support sustainable reintegration of the LTU back into 
the labour market by calling on MS to: 

1.  encourage registration of the long-term unemployed with an employment service; 

2.  increase individualised support for the long-term unemployed based on in-depth 
assessments of their needs, and ensure that a job integration agreement (JIA) 
is set up within 18 months of the person becoming unemployed; 

3.  develop  closer  links  with  employers  and  partnerships  between  employers, 
social  partners,  employment  and  social  services,  government  authorities  and 
education and training providers to increase job opportunities for registered LTU; 

4.  improve  the  continuity  of  support  by  coordinating  services  available  to  the  long-

term unemployed through a single point of contact (SPOC). 

According  to  the  Recommendation,  a  SPOC  refers  to  an  authority  responsible  ‘for 
supporting registered LTU persons through a coordinated service offer involving available 
employment  and  social  support  services.  It  can  be  based  on  a  framework  of  inter-
institutional coordination and/or be identified within existing structures’2.  

The  Recommendation  also  requested  that  the  European  Network  of  Public  Employment 
Services3  (ENPES,  the  network  of  national  PES)  contribute  to  the  monitoring  of  its 
implementation. In  response,  in  2016  the  PES  Network  designed  and  adopted  a  set  of 
minimum, intermediate and advanced quality standards4 for implementing a SPOC and a 
JIA.  

A  Survey  Report  (the  Ad  Hoc  Module  to  the  2018  PES  Capacity  Questionnaire5)  was 
produced by the PES Network in 2018. This Survey Report summarised PES developments 
in  integration  of  the  long-term  unemployed  back  into  the  labour  market,  offering  an 
overview  of  the  effects  of  the  Recommendation  as  reported  by  the  PES,  and  outlining 
common challenges faced by the PES. 

As  part  of  its  2020  work  programme,  the  PES  Network  continues  the  monitoring  of  the 
implementation of the Council Recommendation on long-term unemployment by the PES. 
The  current  report,  which  is  part  of  this  monitoring,  is  focused  on  the  delivery  of 
integrated services and the single point of contact and aims to: 

−  support the monitoring and analysis of PES actions to tackle long-term unemployment, 

in particular in terms of integrated services and a single point of contact; 

−  provide input to benchlearning activities; 

−  complement quantitative and qualitative monitoring done by EMCO (EMCO is the main 

advisory committee for EU Employment and Social Affairs Ministers). 

The findings in this report are based on responses provided to a survey conducted by the 
ICON  team,  a  supporting  contractor  of  DG  EMPL  for  the  implementation  of  the  PES 
benchlearning initiative.  

1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32016H0220%2801%29. 

2 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32016H0220%2801%29. 

3 http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1100&langId=en. 

4 https://www.eumonitor.nl/9353000/1/j9vvik7m1c3gyxp/vk837780drz2#p1. 
5 https://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=20186&langId=en. 

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The questionnaire (see Annex A), based on the Quality Standards developed by the PES 
Network on SPOC, was prepared by DG EMPL and ICON.  

At the end of April 2020, the questionnaire was sent to 31 AFEPAs (Advisors for European 
PES Affairs) in EU27 countries, plus Iceland and Norway (members of the PES Network). 
Responses to the questionnaire were received back from 27 PES6 in 24 EU Member States 
(including the three regional PES in Belgium) and Norway.  

Due  to  the  unexpected  COVID-19  challenges  that  PES  had  to  face,  data  collection  was 
extended until the end of September 2020. 

6 AT, BE-ACTIRIS, BE-FOREM, BE-VDAB, BG, CY, CZ, DE, DK, EE, EL, ES, FI, FR, HR, IE, LT, LU, LV, NL, MT, 
NO, PT, PL, SE, SI and SK. IT, RO and IS did not complete the specific questionnaire, while HU sent the filled 
questionnaire after the closing date of the information collection so is not included in this analysis. 

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2.  ARRANGEMENTS FOR ENSURING SPOC SERVICE 

2.1 Responsibility for ensuring provision of a SPOC service  

The  Recommendation  asks  MS  to  identify  or  arrange  a  SPOC  service  to  provide 
concentrated support and to ensure inter-institutional coordination. SPOC is one of the key 
elements in ensuring the efficiency of services provided for the LTU. 

A majority of the PES (19 out of 27) reported that a SPOC had been identified or that an 
institution  had  been  appointed  as  responsible  for  SPOCs  in  their  country  or  region  (see 
Table 1). 12 out of the above 19 PES offer a SPOC service on their own, while four PES 
share the responsibility of arranging a SPOC service with other institutions, such as local 
authorities/municipalities (EE and LV) or with specific project partners (e.g., Be-VDAB).  

Table 1 Institutions responsible for arranging and offering a SPOC service 

Arrangements 

PES 

PES only 

AT,  BE-Actiris,  BE–Le  Forem,  CZ,  DK7,  FI,  HR8, 
LT, NO, PL, PT, SI (12) 

PES in cooperation/partnership with other 
institutions/service providers and actors  

BE-VDAB, EE9, LV, SK (4) 

Other institution/authority/formal body/inter-
institutional network  

ES10, IE, LU (3) 

No institution/authority has so far been appointed 
as a SPOC  

BG, CY, DE, EL, FR, MT, NL or SE (8) 

Source: responses to the PES Capacity Questionnaire, part II. 

In  three  MS  (ES,  IE  and  LU)  the  responsibility  for  single  and  coordinated  support  was 
allocated to other institutions. This is the case  of the Department of Social Rights of the 
Regional  Government  in  the  Spanish  region  of  Navarre  that  led  the  ERSISI  Project 
(‘Enhancing  the  Right  to  Social  Inclusion  through  Service  Integration’).  In  Luxembourg, 
the  Ministry  of  Labour,  Employment  and  the  Social  and  Solidarity  Economy  has  these 
responsibilities and the PES acts as a one-stop shop, providing profiling of all the applicants 
for  ‘social  inclusion  income’.  In  Ireland,  the  authority  for  arranging  SPOC  services  falls 
under the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP), through its 
nationwide  framework  of  64  Intreo  Centres11  (ICs).  Intreo  Centres  act  as  a  SPOC  (one-
stop  shops)  providing  financial  support  and  PES  services  (including  labour  market 
activation) for all jobseekers not just the LTU, and also for employers. 

Less than one third of PES (8 out of 27) reported that no institution had yet been appointed 
as  being  responsible  for  the  SPOC  in  their  country.  However,  additional  information 
provided by PES shows that in some of these eight countries, the PES alone, or the PES in 
cooperation with other institutions act as SPOCs. This is the case in Bulgaria, where the 
Labour Office Directorates, in cooperation with Employment and Social Assistance Centres 

7 In Denmark, the job centre provides the single point of contact for all unemployed. 

8 No formal appointment at the national level, but the PES is acting as SPOC. 

9 No formal appointment to fulfil the role of SPOC, but relevant tasks and roles of PES and municipalities come 
from the legislation. 

10 In the Navarre region, the ‘Enhancing the Right to Social Inclusion through Service Integration’ project is led 
by the Department of Social Rights of the Government of Navarre. 

11https://www.gov.ie/en/directory/category/e1f4b5-intreo-
offices/?referrer=http://www.gov.ie/en/service/40cf48-find-your-local-intreo-office/. 

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(ESACs  –  established  under  the  ‘Face  to  Face’  project),  act  as  SPOCs.  The  Greek  PES 
reported that it ‘is, by definition, the single point of contact for all registered unemployed’. 

In  Germany,  job  centres  and  employment  agencies  support  the  long-term  unemployed 
registered with them and decide locally on which areas, and to what extent, they cooperate 
with  other  local  labour  market  partners  in  reducing  long-term  unemployment.  PES 
Netherlands  says  it  has  no  SPOC  service  as  defined  in  the  Recommendations,  but  in 
practice  it  ‘is  in  place  thanks  to  the  clear  division  of  responsibilities  in  service  provision 
between the PES and the municipalities’12: The Dutch PES is responsible for the LTU who 
claim unemployment insurance (UI) benefits, while the municipalities are responsible for 
the LTU paid by the welfare  system  or those who  receive no benefit. In other  countries 
(e.g., Malta and Sweden), the regulations in place, or strategic plans (e.g.in Spain where 
the  Spanish  PES  is  responsible  for  the  nationwide  ‘PLAN  REINCORPORA-T’),  encourage 
cooperation between PES, public authorities, municipalities and private actors to prevent 
and reduce long-term unemployment and increase employment. 

In France there is no ‘desk’ at the  employment office  dedicated  exclusively to  providing 
integrated  support  for  jobseekers  or  the  long-term  unemployed.  However,  the  France 
Services  Network,  created  in  2019  through  a  complete  reorganisation  of  the  existing 
network of ‘Maisons de Services Au Public’13 provides coordinated support for all citizens 
in their administrative dealings with the government. In this way, primary access to all the 
relevant services is offered to French citizens in need, including the LTU. This network has 
nine national organisations working together (La Poste, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry 
of Justice, DGFIP – the General Direction of Public Finances, CNAV – the National Old Age 
Insurance Fund, MSA – the Agricultural ‘Social Mutuality’, CAF – the Family Allowance Fund, 
CNAM – the National Health Insurance Fund together with the PES). 

2.2 Partnerships/cooperation agreements in place to provide coordinated support 

for the LTU 

To provide better services that meet the needs of the registered LTU and employers, the 
Recommendation asks European countries to encourage and develop partnerships between 
employers, social partners, employment services, government authorities, social services, 
and education and training providers. 

As shown in Table 2, more than half the PES (15 out of 27) reported having partnerships 
or cooperation agreements in place to coordinate and provide specific support for the long-
term unemployed. 

Table 2 Partnerships/cooperation agreements in place to provide coordinated support for the LTU 

Yes 

No 

AT, BE-FOREM, BE-VDAB, BG, CY, DK, ES, FI, FR, 
LU, PL, PT, SE, SI, SK (15) 

BE-Actiris, CZ, DE, EE, EL, HR, IE, LT, LV, MT, NL, 
NO (12) 

Source: responses to the PES Capacity Questionnaire, part II. 

12 Commission Staff working document evaluation. Accompanying the document report from the commission to 
the council on the evaluation of the Council Recommendation on the integration of the long-term unemployed 
into the labour market. 

13 https://www.maisondeservicesaupublic.fr/. 

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PES  Austria,  for  example,  has  cooperation  agreements  with  different  associations  (e.g., 
pro mente14, the Austrian umbrella organisation for associations and societies for mental 
and  social  health;  FAB15,  the  Austrian  Association  for  the  Promotion  of  Work  and 
Employment;  Caritas;  and  a  social  enterprise  called  It-Works16  that  supports 
disadvantaged people getting back into working life). 

PES BE-FOREM cooperates with public organisations such as socio-professional integration 
centres and public social welfare centres,  as well as with Regional Employment Missions 
(MIREC)17  and  local  associations  (régies  de  quartier18).  As  part  of  the  Tender  Activation 
Long-term Jobseekers (TAL) project/programme, PES BE-VDAB works in close cooperation 
with a variety of partners including: Randstad Risemart19 (a company providing services 
such as outplacement, career development, internal mobility, assessment & development 
and executive solutions) and SBS Skill Builders20 (which provides careers guidance). Other 
PES BE-VDAB partners include the Public Welfare Centres, youth organisations/counselling 
centres,  outreach  organisations  (e.g.,  Meetjesland  Compaan-Job  &  co  vzw21),  work 
experience  companies  (e.g.,  WEB),  centres  for  primary  education,  centres  for  adult 
education and intercultural/intergenerational organisations. In Denmark, job centres have 
local agreements with private service providers and insurance funds.  

The  Spanish  PES  reported  that  their  ‘PLAN  REINCORPORA-T’  (a  nationwide  strategic  plan) 
includes  a  variety  of  actions  involving  the  integration  of  public  employment  services 
especially with social services. To improve inter-sector the integration of services targeted 
towards  helping  the  LTU,  the  Spanish  PES  also  has  cooperation  agreements  (both 
nationally and regionally) with the General Directorate for Family and Children’s Services 
(Ministry  of  Health),  with  agencies  of  the  national  and  regional  governments,  and  with 
NGOs, local corporations, social economy and solidarity networks, social inclusion networks 
(RIS22), or private employment agencies.  

In  France,  a  new  national  protocol  was  signed  in  2019  between  the  Assemblée  des 
Départements de France23 (ADF – the Assembly of French Départements), the Délégation 
Générale à l’Emploi  et  à la Formation Professionnelle24 (DGEFP – General Delegation for 
Employment and Vocational Training) and the French PES so cooperation and joint action 
can be adapted to the specific needs of regions and target groups (jobseekers facing social 

14 https://www.promenteaustria.at/de/home/. 

15 The NGO provides advice, training support for people looking for work and is specialised in the field of labour 
market integration of people with social or physical disabilities, https://www.fab.at/de/. 

16 https://www.itworks.co.at/. 

17 Regional Mission for Insertion and Employment – works with professionals from the socio-professional 
insertion sector: https://www.expat.com/en/guide/europe/belgium/charleroi/11310-work-in-charleroi.html. 

18 https://www.notremaison.be/index.php/regie-des-quartiers. 

19 https://www.randstadrisesmart.be/en-be/about-randstad-risesmart. 

20 https://www.skillbuilders.be/nl. 

21 Compaan provides specific employment-oriented services such as intensive work placement programmes, 
careers guidance, outplacement guidance and coaching: 
http://www.wegwijsineeklo.be/organisatiedetail.php?ID=35. 

22 The Social Inclusion Network, financed and promoted by the EU’s Economic and Social Fund (ESF), is 
composed of representatives from public administrations at all levels involved in social inclusion policies, as well 
as NGOs that participate in the implementation of these policies and leading trade unions: 
https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/en/content/youthwiki/42-administration-and-governance-
spain#122. 

23 A ‘pluralist’ association which brings together the Presidents of the 103 member communities, including 96 
Departments and 7 local authorities with departmental competences http://www.departements.fr/presentation-
et-fonctionnement/. 

24 The Délégation Générale coordinates employment policy, vocational training and social promotion, and it 
oversees the implementation of this policy: 
https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/JORFTEXT000000747644/2020-10-28/. 

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and professional difficulties, some of whom would be LTU). Another example of a national 
agreement  is  between  the  French  PES  and  the  Alliance  Villes  Emploi25  (Towns  and 
Employment  Alliance)  which  aims  to  provide  a  framework  for  the  development  of  local 
cooperation  between  local  PES  agencies  and  the  Maisons  de  l'Emploi26  (Employment 
Centres).  Partnerships  are  also  concluded  between  the  ‘Département’  Councils  (local 
government)  and  the  PES,  for  implementation  of  the  Accompagnement  Global  (Global 
Guidance) that is carried out in a joint manner by PES counsellors and social workers (from 
the Département Councils). The Accompagnement Global supports jobseekers, taking into 
account  their  overall  situation  (training,  family,  economic  and  social  background).27 
Employers, social services, local stakeholders, local authorities and local service-providers 
are also partners for French PES in providing different support for its clients, including its 
long-term unemployed. 

PES Luxembourg has an inter-institutional cooperation agreement with the National Social 
Inclusion  Office  (ONIS),  a  government  department  under  the  Ministry  of  Family  Affairs, 
Integration  and  the  ‘Greater  Region’,  that  provides  intensive  follow-up  (social  and 
professional  activation)  to  the  long-term  unemployed  that  have  specific  needs.  PES 
Luxembourg also has a strong cooperation with the National Solidarity Fund Institution28 
that is in charge of the legal and financial aspects of social inclusion income (REVIS). 

To  coordinate  its  services  for  LTU,  PES  Poland  concluded  agreements  with:  employers, 
training  institutions,  different  companies  (e.g.  the  Bus  Transport  Company  and  KPMG), 
foundations/associations  (e.g.  the  Aktywizacja  Foundation29),  social  information  centres 
(e.g.  STOPIL),  social  cooperatives  (e.g.  the  ‘Parasol’  Social  Cooperative),  social  welfare 
centres, the police, kindergartens, associations for people with disabilities, psychological 
and psychiatric clinics and other health care institutions, district family support centres and 
local authorities.  

The  Portuguese  PES  works  in  partnership  with  the  Portuguese  Social  Security  Institute 
(ISS). Other partnerships, although not exclusively dedicated to the LTU, are in place with 
the  social  security  services,  health  care  services,  education  institutions  and  the 
municipalities. These partnerships aim to refer people to suitable and personalised support. 
PES  Sweden  cooperates  with  the  Swedish  Social  Insurance  Agency  for  individuals  on 
sickness benefit who need job-training and rehabilitation. Cooperation is also in place with 
the Swedish Prison and Probation service, the municipalities and several other agencies in 
implementing specific support for the LTU. In Slovenia, coordinated support for the LTU is 
provided through cooperation (defined in specific legislation) between the PES and Centres 
for Social Welfare (CSW). NGOs are also partners for delivering specific interventions there. 
PES Slovakia has partnership agreements with the Government Commissioner for Roma 
Communities and cooperation agreements with job vacancies portals. 

As mentioned above, 15 PES reported that partnership agreements had been concluded to 
provide coordinated support for the LTU. The other 12 PES (more than one third of PES) 
said that no such partnerships or cooperation agreements are in place (see Table 2). In 
fact,  as  shown  in  further  information  provided  by  these  PES,  all  12  work  in  close 

25 National association of local authorities for training, integration and employment – https://www.ville-
emploi.asso.fr/. 

26 The Employment Houses support and promote actions (together with other aims) to reduce cultural or social 
obstacles to access to employment – https://travail-
emploi.gouv.fr/ministere/acteurs/partenaires/article/maisons-de-l-emploi. 

27https://www.pole-emploi.fr/region/hauts-de-france/candidat/pole-emploi-vous-
accompagne/laccompagnement-global.html. 

28 https://guichet.public.lu/en/organismes/organismes_citoyens/fonds-national-solidarite.html. 

29 The Foundation supports and advises on systemic solutions supporting people with disabilities in the labour 
market: https://aktywizacja.org.pl/. 

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cooperation,  based  on  formal  or  informal  agreements  (at  local  level),  with  different 
partners, service providers, etc. to offer coordinated support to  the LTU. PES BE-Actiris, 
for example, has concluded cooperation agreements with multiple service providers when 
implementing  specific  measures.  In  other  countries  (e.g.,  DE,  EE,  HR,  LT  and  LV), 
cooperation  agreements  (formal  and  informal)  are  mainly  concluded  at  the  local  level. 
Germany, for example, has many job centres that have cooperation agreements with local 
authorities  and  other  social  agencies  (e.g.,  to  set  up  a  youth  employment  agency  or 
municipal integration services30 for the care of minors or disabled children, debt counselling 
and addiction counselling). Support for the LTU is also provided in cooperation with youth 
welfare organisations, youth migration services, employers’ organisations and youth court 
assistance. PES Estonia cooperates with municipalities and social services providers, local 
providers  of  counselling  services  (such  as  psychological  help,  debt  and  addiction 
counselling), or providers of coaching for working life programmes.  

PES Croatia and the Croatian Social Welfare Centres (SWC) have an agreement on sharing 
clients’  information.  In  addition,  cooperation  between  social  workers  and  employment 
counsellors is established on an individual level, so specific support is provided for clients 
in  a  coordinated  manner.  Furthermore,  the  Local  Partnerships  for  Employment  (LPE) 
planned to tackle the issue of long-term unemployment more deeply at local level, in order 
to  create  tailor-made  activities  for  the  LTU.  A  project  targeting  beneficiaries  of  the 
guaranteed  minimum  income  (GMI)  is  planned  and  it  will  be  implemented  through  a 
partnership approach between the Social Welfare Centre, the PES and local authorities.  

PES Latvia cooperates with municipal social services for information exchange, while PES 
Malta works  with the Lino Spiteri Foundation31 to implement the  ‘VASTE’ project  for the 
provision of support services for people with disabilities. As reported by other PES (CZ, HR, 
LT  and  MT),  cooperation  and  partnerships  are  foreseen  in  the  legal  organisational 
framework, specific legislation, and specific projects, programmes or schemes framework. 
Based on specific legislation, the Czech PES cooperates with other partners (e.g., NGOs, 
employers,  self-governing  organisations,  etc.),  in  providing  services  for  jobseekers 
(including  the  LTU),  but  this  cooperation  is  not  formalised  in  specific  agreements.  In 
Norway, the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) is a merger of the PES, 
the social insurance schemes and the local social assistance service, so partnerships and 
cooperating  services  are  already  integrated.  PES  Ireland  said  it  has  no  cooperation 
agreements concluded at the moment, but it provides specific services on a contract basis. 
PES Netherlands shares data and cooperates with the municipalities in its PES ‘employer 
service  points’  which  act  as  a  SPOC  for  employers.  Beneficiaries  of  this  cooperation  are 
both the clients (the unemployed, including the LTU) and the employers.  

To sum up, different forms of cooperation (e.g., from informal to formal cooperation, from 
the  centre  to  the  local  level,  etc.)  are  in  place.  It  is  also  underlined  that  PES  work  in 
partnerships with a variety of partners to coordinate their efforts and effectively support 
the LTU in their transition to the labour market. More specific PES partners include: 

•  public institutions (different ministries, agencies, governmental departments, etc.) 

– BE-FOREM, BG, CY, ES, FR, SE, SI and SK; 

• 

local authorities/relevant services under the authority of local governments – BE-
FOREM, BG, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, LT, NL and PL; 

30 Stipulated in the Social Code Book. 

31 A social purpose foundation that provide support for sustainable employment of people with disabilities: 
https://linospiterifoundation.org/about-us/; https://jobsplus.gov.mt/job-seekers-mt-MT-en-GB/guidance-
services/inclusive-employment-services. 

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• 

inclusions 
social  welfare 
funds/institutions, providers of social services – BE-FOREM, BE-VDAB, BG, CY, DE, 
DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, HR, LU, LV, MT, PL, PT, SE and SI; 

insurance  and/or  social 

institutions  or  centres, 

•  other public  or private  services providers (including training, careers  guidance  or 
counselling  centres,  centres  offering  psychological  support,  socio-professional 
centres, etc.) – BE-Actiris, BE-FOREM, BE-VDAB, DK, EE, FR, IE, MT and PL; 

•  NGOs, relevant foundations/associations/organisations – AT, BE-FOREM, BE-VDAB, 

BG, CZ, ES, LT, MT and PL; 

•  health or health institutions – BG, CY, ES, FI, FR and PL; 

•  private employment agencies or job vacancy portals – BE-VDAB, ES and SK; 

•  employers, companies, employers’ associations – AT, CZ, DE, ES, FR, LT, NL and 

PL. 

2.3 Models of partnership/cooperation in place for providing coordinated support 

for the LTU 

As  mentioned  in  the  Recommendation,  the  diversity  of  Member  States  as  well  as  their 
different institutional set-ups and the capacity of the various labour-market players should 
be taken into account when implementing the actions proposed. This is why partnerships 
can take different forms or models which differ from country to country; this also shows 
the strength of the coordination. 

Based  on  responses  provided  by  PES,  an  image  of  different  models  of  partnerships/ 
cooperation used to coordinate LTU support is provided in Table 3 below: 

Table 3 Models of partnership/cooperation in place for providing coordinated support to the LTU 

Models of partnership/cooperation 

PES  

PES partnership/cooperation agreement with 
other service providers/actors, aimed at 
coordinating the support and offers 

 BE-FOREM, BE-VDAB, CY, EE, MT, PL, PT, SI 
(8) 

PES partnership/cooperation agreement with at 
least one other service provider/actor, aimed at 
coordinating the support and offers, with joint-
goals and service commitments (clear 
responsibilities) 

AT, ES, FR, IE, LU32, PL, SE, SK (8) 

Formal body/network coordinating support and 
offers and establishing referral pathways, with 
joint goals and joint management board  

FI (1) 

A shared inter-institutional infrastructure, e.g., 
one-stop shop 

FI (1) 

Other type of partnership 

BG, DK, HR, IE, LT, NL, NO, PL, SK (9) 

Source: responses to the PES Capacity Questionnaire, part II. 

32 The PES acts as a one-stop shop and provides a profiling of all applicants to the social inclusion income. 

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More than one third of PES (8 out of 2133), have partnerships in place that aim to ensure 
coordinated support for the LTU. Cooperation agreements with the same aim are also in 
place  in  another  third  of  PES  (again,  8  out  of  21),  but  in  these  cases,  joint  goals  of 
coordinated support are defined and clear allocation of responsibilities among partners is 
established, which means that the coordination works at a fundamental level. 

Only the Finnish PES report an advanced level of coordination (including one-stop shops 
with a shared infrastructure) of support and offers, with joint goals and joint management 
board. The Finnish PES reported that the statutory cooperation is legally enforced through 
three Acts of Parliament – the Act on Multi-sectoral Joint Service Enhancing Employability, 
the  Act  on  Rehabilitative  Work  and  the  Act  on  the  Promotion  of  Immigrant  Integration. 
Multi-sectoral  service  is  provided  to  unemployed  people  who  meet  the  pre-conditions  – 
their  length  of  time  unemployed  and  their  assessed  need  for  those  services.  The  multi-
sectoral  joint  service  brings  together  the  LTU  and  experts  from  the  Employment  and 
Economic  Development  office  (PES),  the  municipalities  and  the  Finnish  Social  Insurance 
Institution. One-stop shops lie at the centre of their operations model. 

Four PES (IE, FI, PL and SK) reported having more than one type of partnership agreement 
in place (see Table 3 above). 

Other types of partnership agreements or ways of coordinating LTU support are mentioned 
by nearly half the PES (9 out of 21). In Bulgaria, for example, coordination is defined by a 
national agreement between several ministries34 and by local agreements concluded by all 
the  local  PES  (107)  with  different  partners  (e.g.,  the  municipalities,  social  assistance 
directorates,  regional  education  inspectorates,  regional  health  inspectorates,  regional 
representation of the Agency for People with Disabilities and NGOs working with the long-
term unemployed). Furthermore, integrated services (employment / social assistance) are 
provided by the 76 Centres  for Employment and Social Assistance,  organised through a 
shared inter-institutional infrastructure (one counter/one-stop shops).  

Cooperation between the Cypriot PES and different relevant partners is based on bilateral 
discussions and decisions aimed at fulfilling the policy objectives of each service provided. 
Partners include social welfare services/welfare benefits and mental health services under 
the authority of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Justice/Prisons Department, and the 
Human Resource Development35 authority, which aims to create the conditions for planned 
and systematic training and the development of human resources. The exchange of data 
with  the  Human  Resource  Development  authority  is  in  place  (e.g.,  on  unemployment  in 
specific sectors or in specific occupations, or on the unemployed participating in training 
programmes).  

In Denmark, the coordination of support is ensured through the digital platform accessible 
to  caseworkers  in  employment  and  social  services36.  The  responsibility  for  active  labour 
market measures lies with the municipality (e.g., the job centre). The job centre provides 
the single point of contact for all the unemployed, including the LTU. The municipalities are 

33 The related question in the questionnaire was addressed only to PES reporting partnerships/cooperation 
agreements in place (15 PES, see Table 1). For the information in section 2.2, 6 PES (EE, IE, LT, MT, NL and 
NO), other than the 15 mentioned, also provided responses to this question (total respondents – 21 PES). 

34 Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, Ministry of Education and Science, Ministry of Health and the National 
Association of Municipalities. 

35http://www.hrdauth.org.cy/el/%CE%B7-%CE%B1%CE%BD%CE%B1%CE%B4-/%CE%B7-
%CE%B1%CE%BD%CE%B1%CE%B4-%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%B9-%CE%B7-
%CE%B1%CF%80%CE%BF%CF%83%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%BB%CE%AE-. 

36 European Commission, COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT. EVALUATION (SWD/2019/154 final). 
Accompanying the document REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL on the evaluation of the 
Council Recommendation on the integration of the long-term unemployed into the labour market: https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52019SC0154. 

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also  responsible  for  the  payment  of  social  assistance  and  social  services.  Several  job 
centres have concluded partnership agreements with private service providers or insurance 
funds to ensure a coordinated approach to support the LTU re-entering the labour market. 
In contrast, PES Ireland works on a contract basis rather than on partnership agreements. 
In Lithuania, a pilot model of employment promotion and motivation services for the LTU 
and  social  support  beneficiaries  belonging  to  the  groups  with  social  risks,  is  under 
implementation in selected municipalities, through cooperation between the PES and the 
municipalities. This model, which is based on case management, also aims to coordinate 
services  and  measures  provided  by  municipalities  and  PES  to  ensure  close  cooperation 
between these authorities, NGOs and employers. PES Norway also mentioned another type 
of partnership which is the fact that the PES itself is an institution resulting from merging 
the employment, social insurance and social assistance services. 

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Report on PES Capacity Questionnaire Part II: integrated services for long-term unemployed 

3.  SERVICES FOR INTEGRATION OF THE LTU INTO THE LABOUR MARKET  

3.1 Types of offers proposed for the LTU  

The  Recommendation  also  asks  Member  States  to  use  a  combination  of  services,  and 
employment-oriented  and  social  support-oriented  measures,  to  support  the  LTU  in  their 
transition to the labour market. As well as this, the SPOC/JIA Quality Standards state that 
SPOC services should provide the LTU with an individualised offer aimed at finding them a 
job, as a bare minimum.  

Starting from these considerations, the current report analyses the type of offers that are 
proposed or available for the LTU (see Table 4). 

Table 4 Type of services offered to the LTU  

Type of offers/services 

PES  

An individualised offer aimed at finding a job as a 
minimum 

AT, BE-Actiris, CY, EL, NO (5) 

An individualised offer aimed at finding a job and 
at least one other offer/service tailored to the 
individual needs 

CZ, ES, FI, HR, IE, LV, NL, PT (8) 

An individualised offer aimed at finding a job and 
several other offers/services tailored to the 
individual needs 

 BE-FOREM, BE-VDAB, BG, DE, DK, EE, FR, 
LT, LU, MT, PL, SE, SI, SK (14) 

Source: responses to the PES Capacity Questionnaire, part II. 

The  above  table  shows  that  an  individualised  offer,  aiming  to  find  a  possible  job  as  a 
minimum, is provided by all PES. In addition to this service, about one third of PES (8 out 
of 27) provide at least one other offer, tailored to an individual’s needs. More diversified 
offers37  are  used  to  support  the  LTU  in  their  integration  /  re-integration  into  the  labour 
market by over half the PES (14 out of 27). 

The  additional  information  provided  shows  that  in  general  all  categories  of  PES  services 
(starting  from  registration,  information,  assessment,  counselling,  careers  guidance, 
mediation / job-brokerage, etc.) are available or given to the LTU. They also benefit from 
ALMPs (Active Labour Market Policies include training or retraining, employment incentives, 
supported employment and rehabilitation, direct job creation or start-up incentives) and 
other offers such as social activation / integration and social assistance / support measures.  

Examples of ‘other offers’, especially in the category of social assistance / social services 
(i.e., social, health care, rehabilitative services) have been provided by some PES. In other 
cases, they use the generic phrase ‘social assistance support measures / social services’. 
Other  PES,  e.g.,  PES  Netherlands,  said  they  ‘provide  their  own  services,  under  their 
mandate’ and as the other support is provided by other ‘parties, such as municipalities or 
external partners, it is difficult to provide specific examples (names) of such offers’ for the 
LTU. 

37 An individualised offer aimed at finding a job and several other offers/services tailored to the individual 
needs. 

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In  order  to  have  a  better  ‘view’  on  the  type  of  social  services  available  to  the  LTU,  the 
information  provided  by  the  PES  was  supplemented  by  information  collected  via  desk 
research38. 

As reported by PES BE-Actiris, the other offers include support in cases of discrimination, 
offers of childcare and support in the procedure of  diploma/qualifications recognition. In 
the case of the PES BE-FOREM, other support, based on individual needs, is provided by: 
Public Social  Welfare Centres (CPAS), Socio-Professional Integration Centres (CISP) and 
Régies de quartier (Local Associations). The type of support provided by CPAS to vulnerable 
groups, or groups in risks of social exclusion and poverty, which include many long-term 
unemployed,  consists  of  financial  assistance  and  medical  help,  legal  assistance  /  debt 
mediation, family support measures including childcare, household help, and help in finding 
training or employment, etc39. CISP provides training for those who would have difficulty 
getting employment in general and technical skills, and it also offers psychosocial support 
(where  required)40.  Local  Associations  (Régies  de  quartier)  offer  different  short-term 
training courses for the acquisition of skills needed in community care41. PES BE-VDAB also 
works in close cooperation with CPAS (Public Centres of Social Welfare) and the support 
provided by these centres to vulnerable groups in all Belgian regions is, more or less, the 
same.  Services  regarding  education  are  also  available  to  the  LTU,  as  PES  BE-VDAB 
reported.  

In Bulgaria, in  order to improve motivation  of  the LTU towards ‘active behaviour’ in the 
labour  market,  two  new  measures  were  introduced  in  2018:  ‘Family  Labour  Consultant’ 
and ‘Consultation and Mentoring after Starting Work’. Other support, such as social, health, 
education / return to education services, is provided by institutions with responsibilities in 
the related areas, while support on housing is provided by the municipalities. The LTU in 
Germany receive debt counselling or psychosocial support from municipal services. Other 
support  is  received,  based  on  individual  circumstances,  from  health  insurances,  youth 
agencies, education actors, social workers and volunteer associations. In Estonia, support 
for the LTU includes psychological, debt and addiction counselling. Estonia also offers the 
development of the interpersonal skills necessary in the workplace through individual job-
coaching  and  preparation  for  working  life  programmes,  working  on  improvements  in 
motivation and in skills related to performing specific job tasks. 

In  Finland,  in  line  with  the  Act  on  Rehabilitative  work,  the  LTU  can  benefit  from  other 
support such as social, health, rehabilitation and education services42. Rehabilitative Work 
Experience is an example of the type of support aimed  at activating the  LTU to improve 
their  ‘life  management  skills’  and  give  them  the  prerequisites  for  sustainable 
employment43. It consists of different activities/tasks44 performed by jobseekers (4-6 days 
a  week),  participation  in  these  activities  also  being  a  pre-condition  for  receiving 
unemployment allowance or social assistance. A referral to this type of support is decided 
by the PES together with social services. Rehabilitative work activities are based on a plan 

38 As the LTU are one of the vulnerable groups at risk of social exclusion and poverty, the authors of this paper 
tried to identify the social services and other support provided by PES partners to these groups of people. 

39 https://www.belgium.be/fr/famille/aide_sociale/cpas. 

40 https://emploi.wallonie.be/en/home/formation/cisp.html. 

41 E.g., multipurpose worker and maintenance of green spaces, home help, administrative help, early childhood 
worker, garage mechanic: https://www.notremaison.be/index.php/regie-des-quartiers. 

42 https://www.ilo.org/dyn/natlex/docs/ELECTRONIC/58927/97080/F930883117/FIN58927%20Finnish.pdf. 

43https://www.hel.fi/helsinki/en/socia-health/socia-support/employment/rehab-work-activities/; 
https://www.hel.fi/helsinki/en/administration/administration/services/service-description?id=3122. 

44 E.g., assistive care tasks, janitorial tasks and cleaning, kitchen and café work, tasks related to manual skills, 
to IT and PC workshops, communications and sales, transport, warehouses, etc.: 
https://www.hel.fi/helsinki/en/socia-health/socia-support/employment/rehab-work-activities/. 

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drafted  by  the  client,  the  social  worker  and  an  expert  from  PES45.  To  find  out  health 
problems and to assess the LTUs’ working capability, the Finnish operations model includes 
a health examination by public health centres. A possible need for a health examination, 
the results of the examination and specific recommendations are registered in an Individual 
Action Plan (IAP). 

In  the  case  of  PES  Croatia,  other  types  of  support,  such  as  psychological  testing, 
motivational counselling and activation programmes, are offered to the LTU. In addition, 
the Croatian Social Welfare Centres (SWCs), partners of the Croatian PES, provide activities 
such as ‘community service work’, aimed at increasing the employability of people on the 
Guaranteed Minimum Income. Home assistance, counselling and psychological assistance, 
social  assistance  benefits,  are  other  types  of  support  provided  by  these  SWCs  for 
disadvantaged  or  vulnerable  people  (some  of  whom  are  long-term  unemployed)46.  The 
Irish PES has an activation programme called ‘Job Paths’47 that combines different types 
of support: intensive job placement, social welfare payment (if they are entitled to it) as 
well as some additional support such as childcare, if it is needed.  

The  Spanish  PES  reported  that  in  a  programme  implemented  by  the  Balearic  Islands 
Employment  Service,  each  participant  was  assigned  a  ‘reference  counsellor’,  who  is 
specialised in the LTU community and the social services. In this way the LTU are referred 
to,  or  participate  in,  different  support  activities  aimed  at  overcoming  their  employment 
barriers. PES Lithuania said that other offers/services tailored to the individual needs are 
provided to the LTU by social services, psychologists, addiction counsellors, crisis centres 
and health care institutions. In Malta, help for the LTU includes, among other support, job 
coaching, psychological support and occupational therapy. 

In  Poland,  psychological,  pedagogical  and  legal  services,  together  with  various  other 
services provided  by PES  partners, are part of  the additional support.  The PES partners 
that provide additional support to the LTU in Poland include: addiction treatment centres; 
social  welfare  centres  which  provide  cash  benefits  and  non-cash  assistance  to  people  in 
need  –  e.g.  care  services,  legal  assistance,  specialist  counselling,  crisis  counselling  and 
family support48); family support centres (which specialise in educational and therapeutic 
activities for family support, including care centres for children49); social integration centres 
that provide educational programmes for people threatened by social exclusion, especially 
the LTU50; social cooperatives which implement activities to reintegrate their members with 
societal  disadvantages  such  as  homelessness,  unemployment,  illness  or  poverty51;  and 
community self-help houses which enable people with disabilities to find a ‘second home’ 
where they can ‘learn how to cope with difficulties and acquire different life skills’52.  

In Portugal, social support, including social assistance benefits, is provided by the Social 
Security Institute53 (ISS). Other types of support, based on individual needs, are provided 
by  health  care  services  or  education  institutions  and  municipalities.  In  Slovenia,  if  an 
unemployed person is assessed by the PES and the Centres for Social Welfare (CSW) as 

45 https://www.hel.fi/helsinki/en/socia-health/socia-support/employment/rehab-work-activities/. 

46 https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1104&langId=en&intPageId=4465. 

47 https://www.gov.ie/en/policy-information/9e575c-jobpath/. 

48 http://www.gopsszemud.pl/formy-pomocy#.X5rIeogzbIU; 
https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1124&langId=en&intPageId=4728. 

49https://www.salto-youth.net/tools/otlas-partner-finding/organisation/centrum-wspierania-rodzin-rodzinna-
warszawa-center-for-family-support-family-warsaw.11504/. 

50 https://www.ess-europe.eu/sites/default/files/read-more.pdf. 

51 https://www.ess-europe.eu/sites/default/files/read-more.pdf. 

52 https://www.gov.pl/web/family/community-self-help-houses-needed-in-every-district. 

53 http://www.seg-social.pt/inicio.  

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having a low chance of finding employment or as having social issues (e. g. being a single 
parent,  accommodation  problems,  poverty  issues,  etc.),  then  he/she  is  covered  by 
activities  and  programmes  within  the  CSW  and  the  PES.  The  social  assistance  support, 
provided by the CSW to those in need who are eligible, can be in the form of cash benefits 
or  social  assistance  services,  e.g.,  counselling  for  individuals,  helping  the  family,  and 
organised  care  for  adults  with  physical  or  mental  handicaps  (including  guidance  and 
employment under special conditions)54. Other LTU support is provided through their social 
activation programmes55 that aim to motivate the LTU (and other long-term recipients of 
social assistance benefits) to become active members of society, to face life challenges and 
improve their psychosocial health, including through employment. 

PES  were  also  asked  if  the  services  offered  to  the  LTU  are  different  from  the  services 
offered to other categories of clients. For nearly three quarters of the PES (20 out of 27) 
that participated in the survey the answer was  ‘yes’ (see Table 5). Seven  PES said that 
there are no differences between services provided to different categories of clients. 

Table 5 Services offered to  the  LTU are different from  services offered to other categories of 
clients  

Yes 

No 

BE-Actiris, BE-VDAB, BG, CY, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, 
FI, HR, IE, LU, LV, MT, PL, PT, SE, SI, SK (20)  

AT, BE-FOREM, EL, FR, LT, NL, NO (7) 

Source: responses to the PES Capacity Questionnaire, part II. 

PES included in the survey identified some of the main aspects or characteristics that make 
the offers made to the LTU different from the offers made to other groups of PES clients. 

•  Offers are specifically targeted towards the LTU (through eligibility criteria; design; 
offers  established  in  specific  legislation/regulations;  offers  defined  for  specific 
projects or in internal procedures/standards, etc.) – BE-Actiris, BE-VDAB, CZ, DE, 
DK, EE, ES, FI, HR, IE, LV, PL, PT, SE and SK. 

•  The support for the LTU is a purely ‘means-oriented’ (i.e., offering financial or other 
support), as opposed to the support offered to newly registered jobseekers which 
is ‘results oriented’ – BE-Actiris. 

•  A more  complex and  in-depth assessment and/or  re-assessment  of  LTU clients – 

MT, PL, PT and SI. 

•  A Job Integration Agreement (JIA) is more complex than an Individual Action Plan 

(IAP) – BG, HR, MT and PT.  

•  A more individualised approach for providing support and working with LTU clients 
(e.g.,  one-to-one/individual  counselling  or  consultation,  one-to-one  training, 
support initiated at the request of the person who is long-term unemployed) – BE-
Actiris, CY, HR, PL, PT and SK. 

•  More frequent contacts between PES and the LTU – HR and LU. 

•  Activation,  motivation,  psychological  counselling,  occupational  therapy,  social 
integration  services/programmes,  etc.  are  provided  more  often  to  the  long-term 
unemployed – BG, HR, IE, LV, PL and SI. 

54 https://welcomm-europe.eu/slovenia/welfare/. 

55 Coordinated by the Ministry of Labour, Social Affair and Equal Opportunities (MoLFSA) and delivered by 
NGOs. 

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•  Support and follow-up for the LTU is provided by specialised personal / dedicated 

LTU counsellors (also trained in specific area) – ES, DK, LU, PT, SE and SI.  

•  Post-placement support is provided more often to LTU – CY and DE. 

•  Higher intensity of support (e.g., a higher level of employment subsidies, a longer 
period of support especially in case of the LTU with multiple employment barriers) 
– DE, DK, FI and LU. 

•  LTU  support  consists  of  a  combination  of  several  services  and  measures, 
holistic/comprehensive or inter-sectoral approach implemented in cooperation with 
social / other services – DE, ES, FI, PL and SK. 

•  The LTU are one of the key PES client groups – CZ, SK, BE-Actiris and PL. 

•  Some ALMPs (e.g., training and/or employment incentives) are offered with priority 

given more often to the LTU) – BG, CY, CZ, PL and SI. 

The  PES  that  mentioned  that  offers  to  the  long-term  unemployed  are  different  from 
services offered to other categories of jobseekers (20 PES – see Table 5), have also been 
asked if a basic  offer is available for all clients. Although responses have not been very 
clear in many cases, the current analysis estimates that in almost all (19) of these 20 PES, 
such basic offers are in place. 

For some of these PES (e.g., BE-Actiris, BE-VDAB, BG, DK, CY, HR, LU and MT) the basic 
offer includes services such as: 

• 

• 

the registration of jobseekers 

jobseekers’ assessment/profiling and the development of an IAP 

•  unemployment benefits (if entitled) 

• 

• 

information about the labour market and available services 

job brokerage 

•  basic career guidance 

• 

• 

specialised guidance 

counselling meetings / individual counselling / consultation 

•  personalised coaching 

•  workshops 

•  matching the jobseekers with vacancies 

•  placements 

• 

• 

interviews with jobseekers56 

language and IT skills tests and language training vouchers57 

•  EURES services (European Employment Services58). 

56 In case of Denmark, a special approach is applied: the unemployed have at least four meetings with the job 
centre during their first six months of unemployment. The unemployed with insurance benefits have to 
participate in at least three meetings in the insurance fund within the first six months of unemployment; the 
insurance fund participates (unless the unemployed person opposes it, or the insurance funds assesses it to be 
superfluous) in three (out of six) meetings with the job centre including a mandatory meeting after 16 months 
of unemployment. Furthermore, the unemployed can also get upskilling or a work placement. 

57 BE-Actiris. 

58 https://ec.europa.eu/eures/public/language-selection. 

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Other PES (e.g., BE-Actiris, CZ, DE, EE, ES, FI, LV, PL, PT, SE, SI and SK) wrote that most 
of  their  services  or  ALMPs  (except  for  the  ones  that  are  specifically  targeted  at  certain 
clients,  such  as  the  LTU)  are  available  for  all  registered  unemployed/jobseekers,  the 
in  different 
individualised  approach  defining  specific  needs  and  participation 
services/ALMPs59 or other types of support. 

3.2 Services available to employers  

Closer  links  with  employers,  and  the  need  to  develop  services  for  employers  as  well  as 
partnerships  between  employers,  employment  services,  and  the  main  stakeholders  or 
partners, is another chapter in the Recommendation that is analysed in the current report. 
The  type  of  services  offered  to  employers  also  shows  how  close  is  the  cooperation  with 
employers,  and  whether  employers  are  actively  involved  in  a  joint  effort  to  support  the 
LTU. 

The  analysis  revealed  that  the  majority  of  PES  (25  out  of  27  –  see  Table  5)  offer  basic 
support  to  employers.  This  basic  support  includes  services  and  subsidies  aimed  at 
integration/re-integration of the LTU into the labour market. 

Table 6 Services available to employers 

Services 

PES  

Services and subsidies  

AT, BE-Actiris, BE-FOREM, BG,  CY, DE, DK, 
EE, EL, ES, FR, HR, IE, LT, LU, LV, MT, NL, 
NO, PL, PT, PL, SE, SI, SK (25) 

Placements of the LTU, based on a partnership 
agreement between PES and employers 

AT, DK, ES, IE, LU, NL, NO, PL, PT, SE, SI, 
(11) 

Post-placement services 

AT,  BE-VDAB,  BG,  DE,  EE,  FR,  MT,  PL,  SE, 
SI, SK (11) 

Other services 

AT, BE-VDAB, CZ, DE, LT, PL, SE (7) 

Source: responses to the PES Capacity Questionnaire, part II. 

It  seems  that  in  over  one  third  of  PES  (11  out  of  27)  there  are  even  closer  links  to 
employers. In these cases, PES and employers have made joint efforts to support the LTU 
in  their  transitions  to  labour  market;  more  specifically,  PES-employer  partnership 
agreements are in place to hire the LTU, and offer placements to the LTU, based on these 
agreements.  Additional  support  (for  both  employers  and  the  LTU)  aimed  at  achieving 
sustainable and meaningful employment is reported by over one third of PES (11 out of 
27), where services following the placement of the LTU are offered. Several PES (AT, PL, 
SE and SI) have all three of the main types of support for employers in place. 

59 In many cases, PES provided limited examples of services/measures available to the LTU or something they 
considered a basic offer. Some PES mentioned that the full list of PES services and ALMPs for different 
categories of PES clients (including LTU) is provided in the 2020 PES Capacity Questionnaire, part I. 

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As well as these three types of support mentioned above, a quarter of PES (7 out of 27) 
said  they  also  provide  other  services  for  employers.  These  other  services  include 
outplacements  (AT),  job-interviews  organised  on  the  PES  premises  (CZ),  counselling 
employees with a view to possible training or re-training (DE), special measures (including 
extra  financial  support)  and  special  services  (counselling  and  coaching)  targeted  at  the 
unemployed that have disabilities or with health problems (AT, BE-VDAB and SE), various 
other accompanying measures e.g., social support measures (BE-VDAB and LT), and job 
fairs / job exchanges (PL). 

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4.  DATA SHARING BETWEEN SPOC PARTNERS OR DIFFERENT ACTORS 

4.1 Data sharing or exchange of data between different partners, relevant actors 

dealing with the LTU  

Building-up  and  developing  structured  data  sharing  is  one  of  the  crucial  issues  for  an 
effective  coordination  of  partners  supporting  the  LTU.  As  a  consequence,  the 
Recommendation  advises  the  European  countries  to  facilitate  the  smooth  and  secure 
transmission,  in  compliance  with  data-protection  legislation,  of  relevant  information 
concerning the LTU (especially their support history and individual assessments) between 
relevant service providers.  

This aspect of implementing the LTU Recommendation is included in the current analysis. 
The  PES  were  asked  if  a  system  of  data  sharing  or  exchange  of  information  between 
different actors dealing with the LTU is in place. PES responses to the related question are 
summarised in Table 7, below. 

Table 7 Systems in place for data sharing / exchange of data between different partners / relevant 
actors dealing with the LTU  

Yes 

No 

AT, BE-Actiris, BE-VDAB, BG, CY, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, 
HR, IE, LU, LV, MT, NL, PL, SE, SI, SK (21) 

 BE-FOREM, CZ, EL, LT, NO, PT (6) 

Source: responses to the PES Capacity Questionnaire, part II. 

It can be observed that a majority of PES (21 out of 27) reported that either data is shared 
among  the  SPOC  partners,  or  an  exchange  of  data  is  in  place  to  provide  single  and 
coordinated support for the LTU. 

Less than a quarter of PES (6 out of 27) reported having no such systems in place. In some 
cases, the answer to the specific question was ‘no’ as data sharing was already in place 
(before the Recommendation) as a result of the organisational structure (e.g., the merged 
services in Norway), or because data exchange was already in place and it refers to all PES 
clients, not only the LTU (PT). A system of data sharing is not yet in place, but it is under 
development in BE-FOREM. The Greek PES occasionally shares data with other institutions, 
especially  to  confirm  the  length  of  the  long-term  unemployment  spell  of  the  registered 
unemployed.  The  transfer  of  specific  information  between  partners  is  not  widely 
implemented, mainly due to GDPR regulations (and clients’ disagreement), as mentioned 
by the Czech PES. 

4.2 Type of approach of data sharing / access to data 

The arrangements for delivering SPOC services differ among countries (see section 3), and 
this also leads to different approaches to exchanging information between partners offering 
coordinated support. 

Different approaches for data sharing that also assume different degrees of coordination, 
which are in place are presented in the Table 8. 

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Table 8 Type of approach of data sharing / access to data 

Approach of data sharing / access to data in place 

PES 

Assigned  contact  point  for  information  referral  transmits  client 
information  to  counsellors  of  other  service  providers,  via  smooth 
and secure mechanisms (e.g., based on protocols) 

AT, BG, ES, FR, HR, IE (6) 

Appropriate  counsellors  from  different  service  providers  have 
shared access to discretionary client information 

DE,  EE,  FI,  FR,  IE,  MT,  SI, 
SK (8) 

A  limited  number  of  counsellors  from  different  service  providers 
have shared access to full client information 

BE-Actiris, LU (2) 

All counsellors/agents from different service providers have shared 
access to full client information 

NL, DK (2) 

Other approaches 

BE-VDAB, CY, LV, PL, PT, SE 
(6) 

Source: responses to the PES Capacity Questionnaire, part II. 

More  than  a  quarter  (6)  of  the  2260  PES  reported  that  the  assigned  contact  point  for 
information referral transmits client information to counsellors from other service providers 
/ SPOC partners. Secure mechanisms are in place for this transfer of information.  

Rather than a transmission / receiving information approach, a system of shared access to 
clients’ information is reported by above half (1261) the 22 PES. This approach implies a 
higher degree of coordination, a clear allocation of responsibilities among SPOC partners 
as well as secure mechanisms – or corresponding software tools – that allow shared access 
to information. 

More  than  one  third  of  the  PES  (8  out  of  22)  reported  that  shared  access  is  granted  to 
appropriate  counsellors  from  different  service  providers,  and  the  access  leads  to 
discretionary client information. 

Shared access to full client information is reported by another four PES: in two cases (BE-
Actiris  and  LU),  the  shared  access  is  only  permitted  to  a  limited  number  of  counsellors, 
while  in  the  other  two  PES  (NL  and  DK)  all  counsellors  or  agents  from  different  service 
providers / SPOC partners are given shared access (see Table 8). 

Other  approaches  to  sharing  clients’  information  are  in  place,  as  mentioned  by  six  PES. 
The Cypriot PES, for example, explained that all counsellors from the PES and from other 
different service providers under the authority of the Ministry of Labour have shared access 
to part  of PES clients’ information. At the local (district) level, all PES counsellors  share 
some  information  with  counsellors  from  the  social/welfare  services  about  job  offers  and 
other matters related to their clients’ employability.  PES Latvia receive information from 
social  services  on  people  with  low-income  status  (GMI  beneficiaries).  In  Poland,  the 
exchange of data between PES and social assistance institutions is done when necessary, 
i.e., when the specific activities (those under their own responsibility)  are implemented. 
The  data  exchange  is  done  in  accordance  with  GDPR  regulations.  A  similar  approach  is 
applied in Portugal, where the ‘personal manager’ of the LTU in the PES contacts agents 
from the other institutions involved and shares the information on an individual basis. The 
Swedish  PES  shares  some  specific  information  about  their  clients  with  a  few  partner 

60 The related question in the survey questionnaire was only addressed to PES reporting systems of data 
sharing/exchange between different partners/relevant actors dealing with the LTU (21 PES – see Table 7); as 
well as these 21 PES, the Portuguese PES also provided information to this question; total respondents: 22. 

61 Shared access to clients’ information. DE, EE, FI, FR, IE, MT, SI, SK, BE-Actiris, LU, NL and DK (12 – see 
Table 8). 

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agencies (e.g., the Police, the Swedish Social Insurance Agency and the Swedish Migration 
Board). 

The types of information that is shared mainly refer to:  

•  employment and education history (e.g., DE, FI, FR, IE, HR, PT and SI); 

•  unemployment history (e.g., EL, HR, NL and SI);  

• 

• 

• 

• 

job search activities/plans, job offers and other support received (e.g., AT, BG, CY, 
DE, DK, EE, ES, LU, LV, SI and PT);  

results of support provided and further recommendations (e.g., AT, BG and CY); 

clients’ assessment / jobseekers’ profile, circumstances that can act as obstacles in 
finding  employment  –  e.g.,  health  problems,  family  and  personal  situation.  This 
includes  whether people are  single parents, their financial situation /  low-income 
households,  whether  they  are  receiving  social  assistance  or  on  the  Guaranteed 
Minimum Income (e.g., CY, DE, ES, FI, FR, LV, SE, SI, SK and PT); 

socio-professional  skills  of  the  LTU,  data  related  to  personal  and  professional 
development activities that are necessary for continuous follow-up and support of 
the LTU (LU); 

• 

curriculum vitae, clients’ concerns e.g., a young person's anxieties (DE);  

•  all  the  information  in  jobseekers’  e-files  is  shared  with  the  counsellors  at  the 
service-providers who provide different types of support to the LTU (BE-Actiris);  

• 

information related to the tasks of the clients and cooperation with them, specific 
mediation services provided, and residence changes (BE-VDAB); 

•  personal/identification data and contact details (e.g., DE, FR and HR); 

• 

the Dossier Unique du Demandeur d’Emploi (DUDE – the jobseeker’s personal file) 
is accessed by PES and local authorities on the basis of PES partnership agreements 
with the Département Councils. A DUDE contains the updated Parcours Personnalisé 
d’Accès  à  l’Emploi  (PPAE  –  Personalised  Pathway  to  Employment)  as  well  as 
information on the jobseeker's profile and job-seeking pathway. The file is updated 
on a regular basis (FR). 

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5.  ASSESSING THE LTU’S NEEDS AND THE JIA 

5.1 Assessing the individual needs of the LTU  

The Recommendation  says that  Member States should  ensure that  registered  long-term 
unemployed  are  offered  in-depth  individual  assessments,  covering  their  employability 
prospects, barriers to employment and their previous job-search efforts.  

This  report  analyses  the  different  approaches  used  to  assess  the  LTU’s  needs,  more 
specifically  whether  the  LTU’s  needs  are  only  assessed  by  the  PES  counsellors  /  case 
managers or in a joined-up manner (by the case managers from the PES and from other 
support service providers). 

The analysis shows that in most PES (20 PES out of 27), case managers are responsible 
and conduct assessment of the needs of the LTU (see Table 9). 

Table 9 Assessing the individual needs of the LTU  

Approach of assessing LTU’s needs 

PES 

PES case managers assess the needs of the LTU 

AT, CY, CZ, DE, EE, EL, ES, FI, HR, LT, LU, 
LV, MT, NL62, NO, PL, PT, SE, SI, SK (20) 

The needs of the LTU are jointly assessed by the 
case managers from the PES and from the other 
support service providers 

BE-VDAB, DK, LV, SI (4) 

A single case manager assesses the needs of the 
LTU on behalf of all service providers 

IE (1) 

Other approach 

BE-Actiris, BE-FOREM, BG, FR (4) 

Source: responses to the PES Capacity Questionnaire, part II. 

Joint assessment of the LTU’s needs, involving case managers from PES and from the other 
support service providers is only reported by four PES.  

PES Ireland is the only PES mentioning that the needs of the LTU are assessed by a single 
case manager, on behalf of all service providers. The Irish PES explains that the majority 
of the LTU jobseekers engage with an external service provider under contract with PES. 
The vast majority of the LTU are referred to the JobPath programme63. Following referral 
by  the  PES  case  officer  working  within  the  Intreo  structure64,  in  the  first  instance  the 
majority  of  the  LTU  have  their  needs  assessed  by  a  personal  advisor  in  the  JobPath 
programme, resulting in a jointly agreed Personal Progression Plan setting out a plan of 
action to guide and support the LTU in their job-seeking efforts. 

Other specific features  of  the needs’ assessment  process are described by PES  Slovenia 
that reported a joint approach. If someone registered as LTU has employment barriers due 

62 PES case managers assess the LTUs’ needs (all LTU who are Unemployment Insurance claimants); the 
municipalities are responsible for all the LTU who are on the welfare system. 

63 JobPath, an employment activation programme, mainly targeted at the LTU, aiming to assist them to secure 
and sustain full-time paid employment or self-employment: https://www.gov.ie/en/policy-information/9e575c-
jobpath/. 

64Intreo Centres act as a SPOC (one-stop shop) providing financial support and PES services (including labour 
market activation) for all jobseekers, not only for the LTU, and also for employers: 
https://www.gov.ie/en/directory/category/e1f4b5-intreo-
offices/?referrer=http://www.gov.ie/en/service/40cf48-find-your-local-intreo-office/. 

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to social issues (e. g. single parents, accommodation problems, poverty issues, etc.), then 
the PES and the Centres for Social Welfare  will make a joint assessment (through inter-
institutional commissions and assessment groups).  

In a similar manner, PES BE-Actiris and BE-FOREM say they assess the LTU’s needs when 
they register, but if additional and/or external support is necessary, then case managers 
from the respective service providers also undertake an assessment of the LTU’s needs. In 
Finland, a needs assessment is done by the PES case managers. In multi-sectoral services 
(see  section  2.3.)  needs  of  LTU  are  jointly  assess  by  specific  partners.  In  Bulgaria,  the 
assessment is performed by the PES case managers65, and as there is a small number of 
these case managers, the assessment can be done by ‘labour intermediaries’ 66(when case 
managers are on vacation, or when the caseload is too high). In France, the assessment 
of the LTU’s needs is not conducted in a homogeneous manner, so it was not possible to 
provide a clear answer.  

5.2 Elements of the JIA  

The Recommendation explicitly asks PES in Europe to offer a JIA for each LTU, within 18 
months of unemployment. The minimum content of a JIA is defined in the SPOC Quality 
Standards and is part of this analysis.  

Most  of  the  PES  reported  that  their  JIAs  (or  their  IAPs  for  the  LTU)  are  in  line  with 
recommendations from the content point of view (see Table 10). 

Table 10 Elements of the JIA 

Elements of the JIA 

PES 

Individual assessment 

Method of contact 

Frequency of follow-up meetings  

Re-assessments 

Service offers  

AT, BE-Actiris, BE-FOREM, BE-VDAB, BG, CY, CZ, 
DE, DK, EE, EL, ES, FI, HR, IE, LT, LV, MT, NL, PL, 
PT, SE, SI, SK (24) 

AT, BE-Actiris, BE-FOREM, BE-VDAB, BG, CY, DE, 
DK, EE, EL, ES, FI, HR, IE, LT, LU, LV, MT, NL, PL, 
PT, SE, SI, SK (24) 

AT, BE-Actiris, BE-FOREM, BE-VDAB, BG, CY, CZ, 
DE, DK, EE, EL, ES, FI, HR, IE, LT, LU, LV, MT, NL, 
PL, SE, SI, SK (24) 

AT, BE-Actiris, BE-FOREM, BE-VDAB, BG, CZ, DK, 
EE, EL, ES, FI, IE, LT, MT, PL, PT, SE, SI (18) 

AT, BE-Actiris, BE-FOREM, BE-VDAB, BG, CY, DE, DK, 
EE, EL, ES, FI, HR, LT, LV, MT, NL, PL, SE, SI, SK (21) 

Other elements 

AT, CZ, DE, EE, FI, HR, LU, LV, NL, NO, SK (11) 

Source: responses to the PES Capacity Questionnaire, part II. 

A few PES provided some additional explanations about the JIA. For example, PES France 
does not conclude JIAs and the practices of assessing the LTU person’s needs differ. They 
point out that a very wide range of partners are involved in providing specific support. PES 
Luxembourg offer a mandatory action plan for all jobseekers, with a higher frequency of 
follow-up  meetings  for  the  LTU.  The  Norwegian  PES  develops  an  IAP  for  all  registered 
jobseekers,  which  is  signed  by  both  parties  (jobseeker  and  case  officer).  The  plan  is 

65 A case manager acts as an intermediary between people from the vulnerable groups and the institutions that 
provide the appropriate social, health, educational, etc. services that effectively complement the mediation 
services provided by PES. 

66 PES staff playing the role of case managers. 

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available online and can be updated by both parties (PES and jobseekers) whenever new 
actions/measures are introduced, or new milestones have been reached. In a similar way, 
a JIA/IAP is developed for all unemployment insurance (‘UI’) claimants in the Netherlands 
whenever  they  register  as  unemployed,  and  this  may  be  changed  after  each  contact 
between the PES and the UI claimant. 

The PES were also asked how the elements of a JIA (or an IAP) for the LTU differ from the 
elements  of  an  IAP  for  other  categories  of  clients.  In  summary,  the  main  differences 
identified by PES for each of the JIA elements are presented below. 

• 

Individual assessment: a general conclusion is that the LTU assessment is deeper 
and more  comprehensive. Some  specific  examples  of how the assessment of  the 
LTU differs from that for the other categories of PES clients are provided below. 

-  The  counsellors  have  the  flexibility  for  a  more  intensive,  more  detailed  and 

longer counselling meeting (CY). 

-  Two types of assessment/profiling are in place: one is statistical, and the other 

is the counsellors’ profiling/assessment (HR). 

-  Deeper  assessment  is  done  by  the  internal  assessment  board67  during  an 

LTU/PES meeting (MT). 

-  Assessment68 includes (NL): 

▪ 

▪ 

the ‘jobseeker’s vision’ – e.g., how does the jobseeker feel about his/her 
opportunities on the labour market; what opportunities does he/she see, 
the  obstacles  encountered  when  they  are  looking  for  a  job;  actions 
already taken to find a job;  

the ‘PES’s vision’ – e.g., the possibilities on the labour market that PES 
see  for  the  jobseeker;  obstacles  that  the  jobseeker  might  encounter 
when looking for a job as result of profiling; proposed support services 
defined on the basis of opportunities and obstacles identified. 

- 

Intensified  assessment  of  the  LTU  person’s  overall  situation  (including  the 
unemployed  person’s  social  circumstances  and  needs),  after  12-15  month’s 
unemployment (SI). 

•  Method of contact 

- 

In most cases the contact with the LTU person is face-to-face, but also through 
emails, telephone or online (e.g., CY, ES69, LU, MT, PT and SI). 

-  Frequency of contact and the type of contact is not the same for everyone, it is 
defined  during  individual  counselling,  the  method  of  contact  is  agreed  with 
clients and specified in the JIA (HR). 

-  For the LTU, tripartite meetings (the PES, the unemployed client and the social 

services) are organised (LV). 

-  A particular example of a contact approach/strategy that includes different steps 

and methods was provided by PES BE-VDAB. It includes: 

67 LTUs are assigned to a special unit which aims to offer a more personalised approach to the clients. When 
clients are referred to this unit, a board is set up to review the case. The board interviews the clients to 
establish the support that is suitable for those jobseekers. 

68 This type of assessment is done for all PES clients (UI claimants), JIA/IAP is concluded for everyone, not just 
for the LTU. 

69 Customised to suit the profile of the person being assisted. 

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▪ 

‘digital first’, with alternative strategies for those jobseekers who are not 
reached digitally;  

▪ 

face-to-face contact; 

▪  outreach working for difficult-to-reach jobseekers; 

▪ 

telephone contacts, registered in My Career file (by TAL70 mediators). 

•  Frequency of follow-up meetings 

-  More  in-depth  and  higher  frequency  of  follow-up  meetings  or  contacts  in  BE-

VDAB, BG, CZ, ES, LU, LV, MT, SI. 

-  The frequency of the follow-up meetings is established to suit the profile of the 

person being assisted (ES). 

-  The frequency of the follow-up meetings is defined/agreed during the individual 

counselling meeting and specified in the JIA (HR). 

-  PES BE-Actiris explained its ‘particular’ approach71: 

▪ 

‘only the date of the next meeting is scheduled. The frequency of contacts 
is constantly  evaluated  throughout the coaching process, based on the 
jobseekers’  needs  and  progress.  The  deadlines  for  each  action  to  be 
performed by the jobseekers are mentioned in the IAP. The jobseeker is 
invited  to  contact  the  counsellor  after  the  deadlines  of  the  different 
actions and to provide  feedback. If the jobseeker does not contact  the 
PES, the counsellor then assesses the situation and decides if he/she will 
initiate further contact with the jobseeker.’ 

•  Re-assessment 

- 

- 

- 

It allows a better match of support with the jobseekers’ needs (BE-Actiris72). 

It  enables  PES  to  ‘reconstruct’  the  assessment  and  improve  the  activation 
process  if  the  final  goal  (employment)  has  not  been  reached.  It  includes 
deadlines and follow-up of actions (BE-VDAB). 

It  involves  assessment  of  the  progress  done  in  the  process  of  labour  market 
integration and planning the next steps (EE). 

-  The  IAP/JIA  is  intensively  re-assessed  and  adjusted  according  the  person’s 
needs.  When  necessary,  PES  initiate  joint  re-assessment  with  social  services 
(CSW) (joint inter-institutional commission / assessment group) (SI). 

-  Gradual  goals  are  established,  this  allows  more  frequent  evaluation  of  the 

employment integration plan (CZ). 

- 

It  is  linked  to  the  end  of  benefits  and  starting  dates  for  entering  into  other 
employment programmes / subsidy schemes (ES). 

•  Services offered 

-  The offers for the LTU are more personalised and tailor-made to their needs / 

offers targeted to the LTU (MT, ES, HR and LV). 

70 Tender Activation Long-term Unemployed project/programme. 

71 This approach is applied for all jobseekers. 

72 This type of re-assessment is applied to all jobseekers, and not only those that are LTU. 

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-  Service offers include the actions to be implemented by jobseekers themselves, 
or  by  jobseekers  with  support  from  PES,  or  by  jobseekers  with  support  from 
external service providers (BE-Actiris73).  

-  A  JIA  includes  any  services  that  are  agreed  with  the  UI  claimant  and/or 

mandatory services, established by PES (NL). 

Some other elements included in JIAs/IAPs are worth mentioning, such as: 

• 

further next steps for support and agreements (AT); 

•  work  ability  assessment,  especially  for  people  with  severe  health  problems  and 

disabilities (EE);  

• 

the nature and frequency of the long-term unemployed person’s own efforts to get 
integrated/re-integrated into the labour market / job-search activity (DE and FI);  

•  a list of jobs and professions that the unemployed person can perform according to 

their defined professional, working and personal abilities (HR);  

• 

standard  obligations  for  the  unemployed,  e.g.,  an  obligation  to  be  active  on  job-
search (HR and NL);  

•  an obligation on the jobseeker’s part to register with temporary agencies or to make 

use of certain online services (NL); 

•  obligations for PES counsellors (HR). 

73 It is applied to all jobseekers, not only those that are LTU. 

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6.  FOLLOW-UP FOR THE LTU 

6.1 Referral pathways for the LTU  

Comprehensive and systematic response to a complexity of problems that the LTU usually 
encounter  in  their  integration/re-integration  to  the  labour  market  requires  clear  referral 
pathways  towards  employment.  Referral  pathways  should  outline  various  support  offers 
that are available and ensure that the LTUs are referred to the right services in line with 
their individual needs. This support should continue (and, if required, should be adapted) 
until there is a positive outcome and no additional support is required. Referral pathways 
also assume close cooperation and coordination among partners. 

Given  these  considerations,  this  report  analyses  whether  such  referral  pathways  for  the 
LTUs are in place and if they differ from the ones for other groups of PES clients. 

As  can  be  seen  in  Table  10  below,  more  than  one  third  of  PES  (11  out  of  27)  reported 
dedicated  referral  pathways  for  the  LTU  in  place.  The  majority  of  PES  (16  out  of  27), 
however, said that no such differentiated pathways are in place. 

Table 11 Dedicated referral pathways for the LTU in places that differ from the one(s) available 
to the other groups of PES clients 

Yes 

No 

BE-VDAB, BG, CZ, DE, ES, HR, IE, LU, LV, 
MT, PT (11) 

AT, BE-Actiris, BE-FOREM, CY, DK, EE, EL, FI, FR, 
LT, NL, NO, PL, SE, SI, SK (16) 

Source: responses to the PES Capacity Questionnaire, part II. 

The practice of establishing or defining the referral pathways for the LTU differ among the 
11 PES. As PES BE-VDAB mentioned, the follow-up actions (referring to specific support) 
for  the  LTU  are  established  through  a  close  cooperation  with  partners  that  can  deploy 
specific  support  (e.g.,  Tender  Activation  Long-term  Jobseekers).  In  Germany,  the 
pathways  towards  employment  for  the  LTU  are  established  in  two  recently  adopted 
regulatory instruments74. The aim is to provide the LTU with a new perspective so they can 
become ‘active actors’ in the general and social  labour market. The support is aimed at 
improving  the  LTU’s  employability  through  subsidised  employment  supplemented  by 
holistic employment support, individual counselling and, if necessary, a qualification.  

In  Ireland,  the  clients  of  local  employment  services  are  referred  to  different  support  by 
Intreo75 case officers, while JobPath76 customers (usually the LTU) are referred based on 
the duration of their unemployment. In Latvia, the referral pathways for the LTU are under 
development, including the regularity of contacts and the recommended order of receiving 
services.  Given the characteristics  of long-term unemployment,  support measures, such 
as career counselling or temporary public employment, are more often offered there. In 
Malta,  the  LTU  are  referred  to  a  special  unit  which  aims  to  offer  a  more  personalised 
approach. The LTU there are assessed (a profiling system is in place) and allocated to an 
employment  adviser.  Based  on  the  clients’  profile,  the  employment  advisers  and 
jobseekers  establish,  by  mutual  agreement,  the  aspects  for  which  the  LTU  need  more 

74 Section 16i SGB II and Section 16e SGB II (SGB – Social Code Book): 
https://www.ilo.org/dyn/natlex/natlex4.detail?p_lang=en&p_isn=109094. 

75https://www.gov.ie/en/directory/category/e1f4b5-intreo-
offices/?referrer=http://www.gov.ie/en/service/40cf48-find-your-local-intreo-office/. 

76 JobPath is an approach to employment activation which caters mainly for people who are long-term 
unemployed to assist them to secure and sustain full-time paid employment or self-employment: 
https://www.gov.ie/en/policy-information/9e575c-jobpath/. 

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specialised  support,  such  as  occupational  therapy,  job  coaching  and/or  psychological 
counselling/intervention. 

PES Portugal said that a JIA is more comprehensive than an IAP, which may be designed 
for other jobseekers registered with the PES. A JIA includes the specific support that the 
LTU are referred to, support that is defined on the basis of their individual needs. The LTU 
person’s ‘personal manager’ follows and supports the LTU person who must participate in 
specific  agreed  services  and  measures.  The  personal  manager  has  to  assess  the  LTU´s 
situation  periodically,  at  least  every  six  months  and  adjust  the  support,  if  necessary, 
accordingly.  

6.2 Follow-up of the LTU after concluding a JIA  

Following up the LTU, or regular monitoring post completion of a JIA, is pointed out in the 
Recommendation.  Follow-up  should  be  done  in  the  light  of,  firstly,  changes  in  an 
individual’s  situation,  secondly,  their  achievements  in  the  implementation  of  specific 
support  and,  thirdly,  if  necessary,  adapting  this  support  to  improve  the  LTU’s  transition 
into employment. 

Different institutions and case managers can be responsible for follow-up after completion 
of a JIA/IAP. A summary of responses related to practices in place in what is related to the 
LTU follow-up is provided in Table 12 below. 

Table 12 An LTU’s follow-up responsibilities (after concluding their JIA) 

Responsible case managers for LTU 
follow-up 

PES 

A specifically assigned case manager from 
the PES 

AT, BE-Actiris, CY, CZ, EE, FR, HR, LT, LU, MT, NO, 
PL, PT, SE, SI, SK (16) 

Any case manager from the PES 

DK, EL, ES, FI, LV, SI (6)  

Joint follow-up – a specifically assigned 
case manager from the PES and from 
other partner institutions  

 BE-FOREM (1) 

Any case manager from the PES and from 
other partner institutions (joint follow-up)  

BE-VDAB, FI (2) 

Other approaches 

BG77, DE, IE, NL, SE (5) 

Source: responses to the PES Capacity Questionnaire, part II. 

A majority of PES (22 out of 27) reported that the PES, through its case managers, is in 
charge of the follow-up after a JIA has been completed. Follow-up is done by specifically 
assigned case managers in almost three quarters (16 out of 22) of these 22 PES, while in 
over one quarter (6 out of 22) any case manager can do this. 

Joint  follow-up  ensured  by  case-managers  from  PES  and  from  other  partners  has  been 
reported by only 3 PES. 

The Finnish, Slovenian and Swedish PES said that two approaches are in place. In Finland, 
LTU  follow-up  is  done  by  any  of  the  PES  case  managers,  or  by  PES  case  managers  in 
cooperation with related staff from partner institutions/providers (if needed). In Slovenia, 
the PES’s dedicated LTU counsellors are responsible for follow-up, but if they are absent 

77 Labour intermediaries or case-managers have follow-up responsibilities, both are PES staff. 

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then the LTU person can be assigned to another counsellor, not necessarily another LTU 
counsellor. 

An interesting approach was mentioned by PES Sweden and Netherlands, where the LTU 
themselves are an integral part of the process – for example, the LTU are asked to report 
monthly (SE) or the client himself/herself has  the main responsibility  for  follow-up after 
concluding their JIA (NL).  

In some cases, such as in Denmark, every unemployed person has a PES caseworker and 
the  unemployed  are  required  to  book  their  own  follow-up  interviews.  In  this  process, 
caseworkers can be the same or different. However, the unemployed person has a right to 
an intensified scheme after 16 months of unemployment, which can be in  the form of a 
personal  job-counsellor.  An  example  of  other  approach  is  the  one  applied  in  Germany, 
where  the  long-term  unemployed  customers  are  either  supported  by  an  integration 
specialist  who  also  supports  other  jobseekers  or  by  an  integration  specialist  who  only 
supports the LTU. 

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7.  MONITORING THE DELIVERY OF COORDINATED SERVICES TO THE LTU 

7.1 Aspects of monitored coordinated support for the LTU 

Monitoring the coordinated support for the LTU is an integral element of the process itself. 
It  can  provide  valuable  information  on  how  the  LTU  Recommendation  has  been 
implemented, the outcomes or the results of the coordinated support as well as directions 
for further improvement. 

As  shown  in  Table  13  below,  progress  of  the  LTU  towards  employability  and 
employment/integration  outcomes  (including  placement  targets)  are  the  most  common 
aspects  monitored  –  a  majority  of  PES  reported  this  form  of  monitoring.  Instead,  the 
effectiveness of coordination of services or support is monitored by nearly half the PES (12 
out of 2678), while the LTU are traced after their exit from the PES register in only eight 
PES (above a quarter of responding PES). 

Table 13 Aspects of coordinated support to LTU that are monitored  

Aspects monitored 

PES 

Progress of LTU towards employability 

AT, BE-FOREM, BE-VDAB, BG, CY, CZ, DK, ES, 
FI, HR, LT, LU, LV, MT, NO, PL, PT, SE, SI (19) 

Employment/integration outcomes (including 
placements targets)  

AT,  BE-Actiris,  BE-FOREM,  BE-VDAB,  BG,  CY, 
CZ, DE, DK, ES, FI, HR, IE, LT, LU, MT, NO, PL, 
PT, SE, SI, SK (22) 

Effectiveness of coordination of 
services/support 

AT, BE-VDAB, BG, CZ, DE, DK, FI, LV, MT, NO, 
PL, SE (12) 

Situation of the LTU after exit from the PES 
register  

AT, BE-VDAB, DE, DK, LT, MT, PL, SI (8) 

Other aspects 

CZ, EE, EL, LV, NL (5) 

Source: responses to the PES Capacity Questionnaire, part II. 

It should also be mentioned that more than one third of the PES (1079 out of 26) reported 
that  the  monitoring  system  in  place  analyses  both  main  aspects  –  the  LTUs’  progress 
towards employment (including their integration outcomes) as well as the effectiveness of 
coordination,  which  is  a  prerequisite  for  improving  the  related  outcomes.  A  more 
comprehensive  monitoring  system  that  analyses  all  the  four  aspects  of  the  coordinated 
support for the LTU, shown above, was only mentioned by five PES80. 

On the other hand, the survey asked PES what instruments, except self-reporting, are used 
to trace the LTU, after exiting the PES register. The instruments mentioned by PES, include: 

•  administrative data / employment statistics / PES or interconnected databases of 

PES and other relevant institutions (e.g., AT, BG, DE, DK, EL and SI); 

•  a specific service of ‘mentoring after starting work’ (e.g., BG);  

• 

clients’ files where the ‘after-care must be included’ (e.g., BE-VDAB); 

78 FR. No answer to the related question/not applicable as coordinated support for the LTU is carried out in 
various ways (see answers to Question 2 and 2.1) and does not always focus solely on LTUs. 

79 AT, BE-VDAB, BG, CZ, DK, FI, MT, NO, PL, SE. 

80 AT, BE-VDAB, DK, MT, PL. 

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• 

special surveys (e.g., DE); 

•  phone tracing studies (e.g., MT and PL). 

In  monitoring  the  delivery  of  services  to  the  LTU,  a  combination  of  quantitative  and 
qualitative indicators are used, covering all three levels of monitoring (aggregate, direct 
and follow-up – see Annexe A, Table A 1). 

Data and information are mainly collected from administrative/internal (PES) data sources. 
External  sources  are  also  used  (e.g.,  specific  statistics  developed  by  the  statistics 
institutions,  other  institutions’  database  and/or  reports  from  partners).  Qualitative 
instruments  or  tools,  such  as  surveys,  studies  or  evaluations  seem  to  be  less  used  in 
monitoring or assessing the delivery of services to the LTU.  

7.2 Joint monitoring of the delivery of the coordinated support 

From the section 7.1 above it can be concluded that monitoring the coordinated support is 
implemented in a majority of countries included in the survey.  

However, the current report also analyses whether the monitoring has been implemented 
in a joint manner, more specifically, whether the PES together with the other partners are 
all involved in monitoring the delivery of the coordinated support for the LTU.  

The PES were therefore asked if joint monitoring is in place and if the joint monitoring is 
based  on  agreement  between  all  SPOC  partners  on  joint  performance  standards.  Joint 
monitoring being in place was reported by over a third of PES (10 out of 2681, see Table 
14). Eight82 of these ten PES also said in their replies that the joint monitoring is based, in 
different ways, on agreement between all SPOC partners on joint performance standards. 

The joint performance  standards for the delivery  of the  coordinated support  are defined 
and agreed in different ways, including: 

•  when  designing  the  IT  platforms  /  monitoring  system  /  data  warehouse  (AT  and 

DK);  

•  when designing the clients’ files (career files) used by different partners (BE-VDAB);  

•  when concluding local agreements (BE-VDAB and BG); 

•  when planning the activities implemented by different partners. Monitoring is part 

of the planned activities (BG); 

•  when establishing shared responsibilities among partners (FI); 

•  on the basis of legal standards and target agreements (DE). 

Table 14 Joint monitoring (PES and other partners) in place for the delivery of the coordinated 
support for the LTU 

Yes 

No 

AT,  BE-VDAB,  BG,  DE,  DK,  ES,  FI,  PL,  SE,  SK 
(10) 

BE-Actiris, BE-FOREM, CY, CZ,  EE, EL, HR, IE, 
LT, LU, LV, MT, NL, NO, PT, SI (16)  

Source: responses to the PES Capacity Questionnaire, part II. 

81 Coordinated support for the LTU is carried out in various ways, not always focussing solely on LTUs, so an 
answer to this question could not be provided. 

82 AT, BE-VDAB, BG, DE, DK, ES, FI, SE. 

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No joint monitoring in place was reported by a majority of PES (nearly two thirds – 16 out 
of  26).  In  the  majority  of  these  cases,  the  respondents  indicated  that  PES  is  the  sole 
institution with the monitoring responsibilities (in a very few cases the PES jointly with the 
Ministry of Labour83 or based on information exchanged with social services84). In Ireland, 
the  Labour  Market  Council85  monitors  the  implementation  of  the  Pathways  to  Work 
strategy86  and  provides  input  and  feedback  on  the  development  of  the  JobPath87 
contracting model. 

83 CZ and SI. 

84 PT. 

85 The Council supports and advises the Minister for Employment Affairs & Social Protection on the 
Implementation of the Pathways to Work strategy Government on wider policy issues relevant to the 
employment agenda of supporting the LTU returning to work. 

86 https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/5b410e-pathways-to-work-2016/. 

87 Employment activation programme, mainly targeted to the LTU, implemented on a contract basis. 

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8.  BUDGETING THE SPOC SERVICE 

8.1 Joint budgeting of SPOC service 

To support the coordinated services for the LTU, especially the inter-sectoral interventions 
(e.g.,  labour  and  social  welfare),  appropriate  financing  mechanisms,  that  allow  budget 
sharing between different partners and ensure accountability, are necessary. 

Taking into account these considerations, the survey looked over the financial mechanisms, 
specifically whether there is a system of joint budgeting (PES and other partners / service 
providers) for the SPOC / coordinated services. 

Analysis  of  the  responses  shows  that  only  6  PES  (out  of  27)  said  that  joint  budgeting 
mechanisms are in place (see Table 15). 

Table 15 Joint budgeting (PES and other partners) in place for a SPOC service 

Yes 

No 

AT, BE-VDAB, BG, DK, FI, SK (6) 

BE-Actiris, BE-FOREM, CY, CZ, DE, EE, EL, ES, 
FR, HR, IE, LT, LU, LV, MT, NL, NO, PL, PT, SE, 
SI (21)  

Source: responses to the PES Capacity Questionnaire, part II. 

The majority of PES (21 out of 27) specified that there is no joint budgeting in place. The 
services and measures  for the LTU are financed from  national funds  or the PES budget. 
Additional financial resources come  from  the ESF (BG, CY, FR,  LV, PT, SE and SI), local 
authorities (LT, FR and EE), other partners (SE), and the National Solidarity Fund (LU). 

8.2 Types of joint budgeting for SPOC services  

The survey also asked PES what type of joint budgeting is in place, and the answers are 
presented in Table 16.  

Table 16 Type of joint budgeting (PES and other partners) for SPOC services 

Type of joint budgeting  

PES 

Multi-annual inter-institutional budgetary system based on 
partnership and service commitments  

BE-VDAB, BG, DK 

Other type of joint budgeting 

AT, FI, SK 

Source: responses to the PES Capacity Questionnaire, part II. 

As  it  can  be  seen  from  table  above,  only  three  PES  reported  a  joint  budgetary  system 
based  on  partnership  and  service  commitments.  Other  types  of  joint  budgeting  were 
specified by three PES. In Finland, for example, the SPOC budget (different resources) is 
agreed in the Multi-sectoral Joint Service Centres while other resources are attracted on 
annual basis. PES Austria uses funding contracts and cost-sharing. 

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9.  KEY FINDINGS  

In the Recommendation, the coordination of services and inter-institutional coordination 
to  tackle  long-term  unemployment  is  laid  down  in  the  ‘Single  Point  of  Contact’  (SPOC) 
concept,  and  the  establishment  of,  or  the  nomination  of,  Single  Points  of  Contact 
throughout the EU is a key part of the Recommendation.  

The  current  analysis  shows  that  in  the  majority  of  European  countries  included  in  the 
survey, an institution has indeed been appointed or identified as responsible for the 
SPOCs  (usually  the  PES  or  the  PES  in  cooperation  with  other  partners).  Only  in  a  few 
countries no institution has yet been appointed as the SPOC. 

All PES declare to work in close cooperation with a variety of partners, at the national and 
the local level. More than  half the PES have partnership  agreements in place.  Nearly 
half  the  remaining  PES  applied  different  approaches  to  working  with  partners,  i.e., 
cooperation takes place via project-based partnerships. In other countries, cooperation is 
defined by legal obligations, in specific contracts for implementing the support for the LTU, 
or  there  can  be  specific  regulations  or  legislation.  In  some  countries  there  are  informal 
agreements in place to ensure coordinated support for the LTU.  

Different  types  of  partnerships  are  in  place.  More  than  one  third  of  PES88  have 
partnership agreements aimed at ensuring there is coordination in the support given to the 
LTU. A higher level of coordination defined by partnership agreements with joint-goals and 
clear allocation of responsibilities among partners  was reported by another third of PES. 
An advanced level of coordination is reported by only one PES. This country has a formal 
body/network  with  joint  goals  and  joint  management  board,  which  coordinates  support 
and  offers  and  establishes  referral  pathways.  Other  types  of  partnership  agreements  or 
ways of coordinating the LTU support are mentioned by nearly half of PES. 

Different types of offers are available to the LTU, including a variety of employment and 
social support-oriented measures or services. An individualised offer aiming to find a job 
as a minimum offer is provided by all PES / SPOC service. In addition to this, one third of 
PES also provide at least one other offer, tailored to individual needs. To assist the LTU in 
their  integration/re-integration  into  the  labour  market,  more  complex  support  (a 
combination of several individualised offers) is used by over half the PES. 

The majority of PES (nearly three quarters) appreciate that the services offered to the LTU 
are different from services offered to other categories of clients. Among the differences 
identified  by  PES  are:  related  services  and  measures  specifically  targeted  to  the  LTU 
(through  legislation,  eligibility  criteria  for  participants,  etc.)  and  implemented  in  a  more 
individualised approach (either one-to-one or in small groups); support for the long-term 
unemployed  has  a  higher  intensity  than  the  support  provided  to  other  jobseekers  and 
activation,  motivation,  psychological  counselling,  social  integration  or  post-placement 
support  is  more  often  provided;  a  more  complex  and  in-depth  assessment  and/or  re-
assessment is performed for LTU clients, who in many cases are allocated to dedicated LTU 
counsellors. 

Looking  to  the  other  categories  of  clients  that  are,  or  should  be,  key  PES  partners,  this 
analysis shows that basic support, in the form of services and subsidies to hire the long-
term unemployed, is offered to employers by a majority of PES. Over one third of PES 
seem to have closer links with employers and joint efforts are undertaken to tackle long-
term unemployment: PES partnership agreements with employers are in place to ensure 
that  more  long-term  unemployed  are  hired,  so  LTU  placements  are  based  on  these 

88 One third of PES reporting partnership agreements in place. See section 2.2. 

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agreements.  Post-placement  support  that  aims  to  achieve  sustainable  and  meaningful 
employment for the LTU is provided by just over one third of PES.  

Information/data sharing among partners is an approach to fulfil the role of a SPOC. 
The majority of PES  reported  using data  sharing practices,  or that a  mechanism  for the 
exchange  of  data  was  in  place.  In  more  than  a  quarter  of  PES89,  the  information  is 
transmitted to SPOC partners based on specific protocols. Another practice that implies a 
higher degree of coordination is shared access to client information. In more than a third 
of  PES,  appropriate  counsellors  from  different  service  providers  have  shared  access  to 
discretionary client information. In contrast, only four PES reported a shared access to all 
the client’s data: in two cases a limited number of counsellors have full access, and in two 
other cases all counsellors from different service providers have full access. A closer look 
at  the  responses  from  PES  shows  that  the  client  information  that  is  shared  most 
frequently  refers  to  employment;  education  and  unemployment  history;  job  search 
activities  and  the  support  received;  clients’  assessments;  and  obstacles  to  finding 
employment (this includes health problems, and their family and personal situation– e.g., 
whether  the  client  is  a  single  parent,  or  is  on  a  low  income,  or  if  they  are  on  social 
assistance support).  

This analysis also looked at approaches in place for assessing the needs of the LTU. It 
shows that in a majority of countries included in this report, the PES case managers are 
responsible for and carry out the needs’ assessment of the long-term unemployed. Joint 
assessment,  involving  case  managers  from  PES  and  from  the  other  support  service 
providers,  is  used  by  only  a  few  PES,  while  a  single  case  manager  assessing  the  LTU’s 
needs on behalf of all service providers is almost non-existent (only one PES). 

A Job Integration Agreement (JIA) is a specific measure proposed and defined in the 
Recommendation. Most of the PES reported that JIAs (or Individual Action Plans, IAPs, for 
the LTU) are in line with the proposals in the Recommendation. The JIA includes the LTU’s 
individual  assessment,  the  method  of  contact,  the  frequency  of  follow-up  meetings,  re-
assessment and the services offered. The PES reported that some of the features of a JIA 
make it different from an IAP, which tend to be made for other categories of clients, for a 
variety  of  reasons.  Firstly,  the  LTU’s  assessment/re-assessment  is  deeper  and  more 
comprehensive, secondly, when it is appropriate there is a joint assessment/re-assessment 
with social services, thirdly, in most cases the contacting method is face-to-face, fourthly, 
the frequency of follow-up meetings is higher, and finally the offers are more personalised 
and tailor-made to the LTU’s specific needs. 

One  of  the  purposes  of  a  SPOC  service  is  to  bring  the  LTU  into  contact  with  individual 
agencies  and  services  through  referrals  to  serve  their  needs.  Referral  pathways  also 
assume  close  cooperation  and  coordination  among  partners.  This  is  why  the  survey 
investigated  whether  dedicated  referral  pathways  are  in  place  for  the  LTU. 
Unfortunately, these ‘referral pathways’ are not very common in practice – they were only 
reported by just over a third of PES. 

Follow-up of the LTU or regular monitoring post completion of a JIA is referred to in the 
Recommendation, and different institutions can be involved in this process.  This analysis 
shows that the main institution responsible for follow-up after completion of a JIA is the 
national PES through its case managers. Joint follow-up ensured by case-managers from 
PES and from other partners is very rare (this is only reported by three PES). 

Monitoring the coordinated support for the LTU is an integral element of the process 
itself. All countries monitor different areas or aspects of their coordinated support for the 
LTU.  The  LTU’s  progress  towards  employability,  employment/integration  outcomes 

89 22 PES reporting data sharing/exchange in place. See section 4.2. 

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(including placement targets) and the effectiveness of coordination of services or support 
are the most frequent outputs that are monitored. Monitoring is less common after the LTU 
have left the PES register – it is only (almost) one third of PES that monitor this. Again, as 
in the case of follow-ups, the PES is the main institution with responsibility for this. Only 
(just over) a third of PES report that joint monitoring is in place. 

To support these complex and coordinated services, financial resources are necessary. 
Appropriate  finance  mechanisms  allow  budget  sharing  between  different  partners  and 
ensure  accountability.  An  analysis  of  responses  shows  that  joint  budgeting  is  not 
widespread (less than a quarter of PES report this), related services and measures tend to 
be financed from national funds and/or the PES budget. Additional financial resources come 
from the ESF, and in few cases from other partners as well. 

To sum up, it is clear that PES play an important role in implementing one-stop help and 
coordinated assistance for the LTU. It appears that the European countries included in this 
report  have  indeed  put  in  place  certain  measures  in  line  with  the  Recommendation 
concerning  the  SPOC.  However,  there  remains  room  for  many  different  sorts  of 
improvements  to  ensure  full  operationalisation  of  the  single  points  of  contact,  and  to 
strengthen  the  capacity  of  the  various  labour  market  players  to  deliver  integrated  and 
coordinated support to the LTU. The key for all necessary improvements is the capacity of 
the main actors to steer and lead integration across several organisations. This calls for 
changes that are often structural and require political backing. 

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10. ANNEX 

Annex A. PES Capacity Questionnaire 2020 part II: integrated services for the long-term 
unemployed 

The  Council  Recommendation  on  the  integration  of  the  long-term  unemployed 
(LTU)  into  the  labour  market90  adopted  in  February  2016  aims  to  support  the 
sustainable reintegration of the LTU into the labour market by calling on Member States 
to:  

-  encourage registration of jobseekers with an employment service; 
-  provide registered long-term unemployed with individual in-depth assessment and 

guidance as well as a job integration agreement (JIA) with a single point of 
contact (SPOC) at the very latest when they reach 18 months of unemployment; 

-  develop closer links with employers and partnerships in order to increase job 

opportunities for registered long-term unemployed. 

As part of its 2020 work programme, the Network of Public Employment Services (PES) 
will continue to monitor the implementation of the Council Recommendation on the LTU by 
the PES. 

The  Evaluation  of  the  Council  Recommendation  on  the  integration  of  the  long-term 
unemployed  into  the  labour  market91,  conducted  by  the  European  Commission  (EC)  in 
2018, highlighted the need to better monitor the qualitative aspects of the implementation, 
in  particular  related  to  the  single  point  of  contact.  Therefore,  the  current  ad  hoc 
questionnaire focuses on the delivery of integrated services and the single point of contact. 
The ad-hoc questionnaire is based on the Quality Standards developed by the PES Network 
on a single point of contact92. 

Your contribution to the exercise  will support qualitative monitoring and analysis  of PES 
actions to tackle the LTU. The data provided will also serve as a valuable input for the PES 
Benchlearning (BL) site visits, will be presented in a separate Report on Implementation 
of the Council Recommendation on the LTU by the PES, and will also be integrated into the 
PES Network Annual Report.  

The  questionnaire  should  be  completed  in  English.  Please  provide  country-specific 
explanations,  as  necessary.  Before  filling-in  the  questionnaire,  please  carefully  read  the 
glossary. 

90 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32016H0220%2801%29&qid=1456753373365. 

91 https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=89&langId=en&newsId=9346. 

92 https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-12493-2016-ADD-2/en/pdf. 

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Report on PES Capacity Questionnaire Part II: integrated services for long-term unemployed 

Glossary of terms and abbreviations 

ALMPs 

Active  Labour  Market  Policies:  Labour  market  interventions  aimed  at  helping 
jobseekers find employment and  to improve  the  balance  between the supply 
and demand for labour93. 

EMCO 

Employment Committee 

Individual  in-
depth 
assessment  

JIA 

LTU 

MS 

N/A 

NGO 

PES  

The individual in-depth assessment should cover employability prospects of the 
LTU, barriers to employment and previous job search efforts94.  

Job-integration  agreement  –  a  written  agreement  between  a  registered  LTU 
person and a single point of contact (SPOC), with the objective of facilitating 
that person's transition into employment on the labour market. It should detail 
explicit  goals,  timelines  and  the  obligations  which  the  registered  LTU  person 
must meet, and the service provider's offer to the LTU person95.  

Job-integration  agreements should  be  concluded  before  an  LTU  person  has 
reached 18 months of unemployment. JIA also includes individual in-depth LTU 
assessment  and  specify  individual  follow  up  of  the  unemployed  person’s 
situation96. 

Long-term unemployed in PES – unemployed registered with the PES and with 
continuous  period(s)  of  unemployment  as  defined  in  national  legislation  or 
practice97  (usually  people  with  12  or  more  months 
in  a  spell  of 
unemployment)98. 

Member State 

Information / data not available 

Non-Governmental Organisation 

Public Employment Services 

SPOC 

Single Point of Contact  

Single  Point  of  Contact  refers  to  an  authority  responsible  ‘for  supporting 
registered LTU persons through a coordinated service offer involving available 
employment and social support services. This point of contact could be based 
on  a  framework  of  inter-institutional  coordination  and/or  be  identified  within 
existing structures’99.  

A range of actors can be involved in provision of a SPOC, including: PES, social 
service  providers,  public  authorities,  training  and  education  institutions, 

93 http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-manuals-and-guidelines/-/KS-GQ-13-002. 

94 Council Recommendation of 15 February 2016 on the integration of the long-term unemployed into the 
labour market’:  

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32016H0220%2801%29&qid=1456753373365. 

95 European Network of Public Employment Services, Ad Hoc Module to the 2018 PES Capacity Questionnaire, 
Survey report: https://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=20186&langId=en. 

96 The European Network of Public Employment Services Proposal to EMCO for Quality Standards was 
elaborated by a Working Group on LTU mandated by the PES Board. Following EMCO endorsement standards 
were adopted by EPSCO on 13 October 2016: 
https://www.eumonitor.nl/9353000/1/j9vvik7m1c3gyxp/vk837780drz2#p1. 

97 European Network of Public Employment Services Proposal to EMCO for Quality Standards – 
https://www.eumonitor.nl/9353000/1/j9vvik7m1c3gyxp/vk837780drz2#p1. 

98 European Network of Public Employment Services, Ad Hoc Module to the 2018 PES Capacity Questionnaire, 
Survey report: https://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=20186&langId=en.  

99 Council Recommendation of 15 February 2016 on the integration of the long-term unemployed into the 
labour market: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32016H0220%2801%29&qid=1456753373365. 

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Report on PES Capacity Questionnaire Part II: integrated services for long-term unemployed 

integrated  job  centres  (PES  and  benefit  authorities),  municipalities,  private 
employment agencies, NGOs, organisational consortia, etc. 

A SPOC may be based on various models of cooperation, but one actor will have 
responsibility for ensuring provision of a SPOC service (in most cases from one 
organisation). 

The responsibilities for  arranging and offering  SPOC services  and support  for 
the LTU can be related to employment-oriented services (e.g., ALMP measures), 
complementary social services and benefits100.  

The  Quality  Standards  developed  by  the  PES  Network  on  single  point  of 
contact101, suggested a three-tier definition for a SPOC: 

a)  Minimal – specifying the basic essential services that Member States 

would be required to deliver to meet the requirements of the 
Recommendation.  

b)  Intermediate – defining elements of a more developed service which 

Member States should introduce to offer a more integrated and 
personalised service. 

c)  Advanced – describing a premium level of service which Member States 

could provide for clients offering a highly integrated and comprehensive 
support system.  

100 European Network of Public Employment Services, Ad Hoc Module to the 2018 PES Capacity Questionnaire, 
Survey report: https://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=20186&langId=en. 

101 European Public Employment Services (PES) Network Proposal to EMCO for Quality Standards including 
supplementary qualitative and quantitative indicators to monitor implementation of the Council 
Recommendation on the integration of the long-term unemployed into the labour market: 
https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-12493-2016-ADD-2/en/pdf. 

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Report on PES Capacity Questionnaire Part II: integrated services for long-term unemployed 

Responsibility for ensuring provision of SPOC service 

Q1. Which institution(s)/authority has been appointed/nominated as a SPOC in your country (i.e., 
the institution/authority that has the responsibility for ensuring provision of a SPOC)? Please select 
one of the four options given below:  

☐ PES only 

☐ PES in cooperation/partnership with other institutions/service providers and actors 

☐ Other institution/authority/formal body/inter-institutional network  

Please name this institution/authority/inter-institutional network: 

☐ No institution/authority has been so far appointed as a SPOC  

Please explain why: 

Partnership/cooperation agreements for providing single and coordinated 
support to LTU  

Q2. Are there any partnership/cooperation agreements in place for providing coordinated support to 
LTU? Please select one of the two options given below:  

☐ Yes (Please continue answering from question 2.1) 

☐ No  

Please explain why and if any specific measures have been implemented; please provide examples 
and continue answering from question 3: 

Q2.1. What model of partnership/cooperation is in place for providing coordinated support to LTU? 
Please select one of the five options and provide additional information in the table below:  

Model of partnership/cooperation: 

For the option selected please provide 
the concrete name of partners/other 
service providers/actors/members of 
the Network102: 

☐ PES partnership/cooperation agreement with other 
service providers/actors, aimed at coordinating the 
support and offers 

☐ PES partnership/cooperation agreement with at 
least one other service provider/actor, aimed at 
coordinating the support and offers, with joint-goals 
and service commitments (clear responsibilities) 

102 Other service providers and actors: public (including central or local authorities etc.), private (for and non-
for profit) or civil society organisations representing users or service providers; can include providers of: social 
support, crisis and psychological support, early childhood education and care, health care services, debt-
counselling, housing and transport support, disbursement of social assistance benefits, etc. 

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Model of partnership/cooperation: 

For the option selected please provide 
the concrete name of partners/other 
service providers/actors/members of 
the Network102: 

☐ Formal body/network coordinating support and 
offers and establishing referral pathways, with joint 
goals and joint management board 

☐ A shared inter-institutional infrastructure, e.g., one-
stop shop 

☐ Other type of partnership, please explain:  

Services offered to LTU and intensity of support  

Q3. What type of offers are proposed/available to LTU? Please select one of the three options given 
below:  

☐ An individualised offer aimed as a minimum at finding a job  

☐ An individualised offer aimed at finding a job and at least one other offer/service tailored to the 
individual needs  

Please provide the concrete name of provider of the other offer/social service103: 

☐  An  individualised  offer  aimed  at  finding  a  job  and  other  several  offers/services  tailored  to  the 
individual needs  

Please provide the concrete name of providers of the other offers/social services104: 

Q4. Do the services offered to LTU differ from offers to other groups of PES clients? Please select one 
of the two options given below and provide additional information: 

☐ Yes  

Please list the services offered to LTU and explain how they differ from the offers to other groups of 
PES clients. If a basic offer for all PES clients is in place, please describe it: 

Services105  offered to LTU; main differences106  from  offers to 
the other groups of PES clients (add more rows if necessary): 

Basic  offer  available 
groups of PES clients, if any:  

for  all 

☐ No 

103 E.g. crisis centre, psychological support centre, counselling centre, psychologist, etc. 

104 E.g. crisis centre, psychological support centre, counselling centre, psychologist, etc. 

105 Employment oriented and social, health care, rehabilitative services, etc. 

106 E.g. in terms of category/type of services, intensity of interventions (duration/length, frequency and nature 
of contacts) etc. 

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Q5. What services are available to employers for integration of the LTU into the labour market? 
Please select all options that apply: 

☐ Services and subsidies  

☐ Placements of LTU, based on a partnership agreement between PES and employers  

☐ Post-placement services  

☐ Other services, please explain: 

Data sharing between SPOC partners/different actors 

Q6. Is a system of data sharing/exchange between different partners/relevant actors dealing with 
LTU in place? Please select one of the two options given below:  

☐ Yes  

Please continue answering from question 6.1. 

☐ No  

Please explain why and if any specific initiatives/measures have been implemented/are in place to 
share data/information (examples) and continue answering from question 7: 

Q 6.1. What approach of data sharing/access to data is in place? Please select one of the five 
options and provide additional information in the table below: 

Approach of data sharing/access to data:  

Please describe what information 
is shared for the selected 
approach: 

☐ Assigned contact point for information referral transmits 
client information107 to counsellors of other service providers, 
via smooth and secure mechanisms (e.g., based on protocols) 

☐ Appropriate counsellors from different service providers have 
shared access to discretionary client information  

☐ Limited number of counsellors from different service 
providers have shared access to full client information  

☐ All counsellors/ agents from different service providers have 
shared access to full client information  

☐ Other approach, please explain: 

Assessing the LTU’s needs and the JIA 

Q7. Which case managers assess the needs of the LTU? Please select one of the four options given 
below: 

☐ PES case managers assess needs of the LTU 

107 E.g. client history, assessment etc.  

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Report on PES Capacity Questionnaire Part II: integrated services for long-term unemployed 

☐ Needs of the LTU are jointly assessed by the case managers from PES and from the other support 
service providers  

☐ A single case manager assesses the needs of the LTU on behalf of all service providers  

☐ Other, please specify:  

Q8. What elements are included in JIA/IAP concluded with LTU? Please select all elements that apply 
and explain if and how they differ from the ones related to other categories of the PES clients: 

Elements of JIA/IAP for LTU: 

Differences, if the case (e.g., in terms of 
approach, scope, frequency, duration, etc.): 

☐ Individual assessment  

☐ Method of contact 

☐ Frequency of follow-up meetings  

☐ Re-assessments  

☐ Service offers  

☐ Other elements, please specify: 

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Follow-up of LTU 

Q9. Is a dedicated referral pathway for the LTU in place that differs from the one(s) for the other 
groups  of  PES  clients?  Please  select  one  of  the  two  options  given  below  and  provide  additional 
explanation: 

☐ Yes 

Please explain the differences: 

☐ No 

Q10. Who is responsible for follow-up of the LTU (after concluding the JIA)? Please select one of the 
six options given below: 

☐ Specifically assigned case manager from PES 

☐ Any case manager from PES 

☐ Specifically assigned case manager from PES and from other partner institutions (joint follow-
up) 

☐ Any case manager from PES and from other partner institutions (joint follow-up)  

☐ A single case manager from all partners is responsible for follow up of the assigned client and 
coordinates the support/services 

☐ Other, please specify: 

Monitoring the delivery of coordinated services to LTU 

Q11.  Is  a  joint  monitoring  (PES  and  the  other  partners)  system  in  place  for  the  delivery  of  the 
coordinated support108 for the LTU? Please select one of the two options given below and provide 
additional explanation: 

☐ Yes 

Please  specify  if  the  joint  monitoring  is  based  on  agreement  between  all  SPOC  partners  on  joint 
performance standards: 

☐ No  

Please  specify  what  institution/authority  is  responsible  for  monitoring  of  the  delivery  of  the 
coordinated support for the LTU: 

Q12. Which aspects are monitored by the system in place? Please select all options that apply: 

☐ Progress of LTU towards employability 

☐ Employment/integration outcomes (including placements targets)  

108  Monitoring  the  implementation  of  Council  Recommendation  on  the  integration  of  the  LTU  into  the  labour 
market. 

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☐ Effectiveness of coordination of services/support  

☐ Situation of LTU after exits from the PES register  

Please specify what instruments, except self-reporting, are used and which institution is responsible 
for tracing the LTU, after exiting the PES register: 

☐ Other aspects, please explain:  

Q13. What specific indicators and methods/instruments are used to collect data/information and to 
monitor the  delivery  of  services  to  the  LTU?  Please  list  the  specific  indicators and  the  monitoring 
instruments used: 

Indicators (add more rows if necessary):  

Methods used to collect data/ information: 

Budgeting the SPOC service 

Q14. Is a mechanism/system in place for joint budgeting (PES and other partners/service providers) 
of SPOC service? Please select one of the two options given below: 

☐ Yes 

☐ No 

If no, please explain what budget/funds is/are used to support implementation of specific offers to 
LTU: 

Q14.1. What type of joint budgeting is in place? Please select one of the three options given below: 

☐ Multi-annual inter-institutional budgetary system based on partnership and service 
commitments  

☐ Some pooling of budgets  

☐ Other type of joint budgeting, please explain: 

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Table A1. Examples of monitoring indicators 

PES 

AT 

Examples of monitoring indicators 

The duration of unemployment 

BE-Actiris 

‘EMCO’ LTU data monitoring, no specific or recurring ‘in-house’ monitoring of LTU 

 BE-FOREM 

Insertion rate on the labour market of LTU 

Number of unemployed who have participated in the activity  

Number of participants who completed the activity 

Results: number of participants who achieved the objectives of the action 

BE-VDAB 

Information about the jobseekers  

Evolution of the estimation and activation process 

Obtained output 

Data in ‘My career’ files 

Qualitative monitoring 

Mapping out  the profiles of jobseekers who we are unable to  find work, despite  PES’ efforts 
and measures 

BG 

Indicator for average monthly number of LTU and comparison on annual basis 

Relative share of registered LTU to all registered unemployed 

Indicator  for  prevention  of  long-term  unemployment  –  reduction  in  the  relative  share  of 
unemployed people with 6 to 12 months of unemployment spell. 

Share  of  transitions  in  employment  from  non-subsidised  jobs  among  the  long-term 
unemployed 

Average  monthly  number  of  clients  served  by  the  Centres  for  Employment  and  Social 
Assistance 

Average monthly number of people involved in employment/training at the time of leaving the 
operation  

Indicators for monitoring LTU according to the EC Recommendation for LTU  

Direct monitoring indicators (indicators for reference year ‘Y’) 

1. Overall indicator: use of JIAs among LTU registered for at least 18 months 

2. Supplementary indicator: use of JIAs among LTU registered for less than 18 months 

3. Supplementary indicator: proportion of unemployment spells ending in employment for JIA 
users  

4. Context indicator: use of JIAs among LTU  

Follow-up monitoring indicators (indicators for reference year Y-1) 

Indicators for sustainable employment of LTU: 

1.  The  share  of  the  re-registered  as  unemployed  within  a  year  after  their  transition  to 
employment is measured.  

2. Overall indicator: JIA users in employment 12 months after exiting unemployment 

3. Context indicator: JIA users in employment 6 months after exiting unemployment 

CY 

Number of LTU as a % of total unemployed 

Number of Referrals of LTU to job vacancies as a % of total referrals 

Number of Placements of LTU to jobs as a % of total placements 

Number of LTU IAPs as a % of total IAPs 

Number of LTU IAPs as a % of total LTU 

Number of non-completed IAPs of LTU compared to total IAPs of LTU 

CZ 

DE 

Indicators from IT system of Ministry of Labour 

Outflow and inflow rate, stock development 

Integration rate 

Duration of benefits 

Activation rate 

Net integration effects of services/instrument 

Net participation effects of services/instruments 

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Report on PES Capacity Questionnaire Part II: integrated services for long-term unemployed 

DK 

EE 

EL 

ES 

FI 

FR 

HR 

Indicators of implementation of services/instruments 

Number of long-term unemployed 

No specific indicators are currently in place for monitoring. 

LTU breakdown by: 

- sex (men-women) 

- age (25-54, 55-64) 

- education (low-medium-high) 

- duration of unemployment 

>= 12 months 

>= 12 and < 18 months 

>= 18 and < 24 months 

>= 24 months 

Annual average stock of registered LTU 

Annual exits  

Total exits 

Exits to employment 

Exits to ALMPs 

Exits to other known destination 

Exits to other unknown destination 

63 measures included in the PLAN REINCORPORA-T: tracking milestones, monitoring using 
quantitative indicators, and a combination of both. The monitoring model is designed (with 
technical assistance from the World Bank) to indicate progress with implementation, 
achievements, and results obtained. 

PES statistics related to LTU 

Qualitative aspects from evaluations and research 

Not applicable, as coordinated support for the LTU is carried out in various ways and does not 
always focus solely on LTU. 

Employment rate of LTU 

LTU included into the motivation/activation counselling 

LTU exits into positive activity (employment, self-employment, on-the job training) 

IE 

Individual JIA for each LTU on JobPath 

Frequency of customer interactions is as agreed with JobPath  

Customer satisfaction with JobPath Service 

LT 

Use of JIAs among LTU registered at least 18 months 

Use of JIAs among LT registered for less than 18 months 

Proportion of unemployment spells ending in employment for JIA users 

Use of JIAs among LTU 

JIA users in employment 12 month after exiting unemployment 

JIA users in employment 6 months after exiting unemployment 

Number of unemployed participating in the pilot model 

Share of pilot model participants returned to employment, including self-employment 

LU 

Duration of unemployment 

Duration of inactivity 

Number of signed re-integration contracts for LTU 

Job search activity 

Percentage of adult jobseekers who have been registering for 12 months and over: 

<50% for mainstream clients 

<85% for disadvantaged clients 

<90% for people with disability 

Number of UI (Unemployment Insurance) claimants receiving a suitable job offer shortly after 
12 months of unemployment 

53 

LV  

MT 

NL 

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Report on PES Capacity Questionnaire Part II: integrated services for long-term unemployed 

Number of placements per year 

NO 

Exit to job/activity/education 

Participation ALMPs 

Exit to other social insurance measures 

PL 

Quantitative indicators, e.g., number of people participating in programmes, projects, types of 
assistance applied, etc. 

Breakdowns of LTU by age, education, length of service, duration of unemployment, disability 

Employment efficiency  

Cost efficiency 

Training effectiveness 

Statistical analysis e.g.: number of the long-term unemployed registered with their PES, share 
of  long-term  unemployed  in  the  total  number  of  the  unemployed,  number  of  long-term 
unemployed  covered  by  professional  activation,  inflow-outflow,  group  structure,  exclusions 
from the register of the long-term unemployed.  

Cancellation rate of financial support offered by the social welfare centre 

Increase of social competences and activity in social and professional life of people covered by 
the support 

PT 

LTU as a % of total registered unemployment in PES 

% of LTU with social benefits as a % of total LTU 

% of LTU receiving unemployment benefits as a % of total LTU 

No of LTU by gender 

No of LTU by education levels 

SE 

SI 

Statistical indicators (for instance, how long the client has remained LTU). 

Number of in-depth assessments by PES (12-18 months) 

Number of LTU using IAP or JIA 

Number of LTU exits  

Counsellors’ caseload 

Quality of IAP/JIA 

SK 

Length of registration as a jobseeker 

Age 

Education 

2020 

54 

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E
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