Social assistance provides a safety net of last resort for all that do not have access to income from other sources. To this end, all EU Member States have in place so-called minimum income schemes, which combine income support, activation and access to enabling services. Minimum income schemes are vital to lift people out of poverty and social exclusion.

This study analyses various aspects of these integrated social assistance schemes, including coverage, take-up, adequacy and access to a selected number of services. Harmonizing and integrating data on participation in active labour market policies and other services and transitions to employment, this study ultimately attempts to assess under which conditions and with what instruments social assistance beneficiaries are more effectively supported in returning to employment. In so doing, it allows comparing different policy designs as well as costs of investments in labour market services with returns in the form of reduced future benefits and increased future tax revenues.

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