Social and further training fund for temporary work Austria
- Name of the instrument - Local language
- Sozial- und Weiterbildungsfonds der Arbeitskräfteüberlassung Österreichs
- Name of the instrument - English translation
- Social and further training fund for temporary work Austria
- Scheme ID
- 1
- Country
- Austria
- Reporting year
- 2020
- Type of instrument
- Training fund
- Sub-type of instrument
- Sectoral level collection and sectoral level distribution
- Type of entry
- Single instrument
- Short description
Agencies that offer temporary work are obliged by law to contribute a fixed share of their payroll costs (0.35%) to a training fund and may receive reimbursement of their training costs such as course fees and wage costs. Agencies can receive subsidies up to 200% (occasionally 300%) of their contributions to the fund. However, de minimis regulation applies, limiting large corporations' access to a full reimbursement of their incurred training costs. Current temporary workers can choose among training opportunities free of charge and receive a supplementing wage subsidy in case of entering a PES funded long-term training measure. Former temporary agency workers (currently unemployed) are also eligible for training subsidies. No preferential treatment for particular groups is applied. Only the education and training offered by recognised training providers (as reported in a list of eligible providers) is eligible. It includes programmes leading to a formal vocational qualification and short vocational courses (e.g. related to welding, forklift driving, and many more). The fund is managed by social partners (representatives of employers and employees). The Federal Ministry for Labour, Social Affairs, and Consumer Protection plays a supervisory role.
- Level of operation
- Sectoral
- Name of a part of the country
- Not applicable
- Name of the region (for regional instruments)
- Not applicable
- Name of the sector (for sectoral instruments)
- Temporary work
- Relevance
- Further instrument
- Legal basis
- § 22a Arbeitskräfteüberlassungsgesetz - AÜG (Temporary Agency Work Act), of 23 March 1998
- Objective(s) and target(s)
- 'It is the social and further training fund duty to support (former) employees of temporary work agencies in avoiding unemployment, stabilising their employment, additional qualification and improvement of their chances on the labour market and in the case of unemployment'.
- Year of implementation
- 2014
- Year of latest amendment
- 2019
- Operation/management
- The fund is managed by social partners (representatives of employers and employees). The Federal Ministry for Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection plays supervisory role.
- Eligible group(s)
- The fund supports tempory work agencies (employers), their current employees and former currently unemployed temporary agency workers.
- Group(s) with preferential treatment
- no
- Education and training eligible
- Education and training offered by recognised training provides (as reported in a list of eligible providers); offers include programmes leading to a formal vocational qualification and short vocational courses (e.g. related to welding, fork lift driving and many more).
- Source of financing and collection mechanism
- By law, agencies offering temporary work have to contribute a certain percentage of their total payroll costs to the fund (0.35% of the pay role). The levy is collected as part of the employers' contributions to the social insurance system.
- Financing formula and allocation mechanisms
- The fund contribute to the the training costs of employes, employees and former (currently unemployed) employees in different ways. For companies, it contributes 100% of the fees of the course providers. Moreover, it refunds 154% of the applicable wages for all course hours within paid working hours. However, subsidies for employers most not exceed 200% of the contributions made by an employer (respectively, 300% in agreed-on exceptions). Moreover, the support is subject to de minimus regulation (200 000 within three year from any source falling under the same heading per enterprise). For employees or former employees, it covers 100% of the course fees. When a tempoary worker participate in a PES program preparing for qualificaiton, the fund cover the loss in net income (by providing the difference between training allowance and the former net income).
- Eligible costs
- Course fees; wage costs during participation; additiontional grant compensenting for the difference between the PES benefits and the net income in case of participation in a programme leading to a qualification.
- Volumes of funding
- EUR 10 000 000 / year
- Beneficiaries/take up
- Not available
- Organisation responsible for monitoring/evaluation
- The Federal Ministry for Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection supervisory committee for the fund.
- Most relevant webpage - in English
- http://eurofound.europa.eu/observatories/eurwork/articles/industrial-re…
- Most relevant webpage - local language
- https://www.swf-akue.at/
- Recent changes
27-02-2019. Instead of increasing the levy as previously foreseen in a step-to-step mode up to 0,8% in 2021, the current level of the levy has been confirmed for an infinite periode, reflecting higher than expected reserves accumulated.
Recent changes in response to COVID-19
No
- Sources
- https://www.swf-akue.at/
- http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/observatories/eurwork/articles/industria…
- Short description
- Level of operation
- Name of a part of the country
- Name of the region (for regional instruments)
- Name of the sector (for sectoral instruments)
- Relevance
- Legal basis
- Objective(s) and target(s)
- Year of implementation
- Year of latest amendment
- Operation/management
- Eligible group(s)
- Group(s) with preferential treatment
- Education and training eligible
- Source of financing and collection mechanism
- Financing formula and allocation mechanisms
- Eligible costs
- Volumes of funding
- Beneficiaries/take up
- Organisation responsible for monitoring/evaluation
- Most relevant webpage - in English
- Most relevant webpage - local language
- Recent changes
- Sources